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The Architect's Apprentice

Elif Shafak (Goodreads Author),

رضا اسکندری آذر (Goodreads Author) (translator)

3.98 · Rating details · 12,606 ratings · 1,756 reviews

From the acclaimed author of The Bastard of Istanbul, a colorful, magical tale set during the height of the Ottoman Empire

In her latest novel, Elif Shafak spins an epic tale spanning nearly a century in the life of the Ottoman Empire. In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan’s menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart ...more

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Hardcover, 432 pages

Published March 31st 2015 by Viking (first published December 13th 2013)

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Dec 01, 2014 Ibrahim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scanned

The Architect's Apprentice is the latest historical novel by Turkish author Elif Shafak The author said that that a 1559 painting of Sultan Sulieman standing, an elephant in the background was the inspiration of the novel.

The story goes as the indian boy Jahan sneaks into a ship that traveled to istanbul to deliver an "elephant" a gift from the Maharaja to the Sultan. Then he became the tamer of the elephant at the Sultan's Palace.

The elephant then joins the chief Ottoman Architect Sinan, to ...more

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Jun 15, 2016 Chrissie rated it really liked it

Shelves: hf, audible, turkey, arts, 2016-read, magic

Wow, how to best describe his book?!

This book is special. It has:

-stunning writing that stretches how you see the world around you. It gets you thinking in new ways, comparing Eastern versus Western modes of reasoning.

-exciting events. I thought the book was going to end and then realized there were three hours left. There was much more to what had happened than I had realized! I came to understand I needed to know much more.

-the feel, it captures the atmosphere, of Istanbul in the 1500s. A ...more

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May 17, 2015 Mike rated it really liked it

Shelves: near-east, historical-fiction, reviewed, translated

First, let's bask in the beauty of the cover:

description

Quite a sight, isn't it?

Anyway, this book reminded me a lot of The Golem and the Jinni (tGatJ). They are both historical fictions that take place in cosmopolitan cities told through the eyes of immigrants. In this case an Indian elephant trainer, Jahan, arriving in Ottoman Istanbul with a gift for Suleiman the Magnificent from a foreign Shah. We see the fascinating world of 16th and early 17th century Istanbul through his eyes as Jahan is taken under the wing of Mimar Sinan, the Royal architect, as well as presenting the elephant, Chota, in Imperial functions (war, parades, impressing foreign guests, etc..). Jahan interacts with a wide variety of historical figures, but these encounters never felt forced or contrived.

Much like tGatJ the story takes a very meandering pace, letting the reader soak in the settings and get to know the interesting characters Jahan meets. This book takes place over many decades and is told not so much as one coherent plot line, but a big collection of little vignettes. In one section the plague swept through the city, striking down many people can bringing the otherwise bustling metropolis to a halt. Shafak does a splendid job painting a bleak picture of the situation:

Grief was an indulgence only a few could afford. Death had to stop harassing the living for the dead to be properly mourned. When the plague was gone, only then would kin and kith beat their breasts and shed their tears to their heart's content. For now grief was pickled and preserved, kept next to the salted meats and dried peppers in the cellars, to be partaken of in better times.

On another occasion Jahan and another apprentice are sent to Rome by their Master to study the architecture there and communicate with Michelangelo. Jahan must take Chota to war, works on some of the great Ottoman Mosques, and becomes familiar with the royal princess, Mihrimah, to name but a few of the events of his long life.

What I liked so much about this book was Shafak's gorgeous use of language.

The Muslims wore turbans; Jews had red hats; and Christians, black hats. Arabs, Kurds, Nestorians, Circassians, Kazakhs, Tatars, Albanians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Abkhazs, Pomaks... They walked separate paths while their shadows met and mingled.

She infuses the story with gorgeous imagery, well developed characters, and elegant prose. Each character had their own unique voice and outlook that flowed naturally from their circumstances and background; every character felt real and alive. It was fascinating to see how characters changed over the course of the story and how their past actions changed when viewed from the perspectives gained at the end of the book.

