Bengfort.com

B: Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas is an absolute must read. How’s that for a review? Jaci and I didn’t even realize that it might be a  young adults book until the very end; but then again, it was so engrossing it only took us a few hours to go from cover to cover; and the simple language conveyed a rich story and complex topics– and to me, those are the best kind of books; very much like Stienbeck’s Grapes of Wrath.

J: I’m still not sure that it’s actually intended for children—I think it’s just one of those books that could be enjoyed equally by children and adults. It is sold among other popular new releases in the bookstore. But I agree with Ben. Regardless of Lukas’s intended audience, it’s an entrancing novel.

B: I’m still wondering about the title a bit; Eleanora Cohen– a Jewess from Constanta that gets sucked into the politics of the Caliphate in Stamboul– is definitely not the traditional Oracle that we think of (I told you it was a complex topic!). Of course, we only usually think of one Oracle- and the lady from Delphi might protest. After all, the only requirement for an oracle might be wisdom, not necessarily prophesy. I think the most interesting thing about Eleanora is that she is wise, but also naivè — she is a child after all.

J: I liked Eleanora because she is a reader! What I’m not sure about is if the books she reads in the novel—a series called The Hours—are real, or if Lukas imagined them. Really, I read so quickly that I didn’t bother to check, nor did I do any research into what a hoopoe (a type of bird that follows Elenora around) might look like.

B: For the record, this is a hoopoe:

B: You’re going to need that image in your head for this book, I promise. It changes the book a lot if you know what these things look like, and how crazy it would be to see a flock of them swinging around some little girl.

J: I wish I had seen that photo earlier!

B: This book was so entertaining; the historical perspective was right on– at least from my limited knowledge of the euro-asian sultanates of the 19th century– there was intrigue, a bit of romance (heartbreak to be sure), and extraordinary events. The visual imagery was also excellent, and my imagination was thrown into full gear. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it!

J: After this novel, we went a completely different direction and read A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. But that’s for another post!