Tales from the Expat Harem: Foreign Women in Modern Turkey (Seal Women's Travel) Summary and Reviews

Tales from the Expat Harem: Foreign Women in Modern Turkey (Seal Women's Travel)

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Book Summary Information

Editor: Anastasia M. Ashman
Editor: Jennifer Eaton Gokmen
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-02-22
ISBN: 1580051553
Number of pages: 300
Publisher: Seal Press

Book Reviews of Tales from the Expat Harem: Foreign Women in Modern Turkey (Seal Women's Travel)

Book Review: A refreshing window into a different culture
Summary: 5 Stars

Tales from the Expat Harem is a lovingly produced book that probably gives a more rounded, fully fleshed-out view of Turkey than any book has managed before. It achieves this through narratives from 29 women who have made Turkey their home, either for a time or permanently, in locations scattered throughout the country. (A helpful map in the front shows each city or village where stories take place.) About half married a Turk. The others were in a relationship that didn't fly, were trying to figure out how to date there, or were trying to navigate life as a single in a country where being alone is seen as a bit odd and sad. This variety of place and experience allows a deeper look into the culture than usual.

The quality of the writing is uniformly high, despite the fact that many of the contributors were amateur writers coaxed--and carefully edited--by Ashman and Gökmen. The two editors each contribute a tale as well: Ashman with a description of her opulent, high-society Istanbul wedding, and Gökmen with a story about giving her Turkish language skills a workout as she takes a road trip with her American mother. For anyone who wants to get a real feel for what it's like to marry into a foreign culture, or to see how daily life works out while settling into another land, this is an engaging and masterful collection.

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