The Turkish Lover

Book Description

"Fascinating and inspiring.... Santiago is a born storyteller. - New York Times Book Review

Enthralled admirers of Esmeralda Santiago's memoirs of her childhood have yearned to read more. Now, in The Turkish Lover, Esmeralda finally breaks out of the monumental struggle with her powerful mother, only to elope into the spell of an exotic love affair. At the heart of the story is Esmeralda's relationship with "the Turk," a passion that gradually becomes a prison out of which she must emerge to become herself. The expansive humanity, earthy humor, and psychological courage that made Esmeralda's first two books so successful are on full display again in The Turkish Lover.

"Certain wondrous minds can set their existence to a majestic soundtrack and discern the magical in even the most ordinary of days...Esmeralda Santiago is one such creature.... In the end, she's also telling us the story of how sometimes we're fighting for our lives, even when we don't know it." -Los Angeles Times

"From sheltered jibara in the countryside of Mac9Cn, Puerto Rico, to free-spirited urban Latina artist in New York and Boston...[Santiago] has crushed cultural taboos, reflected the angst of Latinas coming of age in two cultures and inspired readers around the country." -Miami Herald

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2007-01-08

Esmeralda captivated me once more with this book. I am from Argentina and I can say that I found many similarities between both cultures. As far as "Ulvi Dogan", I think "Chiquita" found some kind of security by being with him along with the good and the bad. Ulvi found a smart woman that could help him somehow. Therefore, a vicious circle began that after 7 years was very difficult to break. I wish "Chiquita" coud have found out more about the "secretive" life of Ulvi but at the same time I don't think it would have made any difference.

I don't think that "Turkish lover" singles out one culture. There are many Ulvis out there from all nationalities and backgrounds.

Carolina

Once Again, a Wonderful Book!.......2006-12-31

Absolutely wonderful!! All the details, the emotions, the suspense of what Esmeralda would choose to do with Ulvi, made this one of the best books I have ever read. I can't wait to see if she'll write another memoir about her life after Harvard, how she met her husband and her experiences as a mother.

Great book!.......2006-09-07

Esmeralda is a wonderful writer. I could not put this book down! As a Puerto Rican recently transplanted to the mainland, I could certainly relate to her story. However, this book is more than her story/memoir. This book is universal... an exploration of hope, redemption, and reinventing oneself.

The Turkish Lover.......2006-08-13

Excellent Memoir. Makes you feel like you are living at this time.

Highly recommended for all, children age 13 and over included.

The Turkish Lover.......2006-06-12

I often wondered, as I read this book, whether it was among the most self-serving blather I'd read in ages or one of the best books I'd read in years. Really, what's more self-serving than immortalizing your own existence in a book? And how much better when that book makes a former lover, who treated you poorly, look like a fool - repeatedly? In the end, though, the answer is - one of the best books I've read in years! If the periodic Spanish phrase intimidates the English-reading-only, don't let that stop you - almost every phrase is smoothly translated in the text.

Esmeralda Santiago, oldest of eleven children, runs away from home. At age 21, "runs away" sounds strange, but it is what she does. To be with her probably-Armenian-insists-he's-Turkish lover, Ulvi Dogan, she leaves her mother's home and begins to find herself by first leaving behind "Negi", the name she was called at home. Ulvi likes her just the way she is - naive, innocent, rather obedient and not at all a "spoiled American girl" - and calls her Chiquita. He treats her almost like property, looks on her family with disdain and works hard to keep her from growing, changing, and making friends. What Ulvi likes about her, and the way she honestly writes about it, makes the reader actually understand a little why she stays with this man, who is seventeen years older than she and would obviously not be able to have a relationship with a strong-willed, independent woman of his own age with opinions of her own - one who would certainly not let him call her "Chiquita". Without her honesty, the sentence "I was nothing Ulvi had told me many times." on page 23 would leave the reader wondering what could possibly be worth reading for the next 300 pages.

Esmeralda's relationship with Ulvi begins to end from the very start, when he returns from a stay in the hospital and locks himself in the bedroom to talk to another woman. It takes years to conclude. From Florida to New York to Texas and back to the east coast, often together, sometimes apart, Ulvi and Esmeralda seem to live two lives - his and theirs. Every break-up or time spent apart gives her more insight into herself and more courage to become Esmeralda, with her own life, until - one step at a time - she eventually finds herself, in every sense of the phrase, at Harvard. It seemed only fitting to me that her graduation should be in Boston in 1976, the 200th anniversary of the independence of America.

