The Turkish Lover

a memoir

De: Esmeralda Santiago

Narrado por: Esmeralda Santiago

Falling for a man many years her senior, Esmeralda quickly finds that a passionate, all-consuming love affair can have a huge impact on your sense of identity.

The Turkish Lover, the third installment of Puerto Rican writer Esmeralda Santiago’s memoirs, is the story of her love affair with Ulvi Dogan, a Turkish man 17 years older than her. Initially he provides an escape from her family home but soon winds up being even more demanding than her mother. The story begins in Brooklyn, passes through Miami, and finishes in Massachusetts, where Santiago graduated magna cum laude from Harvard.

The audiobook, narrated in the author’s own voice, starts and ends with an intimate scene. The journey that began with Santiago’s search for freedom and self-discovery culminates with the protagonist finding her true destiny, even if she did have to take a few wrong turns along the way. Listening to The Turkish Lover is embarking on a heartbreakingly honest journey that explores sexism and racism from a feminist perspective.

Those already familiar with Santiago’s previous works will find much to love here too. The author’s characteristic humor shines through, but so too does the courage and maturity of a woman who knows how hard it can be to carve out independence in an unfamiliar world.

©2005 Esmeralda Santiago (P)2018 CANTOMEDIA

Great story!

As always, very real and transparent! You will cry, get mad 😡, and laugh as Esmeralda becomes “chiquita” and finally finds herself.

Amazing true story!

The last of trilogy, this is the more detailed and complicated part of the story. What tremendous accomplishments of this amazing woman. Read all three: When I Was Puertorrican, Almost a Woman- are the first two. No wonder she is an award winning author.

The intonation and narration

I read When I was Puertorican, back in 10th grade in my English class and always postponed reading the Turkish lover. Due to work I went ahead and purchased the audiobook! I enjoyed it a lot.

I am amazed

Being "Nuyorican" I can relate to so much of her story. Even though we are a generation apart, reading Esmeralda Santiago's book help me with my trials and struggles. Navigating relationships, seeing my parents set one example while requiring another even trying so bad to be a good example and feeling as if it's not good enough. Thank you , Esmeralda. Listening to this book was like Listening to my Titi explain that she understands, as she shared her experience.

Self reflection

Her story helped me reflect on my story of a dating a person I should've let go sooner than later . She penned thoughts and feelings I had never spoken aloud. I googled Ulvie and want to write Esmeralda a letter as to an " old friend".

Not what I expected

Although I loved the first two books in the series, I struggled to finish this one. She speaks about how she gains her independence, but as Naive as she made herself to sound, just didn't sit well with me or the storyline. I get that these were her life experiences, but some insight into why she was so naive would have helped. The fact that she never questioned the Turk really bothered me. Like really, was she really that much of a "pendeja" that she didn't question things?

It Spoke to my own abusive experience

The comment I read stated that she felt like the author should have explained why she was such a "pendeja" but when you're in an abusive relationship you don't. Her story helped me understand that what I went through was ok. And that I'm not a pendeja, I was also a very smart educated woman when I fell for my abusor, but that was so much better than going back to the life I had...