Last Letter from Istanbul: Escape with this epic holiday read of secrets and forbidden love

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A Well written book about loss and war and the human minds ability to restrain feelings. An Excellent read.” Last Letter From Istanbul delivers little of what is promised by the synopsis, laudatory blurbs etc. This has been hailed as a “timeless love story” riddled with “haunting secrets”, and yet the ‘romance’ to me is achingly bland, simply because the two characters in question didn’t seem to connect on any sort of emotional level. The claim to romance is specious at best. As for the ‘secrets’, the mild twist for me was far too little too late. It’s no longer her home however – it has been transformed into an army hospital. And as Nur weaves through the streets , she’s reminded of how far her she and her city have fallen. I also found the tone of the book a little pretentious at times. I don’t know what it was exactly that bothered me; I think it was just trying too hard to be this piece of great literary fiction but it did not succeed. The writing got quite convoluted and irritating at times. The most precious thing in Nur’s new life is the orphan in her care – a boy with a terrible secret. When he falls dangerously ill Nur’s world becomes entwined with the enemy’s. She must return to where she grew up, and plead for help from Medical Officer George Monroe.

REVIEW: LAST LETTER FROM ISTANBUL by Lucy Foley - Jan Bowles REVIEW: LAST LETTER FROM ISTANBUL by Lucy Foley - Jan Bowles

The ending in particular I found quite poignant and the book itself left me feeling quite melancholy and pondering about what I’d just read. Lucy Foley is a very effective writer and it’s definately worth reading through until the end , until you see the bigger picture. Pg 25 'Sometimes, now, the old life seems as remote as one read about in a book. But this afternoon it seems very close at hand, an assault of memory.' Lucy Foley's gorgeous elegant prose and the way she conjures up post war Constantinople makes this a beautiful, evocative and memorable read’ Lucinda Riley Also look out for Lucy Foley’s Sunday Times bestselling crime debut, THE HUNTING PARTY, available to buy now.* Weitere Personen sind der in den Krieg gezogene Bruder und ein verwaister Junge, der in Nurs neuem Heim Unterschlupf gefunden hat und um den sie sich rührend kümmert.

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The story is about the mistrust between the English occupiers of Constantinople in 1921 and the local people. We are introduced to Nur who has to watch her former home being used as a military hospital. Her brother has gone to war and is presumed dead. She is caring for her mother and grandmother and teaching in the local school, taking her brother’s place.... Read Full Review

Last Letter from Istanbul - The Book Trail Last Letter from Istanbul - The Book Trail

The book did gain a bit of momentum in the final chapters, but not enough to turn my opinion of the book around. Meanwhile, George Monroe is a Scottish doctor, administering at the local military hospital overlooking the Bosporus, which was once Nur’s grand family home. When the Armenian boy requires help, their lives become entwined with consequences neither could have foreseen. We meet Nur, a young woman living in Constantinople- her beloved Istanbul- a city brutally overtaken by the Allied Forces. She yearns for the life she lost and is reminded daily of the changes: she sees the Allied soldiers laughing and taunting her fellow people. She is surrounded, consumed, by her justified bitterness. She knows the enemy, and judges those who refuse to see the truth, those who have accepted their great losses. But she also knows that in the face of these losses, she has tasted real freedom as well as great inequality. Yo no sabía de qué trataba,sabía que era una historia de amor en una invasión después de la 1ra guerra y que era como de "amor prohibido".Last Letter from Istanbul is a compelling and sweeping tale that crosses decades and takes the reader on a captivating journey through the tumultuous history of a nation that has struggled to maintain an identity, a nation that struggles to find peace.