Customer Reviews

The Janissary Tree: A Novel

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Isaiah 56:3

Investigator Yashim, the hero of Jason Goodwin's first novel, "The Janissary Tree" may be a Turkish eunuch but it is not at all likely that anyone reading this book will think of him as a "dry tree". In fact, if Yashim's steamy encounter with the beautiful but lonely wife of the Russian ambassador to Turkey halfway through the book is any indication, this is one heck of a unique eunuch.

I would love to have been present when Goodwin pitched the idea of a novel (and the first in a proposed series) about a crime-solving eunuch in Istanbul to his agent or publisher. Fortunately, someone had the good sense to green light this project as Goodwin has crafted a highly-entertaining book.

The Janissary Tree is set in Istanbul in 1836. Ten years earlier the Janissaries, the Sultan's version of the Roman Empire's Praetorian Guards, had been crushed by the "New Guard", the Sultan's standing army. Like the Praetorian Guards the Janissaries had evolved from a protective legion to one that terrorized the populace and the Sultan. Now, ten years later, the mysterious disappearance of four members of the New Guard and the murder of one of the Sultan's harem heralds the possible return of the Janissaries. The return of the Janissaries threatens to destroy the Sultanate and the relative calm of Istanbul. Enter Investigator Yashim. He is given ten days to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Yashim is soon engulfed in murder and intrigue. Bodies begin to appear in bizarre places as Yashim and his friends (including a somewhat decadent Polish Ambassador who has no country to represent and a transvestite dancer) try to get to the bottom of this alleged revolt.

Goodwin is very good at keeping the plot boiling (in more ways than one). Goodwin, who studied Byzantine history at Cambridge and who has written books on the history of the Ottoman Empire, has ample knowledge of the time and the place and has put this knowledge to good use. Goodwin seems to convey a real sense of how the city must have looked, felt, and even smelled more than 180 years or so ago.

The Janissary Tree reminded me of Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin novels (late 19th-century Russia) and Arturo Perez-Reverte's Captain Alatriste stories (17th-century Spain). They all take the standard detective or mystery story and transport the reader to a different time and place. As with both Akunin and Perez-Reverte's novels, Jason Goodwin's "The Janissary Tree" is an entertaining and diverting read. I look forward to the next in the series.

L. Fleisig

Jason Goodwin sets 'The Janissary Tree: A Novel' in 1836 Istanbul, just ten years after Sultan Mahmud II destroyed the Janissaries in what was known euphemistically as The Auspicious Incident. The Sultan is now modernizing his army, but four of them have disappeared and begin to turn up dead. Simultaneously, one of the Sultan's harem is murdered. The 'detective' Yashim is called in to investigate both crimes.

Yashim is unusual in literary history; for one, he's an Ottoman detective and for two, he's a eunuch. Believe it or not, Turkish detectives (see Graveyard Eyes and even eunuch detectives Four for a Boy (John the Eunuch Mysteries) can be found elsewhere. Nonetheless, Yashim's character is certainly an attention-grabber.

The Janissaries had been the Sultan's household army for some 450 years including playing a key role in the final defeat of the Byzantine Empire at Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453. Are they behind the disappearance of the four soldiers of the new army? Is the murder in the harem related?

As Yashim pursues answers he takes the reader through 19th century Istanbul, a teeming cosmos at the juncture of Europe and Asia inhabited by peoples from around the Meditarrean and beyond, but still tradition bound - dominated by Islam but claimed Jews and Orthodox Christian as well.

Goodwin brings to bear his formidable knowledge of the region's history (see his Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empireand On Foot to the Golden Horn: A Walk to Istanbul) to create a lively sense of this wondrous city as rich in human history as any place on earth. His descriptions bring the sights and smells, - especially the smells of cooking - to life. He plays on the possibility that the Sultan's mother, the Valide Sultan, may have been the cousin of Josephine Bonaparte. And, Godwin's Yashim will almost certainly change your opinion about eunuchs.

The major shortcomings of 'The Janissary Tree: A Novel' are the introduction of too many characters that are not developed and a couple superfluous side stories.

A strong first novel by Jason Goodwin with more to come. A fun, engaging, and dare I say educational tale. Highly recommended.

Not only set in the location of Istanbul in the 1830s but also set inside the fabric of the Ottoman empire life; there a clever and resourceful eunich is the go-to man when the Sultan's mother wants to solve the murder of a haarem girl and at same time the head of the army has a slight problem with officers starting to turn up dead in unusual ways. The author's strength is his understanding of the Ottomans and Istanbul; the reader sees and feels the strength of history and culture and its effect on the story. The characters are interesting, the mystery believable, the resolution smart and creditable. Written in 2006 in the structure influenced by Dan Brown's short chapter keep-it-moving style, it was a very enjoyable read and I hope there are more to come.

