The Architect's Apprentice - Softcover

Shafak, Elif

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0241004926 ISBN 13: 9780241004920

Publisher: Viking, 2014

Synopsis

When Jahan travels to 16th-century Istanbul as a stowaway carrying the gift of a white elephant for the sultan, little does he know the journey on which he is about to embark.

As he settles into life in Istanbul, Jahan's fortunes are shaped by chance encounters. In the palace gardens he meets Mihrimah, the beautiful and mischievous princess, and loses his heart in an instant. Later he catches the eye of Grand Architect Sinan, who chooses Jahan as his apprentice and changes the young boy's destiny for ever.

Full of magic, colour and societal upheaval in the architectural renaissance of Turkey, this is the sweeping tale of plagues, wars, forbidden romance and the simple love between a boy and his elephant.

About this title

Review

Lushly and memorably magic-realist... This is an extraordinarily skilfully crafted and ambitious narrative, with Shakespearean twists and turns, omens and enigmas, prophecies and destinies fulfilled. (Independent on 'Honour')

Rich and wide as the Eupharates river along whose banks it begins and ends, Elif Shafak has woven with masterful care and compassion one immigrant family's heartbreaking story... I loved this book. (Sarah Blake on 'Honour')

A powerful book; thoughtful, provoking and compassionate (Joanne Harris on 'Honour')

Book Description

Filled with the scents, sounds and sights of the Ottoman Empire, when Istanbul was the teeming centre of civilisation, The Architect's Apprentice is a magical, sweeping tale of one boy and his elephant caught up in a world of wonder and danger.

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0241004926
• ISBN 13: 9780241004920
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 464