An international bestseller by one of Turkey’s most beloved authors.
As the daughter of one of Turkey’s last Ottoman pashas, Selva could win the heart of any man in Ankara. Yet the spirited young beauty only has eyes for Rafael Alfandari, the handsome Jewish son of an esteemed court physician. In defiance of their families, they marry, fleeing to Paris to build a new life.
But when the Nazis … life.
But when the Nazis invade France and begin rounding up Jews, the exiled lovers will learn that nothing—not war, not politics, not even religion—can break the bonds of family. For after they learn that Selva is but one of their fellow citizens trapped in France, a handful of brave Turkish diplomats hatch a plan to spirit the Alfandaris and hundreds of innocents, many of whom are Jewish, to safety. Together, they must traverse a war-torn continent, crossing enemy lines and risking everything in a desperate bid for freedom. From Ankara to Paris, Cairo, and Berlin, Last Train to Istanbul is an uplifting tale of love and adventure from Turkey’s beloved bestselling novelist Ayşe Kulin.
more
Perhaps there was a cultural divide but I did not like any characters in the book. The writing was not very good (again maybe a translation issue) . The ending was disappointing.
World War 2 was a terrible period in history–the Nazi’s were causing havoc and fear through out Europe. There were few countries that attempted to stay neutral. Although I never realized this–Turkey was one of them. The lengths they went to to protect Turkish people-no matter their religion-who were currently living in occupied countries was …
Read this book couple years ago, but an rereading it again. It is fascinating and being of true form, it can cause the reader to be tearful and hopeful. Although fiction, because of the know facts of this war, it seems real and truthful. Was an excellent read.
I found the characters multi-dimensional and believable. This was based on a real WWII event of which I had not previously been aware. It was well written, and informative as well as entertaining.
Recently, I was searching for a new book to read… something set apart from my love of mysteries, historical fiction and biographies… My eyes were drawn to this title “Last Train to Istanbul”… within 2 pages ..I was totally captured by the characters and setting of this story…. it is indeed a tale of heroic courage by Turkish diplomats …
I did not know about Turkey’s role during WWII and found it fascinating to learn a little about it while reading this historical fiction book. The book started off a little slow and I would have liked to have seen more character development – perhaps there were too many characters to do so? But despite this, it was a good read and I found myself …
Original, very I interesting story taking place during World War Two,. The things that I liked was the new perspective. These characters are from Turkey, they are Turkish Jews caught in France during the Nazi occupation, and the Turkish consulate is trying to protect them. The story is told without embellishments. I felt almost like a n elderly …
I felt like I was beside the characters from the first page to the last.
Great to read one example of how some Jewish folk were rescued from the Nazi’s.
This WWII novel offers a totally different perspective from Turkish born Jews stuck in Paris during the occupation. I never new how involved Turkey was in trying to harbor and protect even Jews who were not Turkish citizens. Suspenseful, informative, and a vivid picture of humanity during a crisis.
I learned a great deal about Turkey’srole in WW2 and the bravery of so many in helping protect their Jews and other Citizens out of the country as the Nazi’s were rapidly occupying one country after the next. While I wouldn’t say this book was edge of yor seat excitement, it was very compelling and well written. the backround story was also very …
Little bits of real history thrown in and infinitely readable. Inspirational. Speaks to both the worst and the best in human beings. Would like to read more translations of this woman’s works.