As much as I enjoyed these little slice of life moments, the book did lack a driving force. Jahan was for the most part reacting to thing around him. In tGatJ the action is compressed over a much shorted span of time with indications of a malevolent force lingering int he background. While there was some strange goings on over the course of this book, it did not come to a head until the very end of the book, when these happenings had mostly become moot. Which is a shame because the ideas the end brought up were actually quite interesting and worth exploring further.

In the end this proved to be a very enjoyable read in spite of this shortcoming. If you find the Ottoman Empire fascinating (like me) or just like good historical fiction this is an excellent book to pick up. ...more

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Apr 11, 2017 Ana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a-little-historical, absolute, of-family, architecture, love-me-again, treats-religion, about-murders, creatures-spirits, made-me-cry, of-life-and-death

I cannot even begin to express how absolutely beautiful this book is. Everything, from the writing to the historical background, is so sublimely put to paper, it touches the reader so many times, that this has become one of those works for which I find myself incapable of conjuring enough words of praise. I have cried two times during the story, which says a lot about how delicately it tugs at your heartstrings making beauty out of every ugly feeling that it touches. I wish I could retain every ...more

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Apr 06, 2018 Roger Brunyate rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-east, history, place-portraits, bildungsroman, illustrated-review, biography-fiction, art

Episodic. Informative, often fun, but still episodic

My wife, who has been reading this in tandem with me for a book club, made the most generous and perceptive remark. “Shafak is obviously channeling an earlier tradition of oral storytelling,” she said, “and her book should be judged accordingly.” She is right. This sprawling story of Jahan, an Indian boy who arrives in Istanbul at the height of the Ottoman Empire as the mahout for a white elephant and stays to become a favored apprentice of the ...more

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Feb 13, 2016 Zanna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: me-na-lit, me-na-w, bechdel-pass

This novel has poetry under its skin; without being direct about it, Shafak beguilingly invites you to experience life as a poem

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy -Rumi

This subtle narrative sensibility transforms events into gestures behind my eyes like a dance. Poetry is a retreat for me, a consolation, and so I found this book, reassuringly long, consoling, passing-sweet like the cherry blossoms that opened and fell around London while I was reading it. The retreat to the past, to love and life as a poem, a series of word-gestures coalescing into a dance, soothed me, and gave me an image of Istanbul to hold through the turbulent present.

The great architect of Ottoman Istanbul, Sinan, gets the historical novel he deserves here in my humble opinion. While the protagonist, Jahan, is a flawed character, often hapless or selfish, whose Bildungsroman this is in part, Sinan is wise, generous, driven, brilliant. Countless chapters end with a quotable comment of his on the nature of the possible and the human. On the other hand, his character can be critiqued(view spoiler) The novel thus avoids becoming a praise song for Sinan. I also think viewing a historical figure through the eyes of a fictional protagonist is a good policy; I really dislike when historical fiction feels obfuscating and intrusive. Shafak’s research and imaginative reconstruction of Sinan’s working life is gracefully integrated into Jahan’s story, which is interesting enough to carry the historical freight.

If Jahan himself is unremarkable, that only throws the ‘gypsy’ leader Balaban, Sinan himself, princess Mihrimah and the elephant Chota, the real stars of the show, into sharper and brighter relief. Each of these elements is meticulously realised. Shafak draws attention to racism against Romany people even in extremely cosmopolitan Istanbul, and she neither exotifies nor romantically mythologises them, but gives them a highly positive role. The depiction of Chota and other animals in the menagerie is tender. But the real historical figures and their acts carry such a magical, poetic aura of the past that they are my favourite aspect of the book.

The style is easy, not ornate, but some of Shafak’s descriptions pulled me up short with delight: “the wine taste of tree bark and roses left to dry”. The elegance, directness and tenderness of Sufi poetry infuses the language. I love the headstone:

Pray for the soul of one whose name was not discovered
Loved by the Almighty, He hath known her always.

