The Silence of Scheherazade
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- Create Date：2021-08-13 07:51:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Defne Suman
- ISBN：180024696X
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Summary
Set in the ancient city of Smyrna， this powerful novel follows the intertwining fates of four families as their peaceful city is ripped apart by the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire。 On an orange-tinted evening in September 1905， Scheherazade is born to an opium-dazed mother in the ancient city of Smyrna。 At the very same moment， a dashing Indian spy arrives in the harbour with a secret mission from the British Empire。 He sails in to golden-hued spires and minarets， scents of fig and sycamore， and the cries of street hawkers selling their wares。 When he leaves， seventeen years later， it will be to the heavy smell of kerosene and smoke as the city， and its people， are engulfed in flames。 But let us not rush， for much will happen between then and now。 Birth， death， romance， and grief are all to come as these peaceful， cosmopolitan streets are used as bargaining chips in the wake of the First World War。 Told through the intertwining fates of a Levantine， a Greek， a Turkish， and an Armenian family， this unforgettable novel reveals a city， and a culture， now lost to time。
Reviews
Agnieszka Higney
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DNF。 A real struggle。 The setting， historical period though fascinating and eye opening is so muddled and confusing with names upon names and situations upon situations that lead to nowhere。 On each page you have every possible name， the cat， the grocer， servant ， a passerby who we will never get to know。 This reads very stilted and theatrical。 Language or maybe the translation doesn’t feel natural or flowing at all。 Even though I liked the main character of Edith， mother of Scheherazade， we hav DNF。 A real struggle。 The setting， historical period though fascinating and eye opening is so muddled and confusing with names upon names and situations upon situations that lead to nowhere。 On each page you have every possible name， the cat， the grocer， servant ， a passerby who we will never get to know。 This reads very stilted and theatrical。 Language or maybe the translation doesn’t feel natural or flowing at all。 Even though I liked the main character of Edith， mother of Scheherazade， we have her chopped and changed and nothing is going smoothly here。 You can’t get to know the characters or feel for them。 Not for me- and I would LOVE to learn about Smyrna and the Turkish and Greek people of that era。 。。。more
Kelly
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An epic read telling the great tragedy that befell Smyrna following the First World War。 Smyrna was an ancient and multicultural hub of the Ottoman Empire， and at the start of the tale it is a city bustling with life and beauty， full of Levantine Europeans， Greek， Armenian， Jewish and Turkish， British and French communities， amongst many others。 Some of the central characters are Edith and her mother Juliette Lamarck， whose family have lived in Smyrna since the 1700s and occupy a french colonial An epic read telling the great tragedy that befell Smyrna following the First World War。 Smyrna was an ancient and multicultural hub of the Ottoman Empire， and at the start of the tale it is a city bustling with life and beauty， full of Levantine Europeans， Greek， Armenian， Jewish and Turkish， British and French communities， amongst many others。 Some of the central characters are Edith and her mother Juliette Lamarck， whose family have lived in Smyrna since the 1700s and occupy a french colonial mansion in Bournabat; Avinash Pillai， an Indian Spy for the British Empire; Panagiota， a young girl from the Greek community full of dreams; and Scheherazade， a mute woman living in a Turkish household much later on in time， after Smyrna has become Izmir。 One thing I liked about the novel was the various very different strands of characters from different communities， who were all more closely connected than we may have initially imagined。 They showed the diversity of Smyrna and the events from different angles。 The fall of Smyrna following the Greek Occupation after World War 1 was not something that I knew much about， but the events recounted in the novel were horrendous and this book does such a good job with this sensitive subject matter。 The writing is evocative of a rich texture of smells， sights， and tastes throughout and is wonderfully atmospheric， so definitely one of the triumphs of the novel and a reason to read it！ I did struggle with some clunky language at the outset and it took me a while to become invested， but then it really began to shine。 This is a translated novel from Turkish。 I would recommend this for fans of The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper， as this reminded me a little bit of that from strong female characters and difficult historical situations。 My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher， Head of Zeus， for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Geri
