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The Oracle of Stamboul [text (large print)] / by Michael David Lukas.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: Thorndike Press large print historical fictionPublication details: Waterville, Me. : Thorndike Press, 2011.Description: 417 pages ; 23 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781410434913 (hardcover)
  • 1410434915 (hardcover)
  • 9781445856094 (Windsor : cased)
  • 1445856093 (Windsor : cased)
  • 9781445856100 (Paragon : pbk.)
  • 1445856107 (Paragon : pbk.)
Subject(s): Genre/Form: LOC classification:
  • PS3612.U258 O73 2011
Summary: Set in a mystical, exotic world, this utterly enchanting debut novel tells the story of a preternaturally intelligent little girl who becomes an adviser to the sultan as the Ottoman Empire begins to fall apart. Can Eleonora Cohen, through the sheer force of her personality and intellect, push back against the tides of history and set the world right again on its axis? The Oracle of Stamboul explores that possibility with imagination, wit, and elegant lyricism.
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Large Print Davis (Central) Library Large Print Large Print LUK 1 Available T00532745
Total holds: 0

Set in a mystical, exotic world, this utterly enchanting debut novel tells the story of a preternaturally intelligent little girl who becomes an adviser to the sultan as the Ottoman Empire begins to fall apart. Can Eleonora Cohen, through the sheer force of her personality and intellect, push back against the tides of history and set the world right again on its axis? The Oracle of Stamboul explores that possibility with imagination, wit, and elegant lyricism.

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Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Eleonora Cohen's mother dies after giving birth to her in the Romanian city of Constant-a on the Black Sea in 1877. The child is raised by her doting father, Yakob, a rug merchant, and her cold and calculating aunt. By the time she is four, it is evident that Eleonora is a child prodigy; she reads and speaks several languages. When her father leaves for a trip to Stamboul (as Istanbul was then known in the Ottoman Empire), Eleonora, age eight, stows away on the ship. In Stamboul, Eleonora and her father visit her father's business partner, Turkish aristocrat Moncef Bey, and then tragedy strikes again. Meanwhile, Eleonora's extraordinary genius has come to the attention of the sultan himself, who invites her to his palace and seeks her advice. Soon rumors of the child's powers are flying around the city, and Eleonora has to make a very adult decision. VERDICT This first novel by a promising young writer is both vivid historical fiction and a haunting fable. It will appeal to a wide range of readers. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/10.]-Leslie Patterson, Rehoboth, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

A girl changes the course of the Ottoman empire in Lukas's middling debut. Eleonora Cohen-born in 1877 Romania, prophesied to alter history, and gifted with great intelligence-stows away at age eight to follow her father to Stamboul. Her first weeks there are a whirlwind of beautiful new dresses and cultural experiences, but the idyllic adventure takes a terrible twist after her father is killed in an accident and Eleonora is taken in by her father's wealthy and politically slippery friend. She proves to be a quick study, and once her tutor alerts the palace of Eleonora's immense intelligence, she finds herself in attendance at the sultan's court, commenting on a political standoff between the Ottoman empire, Russia, and Germany. As the sultan's interest in her grows, so, too, does her reputation and importance, though Eleonora is unsure if her new role is what she wants from life. The backdrop is nicely done, but Lukas can't quite get his characters to pop or the plot to click; indeed, the buildup of Eleonora's oracle-like powers culminates in a disappointing fizzle. It's well intentioned, but flatly executed. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* The exotic sights and sounds of nineteenth-century Turkey spring vividly to life in Lukas' promising debut. Stowing away aboard a ship in order to follow her carpet-merchant father to Stamboul (Istanbul) eight-year-old Eleanora Cohen is initially enchanted by the vibrant new world she encounters. After her father's tragic death, Eleanora remains in the care of her father's friend and business associate, continuing her unorthodox education. A self-taught savant, she masters seven languages, displaying such remarkable gifts of comprehension and insight that her tutor brings her to the attention of Sultan Abdulhamid II. The sultan, caught in an increasingly tangled political quagmire with far-reaching consequences for the Ottoman Empire, begins relying on Eleanora for political and diplomatic advice. In addition to conducting a delightfully quirky magical mystery tour via an appealingly quirky heroine, Lukas also paints a bold portrait of an empire precariously poised on the chasm between an old and a new world.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2010 Booklist

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