While most of the central characters are men, the plot still revolves around women in some ways, and there are some excellent female characters, whose lives reflect local partriarchy and their own suppressed brilliance. For them, I round up my stars. ...more

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Sep 09, 2019 Ace rated it it was amazing

Shelves: challenge

We live, toil and die under the same invisible dome. Rich and poor, Mohammedan and baptized, free and slave, man and woman, Sultan and mahout, master and apprentice … I have come to believe that if there is one shape that reaches out to all of us, it is the dome. That is where all the distinctions disappear and every single sound, whether of joy or sorrow, merges into one huge silence of all-encompassing love. When I think of this world in such a way, I feel dazed and disoriented, and cannot ...more

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Apr 09, 2015 Victoria rated it really liked it

I’ve challenged myself to read more books by International authors, I think it makes my world more expansive, it requires a certain sensibility. And not just Irish mysteries or Swedish stories about quirky geriatrics, though they are highly entertaining, but more literature with a capital L. So when The Architect’s Apprentice started popping up on must read lists, I stepped right up. I like my history with a side of fiction and given architecture is at this novel’s heart, I was sold.

What I found I’ve challenged myself to read more books by International authors, I think it makes my world more expansive, it requires a certain sensibility. And not just Irish mysteries or Swedish stories about quirky geriatrics, though they are highly entertaining, but more literature with a capital L. So when The Architect’s Apprentice started popping up on must read lists, I stepped right up. I like my history with a side of fiction and given architecture is at this novel’s heart, I was sold.

What I found is that this story required a different kind of reading as it was highly imaginative, atmospheric and more philosophical than I’d anticipated, this isn’t a book you read quickly. The author gives us the opulence of the Ottoman Empire, while also the barbarism. At times the prose was overwhelming and, truthfully, I wasn’t always too keen on returning to it, but forge on I did and I’m happy for the experience. The writing is languid and other-worldly, the truths it reveals take a bit more focus to fully grasp.

The architect to which the title alludes is Mimar Sinan who has been credited with more than 300 glorious structures and served under three Sultans. The fictionalized portion introduces us to an apprentice, Jahan, who receives not only an architectural education, but a spiritual one as well. The narrative follows an episodic construct, think Turkish Pillars of the Earth, though characterization only scratches the surface. This makes some sense, it’s a cast of many, but when Chota the elephant and the Gypsy Balaban are the most clearly wrought characters, you have to wonder why you never get a deeper sense of the protagonists.

That said, Shafak has written a beautiful ode to 16th century Turkey, to a master of architecture and the cultures that built Turkey’s magnificent domes. We also glimpse the clash between science and the Muslim faith and are presented a philosophical view of life that is not common to Western culture. This isn’t for everyone (as my book club can attest), but for those that choose to read it, its beauty will not disappoint.
...more

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Jan 01, 2015 Shaimaa Ali rated it liked it · review of another edition

"May the world flow like water," Sinan used to say. I can only hope that this story, too, will flow like water in the hearts of its readers. -- Elif Shafak about "The Architect's Apprentice"

That was the last phrase in the author's note, and for that & for many other reasons I gave it that rating!
The novel is huge (452 pages), to keep reading such a lengthy work you need it to be flawless ..this novel definitely lacks that style!
While the characters are well-illustrated, it lacks the thrill ...more

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Aug 12, 2018 Reem Ghabbany rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

THIS BOOK WAS SO FREAKING GOOD!! I DIDN'T HESITATE NOT EVEN FOR A MOMENT WHEN I DECIDED TO GIVE IT 5 STARS
THIS IS MY FAVORITE READ OF THE YEAR.
THIS WAS A JUST A MAGICAL READ THAT CONTAINED EVERYTHING I WISH FOR IN A BOOK
THERE IS ZERO FLAW IN THIS BOOK!!!!! ZERO PEOPLE

so now that I've calmed.
the story follows the life of an Indian boy named Jahan who escapes, with an elephant, his abusive stepfather to Istanbul. Jahan was many things but mostly he was a Mahout first and Architect second.
in a ...more

