Enlightenment

I am so happy to see this in the New York Times this week! I came across this book recently and I have to say I was completely drawn in by the lovely cover. And then I saw Orhan Pamuk's quote on the front and I knew I'd have to read this one. I could not put this book down! The plot was so thick and prickly that I couldn't stop turning pages to find out what happened next. Never has a book made me want to travel so much, while at the same time making me feel like I've already been there. Istanbul really comes to life in this intricate political plot and the secrets at the heart of it all will give you chills. I would wholeheartedly recommend Enlightenment to anyone looking for a good thriller, or really anyone who has ever read a book. It was simply stunning.

Loved it! If you ever want a nonfiction explanation of modern Turkish attitudes towards America, this is the book to pick up. Enlightenment walks the line between literary fiction and thriller; it mixes insights into nationalism, American-Turkish relations, how the Turks grappled with Communism with murders, disappearances, and spies. Every time the main character, M, seems to have established a fact, something else sets her belief into doubt. The book deals with the Turkey of today and the 1970s, which offers perspective into how attitudes have (and have not) changed. I was equally interested by M's narrative and the teenage diary of Jeannie, the missing wife of her ex-boyfriend, Sinan. Enlightenment was an easy and pleasurable read, and I felt like I learned something.

This is a riveting political thriller and a captivating portrait of contemporary Turkey. A tense page-turner, it is also brilliantly written. A perfect book not only for fans of political thrillers or people interested in Turkey, but also for anyone who's just looking for a great story.

I read this book for the first time more than a year ago when it came out in hardcover, and I find I am still haunted by the love story, by Jeannie's thwarted idealism, and by the questions it asks about marriage and friendship. I've reread it twice since, and have suggested it to my book club--there's so much to talk about in it, and the story is so powerful and surprising. Freely's portrayal of Istanbul is so picturesque and compelling that I actually ended up booking a trip to Turkey to see what place could possibly be that beautiful.

Bold and gripping.Elegant and edgy.Istanbul,the neo-Byzantine eden where no one is who they say they are and everyone is a quasi-suspect;M,the enchanting narrator will take you to a mysterious city-tour...