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A Novel
by Zülfü Livaneli
Evicted from her Istanbul mansion, an elderly aristocrat forms surprising new connections across class and culture.
A colorful, nuanced novel about old and new money, the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey, from the internationally bestselling author of Disquiet.
The last living member of a great Ottoman family, the refined yet sheltered Leyla finds herself homeless and vulnerable when her house is sold by the bank to a business tycoon and his ambitious wife. Forced out of this historic mansion on the bank of the Bosphorus, Leyla is rescued and taken in by Yusuf, the son of her family's former gardener who has become a journalist. She follows him to a modern, cosmopolitan district of Istanbul where she discovers a world of artists and outcasts alongside Yusuf's partner, Roxy, real name Rukiye, a hip-hop singer. Despite initial hostility, a real friendship gradually develops between these two very different women.
When Leyla's former home is emptied of its furniture, a hidden family history resurfaces thanks to the discovery of a photo revealing the old lady's uncanny resemblance to a British officer. Could Leyla be the product of an illegitimate union between an Ottoman woman and an Englishman?
With a marked sense of romance, this vibrant novel displays all the layers of a society where social classes as diverse as the former Ottoman aristocracy, the nouveau riche, and the Turks who returned after immigrating to Europe coexist.
"[A] compassionate novel…[Livaneli] capably explores the meaning of home and the importance of shelter…a satisfying morality tale." —Publishers Weekly
This information about Leyla's House was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Zülfü Livaneli is Turkey's bestselling author and a political activist. Widely considered one of the most important Turkish cultural figures of our time, he is known for his novels that interweave diverse social and historical backgrounds, figures, and incidents, including the critically acclaimed Bliss (winner of the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award), Serenade for Nadia (Other Press, 2020), Disquiet (Other Press, 2021), The Last Island (Other Press, 2022), The Fisherman and His Son (Other Press, 2023), On the Back of the Tiger (Other Press, 2024) and My Brother's Story, which have been translated into thirty-seven languages, won numerous international literary prizes, and been turned into movies, stage plays, and operas.
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