Born into privilege to one of the last Ottoman pashas, beautiful, spirited Selva is the brightest jewel in her father’s household – until she falls in love with Rafael Alfandari. Though Turkey has long been a safe haven for Jews, marriage between a high-ranking Muslim girl and a Jewish boy is strictly forbidden. Yet young love will not be denied, and Selva and Rafael defy their parents and marry, fleeing to Paris in hopes of a better life – only to find themselves trapped in the path of the invading Nazis.
But in the midst of darkness shines a beacon of hope: A handful of courageous Turkish diplomats, protected only by the tenuous neutrality of their homeland, hatch a daring plot to spirit the exiled lovers and hundreds of innocent Jews to safety. Together, they will traverse a war-torn continent, crossing enemy lines and risking everything in one last, desperate bid for freedom.
A beautiful tale of human courage This is the story of a Turkish Muslim girl Selva the daughter of a retired government official who marries the son of a well respected Turkish-Jew family. The two families don’t approve of the marriage so the couple decides to move to France just before the start of the second-world war. The story details how Selva deals with the dangers and constant fear of occupation and how those left behind in Turkey, like her sister, brother-in-law and parents cope with the separation; the possibility…
Just OK Historically pretty good. Good story line. Well put together. Way too many exclamation points. Why! Why so many! Too many! Way too many!And the dialogue… Why are people in 1942 Turkey saying things like “What’s up?” And “what the hell?”It’s like reading text messages. Not at all believable the way these characters talk.The story is good and keeps the pages turning, even if the writing style is annoying.
Good, engrossing story – educational to boot This is a interesting book. Those who don’t like it (see their 1 star reviews) take issue with the writing style. I would say the style is journalistic. The psychological and character exploration tends to be somewhat subtle – similar to an impressionist painting where messages and information are sometimes hinted at — without allowing the reader to delve deep and identify with the characters. But this is not a flaw – unless the reader is expecting a different writing style. So, this fault is…