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The Architect's Apprentice

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The Architect's Apprentice

By: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
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There were six of us: the master, the apprentices and the white elephant. We built everything together...

Sixteenth century Istanbul: a stowaway arrives in the city bearing an extraordinary gift for the Sultan. The boy is utterly alone in a foreign land, with no worldly possessions to his name except Chota, a rare and valuable white elephant destined for the palace menagerie.

So begins an epic adventure that will see young Jahan rise from lowly origins to the highest ranks of the Sultan's court. Along the way he will meet deceitful courtiers and false friends, gypsies, animal tamers, and the beautiful, mischievous Princess Mihrimah. He will journey on Chota's back to the furthest corners of the Sultan's kingdom and back again. And one day he will catch the eye of the royal architect, Sinan, a chance encounter destined to change Jahan's fortunes forever.

©2014 Elif Shafak (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd Historical Fiction Fiction Royalty Heartfelt Elephant
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Critic reviews

"This is Shafak's most ambitious novel yet, and it is her best ..." ( The Independent)
"This edifying, emotionally forceful novel shows how hate and envy destroy, and how love might build the world anew ..." ( The Guardian)
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I enjoyed the book very much & would highly recommend it - but the reader’s frequent mispronunciations were a constant irritation. I lost count of the number of words he appeared unfamiliar with - couldn’t he have asked someone how to pronounce words he hadn’t heard before, or looked them up?

Great book let down by irritating reader

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I loved the richness and wisdom of this story that mixes history, magical realism and middle eastern philosophy. The reader has a great voice but mis-phrased and mispronounced so many words that it became a distraction (rowt for route/ungion for onion, and so on). I would buy the book or listen to another reader many times over, but not sure if I'll revisit this version.

Rich story, strange reading.

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This book takes you to a magical place part truth part fiction and a insite to the beauty of Istanbul

Wonderful

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I loved this book for its evocation of 16th century Istanbul, relationship between Johan and the white elephant and the determination of a brave architect’s apprentice which eventually led him to work on one of the greatest monuments to love the Taj Mahal

A charming memorable read

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Enchanting from start to finish. Didn't want it to end. The vibrant characters, the stories within stories; quite a remarkable, almost spiritual journey.

A magical adventure

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