Birds Without Wings

An intricate web of storytelling that brings an understanding to a part of WWI that has received such little attention. I am in awe of Louis De Bernieres' ability to impart through dialogue so much of the feeling, with such authenticity, the perspective of characters who are so foreign in every way. The one perspective that is not foreign, though, is their humanity, that which is common to us all. It is through the eyes and ears and hearts of these characters that we see the world in which they lived, the community that they shared, and the sometimes improbable lives that they led. De Bernieres weaves a complex story whcih demands much from his reader. If you can commit to that demand, he will deliver an unforgettable tale full of history, humanity, and humor. A masterpiece!

The imagery, the characters the complex web of plots and themes is really quite overpowering. From the first line to the end of the book John Lee had me captivated and transported to such an unusuall reality that I couldn't stop listening.

The emotional depth is palpable, and even though it has been months since I have read this book I can't stop thinking about the characters: their innocent ignorance, sincere love and afection, and in some cases the bullheaded hatred. You cannot get them out of your head.

This isn't a light read, and it isn't for the faint of heart but highly recommended. You will remember it for years to come.

I so was moved by this book that I'm writing my first reader review. I previously read Paris 1919 and the two should read in sequence. Paris 1919 tell us of the machinations of rather stupid political leaders( Lloyd George, Wilson and Clemenceau) who in their effort to sort out national interests and greed for colonies, after WW 1 destroyed lives, nations and cultures. The Ottoman empire made many bad decisions such as joining the Germans in WW 1Turks as well as Greeks and Armenians paid a terible price. But their are enough tit for tat atrocities for all to share blame equally.. Thereare are no heroes,except the little people who are surviviors. De Berniere, in this well-told book tells us, in initmate. eloquent and graphic terms the implication of decisions by leaders caught up in their own national and self interest (something like Iraq today) reaping horrible unintended consequences on the lives of little people in a small town in Anatolia - todays Turkey. Bird without Wings is a story of people whose lives were greatly altered if not destroyed by so called bigger people who exercised horrible political judgments which fed nationalisitic and religious ferocity.
The little people of this novel are wonderfully colorful and full of delightful rural small town normalcy and quirkiness. De Bernieres uses fascinating literary strategies. A gentle man who is both merchant and philanthropist. is shot and thrown into the bay. While drowning he spends his last seconds ( about 10 minutes of dialogue) telling us, in eloquent and forceful language of the sequence of political and personal events by the Paris 1919 leaders that led to his self witnssed. death.
I wish there more stars than five. Again- read in conjunction with Paris 1919. The two together are powerfully good reads ( listens).

This book -- both wonderfully written and narrated -- transports you to the small villages in Turkey in ther early 1900's. Birds allows you walk hand in hand with the characters as they journey through life largely driven by decisions made during and after WWI had and experience the lives of the Turks and Greeks at that time.

Echoing the suggestion of another reviewer, I highly recommend reading Paris 1919 in conjunction with Birds Without Wings. Together they provide a complete perspective on how these -- and other -- countries were forever altered by both the war and the decisions made at the peace table.

Birds Without Wings is wonderful love story, a lesson in history, and a tremendous insight into Muslim and Christian religions. I even bought a waterproof Ipod case so that I could listen to the book while swimming!

I say 'haunting' because it is several weeks since I listened to this book, and the characters still reverberate in my head. The reading is wonderful, it captures the inflection and state of mind of the speaker. The reader is also very versitle and when he switches characters you don't get lost and you begin to actually seen the world through the character's eyes even while you marvel at the shape and strangeness of their world. The world he creates is every bit as articulate as Faulkner's. The big flaw in the book is the whole Kamel Ataturk sequence. After the finely textured lives and lines of the active characters, these passages just go flat. The author is seeking to situate his characters within the larger social context, but sometimes it gets lost. His Koratavok, Polixinee, Memenchik, Philotae, Rustan Bey, Tamarah-hanum and all the others will stay in my mind for a long, long time.

This was one of the moste enjoyable titles I've listened to in quite a while. The book skips from the first-hand, fictional stories of the major characters to an omniscient narrator who puts the stories in a hard historical context. Its initial vignettes reminded me of Chaucer, Twain and even Garrison Kieler. Like the Great Powers, the listener is subtly pulled into the horrors of war and the ethnic cleansing which has plagued the Balkans for centuries. The narrator, John Lee, is superb. His suite of seamless voices and accents believably convey and elaborate each character's nuance.
Buy it.

This book transports you to a small village in Turkey (Ottoman Empire)in ther early 1900's. How people of diffrent core beliefs can live together and yes trust each other because they take them for what they are - human. How simple things make life better for us all. However a larger less friendly and less understanding world is just outside their village, and when it arrives everything changes - forever. You walk hand in hand with the characters as they journey through their lives and feel both the joy and sorrow of their changing world.
Wonderfully written and the narration by John Lee is just superb. He makes you feel like your living in this village. I highly recommend!

This is one of the top five books that I have ever read (or listened to); and, I read alot. John Lee does an absolutely masterful job with the narration of a very challenging and complicated book. This book has dramatic implications and lessons for all of us in these polarizing times. At times sad, graphic, mysterious, horrifying, imaginative and hilariously funny, this is a must read.

This is a great book, provided you bear with the author's chatty, digressive style. But believe it or not, most of what appear to be loose threads in the oriental rug are tied up by the time you reach the end. Also, the point of view changes from chapter to chapter, and not every author can pull off a trick like that; it takes very close attention to detail, and that's something this author has in abundance.

The story focuses on a small, inconsequential village in Turkey between ca. 1900 and 1925. The village is tossed on the sea of world events, and is radically changed, unfortunately for the worse. It also contains a series of vignettes on the life and career of Hamal Ataturk, considered the founder of modern Turkey. Turkey's involvement in World War I and subsequent conflicts with Greece are major themes for this work. If history is not your cup of tea, but you like a good story, I suggest you read a little bit about the development of modern Turkey.

This book has a vast range of characters. Sometimes I wondered if it was really the village that was the main character, and the people are really different facets of the one municipal personality. Overall, highly recommended.

John Lee's narration brings to life the little village where this title is centered. The interwoven stories of the lives of the varied people connect through historical events and shared human emotions. The words of this book are beautiful and the life Lee brings to them leaves a lasting impression. Also memorable are the characters themselves. Louis de Bernieres has succeeded in telling a complex tale without sacrificing the richness and fullness of his characters. This book is full of emotion, set in the early 1900's, it is a story of love and a story of war. It is about the birth of a nation and the death of a people. This book has given me insight to a previously unexplored world, and had me both grining and weeping. This is a fantastic book. I will be seeking out his other works in print and hope to see them on Audible soon!