My Name is Red

by Orhan Pamuk | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: Global Overview for this book
Registered by Genevalove of Lexington, Kentucky USA on 7/14/2003
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
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12 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Genevalove from Lexington, Kentucky USA on Monday, July 14, 2003
TBR--promised to YoylYY once I'm finished

Journal Entry 2 by Genevalove from Lexington, Kentucky USA on Tuesday, July 29, 2003
This book is an unusual and intriguing murder mystery set in the time of the Ottoman Empire. Someone has killed Elegant Effendi, a master miniaturist, one of a select few artists who have dedicated their lives to illustrating the manuscripts of the sultan. The author uses many points of view to explore the world of the miniaturists and the constant tension between their art and the tenets of Islam; this can be somewhat disorienting at first, but the characters each have a distinctive voice and perspective that makes it easier to differentiate between them as the story continues. This book has been translated from Turkish, and most, if not all, of the literary and historical allusions were lost on me, but that didn’t detract from the story, in my opinion. All in all, I found this to be a glimpse of another world, a meditation on the meaning of art, and an engaging lesson in the history of the Ottoman manuscript.

Tomorrow this is heading off to YowlYY in the UK!

[LATER: FYI, when I read this book and passed it on, I was living in the United States--I've been moving around quite a bit since then!]

Journal Entry 3 by YowlYY on Thursday, September 4, 2003
Thanks to genevalove to sending this :-)
I have just returned from a two-week business trip who brought me to Paris and Manchester and found the book waiting for me....
I promise to make a proper journal entry once I've read it, before letting it travel again....

Journal Entry 4 by YowlYY on Monday, September 29, 2003
I still haven't found the time to read it (blame all my bookrings, rays and TBR pile!) but I promised to pass it to bookmaniac70 as part of a trade asap... I hope she is patient!

Journal Entry 5 by YowlYY on Monday, May 31, 2004
So little time for so many books... I've now found a copy of this book at a local charity shop, and will send this copy to Bulgaria... it's unfair to keep a book for so long, may it well travel and arrive safe and sound at bookmaniac70's home!

Journal Entry 6 by bookmaniac70 from София / Sofia, Sofiya Bulgaria on Tuesday, June 8, 2004
I took it from the post office today.Thank you very much,Gabriela,and I was very glad for the newspaper article about Orhan Pamuk.It looks quite interesting.

I`m going to Italy on June 18th and will take the book with me to read it there.I can`t wait!

Journal Entry 7 by bookmaniac70 from София / Sofia, Sofiya Bulgaria on Wednesday, July 7, 2004
The story was quite intriguing- a lot of mystery,specific atmosphere,secrets,love,hate,rivalry.I liked a lot this original way of narration- that everyone and everything were given a voice to speak about himself,although at times it seemed to me that the development would bring even more suspension if he had chose to narrate as usual.I would not agree that this novel surpasses "The Name of the Rose" ( a critic's opinion),firstly because it is totally different as a story,and the books are indeed very different.
I had slight problems after reading "Black book" in Bulgarian,somehow I didn\t find the same style in the English translation,and perhaps I'm going to buy anyway the Bulgarian edition- just from curiosity if it would sound different.But anyway,I enjoyed very much reading it.

Journal Entry 8 by bookmaniac70 from София / Sofia, Sofiya Bulgaria on Saturday, August 21, 2004
I`m starting an international bookring for this book.Here is the order of participation:

1.cestmoi (Canada)
2.justabookhound (Canada)
3.Ramya(US)
4.Brujula (France)
5.pouniette (France)
6.Netstation (UK)
7.WistfulDragon (UK)
8.Hero (Ireland)
....and back to me

The bookring is going to start in 1-2 days!

Released on Thursday, August 26, 2004 at by mail in To the next participant, A Bookring Controlled Releases.

This book is going to travel a bit.Mailed to cestmoi.

Journal Entry 10 by wingcestmoiwing from Hamilton, Ontario Canada on Friday, September 17, 2004
Didn't take too long to get here!!! Will read soon and journal again.
Thank you.

Journal Entry 11 by wingcestmoiwing from Hamilton, Ontario Canada on Saturday, September 25, 2004
Just wanted to let you know I started reading this last night. I've been really busy at work due to a new project and on top of that have been personally ill so I didn't even pick it up for the first week I had it. But the first chapters have engaged me and I should be finished within 7-10 days. Thanks for your patience!!

