- MP3 CD
- Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc; Unabridged edition (24 Aug 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1400155045
- ISBN-13: 978-1400155040
- Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 13.9 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,817,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Janissary Tree ('Yashim the Eunuch' Mystery)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"'Everything you could want from a novel.' Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth"
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
The Times, June 2 2007
The richly detailed evocation of the period, which gives The
Janissary Tree such an authentic feel, is combined with a playful humour
and a hero unconventional enough to rival Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Janissary Tree such an authentic feel, is combined with a playful humour
and a hero unconventional enough to rival Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Isaiah 56:3
Investigator Yashim, the hero of Jason Goodwin's first novel, "The Janissary Tree" may be a Turkish eunuch but it is not at all likely that anyone reading this book will think of him as a "dry tree". In fact, if Yashim's steamy encounter with the beautiful but lonely wife of the Russian ambassador to Turkey halfway through the book is any indication, this is one heck of a unique eunuch.
I would love to have been present when Goodwin pitched the idea of a novel (and the first in a proposed series) about a crime-solving eunuch in Istanbul to his agent or publisher. Fortunately, someone had the good sense to green light this project as Goodwin has crafted a highly-entertaining book.
The Janissary Tree is set in Istanbul in 1836. Ten years earlier the Janissaries, the Sultan's version of the Roman Empire's Praetorian Guards, had been crushed by the "New Guard", the Sultan's standing army. Like the Praetorian Guards the Janissaries had evolved from a protective legion to one that terrorized the populace and the Sultan. Now, ten years later, the mysterious disappearance of four members of the New Guard and the murder of one of the Sultan's harem heralds the possible return of the Janissaries. The return of the Janissaries threatens to destroy the Sultanate and the relative calm of Istanbul. Enter Investigator Yashim. He is given ten days to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Yashim is soon engulfed in murder and intrigue. Bodies begin to appear in bizarre places as Yashim and his friends (including a somewhat decadent Polish Ambassador who has no country to represent and a transsexual dancer) try to get to the bottom of this alleged revolt.
Goodwin is very good at keeping the plot boiling (in more ways than one). Goodwin, who studied Byzantine history at Cambridge and who has written books on the history of the Ottoman Empire, has ample knowledge of the time and the place and has put this knowledge to good use. Although I haven't been to Istanbul in almost thirty years, Goodwin seems to convey a real sense of how the city must have looked, felt, and even smelled more than 180 years or so ago.
The Janissary Tree reminded me of Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin novels (late 19th-century Russia) and Arturo Perez-Reverte's Captain Alatriste stories (17th-century Spain). They all take the standard detective or mystery story and transport the reader to a different time and place. As with both Akunin and Perez-Reverte's novels, Jason Goodwin's "The Janissary Tree" is an entertaining and diverting read.
L. Fleisig
Investigator Yashim, the hero of Jason Goodwin's first novel, "The Janissary Tree" may be a Turkish eunuch but it is not at all likely that anyone reading this book will think of him as a "dry tree". In fact, if Yashim's steamy encounter with the beautiful but lonely wife of the Russian ambassador to Turkey halfway through the book is any indication, this is one heck of a unique eunuch.
I would love to have been present when Goodwin pitched the idea of a novel (and the first in a proposed series) about a crime-solving eunuch in Istanbul to his agent or publisher. Fortunately, someone had the good sense to green light this project as Goodwin has crafted a highly-entertaining book.
The Janissary Tree is set in Istanbul in 1836. Ten years earlier the Janissaries, the Sultan's version of the Roman Empire's Praetorian Guards, had been crushed by the "New Guard", the Sultan's standing army. Like the Praetorian Guards the Janissaries had evolved from a protective legion to one that terrorized the populace and the Sultan. Now, ten years later, the mysterious disappearance of four members of the New Guard and the murder of one of the Sultan's harem heralds the possible return of the Janissaries. The return of the Janissaries threatens to destroy the Sultanate and the relative calm of Istanbul. Enter Investigator Yashim. He is given ten days to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Yashim is soon engulfed in murder and intrigue. Bodies begin to appear in bizarre places as Yashim and his friends (including a somewhat decadent Polish Ambassador who has no country to represent and a transsexual dancer) try to get to the bottom of this alleged revolt.
Goodwin is very good at keeping the plot boiling (in more ways than one). Goodwin, who studied Byzantine history at Cambridge and who has written books on the history of the Ottoman Empire, has ample knowledge of the time and the place and has put this knowledge to good use. Although I haven't been to Istanbul in almost thirty years, Goodwin seems to convey a real sense of how the city must have looked, felt, and even smelled more than 180 years or so ago.
The Janissary Tree reminded me of Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin novels (late 19th-century Russia) and Arturo Perez-Reverte's Captain Alatriste stories (17th-century Spain). They all take the standard detective or mystery story and transport the reader to a different time and place. As with both Akunin and Perez-Reverte's novels, Jason Goodwin's "The Janissary Tree" is an entertaining and diverting read.
L. Fleisig
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I loved Jason Goodwin's The Janissary Tree because it is a genuine, classical detective story, but set in an extraordinarily well-researched and depicted 1830s Istanbul. The backdrop - both physical and historical - is crucial to the intrigue, playing a full part in the action. The characters - especially Yashim the eunuch and the Polish ambassador - are sympathetic. The final pages contain two beautifully revealed twists.
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A gripping and hilarious romp through 19th Century Istanbul. Delicately crafted and exciting yarn, steeped in historical fact, beautiful descriptions of cooking that make you hungry; tasteful and amusing situations pile one on top of the other as delicately the plot builds up to a crashing crescendo. An excellent novel in the best tradition of English literature; full of interesting facts and delightful situations. I have bought five copies to give to my children's teachers!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Action/Sleuth Eunuch tries to save Empire
"Action" and "Eunuch" are two words you wouldn't normally expect to associate with each other but Jason Goodwin manages to pull it off in his character Yashim in this excellent... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lee Hanley
Nice evocation of time and place
I read this during a cruise which stopped at Istanbul (which I have visited previously for a short stay) and I must say this novel nicely captures the sense of time and place. Read more
Published 7 months ago by hiljean
Overall enjoyable but plot lets it down a touch
I enjoyed the book overall and would recommend it as a light-hearted historical romp. Yashim is a good character and Goodwin is very good at bringing to life a sketch of 19th... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Peter Sandham
Superb
I superb start to a superb series. If you enjoyed this then don't hesitate to read the other three novels.
Published 10 months ago by Mr. James Edwards
Jolly good read!
Been wanting to get this book for a long while after I'd seen it on a bookshop shelf and somehow not bought it! Read more
Published 15 months ago by Amanda Hall
what the eunuch did first
Having read the second book in the series The Snake stone and thought it worth continuing with Yashim the Eunuch I went back to original story in this series. Read more
Published 20 months ago by A. Browne
Better History than Mystery!
I read this book on holiday and while it wasn't a compelling page turner. It did keep me interested and wanting more. Read more
Published on 27 May 2010 by hank440
recommended
Lovely to find a new author, a cracking read, fast delivery, will tell my friends.
Published on 13 Mar 2010 by Mr. James P. Power
A witty Ottaman 'who dunnit?'
Used to read a fair bit of detective fiction (mainly Rankin) and I thought this would nicely combine the mystery and historical genre's, and to a very large degree it did. Read more
Published on 4 April 2009 by Mr. A. I. Harrison
nearly but not quite
i am a huge fan of books about the ottoman empire and i also love crime fiction and so i thought this novel would be an instant classic to me, while i instantly loved the... Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2008 by J. Pickles
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
