Publication
Penguin Books Ltd (2017)
Original publication date
2016 (Engels)
2017 (Nederlands)
Collections
Genres
Description
"The stunning, timely new novel from the acclaimed, internationally bestselling author of The Architect's Apprentice and The Bastard of Istanbul. Peri, a married, wealthy, beautiful Turkish woman, is on her way to a dinner party at a seaside mansion in Istanbul when a beggar snatches her handbag. As she wrestles to get it back, a photograph falls to the ground -- an old polaroid of three young women and their university professor. A relic from a past -- and a love -- Peri had tried desperately to forget. Three Daughters of Eve is set over an evening in contemporary Istanbul, as Peri arrives at the party and navigates the tensions that simmer in this crossroads country between East and West, religious and secular, rich and poor. Over the course of the dinner, and amidst an opulence that is surely ill-begotten, terrorist attacks occur across the city. Competing in Peri's mind however are the memories invoked by her almost-lost polaroid, of the time years earlier when she was sent abroad for the first time, to attend Oxford University. As a young woman there, she had become friends with the charming, adventurous Shirin, a fully assimilated Iranian girl, and Mona, a devout Egyptian-American. Their arguments about Islam and feminism find focus in the charismatic but controversial Professor Azur, who teaches divinity, but in unorthodox ways. As the terrorist attacks come ever closer, Peri is moved to recall the scandal that tore them all apart. Elif Shafak is the number one bestselling novelist in her native Turkey, and her work is translated and celebrated around the world. In Three Daughters of Eve, she has given us a rich and moving story that humanizes and personalizes one of the most profound sea changes of the modern world"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member charl08
This was an ARC.
Shafak is not afraid to approach the difficult issues, here approaching the rights of Muslim women, Turkish politics and debated about God. Peri grows up in a household in Istanbul split between her mother's religiosity and her father's secularism. The family is hard hit by Turkish
Unlike her other fiction, this story felt more like a vehicle for Shafak to say some interesting things about belief, about Turkish life and about studying abroad as an international student (in this case, in Oxford). The characters seemed to get lost in the whirl of opinion. Peri is so indecisive as to make me as reader uncertain why I am following her story. Told alongside a dinner party discussion 'now', the tie between her past self and the mother and wife she had become, never seemed to be made. Some beautiful quotes - my Kindle highlight button was busy!
Shafak is not afraid to approach the difficult issues, here approaching the rights of Muslim women, Turkish politics and debated about God. Peri grows up in a household in Istanbul split between her mother's religiosity and her father's secularism. The family is hard hit by Turkish
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political extremism, but Peri is able, nonetheless, to apply and gain acceptance at Oxford. There, lonely and depressed, she falls under the influence of an extrovert Iranian-British student and a charismatic lecturer.Unlike her other fiction, this story felt more like a vehicle for Shafak to say some interesting things about belief, about Turkish life and about studying abroad as an international student (in this case, in Oxford). The characters seemed to get lost in the whirl of opinion. Peri is so indecisive as to make me as reader uncertain why I am following her story. Told alongside a dinner party discussion 'now', the tie between her past self and the mother and wife she had become, never seemed to be made. Some beautiful quotes - my Kindle highlight button was busy!
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LibraryThing member thorold
A random incident of street-crime prompts bourgeois Istanbul housewife Peri to look back 15 years to her time in Oxford and her encounter there with a controversial philosophy don, Professor Azur. This in turn allows Şafak to have a bit of fun mocking the Turkish upper classes whilst exploring the
There's a lot of interesting discussion in this book, but ultimately - inevitably, I suppose - it doesn't come to any clear conclusion. Şafak doesn't have an easy answer to the problems of the world in her pocket, unfortunately, so we are left with little more than an invitation to be open to debate, to stand up for our own principles, and to listen to the views of people we disagree with. Which is all very well, of course, but from Şafak's reputation as a fearless challenger of censorship and bigotry, I would have expected something a bit less tentative.
All the same, Peri is an engaging character, and there's a lot of nicely observed detail in the book. I enjoyed both the Istanbul and Oxford sections (although I did find it a bit disconcerting to hear someone being nostalgic about student days that took place a full generation after mine...!).