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Jul 25, 2015 Aman rated it really liked it

This book is one of the few books I've read and was immediately sucked into the story ,it delivers in rich details what Istanbul was like in the 1500s under the reign of the most powerful Ottoman sultan
We follow jahan a young boy who escaped from home and his elephant chota.though the story stretches on a long period of time which is the life of jahan until he is very old I found it very enjoyable and it didn't get boring in any part.
the book isn't mainly about architecture though it is present This book is one of the few books I've read and was immediately sucked into the story ,it delivers in rich details what Istanbul was like in the 1500s under the reign of the most powerful Ottoman sultan
We follow jahan a young boy who escaped from home and his elephant chota.though the story stretches on a long period of time which is the life of jahan until he is very old I found it very enjoyable and it didn't get boring in any part.
the book isn't mainly about architecture though it is present and the sites mentioned in the book are what gives Istanbul its identity and history. If you're not familiar with Sinan's work I highly recommend you to google the sites mentioned to get the full image.
Jahan the main character is sweet and good natured but so soft he got on my nerves
all the characters are real apart from jahan but their characteristics are the author's pure imagination.shafak did a great job because they seemed real and their actions rational.the author notes that she changed some of the historical facts for the benefit of the story which was not good because time became confusing,people seemed to be aging but jahan and mihramah remained young?!people who can be alive only by a work of miracles remained alive?!
I especially loved the gypsies and balaban who is so funny but why he always took care of jahan was beyond me.
chota the elephant is the sweetest animal on earth.
I could've give it full five stars but some mistakes annoyed me more than I could overlook which are:
1 the faith of Michelangelo's letter,I know it's a nuisance but it really really annoyed me
2 the thing about time and age that I mentioned earlier
3 (view spoiler) the whole Thing is OK but the end is simply disastrous .
4 there are hints against Islam and other religions through the book and I don't appreciate it.not being religious doesn't give you the right to criticize religion.it's disrespectful
All in all the book is excellent and it is a big deal coming from me because I'm not a fan of Elif Shafak.
There are some of sinan's quotes about architecture that caught my attention since I'm studying architecture my professional curiosity kicked in. Here are some of them:

Architecture is a mirror that reflects the harmony and balance present in the universe.

architecture is conversation with God and nowhere does he speak more loudly than at the center

Remember that cities too are like human beings...... Remember to pity a wounded city the way you pity a wounded person.

...more

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Jul 14, 2015 Rincey rated it really liked it

Shelves: poc-author, 2015, favorites

See my full review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klhir...

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Aug 17, 2017 Calzean rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, author-turkey, culture-turkey, woman-author

Good historical fiction allows the author to realistically recreate another time and another place revolving around known or little known people. This book revolves around Mimar Sinar the Royal Architect for Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II, and Murad III and his four fictional apprentices.
I was not aware of the scope of Sinar's achievements and for this the book provides a good overview of his life.
However, the story of Jahan the mahout who becomes one of the apprentices, breaks a number of ...more

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May 04, 2019 Ann (Inky) rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, make-love-not-war, ragtags-n-miscreants, books-ive-reviewed, round-the-world, read-in-2019, read-from-library, pretty-princesses, worlds-of-old, real-people

“They should all be sound asleep at so late an hour -- the humans, the animals, the djinn. In the city of seven hills, other than the watchmen on the streets making their rounds, only two kinds of people would be awake now: those who were praying and those who were sinning.”

A magnificently epic story about a man’s life from beginning to end: living in ancient Istanbul, a witness of the Ottoman rising to its glorious and bloody height as well as the beginning of its downfall. We follow Jahan from being a runaway as a child on a ship, to a servant of a series of mad Sultans, and most importantly, to being the trainer and carer for a magnificent white elephant named Chota, who becomes his best friend and companion throughout his long years.

