Rating: 
Summary: An Empire Fading
Review: As an author of a mystery novel in its initial release, I genuinely admire Orphan Pamuk's MY NAME IS RED. It is set in the 16th Century as the Ottoman is starting to fade from its premier postion of power and influence on the world stage. MY NAME IS RED is a complex novel with elements of the mystery and romance genres within its plot stucture. It is primarily a novel of intellectual concepts as Western ideas begin to influence intellectual Ottoman thinkers. MY NAME IS RED is a terrific book--a serious book. You should read it soon.
Rating:
Summary: Your Name Ýs Brilliant
Review: Captivating,challenging,illuminating and brilliant.Novel of
the year...
Rating:
Summary: excellent mystery.
Review: Excellent book. I believe Mr.Pamuk must have done enormous research about Turkish-Ottoman history in order to bring us this amazing story about love, murder, art, and mystery that happens in the Ottoman capital Istanbul ages ago with this richness of historical facts.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, A poet who writes Novels
Review: I have read all of his books and each time I finish one, I cannot wait for the next one, which unfortunately takes too long to come...
This one however had a different effect on me..After I finished it, I still was not satisfied and had to go back to Mr. Pamuk's all other novels...Not only to enjoy the stories, but I an a way to study his writing. "Öteki Renkler " (Could be translated as Other Colors) was sort of helpful, but you want to know more about him and how he can write such amazingly..
He is a poet considering the way he builds sentences, a great storyteller and a genius without doubt.
My Name is Red is his peak, however I not only recommend this one. I recommend all of his other novels, especially Kara Kitap (Black Book).
I am going to buy the english version as well, just to see how his art has been translated and to see if the taste you get is the same..
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF MY "FINDS" OF THE YEAR
Review: A stunning book: exotic, thrilling, subtle, intelligent. READ THIS BOOK - and my other thriller/mystery "finds" of the year ...1. POWER OF ATTORNEY by (UK author) DEXTER DIAS
2. MY NAME IS RED by ORHAN PAMUK
3. FORTY WORDS FOR SORROW by GILES BLUNT Laura
Rating:
Summary: wonderfull
Review: It is an amazing book, mixture of detective story love story and historical book about miniatures. After reading this book, now I'm looking to the miniature art from different perspective. I can smell the 16th century's istanbul, I walked in the narrow streets of istanbul together with the novel characters. I loved the talks of coin and satan, those imitations are joyfull. Just read and experience same feeling. Thanks to Orhan Pamuk
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Summary: Feast for your mind
Review: Do you like Umberto Eco or Italo Calvino? If you do, this should be your next book. 16th century Islamic history mixed with murder, mystery and a love story. Orhan Pamuk is reaching out to his Western audience with this book. Having read the book both in Turkish and English, this is one of the best translated Turkish books.