One small pleasure, for the nosy (like me!) reader: run "Ulvi Dogan" through a search engine. More than half of the hits are for this book, very few relate to "his" movie. A small thing, but I disliked the guy enough to smile when I saw that! I feel as if I should confess that I'm white, and living in a neighborhood that is mostly Hispanic and that a good chunk of the Spanish population here is Puerto Rican. Maybe that's what ultimately made this book such a pleasure - I could identify bits and pieces of culture and tradition from the book in the lives of people I know and care about. Or maybe it's that, despite her constant reference to her culture and the race issues that crop up throughout, Esmeralda's just a woman, and this is a story any woman of any age or race can relate to on some level. Either way, this title's well worth the time and has me looking forward (or, more accurately, backward) to finding her other works.

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El amante TURCO; un libro exelente
Esmeralda's best memoir.
Sencillamente Extraordinario!!!!!

El Amante Turco/the Turkish Lover
Esmeralda Santiago
Manufacturer: Alfaguara
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1594376476

Product Description

In this memoir, we become witness to the transformation of the little Puerto Rican girl who emigrated to New York with her single mother and ten siblings. Esmeralda Santiago finally breaks out of a monumental struggle with her powerful mother, only to come under the thrall of "the Turk" and discover that romantic passion, too, can become a prison. Esmeralda's journey of self-liberation and self-discovery is a daring one, candidly and zestfully recounted, and leads, most improbably, to her triumphant graduation from Harvard. The expansive humanity, earthy humor, and psychological courage that made Esmeralda's first two books so successful are on full display again in El amante turco, which will both reward the author's faithful readership and extend it. Hers is a fresh, exciting, and necessary voice. Description in Spanish: Junto con Sandra Cisneros y Julia lvarez, Esmeralda Santiago se ha convertido en una de las ms prominentes autoras Latinas de hoy. Una gran cantidad de lectores y fanticos han estado a la espera por cinco largos aos por el siguiente captulo de la historia comenzada en sus memorias Cuando era Puertorriquea y Casi una mujer; ahora la espera ha terminado. En El amante turco, Esmeralda finalmente se libera y supera una lucha monumental con su madre―slo para caer bajo la esclavitud de el turco y descubrir que la pasin romntica tambin puede ser una prisin. Su viaje de liberacin y descubrimiento personal es atrevido, narrado de una forma sincera, y nos conduce hacia su triunfante graduacin de Harvard. El humanismo desenfrenado, el humor, y el valor psicolgico que le dieron tanto xito a sus dos primeras memorias, estn una vez ms completamente expuestas en El amante turco, que satisfacer al nmero de lectores fieles y lo aumentar. La suya es una voz fresca, apasionante, y necesaria.

Customer Reviews:

El amante TURCO; un libro exelente.......2006-11-11

Esta mujer tiene un genio, es una escritora nata. Les recomiendo este libro sin mas.

Constantino Gofas
grecia

Esmeralda's best memoir........2006-07-16

This is Esmeralda Santiago's third novel of her series of memoirs. I had completely lost track of Esmeralda's writings until recently I decided to browse her collection and came across El Amante Turco. I purchased the novel right away and read it without any expectations or insight to the story. This memoir in my opinion is Esmeralda's best yet and exemplifies the simplicity but yet very elegant writing style that has become a trademark of this Puerto Rican author.

The story depicts the struggle of a young lady in a stifling relationship that continuously exemplifies how cultural differences can complicate a relationship. However, I would say this story can be that of any woman. Not only a Latina but anyone can experience male dominance and control in a relationship. Negi, the protagonist ventures out on her own, leaves the comfort zone of her Mom's home to experience life with Ulvi, her Turkish boyfriend/lover not knowing that her life would be limited and stifled by a controlling male who uses her to succeed in his academic career. After enduring much mental and to certain extent physical abuse, with determination, willpower and a strong desire to achieve her goals Negi leaves Ulvi and attains a Master's Degree.

El Amante Turco is an exemplary story written from the soul of an author who endured the ups and downs that life has to offer.

Exceptionally written, well- detailed, a woman's triumph. Highly recommended.

Sencillamente Extraordinario!!!!!.......2005-11-01

Magnifico... interesante... no me pude despegar de sus paginas hasta que lo termine. Buena narracion. Consagra a Esmeralda como una de las mejores narradoras hispanoamericanas. Nos entrega parte de su vida compartiendo sus secretos y las intimidades de su alma. Ejemplo para toda mujer latinoamericana.