I have never traveled to Istanbul, but I now have a memory of its beauty, its sounds, its smells after basking in Elif Shafak’s rich writing. The flow was languid at times, but every time I just began to think “this is getting too slow,” the pace quickened within half a page. Shafak is clearly a master of the English language--and it isn’t even her native tongue. After learning that she writes some novels in Turkish and some in English, I am even more eager to see if/how they compare from my point of view, since I can only read in English. I am beyond excited to explore Turkey again through Elif Shafak’s eyes sometime in the near future.

What drew me to this book when I saw it in the library (besides the cool cover with an elephant) was the blurb on the cover promising a colorful cast of characters. Jahan meets many humans from many walks on life along his journey. From a tribe of traveling Romanies that always seem to be involved when trouble brews, to a beautiful princess trapped behind palace walls, even to Michaelangelo while he’s painting the Sistene Chapel in Rome. A “ragtag” team or a cast of misfits is one of my favorite tropes, and Shafak did not disappoint with her life-like characters. Each a distinct voice and each play a different part in Jahan’s life.

I learned so much from this, looking back, but at the time it didn't feel like that. At one point I did a Google check and found out that almost all of the characters were indeed real people from the history books. Shafak breathed so much life into these characters while telling their stories. Seeing their like-nesses pop up on Wikipedia had me holding back years, as if I was reading an obituary of someone I once knew long ago.

While I wasn’t head over heels for this story itself, partially because I have a difficult time relating to male protagonists, it was such a solid epic adventure tale for me in a time that I needed an escape. Though I have been struggling to keep up with reviews, and I feel like I'm barely doing it justice, this book still holds a place in my heart, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in this setting or time in world history, or if you just love a good story with an elephant at its center.

“It was after this incident that Jahan understood his master’s secret resided not in his toughness, for he was not tough, nor in his indestructibility, for he was not indestructible, but in his ability to adapt to change and calamity, and to rebuild himself, again and again, out of the ruins.”

...more

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Feb 20, 2016 Jalilah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mena-lit-2017-challenge, historical-fiction, middle-east-north-africa, into-the-forest-2016-challenge, mena-women-s-lit-challenge-16

The Architect's Apprentice is based on the real life person Mimar Sinan, the most famous architect of the Ottoman era. The story is told through the point of view of his apprentice, the fictitious character Jahan. Sinan's work has been compared to the genius work of Italian architect and engineer Michelangelo.
In 1540 12 year old Jahan arrives in Istanbul from India with a gift for the Sultan Suleiman,(aka Suleiman the Magnificent), a white elephant named Chota.
Like several of her other The Architect's Apprentice is based on the real life person Mimar Sinan, the most famous architect of the Ottoman era. The story is told through the point of view of his apprentice, the fictitious character Jahan. Sinan's work has been compared to the genius work of Italian architect and engineer Michelangelo.
In 1540 12 year old Jahan arrives in Istanbul from India with a gift for the Sultan Suleiman,(aka Suleiman the Magnificent), a white elephant named Chota.
Like several of her other novels that I've read, Honor. and and The Forty Rules of Love, The Architect's Apprentice combines historical fiction with a little bit of mystery, myth and magic. In all three novels Shafak lets the reader know the final outcome of the story in the very first chapter. So in this book it's revealed right away that Jahan will live to be over 100 and finally return back to India in his old age. In spite of this, I was constantly in a state of suspense, afraid for him because of all the dangerous situations he gets himself into. 16th Century Ottoman Turkey was a time where simply evoking the attention of the wrong person could lead to death. Jahan manages among other things to lie about his identity, steal jewels from the royal court, fall in love with the Sultans daughter and much more. The Ottoman court was full of intrigues. One could never be sure who could be trusted.
Jahan becomes one of four apprentices to work with Sinan, but all four have their secrets. Sinan becomes the sultans chief architect continuing to build the most beautiful mosques, hospitals, palaces, bridges, schools and shrines, but with his success come many enemies. This novel is very rich and detailed. There is nothing in it that is there without reason. When I finished I couldn't not stop thinking about all the details and events and how they all came together. I was tempted to start reading it again!
My only minor complaint is because the dates are only mentioned a few times, in the beginning and the end, I often did not know how much time had gone by. At the start of the novel Jahan is twelve, but suddenly in the middle of the story it's mentioned that he has white streaks in his hair. I had not realized so much time had gone by! Besides that it was wonderful novel that had me captivated completely from the start to finish and leaving me with the feeling that I wanted to stay a little longer in the world Shafak has created.
Edited to add: I just reread this book and found it every bit intriguing and captivating as the first time around! It definitely deserves 5 stars! ...more

