When Nuray Aykn's only son left home for college, she wished to leave him a legacy that would provide insight into how he came to be. In this memoir, she narrates a colorful journey through Turkey and the United States as a mother, businesswoman, gardener, wife, ex-wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and stepmother. Pomegranates and Grapes tells stories of her loved ones and describes the places where she spent her childhood-from a little Mediterranean town to the city of Ankara, Turkey's capital. She recalls her homes in the United States: Buffalo, where cold weather and a new culture posed great challenges; Washington, DC, where their lives were deeply affected by loneliness and illnesses; and New Jersey, where she ultimately settled and found happiness. With wit, Aykn describes bitter moments with a sigh and happy moments with lyrical and delicious descriptions. A tribute to her family, Pomegranates and Grapes shares a memoir to be cherished.
Pomegranates and Grapes: Landscapes from My Childhood
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Huffington Post
Nuray Aykin, author of the charmingly titled Pomegranates and Grapes, emerges as a masterful wordsmith, connecting readers to her story ---
Nuray Aykin, author of the charmingly titled Pomegranates and Grapes, emerges as a masterful wordsmith, connecting readers to her story ---
The food of her country anchors her adventures and evokes a Mediterranean way of life that buoys her spirit throughout. ---
Rozanne Gold is a four-time James Beard award-winning chef and author
About the Author
Nuray Aykin was born in Tarsus, Turkey, and came to United States to pursue a doctorate in industrial engineering. Aykin has worked as a professor, consultant, and manager and is now pursuing her dreams on holistic health counseling, healthy cooking, and gardening. She lives in Keyport, New Jersey, with her husband and her son.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Nuray Aykin was born in Tarsus, Turkey, and came to United States to pursue a doctorate in industrial engineering. Aykın has worked as a professor, consultant, and manager and is now pursuing her dreams on holistic health counseling, healthy cooking, and gardening. She lives in Keyport, New Jersey, with her husband and her son.
Customer Reviews
“ Nuray Aykin opens her private letter to her son, sharing a life's worth of adventure and insights with us in this direct, heart-felt memoir. ”
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
What a fantastic journey Nuray has taken. I am happy to be able to experience her adventures through this little book. She has saved her memories as a joyfully readable story that is and will be a treasure for her friends, family, descendents and everyone else who is fortunate enough to read this personal history.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having known Nuray Aykin as both a friend and muse, I was extremely touched to read her memoir, to learn of the very hard road she has traveled, and of the successes she has had in her life and been so modest about revealing to those around her. The most compelling aspect of the book, the message that stood out to me throughout the reading of her story, was her beautiful attitude about life, the joy that she found and continues to find in all the simple, truly meaningful things life has to offer. I could feel her joy along with her pain ~ her descriptions of her experiences are palpable ~ they take you into her book and allow you to become a part of her life, her world. She is a gift to me ~ her book is a gift to all of you who will have the pleasure of reading her words.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Nuray's life story, written to her son, is open, honest and candid. She describes a nurturing and involved extended family, replete with all of life's ups and downs. Her journey to date is a joy to read about. It seems to me her approach to life, that of loving herself, her family and being of service, is just what our world aches for on every level. It doesn't cost a penny, but the rewards could be divine. Thank you, Nuray, for being a thought leader and not a better sheep.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Profound and Intimate Memoir of Life on Turkey's Mediterranean Coast
I read Nuray Aykin's beautiful memoir in one sitting. "Pomegranates and Grapes" adds to the growing body of literature illuminating one of the world's most fascinating, beautiful... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Joy E. Stocke-young
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great cross-cultural life experiences
In the book "Pomegranates and Grapes. Landscapes from My Childhood", Nuray Aykin describes her life story as a letter for her son. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Helmut Degen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Letter from a Friend
I have known Nuray Aykin since she was in Graduate School at University at Buffalo, so this was a special book for me. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Colin Drury
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Woman's Voice
A beautifully crafted story in a woman's voice - mother, wife, daughter, citizen - written in a universal language. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Clare Skeen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Armchair traveling at its best.
Nuray's book harkens back to the days before email replaced a well written letter/travelogue/diary - it's a perfect mix of the personal and the historic; with a wonderful 'come... Read more
Published 11 months ago by anna
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Testimonial of the Human Spirit
Pomegranates and Grapes: Landscapes From My Childhood is a book of memoirs but they are written as a diary to the author's son. Read more
Published 11 months ago by V. Vitale
5.0 out of 5 stars
Answer to a modern puzzle
One of the most crucial distinguishing features of human beings is that we can not only learn from our own experience but from the experiences of others as well. Read more
Published 11 months ago by John C. Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars
A life, a journey, a son
I am a Turkish student who came to study for my graduate level degree in the US about 4 years ago. Nuray is my aunt, but she also is a mom, businesswoman, gardener, wife, ex-wife,... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Murat D. Aykin
3.0 out of 5 stars
Landscapes
Hi all, I (and my Book Club) chose this book because the author is local. I did enjoy and especially liked the "landscapes". Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mary Hand
5.0 out of 5 stars
So real, so touching
Aykin portrays the making of the American Dream so masterfully and vividly that any immigrant, no matter what country of origin, will find her story as if it was their own.
Published 12 months ago by Uyar