Abril Rojo / The Turkish Lover (Narrativa (Punto de Lectura))

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Abril Rojo / The Turkish Lover (Narrativa (Punto de Lectura))
Santiago Roncagliolo
Manufacturer: Punto De Lectura
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 8466369309

Product Description

Ayacucho, Peru. Celebrations for the 2000 Holy Week are about to commence and local deputy district attorney Félix Chacaltana Saldívar, a romantic fainthearted individual, is about to face the investigation of a brutal murder. This murder marks the beginning of a series of mysterious deaths, where one by one, the people interviewed by him are eliminated. Faced with such horror, he begins to use the non-traditional methods of the Peruvian police and militia. Abril rojo is a novel about Peru s history and secret codes, a novel about the conflict between the military and the Shinning Path during Fujimori s term. Description In Spanish: En Ayacucho y a poco de comenzar la Semana Santa del año 2000, el fiscal Félix Chacaltana Saldívar, solitario, pusilánime, amante de la poesía y de las tradiciones más rancias, ha de enfrentarse a la investigación de un bestial asesinato. Aunque "en este país no hay terrorismo por orden superior" y más cuando están a punto de celebrarse las elecciones presidenciales, el fiscal no descarta la autoría de Sendero Luminoso. El crimen es el inicio de una serie de muertes misteriosas. Uno tras otro caen todos los que hablan con él. El fiscal, "que nunca había hecho nada que no estuviese estipulado en los estatutos de su institución", ha de acercarse a los irregulares métodos de la policía y el ejército peruanos. Poco a poco se convierte en un indeseable para todos, y en un desconocido para sí mismo. Abril rojo es una novela sobre Perú, su historia, sus símbolos, "la orgía de corrupción que satura el país", y sobre la guerra que se libró entre el ejército y Sendero Luminoso durante el mandato de Fujimori. "Una guerra en la que se pierde Perú" y que el pueblo, abandonado en su miseria, sufre sin entender. Oscilando entre la aparente objetividad del fiscal y la fuerza de los hechos, el relato desarrolla con excelente ritmo una trama compleja donde sobresalen veinte años de violencia brutal.

El Amante Turco/ The Turkish Lover (Narrativa (Punto de Lectura))

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El Amante Turco/ The Turkish Lover (Narrativa (Punto de Lectura))
Esmeralda Santiago
Manufacturer: Punto De Lectura
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Product Description

In this memoir, we become witness to the transformation of the little Puerto Rican girl who emigrated to New York with her single mother and ten siblings. Esmeralda Santiago finally breaks out of a monumental struggle with her powerful mother, only to come under the thrall of "the Turk" and discover that romantic passion, too, can become a prison. Esmeralda's journey of self-liberation and self-discovery is a daring one, candidly and zestfully recounted, and leads, most improbably, to her triumphant graduation from Harvard. The expansive humanity, earthy humor, and psychological courage that made Esmeralda's first two books so successful are on full display again in El amante turco, which will both reward the author's faithful readership and extend it. Hers is a fresh, exciting, and necessary voice. "[A] deftly understated saga of an intense, abusive relationship...Santiago's latest will grow on readers. Her slow self-realization is deeply human." Publishers Weekly
Description In Spanish: Junto con Sandra Cisneros y Julia Álvarez, Esmeralda Santiago se ha convertido en una de las más prominentes autoras Latinas de hoy. Una gran cantidad de lectores y fanáticos han estado a la espera por cinco largos años por el siguiente capítulo de la historia comenzada en sus memorias Cuando era Puertorriqueña y Casi una mujer; ahora la espera ha terminado. En El amante turco, Esmeralda finalmente se libera y supera una lucha monumental con su madre sólo para caer bajo la esclavitud de el turco y descubrir que la pasión romántica también puede ser una prisión. Su viaje de liberación y descubrimiento personal es atrevido, narrado de una forma sincera, y nos conduce hacia su triunfante graduación de Harvard. El humanismo desenfrenado, el humor, y el valor psicológico que le dieron tanto éxito a sus dos primeras memorias, están una vez más completamente expuestas en El amante turco, que satisfacerá al número de lectores fieles y lo aumentará. La suya es una voz fresca, apasionante, y necesaria.