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Jan 29, 2017 Tova rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, turkey-ottoman-empire, covergasm, read-2017, owned

HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS WAS A THING! THIS IS LITERALLY ALL I COULD ASK FOR! ELIF SHAFAK WRITING A BOOK THAT INCLUDES MY FAVORITE SULTAN (SULEIMAN), MY LEAST FAVORITE SULTAN (SELIM), MY SUN AND MOON (MIHIRIMAH) + MAYBE A BUNCH OF MY OTHER BABES (BAYEZID, CIHANGIR, MUSTAFA, MEHMET, HURREM, MAHIDEVRAN ETC.) IT'S SET IN 1500 OTTOMAN EMPIRE! God, I needed this book in my life yesterday. This is all I could ever want. Thank you elif from the bottom of my heart.
---
That was lovely. A bit slow, and Elif ...more

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Dec 25, 2014 Mehvish rated it really liked it · review of another edition

So glad that I started the new year with this book, even more so because this is the book that I had received as a gift from a very good friend of mine.

I loved the cover, it is gorgeous, the turquoise and gold is very inviting.

Quite tempted to give it 5 stars, but I am deducting one because it gets kind of boring in the middle.

All in all, the book is beautiful. Elif Shafak is a brilliant storyteller. Give it a read!

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May 30, 2015 Fatima rated it it was amazing

What can I say about Elif Shafak other than a beautiful writer who sucks the reader into her stories regardless of the setting.... Having read a third book by Shafak, her versatility as an author has been proven. A must-read.

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Oct 31, 2017 Moby rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

If this a memoir then it would be a perfect journey of Jahan Khan Rumi. Taking my sweet time with the reading, delving in with every words-- before Jahan became the apprentice to an apprentice, love and sorrow, desire and jealousy, the life of the king from the start to the end. Every chapter and paragraph was written so beautiful, it feels like Chota was mine as well.

I love the part when Jahan was taken to the dungeons of the Fortress of Seven Towers where he accidentally met Balaban again-- ...more

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Jul 28, 2015 Diane rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-fiction, literary-fiction

I saw this novel reviewed pretty glowingly, in the New York Times. I love historical fiction and I haven't read much on 16th Century Istanbul, so I was excited to give it a try. I started to read and was immediately captivated by the introduction, where Jahan (our Architect's Apprentice) has witnessed the disposal of a number of bodies at the palace where he lives and works.

There were hints at a great love that went unfulfilled...yay! There was the idea that this man had risen from being an I saw this novel reviewed pretty glowingly, in the New York Times. I love historical fiction and I haven't read much on 16th Century Istanbul, so I was excited to give it a try. I started to read and was immediately captivated by the introduction, where Jahan (our Architect's Apprentice) has witnessed the disposal of a number of bodies at the palace where he lives and works.

There were hints at a great love that went unfulfilled...yay! There was the idea that this man had risen from being an elephant's trainer to rising to work for an important architect...fantastic! I read on. By page 100 of almost 400, I realized that the author was wandering around with no solid plot in sight.

The 'great love' was the only daughter of the Sultan Suleiman, but she only dropped in occasionally to visit Chota, the elephant that Jahan was training. She and Jahan had something that might have been called conversations, but we never see them fleshed out. We don't see the relationship building, but rather, sporadically throughout the book, Mirhimah will wander into the story not to be heard from again for the next 50 pages. Their relationship is never really developed. Highly disappointing...strike one.