The audiobook narration by Alix Dunmore worked pretty well, for the most part, but I was thrown off a little by the convention she adopts that Turkish characters in the book should always speak with a conspicuous "Turkish accent", whether they are speaking Turkish or English. Obviously, it doesn't make any sense that people should have a foreign accent in their own language, and it is also rather questionable in English - people from the sort of social circles represented in this book, most of them educated abroad, would be mortified at the notion that they speak English with an accent like a carpet-seller...
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tensions inevitably set up in people who grow up exposed to a constant debate between Islam, Kemalist secularism, western liberalism and modern capitalist ultra-nationalism. At home in Istanbul the young Peri feels under pressure to accept each rival ideology out of loyalty to the person close to her who represents it; in Oxford she is faced with the bigger challenge of making her own mind up, provoked by Azur and Peri's student friends Mona (Muslim feminist) and Shirin (secular fashion-victim). What's more, all this turns out to be happening in 2001, and people of Muslim background are under more pressure than ever to justify themselves in the eyes of westerners. Sometimes it all feels much more like a constructed example in a philosophy textbook than a novel.There's a lot of interesting discussion in this book, but ultimately - inevitably, I suppose - it doesn't come to any clear conclusion. Şafak doesn't have an easy answer to the problems of the world in her pocket, unfortunately, so we are left with little more than an invitation to be open to debate, to stand up for our own principles, and to listen to the views of people we disagree with. Which is all very well, of course, but from Şafak's reputation as a fearless challenger of censorship and bigotry, I would have expected something a bit less tentative.
All the same, Peri is an engaging character, and there's a lot of nicely observed detail in the book. I enjoyed both the Istanbul and Oxford sections (although I did find it a bit disconcerting to hear someone being nostalgic about student days that took place a full generation after mine...!).
The audiobook narration by Alix Dunmore worked pretty well, for the most part, but I was thrown off a little by the convention she adopts that Turkish characters in the book should always speak with a conspicuous "Turkish accent", whether they are speaking Turkish or English. Obviously, it doesn't make any sense that people should have a foreign accent in their own language, and it is also rather questionable in English - people from the sort of social circles represented in this book, most of them educated abroad, would be mortified at the notion that they speak English with an accent like a carpet-seller...
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LibraryThing member tkilincel
Hello reader,
Why i read Elif Safak? Because she is female writer and she is in front of many male writer i ever read till now. At my home i have a small collection of Elif Safak and most i like of her book is `Pic`.
About Havanin Uc Kizi: a book gives kind of understanding to reader from the eye of
From the book page 236: 2nd paragraph: how you see yourself becomes truth of you after some time.
From the book page 241:1st paragraph: If you dont like the words that you hate, we cant do free debate. if you feel be offended, remember about the poem of wise poet: If you are angry at every bother, how will your mırror shine without being polished?.
İ love her!
Why i read Elif Safak? Because she is female writer and she is in front of many male writer i ever read till now. At my home i have a small collection of Elif Safak and most i like of her book is `Pic`.
About Havanin Uc Kizi: a book gives kind of understanding to reader from the eye of
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a baby girl, same teenage girl, same woman at university age and finally a woman at older age. Her name is Peri and another Girl: Sirin and one more:) Book is quite well organized and if you would like to try something nit read before, i advise you to read this book.From the book page 236: 2nd paragraph: how you see yourself becomes truth of you after some time.
From the book page 241:1st paragraph: If you dont like the words that you hate, we cant do free debate. if you feel be offended, remember about the poem of wise poet: If you are angry at every bother, how will your mırror shine without being polished?.
İ love her!
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LibraryThing member janerawoof
Peri, a Turkish upper middle-class woman, all her life has been caught between secularism [first that of her father] and blind religiosity [of her mother]. Set against the background of a posh dinner and cocktail party where such things as politics, terrorism and other social issues are discussed,
The ending was a bit weak, but I was caught up in Peri's feelings and how she dealt with life.
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in flashback we see Peri's early life in Turkey with her family, then as student at Oxford University. She becomes friends with two other Muslim girls, one, adventurous and free-thinking, Shirin; the other a pious, hijab-wearing girl, Mona, who has modern feminist ideas but clings to her tradition. Years later, after an attempted mugging and robbery, she holds on to a keepsake of her Oxford years, a Polaroid of the three girls and the charismatic, unorthodox philosophy professor. We follow Peri through her doubts and her existential crisis.The ending was a bit weak, but I was caught up in Peri's feelings and how she dealt with life.