Rating:
Summary: Closet Orientalist and Palace Mysteries
Review: Pamuk has created an elaborate masterpiece. The book is a murder mystery on the surface. Like some of his books though it has many layers interwoven expertly. The setting, old Istanbul and Topkapi Palace grounds, among court artisans, allow him to dissect seemingly one of his favorite topics, philosophy and essence of East. What makes East, Orient? He constantly falls back to the rich history of Ottomans to explore and contrast East vs. West. What separates the two cultures way beyond religion? Art, especially visual art, maybe the best and most direct expression of a world view and indicator of where people place themselves with respect to God and all other creations and the story revolves around this theme. There are no introductions, no prologues, epilogues, first page takes you right in, and you are being murdered. His use of first person narrative is very effective and very unnerving. This book took Pamuk many years to finish apparently, three of which was spent on translation alone, and it shows. The effort he has put in making his work available to World readers has been well worth it, something that other contemporary Turkish writers should emulate I believe. Though some have complained about the flat prose, this cannot be all attributed to the translation. He uses a non-elaborate style to simulate realism, which I believe, works well. Some of the scenes are quite violent and sexual references are sometimes shockingly raw, but this is 16th century and anyone who has read Rumi should not be too surprised. He paints very rich scenes, and as in a Vermeer painting, one is inevitably looking for that hidden clue, a faint reflection on the mirror for the identity of the villain in the story. Some years ago I had a chance to see the very manuscripts that inspired the artisans in this book and occupy such a prominent place, on display in NY Metropolitan Museum. Given the time period, these were very bold and very impressive expressions pointing to an era in Islamic culture when the dark curtain of conservatism had not yet descended. If Sunni Arabs represent the warriors of Islam, surely Shiite Persians represent the artists. Their wonderful paintings, poetry and miniatures have dominated the Islamic art and literature scene and have set the standard for much more to come. Pamuk has done extensive research and period accuracy is impressive. Though the writing is smooth and not convoluted, still it is not an easy read, but given the topic, which is a lot more than just a murder mystery, it is a small price to pay for a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Smart, taut, thought-provoking
Review: Make no mistake, this is not the easiest or quickest book you will read this year - but the payoff is well worth it. This is one of the most intricate stories I have ever read, but the author, Orhan Pamuk, handles the intricacy with such aplomb that you won't be able to put the book down.
What I loved most about this book was the way that Pamuk is able to weave the disparate voices of the people telling the story together in a way that enhances and shades the tale, instead of just moving the plot along. Hearing the events of the story interpreted by so many different voices (all of them deftly and impressively crafted) gives a panoramic view of the story and of the time and place the story is set in. I found the chapters written by inanimate objects to be both charming and instructive - if you've ever wondered what it's like to be a "fly on the wall," take a look at a painting or vase sometime and think about what that object may have seen in it's lifespan. That's what Pamuk tries to impart. The characters are carefully crafted, and instead of painting one person as the good guy or the bad guy from the beginning, Pamuk takes time to let the characters develop almost organically. You realize, as you read on, that you don't know certain characters as well as you thought you did, and many parts of the book come as a surprise - not just the big "reveal" at the end.
The book is rich with textural detail but the overall feel is stark - this was an interesting time to be alive in that part of the world, and Pamuk deals with the cultural issues deftly. It made me wish I could visit some of the old Ottoman empire and look at the architecture and artwork myself, but unfortunately current world politics make that a dicey proposition. The book does move a little slowly at times, and sometimes you wonder if the pages-long narratives about art or history have a point - they do. I reread this book after I finished it and realized that there are many details that I overlooked in the first reading that mean a lot to the story.
Overall, this book is an absorbing, engaging read. It both tells and interesting story and captures the feeling of what it must have been like to live that life at that time in that place, which I think is what most great books do. I am looking forward to reading other books by Pamuk.
Rating: 
Summary: Art and Murder
Review: This book was chosen for book group, but unfortunately we were never able to meet to discuss it. I brought the book with me on the drive from MA to TX and had started reading it even before the trip, but it took me some time. I wondered initially if the reason why it took me so long was that it was translated from Turkish (and we all know that sometimes translations can be more difficult to read than a novel that is read in its first language). I forced myself to read at least one chapter per night, and when I told my best friend that I was having trouble she told me, "It's not you, it's just slow." When I repeated my worries she reiterated, "No, it's JUST SLOW." So I set off on a mission to "finish" this slow book. I definitely agree with her that the start of the book meanders and is slow to pick up in pace. Each chapter is written by a different person (or object or animal), so you get very different perspectives of the story from every which way. The strange thing is that each new person in the story knows that you're reading the story and that you thus already know X, Y, and Z. But once you get into the actual story it's very rich and interesting. The story describes lost love, art, Islam, religion, duty, and drawing (among other things), but is also a mystery story (the "who done it" of 16th century Islamic art if you will). Once I got into the story (about halfway through the book) I truly did want to know what happened to the characters and how the story would turn out, so I'm glad that I didn't put the book away when I was originally feeling frustrated.
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