The Janissary Tree

A Novel

By: Jason Goodwin

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Janissary Tree, the first book in a new series, is set in a most extraordinary world and features a most extraordinary sleuth.

It is 1836. Europe is modernizing, and the Ottoman Empire must follow suit. But just before the sultan announces sweeping changes, a wave of murders threatens the fragile balance of power in his court. Who is behind them? Only one intelligence agent can be trusted to find out: Yashim Togalu, a man both brilliant and near-invisible in this world.

You see, Yashim is a eunuch.

He leads us into the palace's luxurious seraglios and Istanbul's teeming streets, and leans on the wisdom of a dyspeptic Polish ambassador, a transsexual dancer, and a Creole-born queen mother. He finds sweet salvation in the arms of another man's wife. (This is not your everyday eunuch.) And he introduces us to the Janissaries. For, 400 years earlier, the sultan had them crushed. Are the Janissaries staging a brutal comeback?

©2007 Jason Goodwin (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic Reviews

• Edgar Award, Best Novel, 2007

"A work of dazzling beauty....The rare coming together of historical scholarship and curiosity about distant places with luminous writing." (The New York Times Book Review)

Interesting premise, annoying narrator

As a lifeling voracious reader, I am fairly new to audiobooks. The narration is a new element for me, and adds a whole new dimension to the experience. A great fit, such as the novels by Chris Knopf combined with the downright perfect narration by Stefan Rudnicki, makes for an unforgettable experience. But, when the narration is annoying, it can render the book unlistenable.
Stephen Hoye reads almost every line in the Janissary Tree with the same cadence. Every line ends with downward note. DA-DA, DA-DA, DA-DAaaaa. DA-DA, DA-DA, DA-DAaaaa. I find myself distracted, trying to imagine at least five different ways the line could be said, other than Hoye's falling tone. It's my fault--I should have listened to the sample. (Note: I just listened to the sample, which does not give an indication of how limited this narrator is. I would have still selected the book, based on the sample. Sigh.) As the book seems fascinating, I will read it the old-fashioned way--in print.

Turkish History

This is a fascinating book in several respects. The plot of the mystery (with Yashim the Eunuch as detective) is convoluted and clever. The descriptions of Istanbul in the early 1800's, with the Ottoman Empire contracting, are really enthralling. But for me, the really special component was a vivid recounting of the history of Constantinople being over-run by the Turks, led by their Janissaries; and the way in which the Sultan's entourage was run. It is a highly worthwhile novel!

A Real Page Turner

This was one of the most riveting historical mysteries I have listened to in a long time. The wealth of detail about the Ottoman Empire and life in Istambul really makes this book come alive. I love historical mysteries that really make you live in the period and this is one of them. The detail is marvelous and adds to the depth of the book. While at first I didn't much care for the narrator, the more I listened the more I felt he was just right for the book and his ability to vocally differentiate the various characters in the book is really marvellous. Highly recommended.

Too subtle for audio

This book has been highly praised and would likely be a good read, but it is way too subtle for casual listening. I repeated sections throughout, probably the entire book, trying to follow the plot line and story. This is one of those books that is better read than heard - an anomaly in my experience.

Great great new series

I found the stuff of the story to be one of those lovely mixes of history, great characters and mystery. Rather than getting in the way, I found the narrator's treatment of the story to add to the dark, misty, exotic elements within the story. I'm waiting for the next story in the series .....

Exotic and Entertaining

In this historical novel set in 1836 Istanbul, a eunuch named Yashim is asked to investigate into several cases. There are four officers who have gone missing (one of which turns up dead in an oversized cauldron a short while later); the sultan's most recent concubine is murdered in her bed; and the sultan's mother's jewels have gone missing. In the case of the officers, Yashim finds clues that seem to point toward the Janissaries as being responsible for the abduction and it's aftermath. The Janissaries had had a powerful presence in Turkey until 1826, just a decade previous to the start of our story. An elite force created by Sultan Murad I in 1383, they formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and bodyguards, but Sultan Mahmud II found them to be an unruly and disruptive presence, and wanting to create a modern army to keep up with the Europeans, he disbanded and slaughtered the Janissaries. But it seems there were survivors after all, and Yashim needs to figure out what they are up to to stop more bodies from turning up dead. Aiding him in his search for clues are his colourful and somewhat eccentric friends, the Polish ambassador and a transsexual dancer. A complex plot and an entertaining mystery set in an exotic place which is undergoing a great transition from ancient traditional customs to European modernization. I would have liked to find out more about Yashim himself, but perhaps more is revealed about him in the following 3 novels.

Loved Stephen Hoye's narration.

Complicated

One must listen hard to this story to keep the characters and storyline straight. In the end, only the historical aspects seem worth the trouble.

A Good Read

If you could sum up The Janissary Tree in three words, what would they be?

Plot, characterization and setting expertly written. Solid historical fiction.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Plot line was compelling. I was bothered by the descriptions of the macabre homicides, which is why I give it a "4", not a "5".

What about Stephen Hoye???s performance did you like?

Easy to listen to.

Any additional comments?

Stephen Hoye's Polish accent sounded too much like a Yiddush accent!

Disappointing

I am a big fan of "period" pieces. "The Alienist", "The Name of the Rose" and "The Devil in the White City" are among my favorite books. I also enjoy experiencing unfamiliar settings and cultures. This, and the fact it won the Edgar, was why I chose to listen to this book. Unfortunately, I just could not get into it on any level. This caused my attention to the book to frequently drift. Replaying those parts I "skipped" did not seem to help. Maybe I was just having a bad day, or maybe the book was not as good as everyone else says it was. I will never know for there just is not anything there pulling me back into the story for a second listen.

Wretched Reader

I lasted 30 minutes but had chuck it thereby "donating" my money to Audible/Amazon which makes me mad but the reader/performer was terrible. His style sounds as if he thinks he's really good (and someone does as he got paid to do this recording job) but his style is pretentious. You don't believe the characters because it's as if the performer is saying "just listen to this clever - breathy - new vocal trick." His rate is also problematic - very slow as if he thinks it's really important that we hear every word his melodious (officious) voice is uttering. I have never disliked an actor/reader like this before. This is the 2nd audible book I couldn't finish because of the reader - the first was a Stephen King read by Stephen King and he was terrible but then he's not a professional - this guy is supposed to be. I've got more than an hour's drive to get home from work and to get angry because of the wretched performance of a reader does NOT make for a happy Friday. Fortunately, I had an Adrian McGinty book read by Gerard Doyle (I think that's his name) on my mp3 player so the drive home was not a total auditory loss. I regret we can't get our money back for loser readers. I think the story is probably good, but in an audio book the performer must be good as that's how the text is delivered. I may go to the library and get the book, but not one more penny will paid for it. I will, however, remember Stephen Hoyle's name and will NEVER buy another book that he's reading.