Rated of 5
by Randi Dervishes
I was quickly drawn in to this well-written story about an American family living in Turkey. The relationships between the daughter and her mother, the mother and the father, and the new inhabitants of Turkey with its citizens all interested me. I admit however, to some squeamishness with a few of the scenes involving the children. They was a level of cruelty displayed that turned my stomach.
However, having said that I would still recommend this book.
Rated of 5
by Karla Dervishes
An American officer and his family are transferred to Turkey by the US government. The officer leaves on long secret missions while wife and daughter get involved in situations they know nothing about. Their behavior is too noticeable to ignore. They are warned but do not heed. The surprising ending leaves the reader with many unanswered questions.
Rated of 5
by Linda Dervishes - Review
I thoroughly enjoyed this engrossing story of a mother and daughter trying to make sense of their relationships to each other while also trying to fit into the claustrophobic world created by a handful of other expatriates living in Ankara, Turkey. While the father disappears for months at a time on business, Canada, a young girl of twelve, learns to navigate the landscape of the city, broadening and moving away from the rarefied atmosphere of the adults who spend their time socializing, having affairs and drinking too much. While Canada strains to move away and blend into the Turkish landscape, Grace, her mother, struggles to ingratiate herself into the inner circle of wives left behind by their traveling husbands.
Told from both the mother and daughter's point of view, one gets a sense of how both are floundering to find their own place in this exotic world while growing apart from each other. As the plot develops, the cultural differences between East and West begin to alter the storyline and one can feel the characters being propelled to a tragic conclusion. Well developed female characters who are flawed yet deserving of sympathy in their ignorance and an interesting plot line made this novel well worth reading. I would definitely recommend this book.
Rated of 5
by Marie DERVISHES by Beth Helms
Things are not as they seem because of lies, deceits and secrets. I believe this sums up the content of this novel.
Things are not as they seem because of lies, deceits and secrets .In my opinion this comment sums up the content of this novel. Grace and her daughter Canada especially are drawn into the drama, suspense, and mystery of those with whom they associate in Turkey and of the country itself. The author's technique of shifting points of view--from first to third person narrative is interestingly done. Though I was drawn into the plot and intrigue, I did not find the characters especially sympathetic; they suffer from naivete in spite of their past experiences--especially those characters who had previously lived in other countries and with other cultures. The title is appropriate, for the reader becomes cognizant of lives "swirling" out of control.
Rated of 5
by Eileen A story without a heart
While this is a beautifully written novel, it suffers from a lack of narrative drive. A number of the flashbacks were confusing and forced me to stop reading and figure out what had happened when. The characters were, for the most part, completely unlikable. It was hard to feel sympathy for any of them. The glimpses of Turkey were interesting, but for a novel set in Turkey, there were not enough of them.
Rated of 5
by Mary Ann A spinning tale out of control Dervishes tells the story of the relationship of mothers and daughters, and a woman's place in the world that she has chosen. At times, you don't care for their behavior, but their choices are few. The characters are complex,and the ending leaves you with more questions than answers.
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great...
read more
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
read more
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
read more
Judge rules unused Borders gift cards to be worthless(May 23 2013) Borders owes nothing to holders of roughly $210.5 million of gift cards that had not been used by the time the bookstore chain shut down, a Manhattan federal...
Full Story
of 5
by Randi 
of 5
by Karla 
of 5
by Marie 
of 5
by Eileen 