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This is an educational， disturbing and very engaging novel set in Asia Minor in the first part of the 20th century。 The author is new to me but so also are the horrendous historical events depicted in the book。 I knew very little indeed about the fairly recent history of this part of the world and am certainly now moved to read and find out more。The reader is told the story from several different points of view with no one side being privileged。 While granting access to the harrowing history of This is an educational， disturbing and very engaging novel set in Asia Minor in the first part of the 20th century。 The author is new to me but so also are the horrendous historical events depicted in the book。 I knew very little indeed about the fairly recent history of this part of the world and am certainly now moved to read and find out more。The reader is told the story from several different points of view with no one side being privileged。 While granting access to the harrowing history of Smyrna at the end of the Ottoman Empire the author also tells a compelling tale of chosen and changed identities， particularly through the eyes of Edith Lamarck （a proudly independent Levantine woman of French origin） and Panagiotta， a young Greek girl。As a story I found these two characters convincing as each in her own way struggled with the paths their lives were meant to take。 As a piece of historical fiction I think the author did a superb job of presenting developing events through their eyes。 Many of the scenes in the book are almost televisual in the telling， eg the contrasting scenes of joy at the arrival of the Turkish army and the awful scenes at the harbour as people desperately try to flee the burning city。I did find the shifting timeline confusing at times but not to the extent that it interrupted my reading。Thank you to the publisher via Net Galley for sending me a complimentary ARC of this title in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Helene
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Beautiful and poetically written， Defne Suman brings alive the sights， sounds， hearts and idiosyncratic lives of this magical city。 The threat and complexity of war is palpable， yet the depth of the human experience and interconnectedness guides the multigenerational story effortlessly。Absolutely breathtaking。 Delighted to have been able to read an early copy， thank you NetGalley and Heads of Zeus。
TimetoFangirl
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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。This was a really unique piece of historical fiction， which follows the intertwined stories of people living in Smyrna leading up to World War 1。 I don't think I've ever read anything in a similar setting， so I was pretty stoked going into this。Unfortunately， I did find the writing style a bit off putting。 The language was beautiful， filled with vivid atmosphere， but from a technical standpoint it was lacking。 I try not to be so p I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。This was a really unique piece of historical fiction， which follows the intertwined stories of people living in Smyrna leading up to World War 1。 I don't think I've ever read anything in a similar setting， so I was pretty stoked going into this。Unfortunately， I did find the writing style a bit off putting。 The language was beautiful， filled with vivid atmosphere， but from a technical standpoint it was lacking。 I try not to be so pretentious that I let poor technique out weigh a good story， but I actually found this a bit hard to read。 For example， a lot of the dialogue wasn't attributed to a speaker， creating a strong sense of talking head syndrome。 This is possibly an issue with the translation， but it pulled me out of the story。 。。。more
Bookreviews
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3。5 StarsThis is the story of Scheherazade and her once beloved city of Smyrna， during a time in history that seems to have been forgotten。 The story centers on several key characters who at the beginning seem unconnected to each other。 The first half of the book evolves slowly， building the complexity of each character。 With beautifully written descriptions， the author brings the cosmopolitan city of Smyrna to life: the fragrant smells， the vibrant people， the winding neighborhoods， and the qua 3。5 StarsThis is the story of Scheherazade and her once beloved city of Smyrna， during a time in history that seems to have been forgotten。 The story centers on several key characters who at the beginning seem unconnected to each other。 The first half of the book evolves slowly， building the complexity of each character。 With beautifully written descriptions， the author brings the cosmopolitan city of Smyrna to life: the fragrant smells， the vibrant people， the winding neighborhoods， and the quay where so much of the city’s life and then death took place。 The pacing is slower in the first part of the book and the translation seems to waver at some points。 