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Turkish Lover
Esmeralda Santiago
Manufacturer: MERLOYD LAWRENCE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OJV67I

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Turkish Lover

Manufacturer: PERSEUS BOOKS GROUP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GTGRJS

The unfortunate lovers; or, The affecting history of Selim and Almena, a Turkish tale; from "The bride of Abydos," of Lord Byron

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The unfortunate lovers; or, The affecting history of Selim and Almena, a Turkish tale; from "The bride of Abydos," of Lord Byron
John Howard Payne
Manufacturer: Freeman Scott
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0008BXOHC

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This is the way to write and read history

Best condensed narrative of the British Empire under Victoria

Heaven's Command: An Imperial Progress
Jan Morris
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Farewell The Trumpets: An Imperial Retreat (Harvest/Hbj Book)

Pax Britannica: Climax of an Empire

Pax Britannica: Climax of an Empire

The World: Travels 1950-2000

Stones of Empire: The Buildings of the Raj

ASIN: 0156027747

Book Description

The opening volume of Morris’s “Pax Britannica Trilogy,” this richly detailed work traces the rise of the British Empire, from the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837 to the celebration of her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Index. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Customer Reviews:

This is the way to write and read history.......2005-12-20

This is the way to write (and read) history. Morris gives us silly, sad and wonderful tales of real people whose characters enliven the shadow of Britain as cast across the world stage, lengthening as year succeeds to year.

This is the first of three volumes that cover the reign of Queen Victoria. We are treated to all of the stories of Empire, as the soldiers and sailors of the Queen spread out across the globe to forge a truly global sphere of influence.

History need not be dull, and Morris is proof. This and the other volumes in the trilogy are outstandingly fascinating. We are anywhere that the Sun Never Sets, among some of the most creative and eccentric people imaginable.

The entire trilogy is well worth your time and attention.

Best condensed narrative of the British Empire under Victoria.......2005-10-07

I thoroughly enjoyed Jan Morris' survey of the 19th century British Empire. Having studied this topic from numerous other sources and perspectives, I still found this to be a refreshing account, and one that tied numerous facets into a cohesive whole. While some might regard Morris as writing with too much of a pro-British bias, I did not find the lack of politically-correct 'empire-bashing' to be problematic. Indeed, Morris emphasizes the negative (and the ludicrous) right alongside the positive. In the few instances where the perspective is obviously skewed, the informed student of history can easily read between the lines. In short, for the curious, I recommend this as the finest single volume on this topic, both for its informative content and its exciting, engaging writing style. I look forward to reading more of Morris' works.

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Amazing!
Trilogy is a wonderful account of the British Empire
Magnificent
Great writing. Vivid portraits. Magnificient narratives.
Wonderful. Best kind of history book for general readers.

Heaven's Command: An Imperial Progress
James, Morris
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0156400065

Customer Reviews:

Amazing!.......2005-04-24

I'm always in the middle of reading history books, which I love: like a Chinese dinner, the fun is in the contrasts. (Someone else here was using a buffet in a slightly different sense.) Currently, I'm reading The Orientalist by Tom Reiss, Freedom from Fear by David Kennedy, The First Crusade by Thomas Asbridge, and of course, Heaven's Command by James Morris. All of them fill my minumum requirement for history books - good narrative. This may sound like a no-brainer, but some supposedly great history, for example, Bancroft Prize winner The Name of War, by Jill Lepore, is virtually unreadable.

James Morris's Pax Britannia is quite the opposite. I don't think I've ever read such delightful prose in a history book. To absorb information is work, and I rate a narrative is by how long it carries me before my brain needs a rest. So, what about Heaven's Command? I'm enjoying reading the other books mentioned above, but when I reach my fatigue point I can pick up Pax Britannica, or anything else by James/Jan Morris, and suddenly I'm refreshed. Here's an sample, referring to one of the Victorian nabobs in India: "He looks like one of those over-informed progressives whose inflexible convictions wither the small talk at frivolous dinner-parties."

It could be, as another reviewer has pointed out, that Morris's chronology isn't precise and that the style is episodic and anedcotal, but two things: First, whatever the chronology, it's not rambling. Yes, Morris follows the chapter on the Irish Famine with a chapter on the British Raj - obviously no chronology there. But there's synthesis going on here, a juxtaposition of the cruel and stupid administration of Ireland with the humane and enlightened administration of India. This thematic ordering of chapters is far better for gaining insight - at least Morris's insight - than a simple chronology. Second, "anecdotal" implies unscholarly. If you read enough history, you can tell when someone knows what they're talkng about and when they're faking it. Morris's assertions have weight. In fact, when some of the citations are dubious, Morris does not hesitate to say so, as in "I pass along this anecdote for what it's worth, not believing a word of it."