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LibraryThing member itchyfeetreader
I really enjoyed the introduction to Peri as a contemporary character before peeling back the years to see some of her formative experiences. Whilst I enjoyed the contemporary sections of the novel and thought that Shafak had interesting thoughts and comments on modern Turkey I found some of the
In contrast, I adored the earlier sections. In Istanbul, teenage Peri is an empathetic and fair narrator. Her parents “as incompatible as tavern and mosque” are wonderfully drawn and full of life and alongside her brothers, one of whom is drunk on nationalism, are a magnifying glass to the challenges of secularism and religion in modern day Turkey.
Moving to Oxford Peri becomes friendly with two other young Muslim women. In a mirror to her home life one is a devout Egyptian / American (the Believer) and the second is a loudly secularist displaced Iranian (the Sinner). They form an unlikely trio with Peri who, in light of her upbringing, is not surprisingly the Confused. Again, I found all deftly drawn, not only as characters but also highlighting the flaw of assumed identity politics and as a repetition of the theme of secularism vs religion.
These themes are explored again as Peri and Mona join Professor Azur’s seminar series about God. Initially a charismatic if arrogant non traditional lecturer, I quickly found him to be manipulative and unpleasant.
At this point I felt I was reading a five star read – great characters and smart dialogue were underpinned by interesting yet challenging ideas. Unfortunately, I felt at this point the author unnecessarily attempted to add mystery and tension into the plot. Rather than adding to my enjoyment this marred it somewhat and the ending felt a little confused and slap dash. I will however definitely read more of Shafak’s work.
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characters one dimensional and at times it felt more like a caricature, perhaps purposely, of the Turkish elite than a compelling cast.In contrast, I adored the earlier sections. In Istanbul, teenage Peri is an empathetic and fair narrator. Her parents “as incompatible as tavern and mosque” are wonderfully drawn and full of life and alongside her brothers, one of whom is drunk on nationalism, are a magnifying glass to the challenges of secularism and religion in modern day Turkey.
Moving to Oxford Peri becomes friendly with two other young Muslim women. In a mirror to her home life one is a devout Egyptian / American (the Believer) and the second is a loudly secularist displaced Iranian (the Sinner). They form an unlikely trio with Peri who, in light of her upbringing, is not surprisingly the Confused. Again, I found all deftly drawn, not only as characters but also highlighting the flaw of assumed identity politics and as a repetition of the theme of secularism vs religion.
These themes are explored again as Peri and Mona join Professor Azur’s seminar series about God. Initially a charismatic if arrogant non traditional lecturer, I quickly found him to be manipulative and unpleasant.
At this point I felt I was reading a five star read – great characters and smart dialogue were underpinned by interesting yet challenging ideas. Unfortunately, I felt at this point the author unnecessarily attempted to add mystery and tension into the plot. Rather than adding to my enjoyment this marred it somewhat and the ending felt a little confused and slap dash. I will however definitely read more of Shafak’s work.
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LibraryThing member arosoff
Shafak is a beautiful writer and the prose here is wonderful, with a lot of lovely details. This is a little bit of a slow burner, but she carefully and slowly weaves together the past and the present.
LibraryThing member moukayedr
Over one turbulent evening and night in Istanbul, Peri goes back in memory to her childhood and brief period of study in Istanbul. She is driving to a dinner in a wealthy mansion with her daughter and is subjected on the way to a robbery and attempted rape. As she retrieves her belonging from the
I was quite drawn to the description in the story, of Istanbul society, the way it sits uneasily between East and West, as matter of Geography and also of mindset and ethics. The conversations between people in the book rang quite true for me and mirrored the lively arguments I have often witnessed in other places in the middle east. The book itself, as well as Peri's character and that of her Professor Azur, argue for a middle way between the mystic aspirations of faith and the quest for reason and knowledge. It is a viewpoint that I can relate to. I also found the main character Peri very relate-able and authentic in her confusion and her three passions, I think I was/am like her in many ways. Shirin as the rebel was somewhat less interesting, whereas Mona was stereotypical and served only as a counterpoint to the three girls. There was nothing in the book about her journey and where her piety eventually led her.