But half way through， the book finds its stride as the stories of the individuals we’ve been following begin to converge and their relationships become clear。 With a brilliant plot twist， all that has been foreshadowed， all the details that have been carefully planted by the author， the pieces of Scheherazade’s tale fall into place。 The pace quickens as the horrific events of September 1922 unfold into a dramatic and heartbreaking climax。The chapters are not in chronological order and this worked well in the telling of this story。 It feels as if Scheherazade is indeed telling us her tale， keeping us turning the pages。 The final imagery of the burning city， of the lost souls of an ancient people expelled from their homes， is a chilling reminder to never forget the horrors of what happened in Smyrna in 1922。 Thank you very much to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this ARC。 。。。more
Laura Turner
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Review to follow as part of my stop on the blog tour
Capnniknak
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Such an epic read。 This is a superb feat of writing and translation。
Ali Pınarbaşı
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Breathtaking！ Amazing plot， delicate yet masterful storytelling。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Feeling blessed for having the chance to read the early edition。 Check out the link below for the artwork I made for this masterpiece！ https://www。instagram。com/p/CNM3DwNn1。。。 Breathtaking！ Amazing plot， delicate yet masterful storytelling。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Feeling blessed for having the chance to read the early edition。 Check out the link below for the artwork I made for this masterpiece！ https://www。instagram。com/p/CNM3DwNn1。。。 。。。more
Joy Matteson
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A beautiful gripping saga of the small town of Smyrna in Asia Minor。 As the great grand-daughter of someone who died in Asia Minor during the 1921 Armenian Holocaust， this book had great personal meaning for me。 Some authors who I've read who write details of the horrific violence and difficulties faced by the Greeks and Armenians who lived in the Ottoman Empire during that time easily get bogged down in the details， confusing the reader （it IS mind-boggling， all the dates， who lived where， when A beautiful gripping saga of the small town of Smyrna in Asia Minor。 As the great grand-daughter of someone who died in Asia Minor during the 1921 Armenian Holocaust， this book had great personal meaning for me。 Some authors who I've read who write details of the horrific violence and difficulties faced by the Greeks and Armenians who lived in the Ottoman Empire during that time easily get bogged down in the details， confusing the reader （it IS mind-boggling， all the dates， who lived where， when， etc）。 The story of the silent girl who has lived through horrific times is tenderly told， and through the eyes of Avinesh， Panagiota， and Edith， we get to view an intimate perspective of a little understood time in the early 20th century。 I'm grateful that these stories are being told now， especially after President Biden acknowledged the Armenian genocide this past year， validating the experience of so many millions around the world。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Kate Renee
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The Silence of ScheherazadeBy: Defne SumanTranslated By: Elizabeth Goksel✨ Release Date: Sept 19， 2021384 PagesSeptember 1905 leading up to 1922， set in the ancient city of Smyrna， this book follows the intertwining fates of a Levantine， a Greek， a Turkish and an Armenian family as their city is torn apart by the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire。Scheherazade， who is a mute， was born as a result of her wealthy Levantine mother’s affair with a Turkish driving instructor， separated from her mother The Silence of ScheherazadeBy: Defne SumanTranslated By: Elizabeth Goksel✨ Release Date: Sept 19， 2021384 PagesSeptember 1905 leading up to 1922， set in the ancient city of Smyrna， this book follows the intertwining fates of a Levantine， a Greek， a Turkish and an Armenian family as their city is torn apart by the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire。Scheherazade， who is a mute， was born as a result of her wealthy Levantine mother’s affair with a Turkish driving instructor， separated from her mother at birth by an Armenian midwife desperate to pay off her husband’s gambling debts， and then raised by a Greek family after being found during the Great Fire。。WOW。 I thoroughly loved this book in it’s entirety！The start is slow and it took some time to figure out how all the pieces fit together， but then it hits hard。The complexity of the ensemble of characters provided so much depth with the different points of view。 And even with the translation of this book， the imagery is kept intact and portrayed so complexly。 I also love the fact that Suman was able to include and dive into so many different cultures without getting wrapped in the politics of it all， but rather put things into a different perspective that people can relate to and apply to their own lives。 Be advised though， that this book does include a lot of death， murder， rape， sexual assault， suicide， racism， abuse， and other triggers that might affect some readers。⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 。。。more