Jahan is 12 years old when he is first introduced. Unfortunately, as the book wanders its way through his life, there is nothing to indicate his changing age...till you read that his hair is turning white...wait, what??? How old is he? And, he's still an apprentice when he's an old guy? Strike two.

The biggest problem is that the story wanders from event to event with nothing to get the reader invested. Yes, there is someone who is trying to bring down the "master" (the architect) and we see an event here and there, with dozens and dozens of pages between. I kept forgetting that there was a threat, because hey...the elephant needed a tooth pulled or the elephant has gotten out of his chains or whatever. No suspense. Strike three.

The saving grace...getting it to 2 stars...was the beauty of the language. ...more

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May 30, 2018 Zahra rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A character-driven novel, The Architect’s Apprentice is led chiefly by Jahan- an Indian who sets sail for the Ottoman land with an elephant in tow. It is a white elephant nonetheless, perhaps a metaphor for unspoken truths that line the plot at various points in the book.

Escaping a cruel step-father and the sorrow of a dead mother, Jahan sets foot in Istanbul as a mahout and makes the city his home for the next fifty years- ending up as an apprentice to the historical Master Sinan, Chief Royal ...more

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Nov 22, 2014 Kelley rated it really liked it

Shelves: goodreads-giveaways

ARC received courtesy of Goodreads.com giveaway

I loved this book! It was an historical novel with a love story and a mystery. I had never read much about the Ottoman empire so the novel was a new part of history for me. At this beginning of this time, the 1500's, the Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived together in peace. The architect, Sinan, kept opining that all people are of equal value--regardless of religion, ethnicity or economic worth. The elephant, Chota, belonged to the main character, ...more

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Jul 05, 2016 Stephen rated it liked it · review of another edition

enjoyable read based in 16th century ottoman empire in whats now instanbul where chota the elephant arrives with his keeper as a gift to the sultan from the shah and we follow the story of both of them through court politics with different sultans. felt however the story did get bogged down in the middle and could of been slightly shorter.

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Oct 03, 2016 Liviu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015_release_read, read_2016, mainstream, t_notable_books_2015

historical fiction spanning a long period of time and done very well, but still having the inherent weaknesses of books that skip years fast (usually people change a lot in time while in such books, they do not change that much, so the passing of time is very little felt)

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Aug 04, 2018 Teynidhi Ramsewak rated it really liked it

“It's odd how faces, solid and visible as they are, evaporate, while words, made of breath, stay.”
It's pretty amazing how soothing and melancholic Elif shafak's books are...they all remind me of a forlorn lullaby hummed by a mother to her sick child on a cold wintry day.

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Feb 15, 2015 Khyati Gulati Tewari rated it liked it · review of another edition

I start reading the book, the first chapter - a flurry of activities - to reveal a secret, a secret of deaths. I knew, this book was going to be an amazing read. And then I read further. Frame changed to the past - I knew, the background buildup was necessary for the story to properly unfold. So I kept my patience and I kept reading.

But then, it just dragged on and on. Somethings were discussed in grave detail, I mean the work in progress. Being an architect, that was fine with me - for I enjoy I start reading the book, the first chapter - a flurry of activities - to reveal a secret, a secret of deaths. I knew, this book was going to be an amazing read. And then I read further. Frame changed to the past - I knew, the background buildup was necessary for the story to properly unfold. So I kept my patience and I kept reading.

But then, it just dragged on and on. Somethings were discussed in grave detail, I mean the work in progress. Being an architect, that was fine with me - for I enjoy reading about how the structures were erected. But it was still a drag - I was waiting for that bang - the secret I was promised. But it didn't come.

All I got were few incidents here and there, which at that point felt insignificant - for they just highlighted, how difficult a task it was to construct buildings, how many problems one could face, how much resistance there could be - but it was no secret to me - being in the profession, having worked in the industry - so where was my secret?

The secret came out in last 100 - 150 pages of the book - where they finally connected these incidents to the mystery - but it still wasn't that great a mystery - just a distressed girl, taking revenge on her father, not realizing how it was affecting others.

