Good, not great. ?Followed a Jewish family that ended up in Turkey when Jews were being taken in Germany during WWII. Goodreads review: From the international bestselling author of Last Train to Istanbul comes a novel based on true events that explores the depths of pride, devotion, and persistence as four generations of a family struggle to forge their destinies.As Hitler?s reign of terror begins to loom large over Germany, Gerhard and Elsa Schliemann�like other German Jews¥must flee with their children in search of sanctuary. But life elsewhere in Europe offers few opportunities for medical professor Gerhard and his fellow scientists. Then they discover an unexpected haven in Turkey, where universities and hospitals welcome them as valuable assets.But despite embracing their adopted land, personal and political troubles persist. Military coups bring unrest and uncertainty to the country, intermarriage challenges the cultural identity of Gerhard and Elsa?s descendants, and anti-Semitism once again threatens their future in the place they call home.From World War II to the age of social media, one family?s generations find their way through love and loss, sacrifice and salvation, tragedy and triumph¥with knowledge hard won and passion heartfelt.

Multi-generational family saga that takes place mostly in Turkey over a period of over eighty years. It starts with a family of Jewish Germans fleeing Hitler prior to the start of WWII. The story begins in 1933 with Dr. Gerhard Schliemann, his wife Elsa, and their two children, Peter and Susy, leaving their home at short notice and eventually making their way to Turkey. Gerhard and other Jewish scientists are hired by a Turkish university to help with the modernization of their curriculum. Although Germany still attempts to exert influence to dismiss the Jewish scientists, the family overcomes many difficulties and makes Istanbul their home. The story then shifts to Susy, who has readily adapted to the Turkish culture, and continues following the family’s legacy into 2016.

This novel starts out strong. The story of the doctor and his family fleeing the Nazis is riveting. When the narrative shifts to future generations, it reads more like a biography of each subsequent family member, and the momentum slows considerably. It begins to focus on family dramas, romantic relationships, and misunderstandings. At this point, the storyline takes a backseat to the history of the country.

The author excels at providing descriptions of the cities, the countryside, and what it is like to live there. She imparts the flavor of the Turkish culture and conveys a strong sense of the country as a melting pot of various religions and ethnicities. I enjoyed gaining more understanding of how Turkey developed into a modern nation. Although this is a fictional account, the history is based upon actual events, including the influx of Jewish Germans, ongoing anti-Semitism, military coups, political upheaval, and civil unrest.

Overall, I found this book to be a mixed bag. I enjoyed the historic aspects and it tempts me to visit Istanbul someday. Unfortunately, the family saga lacked depth and cohesiveness. My sense is that the author tried to capture too much in too few pages.
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It was interesting reading a book about the experience of a Jewish refugee family in modern Turkey, a country I’d known virtually nothing about. As much as I enjoy multigenerational family epics, this one left something to be desired; the pacing was off and some of the characters underdeveloped. The conception of religion felt reductive as well. I thought that angle could have been a lot more interesting, even if it were looked upon mainly as an expression of culture. It’s told but not shown that characters are Jewish, Muslim, or Christian. There isn’t a whole lot of religious content to their religions. ( )

I hate not liking a semi-autobiography, but this book was so-so. It’s about the author’s ancestors who fled Germany for Turkey in ww2. I learned a lot, but it was plodding. The author had a list of dates/events; filling them in with narrative. It felt like “and then this happened...” “some years later...” “and then this happened.” In contrast, my next book, Everyone Brave is Forgiven, also is a fictional story based an author’s ancestors in ww2. Only a few pages in it reads much more smoothly. ( )