Abby
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⋆⋆⋆½Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for allowing me to read this ARC！Content Warning: death， murder， rape， sexual assault， suicide， racism， abuse， fire。 Scheherazade is born one dark September night in the city of Smyrna。 It's 1905， and her mother， through the haze of an opium fog， is about to bring her into this world; meanwhile， an Indian spy working for the British Empire arrives on Smyrna's shores。 What none of them can know at this moment is that the coming years will draw them into ⋆⋆⋆½Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for allowing me to read this ARC！Content Warning: death， murder， rape， sexual assault， suicide， racism， abuse， fire。 Scheherazade is born one dark September night in the city of Smyrna。 It's 1905， and her mother， through the haze of an opium fog， is about to bring her into this world; meanwhile， an Indian spy working for the British Empire arrives on Smyrna's shores。 What none of them can know at this moment is that the coming years will draw them into a complicated web of deception， love and tragedy with four other families scattered across the city。What intrigued me most about this book， aside from its beautiful cover， was the fact that the author herself was Turkish。 I haven't read many books either in or about Turkey， and it immediately caught my eye。 While I wasn't all that familiar with the political machinations going on in the Ottoman Empire at the time， it sounded like it would be an exciting and interesting romp。The first few chapters are a little slow， but once the story picks up -- well， it really picks up。 There is a large ensemble of characters， ranging from the Levantine French Edith Lamarck， Armenian Midwife Meline， to the aforementioned Indian spy Avinash Pillai。 As someone who loves large， complex casts of characters， I found it thrilling to jump to so many different points of view。 Suman does an excellent job of delving into all the different cultures at play in this book， and doesn't get trapped by the pitfalls of portraying one side as righteous or just while the other is nothing but evil。 Instead， she creates nuances， allows us to see this world from all perspectives， and because of this black-and-gray worldview， creates realism and authenticity。 The historical and political aspects are endlessly fascinating。I did find the chronology confusing， however。 There was a lot of jumping forward and back， with no real clear timeline until a character mentions a year has passed or that we're back in， say， a character's fifteenth year as opposed to their seventeenth。 There's also the fact that in spite of what I mentioned above about loving huge casts， it sometimes felt a little too big。 There's tons of mildly important side characters to remember， too， and it can be a touch overwhelming！ I have a feeling， however， that once this has the final touches put on it， it'll become a favorite of many。 Suman's writing has depth and complexity， gorgeous turns-of-phrase， and the characters are both lovable and deeply flawed。 If you're a lover of historical fiction， and tired of reading about Regency balls or WWII， I highly recommend you pick this up！ 。。。more
Veronica Marshall
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This book Silence of Scheherazade first caught me by its title。 This book is from multiple different points of views spanning from around 1905 to later on WW2。 Also has the fall of the Ottoman Empire， in it the constant battles。 The cultural differences and surprisingly enough Christianity in the middle east which always surprises me。 （ I have to stop that）The different Points of view are Edith， Avinesh， Scheherazade， Katina， and so many more。 It time hop in between their lives and its woven in This book Silence of Scheherazade first caught me by its title。 This book is from multiple different points of views spanning from around 1905 to later on WW2。 Also has the fall of the Ottoman Empire， in it the constant battles。 The cultural differences and surprisingly enough Christianity in the middle east which always surprises me。 （ I have to stop that）The different Points of view are Edith， Avinesh， Scheherazade， Katina， and so many more。 It time hop in between their lives and its woven in like a tale being told around a campfire。 Where you just want to know more about these people what their life is like。The writing is very unique I'm glad it has a woven story feeling。 It is very emotionally rocky time periods。 I don't really have around the Ottoman empire books on my shelf so its very refreshing。 You have a sense of nostalgia through the characters eyes。I love the dedication and the constant mention of Scheherazade I wanted to highlight something in my digital arc but couldn't。 （ Since it is an ARC） I highly recommend this book it was a refreshing read。 The Arc was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。Publish date Sept 19 2021 。。。more
