The Bastard of Istanbul

A brave and passionate novel

Paul Theroux

Tremendous exuberance . . . I do like a writer with a purpose

Margaret Forster

An astonishingly rich and lively story ... handled with an enchantingly light touch

(starred review), Kirkus

Overflows with a kitchen sink's worth of zany characters ... an entertaining and insightful ensemble novel that posits the universality of family, culture and coincidence

(starred review), Publishers Weekly

A writer whose artistry matches her ambition . . . she has taken on a subject of deep moral consequence

New York Times

Unquestionably an ambitious book, exuberant and teeming . . . a novel crammed with characters and themes, not unlike Istanbul itself

Guardian

Wonderfully magical, incredible, breathtaking . . . will have you gasping with disbelief in the last few pages

Sunday Express

Heartbreaking . . . the beauty of Islam pervades Shafak's book

Vogue

A tender and spirited novel... Steeped in the sights, colours and smells of Turkey's capital, it grapples with the country's dark legacies

NPR Books

A beautiful book, the finest I have read

Irish Times

With compassion and a deftly humorous touch, Shafak fashions a woman's world that is at once micro and macro, using everyday material - recipes, lullabies, superstitions - to illuminate a broader reality

Metro