From all the wonderful reviews this got, both here on amazon and elsewhere, I have to admit I was expecting more from this mystery set during the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. Goodwin is a skillful writer, and he has an obvious love for Turkey and its culture, but the plot seemed hackneyed and the execution was less than riveting.

The protagonist Inspector Yashim is a colorful character, but I cared so little for everyone else in the book that I had a hard time finishing it. I hope in between writing the Janissary Tree and his next book, Goodwin brushed up on what makes a good mystery thriller, and can deliver a plot line and set of supporting characters that equal Inspector Yashim.

I wanted to like it - I have spent months in Turkey, a fair bit of time in Istanbul, enjoyed the culture and history, so I thought why not give it a try. I enjoyed the main character - BUT it is too slow. The story (what little of it there is) drags, as almost every chapter (and they are quite short) begins with a long and detailed description of a place or character, like a guide book. And I appreciate that it is billed as a novel, but really, it is a mystery - one that moves quite slowly. Maybe you want to read about the history of the Genoese tower (or some other such thing) every 2nd or 3rd page - but I don't. I've been there, I've seen it. Give me some story, a mystery that moves along more quickly. Do I really have to read all about the ingredients of this dish and that dish? So I began to skip over paragraphs - not my favorite way to read a book. Maybe you won't mind all of the exposition - I prefer a narrative that moves - particularly in a mystery!

This historical thriller is heavy on the history and less so on the thrills, it's an easy book to admire, but not as easy to enjoy. The author knows this subject inside and out, and supplies much fascinating detail here, but we never really get inside the action of the story. (Also, am I the only one who really missed something regarding the hero's ...physical capabilities?)

The Ottoman Empire is coming to an end and Sultan recognizes they must move into modern times. But gruesome murders, with clues leading back to the brutal days of the Janissaries, are threatening the peace and Turkish eunuch Yashim Togalu is employed to find the killer.

Goodwin does a marvelous job of bring this period and setting to life. Although I'd have liked a bit more character development, Yashim, his friends the Polish Ambassador, the transvestite dancer, her landlady, the grocer, and more are wonderful characters about whom I want to know more. The scene with the Russian ambassador's wife disavows one's usual perceptions of a eunuch. Goodwin's skill for sense of time and place, as well as building suspense, is what made this a stand-out read for me. I shall definitely be looking for the next book in this series.

Interesting setting for a mystery novel. The descriptions of 19th century Istanbul are vivid, but the story is lacking.

I was looking for an interesting historical novel and this caught my attention. The author is obviously familiar with Ottoman history and culture and the backdrop to the story is intriguing. I did need to spend some time on Wikipedia making sense of the Ottoman setting though. I found the attention paid to the main character's interest in cooking a bit hard to believe. From what I know of 19th century cooking practices, it's unlikely anyone from that time period would find that laborious process to be a pleasant diversion.

As for the story though, a major plot line involves solving a puzzle. That's fine, but when solved, it leads to, well, nothing. When a plot line ends, it should advance the story at least a little.

Also, at climactic points in the story, there are noticeable switches to a rather abstruse writing style. I found myself rereading chapters in a vain attempt to figure out exactly what is going on. Maybe that was just an attempt to be fanciful, but it might also be an effort to cover up weak plot structure.

While I found this book to be interesting, I don't think I'll be reading more of this series.

A very relaxing and entertaining way to learn about the transition period after the revolt and the demise of the Janissaries and the very early ideas of change that led to the Attaturk republic.

I am surprised by the number of positive reviews that are posted on Amazon. After reading the reviews I was excited about my prospects for enjoying "The Janissary Tree" - and I was disappointed.

The novel jumps in time and perspective on several occasions - making the plot very difficult to follow. I constantly found myself rereading previous pages to try and understand how everything fit together.

I admit that the concept of using an eunuch as essentially a private investigator is novel. However, Goodwin failed to make the character or the situations he was in... believable - so at the end of the novel I wasn't at-the-edge-of-my-seat in suspense . Believability is not critical for all types of fiction, but "The Janissary Tree" tries to use logic to answer the crimes, so to me, believability is a must.

One of the aspects that I did enjoy was Goodwin's ability to capture the historical period for 19th century Istanbul. It isn't a well-known time period for that area by most western readers and Goodwin's expertise shined. Unfortunately for me, I could have used a little less expertise on 19th century Turkey and a little more ability in crafting a suspenseful novel. 2 1/2 stars. I would only recommend to people who avid readers of historical fiction... to everyone else I would recommend Caleb Carr.