The Bastard of Istanbul cover art

The Bastard of Istanbul

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The Bastard of Istanbul

By: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Alix Dunmore
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About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Bastard of Istanbul by Edif Shafak.

One rainy afternoon in Istanbul, a woman walks into a doctor's surgery. 'I need to have an abortion', she announces. She is 19 years old and unmarried. What happens that afternoon will change her life.

Twenty years later, Asya Kazanci lives with her extended family in Istanbul. Due to a mysterious family curse, all the Kaznci men die in their early 40s, so it is a house of women, among them Asya's beautiful, rebellious mother, Zeliha, who runs a tattoo parlour; Banu, who has newly discovered herself as clairvoyant; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster. And when Asya's Armenian American cousin Armanoush comes to stay, long hidden family secrets connected with Turkey's turbulent past begin to emerge.

Orange Prize for Fiction, Long-listed

©2019 Elif Shafak (P)2019 Penguin Audio City Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Urban Women's Fiction World Literature

Critic Reviews

"Wonderfully magical, incredible, breathtaking...will have you gasping with disbelief in the last few pages." (Sunday Express)

"A beautiful book, the finest I have read about Turkey." (Irish Times)

"Heartbreaking...the beauty of Islam pervades Shafak's book." (Vogue)
All stars
Most relevant  
Elif Shafak has a brilliant way of holding you in her stories and making you feel
like you come to know the people personally. Highly recommended

Loved it

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Elif Shafak is one of the best storytellers I have ever encountered. Read this now!

WONDERFUL!

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A wonderful story as intricate as a spiders web. Believable characters and in-depth consideration of a range of perspectives. Families often seem strange and their truth stranger than fiction. This family is well worth the read.

Spiders Web

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Excellent storytelling!
Excellent narrator!
I enjoyed the audiobook, but now want to read the book. The writing is so beautiful, you can’t help wanting to linger

Brilliant!!

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Another powerful book by Elif Shafak. Great story that weaves through time, reminds us that fate is at work and that stories live on in women.

Stunning read

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The story was not interesting enough to sustain listening. Reader too fast and her voice not appealing

Disappointed

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Full to the brim of stereotypes and frustrating details. Managed to listen to the first 2 hours and couldn't take it anymore.

Frustrating

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In-depth descriptions about everything. Tended to ramble on unnecessarily. Storyline drawn out and boring.

Irrelevant information about everything

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.