I suspect that the reason Morris's history is such a delight to read is that she also happens to be one of the great travel writers in the English language, and her first-hand experiences around the world have yielded a sense of immediacy brought home by a conversational writing style. It has also gained her authority, for Morris has actually visited many, perhaps even most, of the locations in Pax Britannica, and collected oral histories by the ancient inhabitants.

I may be at a slight advantage, because I've seen James Morris as Jan Morris, one of the expert commentators in the excellent Channel 5/PBS series Queen Victoria's Empire. Once one gets over the sex-change, one becomes aware of a bright and slightly mordant wit, which comes through in the prose of Heaven's Command. I highly recommend the series (ignore some of the inane reviews) as a general introduction to Pax Britannia.

If you read history for pleasure as well as enlightenment, I doubt if you could do much better than this book. Like all great historians, James Morris is a great storyteller. I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

Trilogy is a wonderful account of the British Empire.......2002-05-26

Jan Morris is a fascinating personality. She originally was a he, and he was a guardsman in the British army, an officer from a good family. He left the service, became a historian, and then went to Denmark or wherever, and came back a she. She now writes unusual, affecting, eccentric, entertaining books that are terribly British and a bit disorganized. The Pax Brittanica trilogy is her life's work, near enough, though she's done other books that are very good. This one, however, is three volumes long, quite involved and very detailed. The series includes Heaven's Command, Pax Britannica, and Farewell the Trumpets. The first generally deals with the Empire in the 1840s on, the second follows things through the thirties, and the third follows the empire through its disbandment.

As I said, Morris is eccentric. This means that though the books are sort of chronological, they aren't exactly sorted the way you would expect, and this isn't really a history of the empire or the era. Instead, it's an anecdotal collection of tales, incidents, and sketches, marvelously told. Sort of like the difference between going through a cafeteria once and a sumptuous buffet where you go back and forth, taking time with what you enjoy. I thoroughly enjoyed the books, though I would hesitate to recommend them to someone who wasn't clear on either geography, or at least some basic history of the British Empire. Since this isn't either of those, you need them to understand what she's talking about occasionally.

Magnificent.......1999-05-31

I have always wondered how the British managed to gain their empire and, more importantly, how they were able to ignore certain facts staring them straight in the eye -- that other peoples and races have achieved great cultural accomplishments and are fully as human as the British. How could the British have come to regard the Zulu and other Africans as being, more or less, animals ?

The blindness of great empires and their makers is always fascinating.

James Morris is a magnificent writer. The portraits he paints of the people involved in this great play of destiny are vivid. From event to event, the book reads like an endlessly absorbing epic.

Truly great writing about a fascinating story.

Great writing. Vivid portraits. Magnificient narratives........1999-03-22

I just finished this magnificient volume. Morris has surely written a masterpiece. Many a time I have felt transfigured to 19th century India or sensed the wind on the African veld. The writing is stupendous. The portraits of characters just stunning. Alas! My only quibble is no pictures. NO PICTURES!!!! I have the Harcourt Brace publication and there are no pictures. Oh how I would like to see what Sleeman looked like! Nonetheless well worth the price.

Wonderful. Best kind of history book for general readers........1997-11-23

The slightest curiosity about history, along with love of good writing will be satisfied/overjoyed by this series. Morris has a way of illuminting and adding texture through his tangents and grasp of time, place and the incidental. Morris knows how to make history the story that it is, without compromising the factual. Requiring this book in studies would make more people less wary of history. And, the best part is there are three volumes, all equally wonderful.

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Heaven's Command: An Imperial Progress

Manufacturer: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I9A936

Heaven's Command: An Imperial Progress: Book 1 of the Pax Brittanica Trilogy

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Heaven's Command: An Imperial Progress: Book 1 of the Pax Brittanica Trilogy
James Morris
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Canada, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000R48GSC

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Heaven's Command: An Imperial Progress
James Morris
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJE8AK

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Heaven's command: an imperial progress
Jan Morris
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TDL9EO

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Heaven's Command: an Imperial Progress
James Morris
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHCJW6

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Heaven's Command: An Imperial Progress.
JAMES MORRIS
Manufacturer: Harcourt Brace, NY,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UC60UW

PAX BRITANNICA TRILOGY HEAVEN'S COMMAND AN IMPERIAL PROGRESS(THREE VOLUMES IN SLIPCASE)

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PAX BRITANNICA TRILOGY HEAVEN'S COMMAND AN IMPERIAL PROGRESS(THREE VOLUMES IN SLIPCASE)

Manufacturer: The Folio Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H47G4C

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