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Turkish Reflections: A Biography of a Place (Paperback)

~ Mary lee Settle (Author) "IT BEGAN IN the spring, seventeen years ago, on the Greek island of Kos, one of the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean, about six miles..." (more)
Key Phrases: Black Sea, Mother Goddess, Hagia Sophia (more...)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

List Price: $14.00
Price: $11.97 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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  Hardcover, May 31, 1991 -- $8.90 $0.01
  Paperback, June 14, 1992 $11.97 $0.43 $0.01

Frequently Bought Together

Turkish Reflections: A Biography of a Place + Ancient Turkey: A Traveller's History + Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds
Price For All Three: $40.64

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  • This item: Turkish Reflections: A Biography of a Place by Mary Lee Settle

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  • Ancient Turkey: A Traveller's History by Seton Lloyd

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  • Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds by Stephen Kinzer

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In an exotic, engaging journey deep into the heart of Turkey, Settle, who won a 1978 National Book Award for her novel Blood Tie (set in Turkey), revisits a country where past and present are everywhere intertwined. Contradicting the unflattering Western stereotypes of Turks, she depicts a people she admires for their capacity for friendship, their essential warmth and honesty. Istanbul, noisy and frantic, is also "as polite and friendly as a country village," and tough-skinned rural folk are "almost naively gentle" beneath their exterior harshness. Settle's hauntingly poetic evocation of a people and place is filled with moments of quiet rapture as she inspects the remains of ancient kingdoms, retraces the paths of Seljuk sultan Aladdin, dips in thermal baths and views mosques and churches, castles, sphinxes and the prison where Nazim Hikmet, Turkey's finest modern poet, was imprisoned for his work.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Library Journal

Long neglected by tourists, Turkey has now become a popular destination and one that is inspiring some excellent travel writing. A country of rich layered history, much of which is still evident to the trained eye, it especially attracts those with antiquarian interests. This is a knowledgeable and affectionate portrait by an American novelist who has done her homework. Her visits, 15 years apart, enabled her to record, among other things, the impact that tourism is having on traditional cultures and landscapes. This thoughtful book deserves to be on any serious reading list on Turkey.
- Harold M. Otness, Southern Ore gon State Coll. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Touchstone; 1st Touchstone Ed edition (June 15, 1992)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0671779974
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671779979
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #185,314 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #26 in  Books > Travel > Asia > Turkey
    #63 in  Books > History > Asia > Turkey

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, great country, December 10, 1999
By A Customer
This is an excellent and clear-headed book about Turkey before the dynamic capitalism of the 1980's really set in. As such, it is somewhat anachronistic as all books about Turkey quickly tend to become. On the other hand, the general portrait and the beautiful writing make this the best and truest introduction to Turkey yet written. Read it to understand this unique country, a veritable mosaic of ethnicities, customs and histories; spawning a bridge between the East and the West. For people who see the world through narrow eyes, Turkey might be a paradox: the most secular country in the world, with a solidly modern orientation and a predominantly Muslim (but secular!) population. Not a paradox for Settle who has an open mind.

Recall also that Turkey is a country that suffers an unjustly bad image, mainly because of fanatic Greek-Orthodox fundamentalists (e.g. see the one or two silly reviews below by Greek-Americans with no idea of Balkan history!). Mary Lee Settle has done more than anyone else to rectify the balance. She is uniquely qualified to do so because she clearly has no political agenda to settle with the past or with the future...

One can only hope that Mary Lee Settle writes another book covering the breathtaking changes in Turkey in the last 20 years or so with the same clear vision.

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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, August 8, 2000
By A Customer
This is an excellent and clear-headed book about Turkey before the dynamic capitalism of the 1980's really set in. As such, it is somewhat anachronistic as all books about Turkey quickly tend to become. On the other hand, the general portrait and the beautiful writing make this the best and truest introduction to Turkey yet written. Read it to understand this unique country, a veritable mosaic of ethnicities, customs and histories; spawning a bridge between the East and the West. For people who see the world through narrow eyes, Turkey might be a paradox: the most secular country in the world, with a solidly modern orientation and a predominantly Muslim (but secular!) population. Not a paradox for Settle who has an open mind.

Recall also that Turkey is a country that suffers an unjustly bad image, mainly because of fanatic Greek-Orthodox fundamentalists (e.g. see the one or two silly reviews below by Greek-Americans with no idea of Balkan history!). Mary Lee Settle has done more than anyone else to rectify the balance. She is uniquely qualified to do so because she clearly has no political agenda to settle with the past or with the future...

One can only hope that Mary Lee Settle writes another book covering the breathtaking changes in Turkey in the last 20 years or so with the same clear vision.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Romance and Joy in a Place of Stone, December 27, 1998
Mary Lee Settle introduced me to a vastly different Turkey than the one I was familiar with through history books, popular sentiment and news articles. As an American, my interest in the "outside world" is often surprising to those from other lands. Turkey never seemed warm, romantic or joyful... until I read and visualized "Turkish Reflections". Rarely has a literary work caused me to experience a place so richly. From the descriptions of Turkish warmth in Bodrum to mind-bending jaunts through 8,000 year old settlements, Settle paints a portrait of a land deliciously steeped in hospitality, tolerance and texture. Political realities notwithstanding, this book establishes Turkey as an extremely desirable place to sojourn.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book
I really love this book. I was loaned a copy to read years ago. Many times I've thought about buying it for myself. Read more
Published 6 months ago by George Dinwiddie

2.0 out of 5 stars Turkish Reflections: A Biography of a Place
This is a personal musing written in a diary format. Very disappointing read. Lacks depth on every level. I would return it if I could.
Published 15 months ago by Ted R. Tabour

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mellowest of Reflections
A most pleasant evening's read. Not really a book I would recommend to guide anyone planning a first trip to Turkey, as it is a bit too intellectual--i.e. Read more
Published on October 16, 2005 by R. D. Riedy

3.0 out of 5 stars Turkey---It's More Than Just Ruins
Everyone who writes a book about their travels around the USA, or on life in some part of it, is not required to write sections on the genocide of the American Indians or on... Read more
Published on June 12, 2005 by Robert S. Newman

4.0 out of 5 stars Too nice
This might be interesting as a guide book if you're visiting some of the town in central Turkey , such as Sogut, Polarli and Kangal ( sorry for the spelling, Microsoft Word can't... Read more
Published on January 9, 2005 by D. P. Birkett

3.0 out of 5 stars don't believe everything you read
I read this book on a bus ride from Ankara to Istanbul in the hopes that it would help me decide where I wanted to go on my next visit to Turkey. Read more
Published on October 15, 2004 by S. Weaver

4.0 out of 5 stars Good comparison of present with past
Excellent viewpoint, as the author returns after a 15 year absence to the place she once called home. Read more
Published on April 22, 2003 by Peggy Vincent

4.0 out of 5 stars The best for Turcophiles!
Beautifully written, although she does make a couple of historical boo boos, she loves Turkey so much, all of her fans will forgive. Read more
Published on February 17, 2003 by D. Klevorn

3.0 out of 5 stars Personal journey
This book is a travelogue of a retrospective trip the author took through Turkey almost 20 years after a short residence there. Read more
Published on December 25, 2001 by Erika Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars discovering turkey
I chose Mary Lee Settle's "Turkish Reflections" as my introduction to researching a trip to this magnificent country. Read more
Published on August 5, 2001 by Mrs. Jackson

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