...
Show More
This book breaks your heart, but in a good way. DeBernieres' has a beautiful, eloquent, lyrical style, the effect of which is augmented by the tragic nature of much of his content. He also imbues his story with much pathos and humor. By doing so, he avoids heavy-handedness.
Birds Without Wings is a marvelously ambitious book. It is a epic about conflict and coexistence between Muslim and Christian Turks, Kurds and Armenians, set over the course of decades.
The book is historically informative, as it attempts to describe events without overly politicizing them. There are no "good guys" and "bad guys" in this book, but DeBernieres is not an apologist or moral relativist. Plainly, he feels that many of his characters are, to varying degrees, responsible for the tragedies he describes.
It is also a great character study. There are many characters, and DeBernieres devotes care and attention to each of them, developing a pastiche of individualized profiles. DeBernieres humanizes each of these characters (regardless of their ethnic/national identity) without rationalizing their (at times brutal) behavior.
DeBernieres is unique amongst writers in his ability to express moral complexity. Depending on the context, his characters can be heroic or savage, parochial or free-minded. There is an underlying optimism to this book, but there is no naivete.
Finally, this is an elegy to a lost way of life in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is clear that the author understands this culture well, and loves it, but he never lapses into romanticism.
This is a great book.
Birds Without Wings is a marvelously ambitious book. It is a epic about conflict and coexistence between Muslim and Christian Turks, Kurds and Armenians, set over the course of decades.
The book is historically informative, as it attempts to describe events without overly politicizing them. There are no "good guys" and "bad guys" in this book, but DeBernieres is not an apologist or moral relativist. Plainly, he feels that many of his characters are, to varying degrees, responsible for the tragedies he describes.
It is also a great character study. There are many characters, and DeBernieres devotes care and attention to each of them, developing a pastiche of individualized profiles. DeBernieres humanizes each of these characters (regardless of their ethnic/national identity) without rationalizing their (at times brutal) behavior.
DeBernieres is unique amongst writers in his ability to express moral complexity. Depending on the context, his characters can be heroic or savage, parochial or free-minded. There is an underlying optimism to this book, but there is no naivete.
Finally, this is an elegy to a lost way of life in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is clear that the author understands this culture well, and loves it, but he never lapses into romanticism.
This is a great book.
