The Janissarry Tree is FANTASTIC! I am a mystery book junkie, although I have not picked up such a novel in a long long time, but I am thoroughly enjoying this one, it was about time I got back into the habit. When I was in elementary school, every Wednesday I would go to the Centre Culturel, our library back home, and I would pick up an Agatha Christie novel, that I would read during my nap time. Yes we have nap time past pre-school, where I live, because the heat is crushing around the middle of the day. Anyway, I would finish the book by the fall of the night, and I was always delighted that I could never guess the motives or who the murderer was. This Janissary Tree novel kind of takes me back to those days, as I feel completely clueless as to whom could want to harm the Polish ambassador, or as to how Yashim became a eunuch. There are so many things that arouse my curiosity in this novel, that I would gladly enjoy taking a break from class just to read and finish the novel. Until now, I had no idea how fascinating the Turkish world was, the ways of the people, and their intrigues. There are intrigues in all countries, however the way the Janissary Tree unfolds makes learning World history a pleasure. I believe reading a novel, watching videos, and taking a look at maps once in a while, is the most effective way to get the material to stick. For history is fascinating for its people, their acts, and the decisions they made, not so much for the dates and the facts, not for me at least. I definitely look forward to getting on with the Janissary Tree, and figuring out who did this to poor Yashim. I wonder if there are still eunuchs to this day...
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Although I am not very far into the Janissary Tree to have an opinion as thorough as yours, I agree that it is a fantastic book so far. It's not the typical historical memoir since it is a mystery, and that makes it much more enjoyable to read. I also have always loved mystery novels because they are the type of stories where it would bother me to no end if I did not find out who the murderer was or how the mystery was solved. I am excited to move further into this book and figure out who is doing these murders. I really like the books that we are assigned for Metcalf's classes because they are never your typical books that you would read in other classes. In most history classes, if you are assigned a book to read, it is usually very similar to a textbook because it just spits out facts. With the books we read for Metcalf's classes, there is always a plot, and in the case of the Janissary Tree, a plot with a mystery.
ReplyDeleteI also agree. There were many historical references made in this book that it was refreshing to see how the lectures used in class were correlating to the book. I also enjoyed reading it because it was not filled with overwhelming historical references as well, because I would feel like I’d have to memorize dates and places. With this book I was able to relax and enjoy it. It focused more on the social issues rather than the big picture. I also enjoyed it because there were topics such as romance as well as revenge used in this book that are something that we as readers are able to relate more.
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