The story in the book is less of a focus. It more about the ongoing conversations and tensions between East and West and between dogma and doubt. Very nicely done with choice readings from the classics, philosophy and religious teaching.
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street robber, an old photo tumbles out of her bag depicting a younger version of her with two other middle eastern women and their older professor. The three young women in the photo are the confident and heavily made-up Shirin, a rebellious Persian woman with strong views against religion, and Mona a pious Egyptian-American with a head-scarf and Peri herself, the confused one growing amidst the strict Muslim observance of her mother and the liberal outlook of her father. I was quite drawn to the description in the story, of Istanbul society, the way it sits uneasily between East and West, as matter of Geography and also of mindset and ethics. The conversations between people in the book rang quite true for me and mirrored the lively arguments I have often witnessed in other places in the middle east. The book itself, as well as Peri's character and that of her Professor Azur, argue for a middle way between the mystic aspirations of faith and the quest for reason and knowledge. It is a viewpoint that I can relate to. I also found the main character Peri very relate-able and authentic in her confusion and her three passions, I think I was/am like her in many ways. Shirin as the rebel was somewhat less interesting, whereas Mona was stereotypical and served only as a counterpoint to the three girls. There was nothing in the book about her journey and where her piety eventually led her.
The story in the book is less of a focus. It more about the ongoing conversations and tensions between East and West and between dogma and doubt. Very nicely done with choice readings from the classics, philosophy and religious teaching.
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LibraryThing member sriddell
Very slow burning, character driven story line.
The main character is Peri who always finds herself "in between". She's from Istanbul Turkey, a city that sits partly in Europe, partly in Asia - and a country that sits uncomfortably between secularism and religion.
Her family mirrors this split - one
Lots of internal dialogue and philosophical discussions about the nature of God. I loved this aspect along with the characters themselves.
The only thing that felt a little off by the end was that each character ended up being almost one-dimensional, based on a single attribute: the religious one, the feminist, the bitter ex-student, the corrupt businessman, and so on. Very little nuance allowed per character, and not until the very end do we see some growth for Peri and her former professor.
The main character is Peri who always finds herself "in between". She's from Istanbul Turkey, a city that sits partly in Europe, partly in Asia - and a country that sits uncomfortably between secularism and religion.
Her family mirrors this split - one
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very religious parent, the other more secular and ambivalent. Same split with her two brothers, and finally two best friends when she reaches Oxford University.Lots of internal dialogue and philosophical discussions about the nature of God. I loved this aspect along with the characters themselves.
The only thing that felt a little off by the end was that each character ended up being almost one-dimensional, based on a single attribute: the religious one, the feminist, the bitter ex-student, the corrupt businessman, and so on. Very little nuance allowed per character, and not until the very end do we see some growth for Peri and her former professor.
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LibraryThing member ZeljanaMaricFerli
Shafak's novel is full of great ideas that failed to come together.Her fiction is always poetic, full of interesting imagery and subtle (and not so subtle) cultural references. Still, it reads like chick-lit with a bit new-age thrown in, and sometimes it feels like she is using her knowledge of
That being said, I enjoyed reading this book until about three quarters in when the story suddenly watered down and the ending felt unfinished and rushed. There are many elements to the story that I liked - the way it portrays the deep rift in contemporary Turkish society, it is very accurate and very bold in certain political observations. I liked the main character, but did not see much growth in her comparing her youth and middle-age. The central part of the book - the discussion about the nature of God did not offer anything new or refreshing. I expected more from Azur, I found his methods unorthodox, but not very original. Mona, being one of the three daughters from the title, was somehow neglected, and I found both her and Shirin one-dimensional. I expected to see some more complexity in them. I also wanted to know more about her brother who spent a decade in prison - that was a storyline worth exploring.
Funnily, with all the criticism I've written about this novel - I cared about the characters quite a lot - hence the 4 stars.
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Rumi to address the same audience as Coelho and the likes. That makes her writing a little superficial, and I dare say commercial. Such books may work for some, but they leave me feeling empty and abused as a reader. I gave Shafak another chance cause I live in Turkey, and because I related to her experience depicted in her book Black Milk.That being said, I enjoyed reading this book until about three quarters in when the story suddenly watered down and the ending felt unfinished and rushed. There are many elements to the story that I liked - the way it portrays the deep rift in contemporary Turkish society, it is very accurate and very bold in certain political observations. I liked the main character, but did not see much growth in her comparing her youth and middle-age. The central part of the book - the discussion about the nature of God did not offer anything new or refreshing. I expected more from Azur, I found his methods unorthodox, but not very original. Mona, being one of the three daughters from the title, was somehow neglected, and I found both her and Shirin one-dimensional. I expected to see some more complexity in them. I also wanted to know more about her brother who spent a decade in prison - that was a storyline worth exploring.