Will journal again when finished.

Update: November 13, 2004
No matter how many times I tried I could not get past the first third of this book. At times I found it hard to keep track of all the characters and what they did and other times I just wasn't interested in their lives at all. I really liked the part in the beginning with the dog's thoughts. Although the writing is very lyrical and poetic, it just didn't grab me. I've held on to it for quite some time hoping each time I picked it up and would read a few more pages that something magical would happen...alas..it didn't.

I have pm'ed justabookhound and as soon as I get an address - off it will go.

Thanks for this opportunity.

Journal Entry 12 by justabookhound from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada on Friday, December 17, 2004
I just returned from my trip, and found this book waiting in my mailbox. Thank you! I'll read it next to make up for lost time.

Journal Entry 13 by justabookhound from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada on Monday, June 27, 2005
I am finally admitting defeat on this book. I have started it many times. I am enjoying the characters, I love the setting, and i love what I am learning about Istanbul and its culture at a time in history I know far too little about. I talk to many about the ideas and images in this book and what I am learnign about the art of the minutarist. I do want to know what happens. but I just can't seem to finish it. I am alsways putting it down and p9icking up other books which i then finish. I must have read at least 20 books since I first startd this one. I like it when I am in it,b ut I can't seem to make myself do it. Sort of like exercise. I think given the guilt this is causing me, I better just send this on its way to someone who will give it the time and energy it deserves.


Journal Entry 14 by justabookhound from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada on Sunday, July 10, 2005
I sent a PM to the next person on the list, and did not receive reply, so I've contacted number 4 and hopeuflly will send this book off soon.

Journal Entry 15 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Sunday, July 24, 2005
Found in the mail this evening when I came home from my sister's.
Thank you bookmaniac for organizing the ring, and justabookhound for mailing it all the way from Canada!

Journal Entry 16 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Thursday, September 22, 2005
I'm sorry it took me so long to read this book!
The way the story is told by different narrators always in first person and with each own point of view is very interesting. The story itself is very interesting too, but after the first half I felt there were many repetitions, as if the author was trying to stretch his story so it would reach four hundred pages instead of just three hundred...
So although I liked the book and was interested in the story, in the end I just wanted to get it over with, and kind of skimmed the last couple of chapters.

Thank you for sharing this book, bookmaniac70!

I mailed it to pouniette yesterday.

Journal Entry 17 by pouniette from Paris, Ile-de-France France on Sunday, September 25, 2005
I recieved it this week thank you

RELEASE NOTES:

send it today

Journal Entry 19 by WistfulDragon from Streatham, Greater London United Kingdom on Friday, January 27, 2006
Received the book, along with sustenance - yummy, fried eggs for breakfast *g*

This looks daunting. Just over four hundred pages, small font size, and people have said they struggled and gave up. Hope I'm not one of them!

I'll be passing the book to Netstation once I've finished it - as usual he wasn't answering e-mails (he doesn't access them when he's away working), so pouniette sent the book to me.

Journal Entry 20 by WistfulDragon from Streatham, Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, February 1, 2006
I loved this book! Yes, it is quite slow moving, but at the same time strangely compelling - I missed my bus stop one day ;¬) The way in which it is written from different perspectives, the numerous stories told within it, and the attitudes and struggles of the artists, are fascinating in themselves; in the end I didn't much mind who the murderer was, although I was interested in the result of the investigation. A wonderful look at a different culture. Thank you for the chance to read it!

I shall pass the book on to Neststation at the first opportunity.

Journal Entry 21 by WistfulDragon from Streatham, Greater London United Kingdom on Friday, February 10, 2006
Having given up on bumping into Netstation at a meet, I am posting it to him today.

Journal Entry 22 by wingNetstationwing from Coventry, West Midlands United Kingdom on Sunday, February 19, 2006
Waiting for me on my return from my last work trip, thanks Wistful! Thanks also for the little creature guarding the book, he did a good job and it's fine. ;o)

I'm part way through Daniel Quinn's 'Ishmael' at the moment (really enjoying it so far) and I'll get to this next.

