The Flea Palace

Shafak, Elif

ISBN 10: 0714531200 / ISBN 13: 9780714531205

Published by Marion Boyars Publishers, 2007

Gently read. May have name of previous ownership, or ex-library edition. Binding tight; spine straight and smooth, with no creasing; covers clean and crisp. Minimal signs of handling or shelving. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if youâ re not satisfied with purchase please return item for full refund. Ships USPS Media Mail. Seller Inventory # OTV.0714531200.VG

Synopsis:

Keen irony and humour amongst the cats and tomb thieves of Istanbul The setting is a stately residence in Istanbul built by Russian noble émigré Pavel Antipov for his wife Agripina at the end of the Tsarist reign, now sadly dilapidated, flea-infested, and home to ten families. Shafak uses the narrative structure of A Thousand and One Nights to construct a story-within-a-story narrative. Inhabitants include Ethel, a lapsed Jew in search of true love and the sad and beautiful Blue Mistress whose personal secret provides the novel with an unforgettable denouement. Add to this a strange, intensifying stench whose cause is revealed at the end of the book, and we have a metaphor for the cultural and spiritual decay in the heart of Istanbul

Review: Shafak can switch from a picareque tale of a father and son's broken noses to astute observations of how strangely depair and love manifest themselves without pausing. --The Guardian

A cast of wacky flat-dwellers lends it punch and pizazz --The Independent

Shafak is well set to challenge Mr Pamuk as Turkey's foremost contemporary novelist' --The Economist

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Flea Palace
Publisher: Marion Boyars Publishers
Publication Date: 2007
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: very_good