may ✨
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5/5 stars， i have no words。。。 rtc！Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC！content warnings: war and violence （includes depiction of wounds， hunger， cruelty， torture， exile…）， death （includes death of a family member）， fire， rape， suicide， depression， mental illness， abuse （includes parental abuse）， imprisonment， pregnancy， childbirth， stillbirth， drug use and addiction， colonialism， misogyny， ableism， racism， cheating
Paul
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This is an interesting story that may move some readers a certain points。 It starts a little slow but it is pretty engaging overall。 The author's talent is on display here， and look forward to her next one。 Recommended for historical fiction fans。I really appreciate the ARC for review。 This is an interesting story that may move some readers a certain points。 It starts a little slow but it is pretty engaging overall。 The author's talent is on display here， and look forward to her next one。 Recommended for historical fiction fans。I really appreciate the ARC for review。 。。。more
Mana
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Smyrna， 1905。 Multicultured city， full of wonders。 Little girl is born to a opium addicted mother。 On the same day Indian spy for British Empire comes to the lush city。Ottoman Empire is slowly falling apart。 But in the meantime the reader travels in an entwined stories of four families， from different cultures。Love， sadness， death， turmoil of decadence， luxury and finally decay and silence of the then cosmopolitan city。Beautifully written， the reader is entirely engaged in an atmosphere and fasc Smyrna， 1905。 Multicultured city， full of wonders。 Little girl is born to a opium addicted mother。 On the same day Indian spy for British Empire comes to the lush city。Ottoman Empire is slowly falling apart。 But in the meantime the reader travels in an entwined stories of four families， from different cultures。Love， sadness， death， turmoil of decadence， luxury and finally decay and silence of the then cosmopolitan city。Beautifully written， the reader is entirely engaged in an atmosphere and fascinating characters of the novel。Magical read。 。。。more
Lala~
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3。5 starsGot this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for a review！Firstly， I think it's written very beautifully， and doesn't lose its beauty with the translation which is great。 I enjoyed following this multigenerational and multinational story of many characters。 I loved seeing historical events I hadn't had much knowledge about， but I think it could have been a hundred pages shorter and it would be fine。 At some point I felt it started getting slow and felt draggy towards the end of the 3。5 starsGot this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for a review！Firstly， I think it's written very beautifully， and doesn't lose its beauty with the translation which is great。 I enjoyed following this multigenerational and multinational story of many characters。 I loved seeing historical events I hadn't had much knowledge about， but I think it could have been a hundred pages shorter and it would be fine。 At some point I felt it started getting slow and felt draggy towards the end of the book when the audience had already guessed the connections between characters and there wasn't much point in dragging it。I neither loved nor hated the chronology of events in the book; however， when I read the last chapter I understood why it had to be last， even though at times it was a little confusing。 I didn't love most of characters but I think it was meant to be that way; they were flawed and intricate。 Overall， a decently enjoyable book if you're in the mood for a historical fiction set in the 20th century Ottoman Empire。 。。。more
Jeanie
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NetGalleyMember ReviewCover Image: The Silence of ScheherazadeThe Silence of Scheherazadeby Defne SumanPub Date: 19 Sep 2021Review byjeanie m， ReviewerLast updated on 17 Apr 2021My RecommendationWith thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion Not read anything by this author before all I can say its a beautifully poignant and extremely well presented book the richness and opulence is in abundance I thoroughly enjoyed the experience。Don't forget！ Come back to your Revie NetGalleyMember ReviewCover Image: The Silence of ScheherazadeThe Silence of Scheherazadeby Defne SumanPub Date: 19 Sep 2021Review byjeanie m， ReviewerLast updated on 17 Apr 2021My RecommendationWith thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion Not read anything by this author before all I can say its a beautifully poignant and extremely well presented book the richness and opulence is in abundance I thoroughly enjoyed the experience。Don't forget！ Come back to your Review on the pub date， 19 Sep 2021， to post to these retailers。 。。。more
Geoffrey
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