07/04

Now I'm embarrassed :o( I've held on to this book for far too long, but I do have 'sort of' an excuse. Just after I finished reading it the bookcrosser GaryBBC asked for any BCers who knew the book to contact him, with a view to putting questions to the author Orhan Pamuk when he appeared on the BBC World Service Book Club. As I'd really enjoyed the book but had a gripe with some clunky translations I put a question to Orhan Pamuk as to what he thought of the translation. In a few days you will be able to listen to his response here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/world_book_club.shtml


Journal Entry 23 by wingNetstationwing from Coventry, West Midlands United Kingdom on Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Sometimes I think I must be too stupid to live! I read the inside cover of this book and saw the running order for the ring, so I've been carrying it around with me to hand to WistfulDragon at the London meet-up today. But of course I can now see that she's already read it. D'oh, stupid Netstation! It will now be travelling off to Ireland as soon as I have an address for Hero.

Anyway, enough of the excuses and on to the book. I think the translation might have been better. The description of the artworks, and indeed most of the narrative seems to me to be true to the author's intent: it just 'feels' right somehow. Some of the dialogue however, and particularly that of Shekure and her sons, really grates at times. Modern American phrases are used and for me they interrupt the flow of the novel. A couple of times I stopped completely and thought 'she/he just wouldn't say that'.

That said I still think it was a really good book. I like the idea of the individual narrators and particularly the inanimate ones. I also like the fact that unlike Iain Pears 'Instance of the Fingerpost' and indeed Kurosawa's 'Rashomon' each narrator overlaps only slightly with the story of the last, thus ensuring that the story moves ahead, albeit quite slowly at times.

Also I recognised some of the places described in the book from my visits to Istanbul and that always adds to the enjoyment of a book for me. All in all a nice meaty, complex plot and a sometimes startling view of another culture: a good read!

Journal Entry 24 by Hero from Dublin, Co. Dublin Ireland on Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Arrived this morning - thanks to Netstation for posting, postcard and words of encouragement. ;) It does look a little bit daunting, but that's just the dense yet faint type, for the most part. In the middle of reading something now, but it'll be next up.

Journal Entry 25 by Hero from Dublin, Co. Dublin Ireland on Monday, October 23, 2006
I did start this when I'd said I would, but a combination of serious RL crises made it just impossible for me to read a book which started as this one did. This is nothing to do with the book itself, which I'm sure is excellent. Really sorry about hanging onto it for so long though. Just checking where to send it and will do so.

Journal Entry 26 by katayoun from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Sunday, November 12, 2006
this book is here, i've been added to the end of the ring (i think :), right hero? i've got this wonderful memory!! :)) am delighted to be able to read this (just have read snow and really liked it and this one of pamuk's was on my wishlist, so thanks everyone! got two book before this, but will update as soon as i start reading. thanks so much hero and bookmaniac70

Journal Entry 27 by katayoun from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Saturday, November 25, 2006
starting!!

Journal Entry 28 by katayoun from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Sunday, December 10, 2006
still reading, just wanted to share this tehran moca exhibition
the picture is of Farhad Carries Shirin’s Horse on his Back

Journal Entry 29 by katayoun from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Sunday, December 10, 2006
and this

Journal Entry 30 by katayoun from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Saturday, December 16, 2006
ok, so the book is finished!!! welll and now to talk about the book, which i can't. i really enjoyed it and though i had to read every word (and sometimes reread whole paragraphs!!) i think of it as one of my best reads and would highly recommend it to everyone i know. but talking about it i can't, so i just say thanks bookmaniac70 for having the ring, thanks to everyone so that the book got here and thanks for hero for thinking of me.
would be handing it over to hengameh this thursday, when i see her hopefully on Winter Solstice(yalda), that's an appropriate time to hand over pamuk's my name is red!


the picture is "Fereydoun's Sons & Sarv's Daughters in Yemeni King's Banquet" from shah tahmasb's shahnameh (book of kings)

Journal Entry 31 by Hengameh from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Friday, April 11, 2008
the book is still here . i'm going to ask for more time so, if i'm allowed to keep the book for another one month i'll write more.

Journal Entry 32 by Hengameh from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Friday, May 23, 2008
i really appreciate bookmaniac for letting me keep the book for so long and this gave me the opportunity to read one of the most wonderful books i've already read.
the book is really good. thanks for sharing.

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