Book recommendations
 

Hi - I'm really excited about my trip to Turkey later this year. I would love to have some books (preferrable fiction with historical backdrop) to read before or take with me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

Halide's Gift by Frances Kazan fits your requirements perfectly. I bought this book in Istanbul and highly recommend it; lots of historical background with a great story.

Nrubens, I posted this on my trip report thread where you asked about books - just thought I'd post it here as well:

Three books that I loved were "The Historian," "Birds Without Wings," and "Middlesex." Out of the three, "Birds Without Wings" is the only one that takes place almost entirely within Turkey. The other two are only partially based in Turkey, but they really gave me a flavor of the country and its history. I highly recommend all three.

Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk - indeed anything by him

I strongly recommend Turkey Unveiled--covering the political climate in Turkey from Ataturk to about 1995. Excellent book and very readable

Barbara Nadel has written a detective
series that altho' not historical,
evokes Istanbul and other areas of
Turkey. IMO very well written.

The Sultan's Seal, by Jenny White--good historical fiction.

Bright sun strong tea by Tom Brosnahan....
Happy reading, happy travelling'

Murat

Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett.

Embracing the Mountains by Suleman Saglam

I second the suggestion of anything by Orhan Pamuk. That guy is going to win the Nobel Prize for literature someday.

Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006.

Can I suggest "The Rage of the Vulture" by Barry Unsworth - superb example of historical fiction that both grips and informs.

Also - immensely readable - John Julius Norwich's three volume history of Byzantium (published by Penguin).

I am going to Turkey for 3 weeks later this summer and just started reading Birds Without Wings which was suggested by Meredith. Like you, I wanted historical fiction that would give me a better understanding of the history of the country. So far it is very interesting.