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A Strangeness in My Mind

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A Strangeness in My Mind

By: Orhan Pamuk
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

At a family wedding Mevlut catches sight of a girl with whom he falls in love. After a secret courtship of letters passed via his cousin, she agrees to elope with him, and on a dark night the two come together for the first time. As they rush to catch a train to Istanbul, Mevlut realises he has been misled. But the die is cast, and the situation will determine the rest of his days.

Over the next four decades in Istanbul, Mevlut works various jobs to support his loving wife and family - work that gives him a special perspective on his rapidly changing city and the people who live there. And every evening he walks the streets, selling his wares and dreaming his dreams.

©2015 Orhan Pamuk (P)2018 Faber & Faber Ltd Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction

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All stars
Most relevant  
Beautifully written and read. Spent some time in Istanbul in eighties and it sounds like it changed.

Loved it!

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As the other novels by Pamuk, this one is a long listen. We witness the changes in the city as seen through the eyes of Mevlut, the main character. There is a lot of nostalgia here, especially towards the end of the novel when Mevlut has time to think about his life and choices he made.

A beautifully written ode to Istanbul

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The book immersed me in a world otherwise unknown. The recent history of Istanbul was quite fascinating. Well- crafted and worth listening to the end.
As a negative I thought the narrator was terrible. All male voices had the same awful slow cadence to their words, and all the women had a high-pitched and overly gentle tone . so very little distinction between the characters. As all the names are quite foreign to a native English speaker you need that help!

Profound and atmospheric

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loved the detail. not so keen on the narrator who had a strange way of reading the dialog parts.

a real feeling of another time in Istanbul

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A heartwarming story about your everyman finding his way in one of the most fascinating cities on earth nearly ruined by the narrator

good story spoiled by terrible narration

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Thank you, Orhan Pamuk
As a native of another country who made her life in Istanbul..you have taught me a social history I wasn’t aware of and at the same time Mevlut, your hero became a close friend
What a magnificent story

stunning!!!!

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In this tale of Istanbul and its people, Orhan Pamuk skilfully tells the story of Turkish history and traditions through the lense of the boza seller Mevlut and his family.

Enchanting tale of Istanbul and its people

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An unusual sweeping tale of an Istanbul Street Vendor throughout the late 20th century. Pamuk’s sweeping narrative takes the reader through the social changes and attitudes of Turkey, highlighting the differences between the secular and religious elements of society, tradition vs modernity and the ever changing politics of the time.
Of particular note are the sequences wherein the central character observes various leftwing movements, including the Chinese and Soviet Rivalries played out in the local politics.
The book doesn’t seem too eventful, so those expecting action and plot twists may be disappointed, however, this is a book about feeling more than anything else.
The narration by John Lee, is, as always, superb. Anyone who has listened to the Audible performances of Snow or My Name is Red will be happy to hear the familiar voice performing once again.

Sweeping Epic

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My headline says it all.
A riveting and unforgettable listen.
Mevlut will stay in my heart forever

The astonishing work of a masterly novelist

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While the first half wasn't too bad, it just got more and more nonsensical as it went on. The narrator's accents were the worst part - had my whole family laughing out loud when he did his 'Northern English' voice - worth listening to just for that!

terrible accents

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