Funnily, with all the criticism I've written about this novel - I cared about the characters quite a lot - hence the 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member Castlelass
Dual timeline story – one set in present-day Istanbul at a dinner party and the other in the early 2000s at Oxford (told via flashback) during protagonist Peri’s university days, where she was heavily influenced by a charismatic and unorthodox professor. Peri is a young Turkish woman caught in
“Is there really no other way, no other space for things that fall under neither belief nor disbelief – neither pure religion nor pure reason? A third path for people such as me? For those of us who find dualities too rigid and don’t wish to conform to them? Because there must be others who feel as I do.”
As with most dual timelines, I preferred one over the other. In this case, the storyline based in Oxford is more compelling. The three daughters, Peri, Shirin, and Mona, form a friendship that is strained by their differing outlooks. They take a philosophy class called “The Mind of God” by eccentric Professor Azur – and what a great character! He comes across as rather full of himself but also challenges his students to expand their viewpoints.
“He had wanted to develop God into a language that was, if not spoken, at least understood and shared by many. God, not as a transcendental being or a vengeful judge or a tribal totem, but as a unifying idea, a common quest. Could the search for God, when stripped of all labels and dogmas, be turned into a neutral space where everyone, including atheists and non-monotheists, could find a discussion of value? Could God unite people, simply as an object of study?”
The Istanbul dinner party segment, held by a wealthy businessman, is less riveting, but provides a platform for discussing business, political, religious, and cultural forces that influence life in modern Turkey. But at the heart of this novel is Peri’s personal struggle:
“She always knew that she was different. A strangeness she must do her best to hide; a scar that would remain forever etched on her skin. She put so much effort into being normal that often she had no energy left to be anything else, leaving her with feelings of worthlessness.”
Shafak is one of my favorite authors. Her writing is stellar. She knows how to craft a story to maintain interest while commenting on today’s social issues. Themes include feminism, spirituality, and multiculturalism. Highly recommended!
4.5
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an identity struggle between her mother’s traditional religious beliefs and her father’s modern secularity. While at Oxford, she meets Shirin, an Iranian feminist, and Mona, an Egyptian-American devout Muslim.“Is there really no other way, no other space for things that fall under neither belief nor disbelief – neither pure religion nor pure reason? A third path for people such as me? For those of us who find dualities too rigid and don’t wish to conform to them? Because there must be others who feel as I do.”
As with most dual timelines, I preferred one over the other. In this case, the storyline based in Oxford is more compelling. The three daughters, Peri, Shirin, and Mona, form a friendship that is strained by their differing outlooks. They take a philosophy class called “The Mind of God” by eccentric Professor Azur – and what a great character! He comes across as rather full of himself but also challenges his students to expand their viewpoints.
“He had wanted to develop God into a language that was, if not spoken, at least understood and shared by many. God, not as a transcendental being or a vengeful judge or a tribal totem, but as a unifying idea, a common quest. Could the search for God, when stripped of all labels and dogmas, be turned into a neutral space where everyone, including atheists and non-monotheists, could find a discussion of value? Could God unite people, simply as an object of study?”
The Istanbul dinner party segment, held by a wealthy businessman, is less riveting, but provides a platform for discussing business, political, religious, and cultural forces that influence life in modern Turkey. But at the heart of this novel is Peri’s personal struggle:
“She always knew that she was different. A strangeness she must do her best to hide; a scar that would remain forever etched on her skin. She put so much effort into being normal that often she had no energy left to be anything else, leaving her with feelings of worthlessness.”
Shafak is one of my favorite authors. Her writing is stellar. She knows how to craft a story to maintain interest while commenting on today’s social issues. Themes include feminism, spirituality, and multiculturalism. Highly recommended!
4.5
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Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9780241979921
Physical description
384 p.; 5.08 inches
Other editions
Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak (Digital audiobook)
Pages
384