And then fast forward to the protagonist's life after Istanbul - he constructed the Taj and hid his Lady Love's name amidst it. So was it the secret hidden beneath one of the stones? So was this, what the whole story was about? Was it the daughter's revenge that was the secret he was trying to hide?

Maybe to others, who have read the book, they understood the secret better than me. Maybe I still haven't arrived at the secret - but then what's the point, if reader at the end of the book is still unsure of whether he has arrived at the right end or is there more to it? That I pondered over it for a couple of days and moved on to next book, having forgotten about the unsure end I faced... That the book failed to leave a mark on me?

Another issue with the book - time frame! Yes, you don't realize how much time has went by - that the little boy of 12 is suddenly grown up, and that he is old now. It just keeps on moving ahead and ahead and ahead without any time reference and then you are left a little more confused than you already were.

Yes the book, hooked me to itself in the beginning when I was trying to figure out what happened next. Yes I was hooked, when I was reading those last 100 odd pages. But did I enjoy the book, as much as I had anticipated - not really.

Maybe, to you, to the next reader who picks up this book, maybe the mystery will unfold itself better - maybe I lack the understanding of the mystery - maybe it wasn't that grave a mystery for me. But it still turned into a disappointment for me - the book. ...more

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Aug 16, 2015 Dzenana Brkic rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, favorites

"Yes, why would anyone be ashamed of love?"

If every book was beautiful like this one, I would never stop reading, and I'd make sure everyone reads them. Elif Shafak made me speechless again. This book is too wonderful. There are so many emotions in the book. It was so interesting to read about Sinan and all other characters. After I finished reading the book, I started to read it again. And, here I am, having read it twice in a few days, finding no words to describe how good it was.

The book is ...more

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Nov 21, 2014 Jane rated it liked it

Shelves: ottoman-empire, reviewed, library, architecture

Unusual novel with an unusual setting and protagonist. 16th century Istanbul: Jahan has arrived from India, as the caretaker of a white elephant, Chota [Little]. The elephant is a gift from the Shah to the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Jahan becomes also the apprentice to the famous Ottoman architect, Sinan. With other apprentices, workmen, and Chota hauling material, they aid Sinan in building his impressive mosques, aqueducts and other structures. Jahan suffers unquited love of the sultan's ...more

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May 09, 2016 Olga Kowalska (WielkiBuk) rated it it was amazing

I was simply mesmerized by this beautiful novel that reminded me of Sheherazade's stories. It is a story of a boy that will become a great architect one day, however it is not him that is most important. It the city, its people and architecture that counts. It is rich, full of warm and amazing detail. A pure pearl for everyone who adores Middle Eastern magic and great storytelling.

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Oct 29, 2017 Natasa rated it really liked it

Shelves: the-ottoman-empire

A fascinating story of Istanbul in the time of Suleiman the Magnificent.Wonderful characters, well developed and interesting. The only reason I’m only giving four stars instead of five is that there were parts of the story I felt were left undone.

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Middle East/North...: Discussion of The Architect's Apprentice With Spoilers	4	12	Jul 08, 2019 09:44AM
Middle East/North...: Discussion of The Architect's Apprentice No Spoilers	5	15	May 29, 2019 02:12PM
Middle East/North...: * Group Read \| The Architect's Apprentice	22	76	Oct 10, 2017 12:35PM
Temecula Valley B...: Tragedy in Turkey	2	5	Dec 18, 2016 01:15AM
Temecula Valley B...: Elif Safak and the Art of Storytelling	7	5	Dec 14, 2016 09:01PM
Temecula Valley B...: Who was Mimar Sinan?	3	7	Dec 08, 2016 12:42AM
Turkish Reading C...: Ustam ve Ben / Elif Şafak	1	22	May 13, 2014 01:03AM

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About Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak

15,115 followers

Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist and the most widely read female author in Turkey. She writes in both Turkish and English, and has published seventeen books, eleven of which are novels. Her work has been translated into fifty languages. Shafak holds a PhD in political science and she has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK, including St Anne's ...more