The Dark Moment eBook Ann Bridge
Download As PDF : The Dark Moment eBook Ann Bridge 
Feride and Nilüfer lead a elegant and comfortable life in Turkish aristocratic society until their lives are turned upside down by Atatürk's fight for independence after WWI. Finding strength and courage they didn't know they had, the women become pioneers for the freedom of their countrywomen.
When their husbands leave to join general Atatürk in the fight for a new Turkey, Feride and Nilüfer dress in disguises and follow them. Through rain and mud and past glittering snowy peaks, the inexperienced women are plunged into hardships they had never dreamed of - living with the roar of Greek guns, fearing the horrors of military disaster. The magnetic Atatürk, having led his forces victoriously against the Greeks, proceeded to cajole and bully his people into trading the fez for hats and adopting a new alphabet. Almost overnight, Atatürk- with the help of courageous women like Feride – turned Turkey into a 20th-century nation.
"Absorbing reading...There's color in the rich tapestry of Turkish custom and thought; there are vivid scenes and live characters." - Kirkus
The Dark Moment eBook Ann Bridge
In all honesty, I initially started out this story with the Audible version, and disliked it very much. After the first chapter I started reading, and then became very engrossed. It was too difficult to listen to the high pitch of a female voice doing the talking for the strong male characters.Now, I very much want to visit Istanbul and see the "yali's" someday!
Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: The Dark Moment eBook: Ann Bridge: Kindle Store,ebook,Ann Bridge,The Dark Moment,Bloomsbury Reader
People also read other books :
- The Tin Woodman of Oz non illustrated eBook L Frank Baum
- Number Sequences and their Messages Unravel your Divine Assistance edition by Amelia Bert Religion Spirituality eBooks
- Son of the Lamp Chronicles of the Lamp Book 1 edition by Charles Eades Children eBooks
- Hot Planet edition by Michael Burns Literature Fiction eBooks
- Street Ranger A Makaveli Prince Novella Makaveli Prince Book 1 edition by Sam Hunter Literature Fiction eBooks
The Dark Moment eBook Ann Bridge Reviews
First published in 1952 and set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire and the first years of the Turkish Republic, THE DARK MOMENT is a remarkably accurate account of a momentous time in that country's history.
The action revolves round an old Ottoman family living in luxury by the Bosphorus and holidaying in their yalı away from the hustle and bustle of pre-First World War Constantinople. Life proceeds unhurriedly; the men, spearheaded by the elderly Pasha, spend their days at the club talking about the news, while the women, led by the Pasha's mother Refiye, pass their days in gossiping, drinking tea and bringing up the family. Into this world comes English academic Dr. Pierce and his niece Fanny; together they learn almost perfect Turkish while becoming accustomed to an alternative mode of existence. Fanny becomes friends with Feride and her sister-in-law Nilüfer; together they enjoy the pleasures of life, even though their freedom of movement is restricted by social convention. The Ottoman woman should never appear in public without her çarşaf, or veil.
Yet times are changing. The Ottoman Empire becomes involved in World War One, and later on fights for its very existence against the Allied colonizers. Feride and Nilüfer decamp from Constantinople with their husbands Orhan and Ahmet to Ankara, then an underdeveloped and often primitive city. There they have to endure almost unimaginable privations; lack of food, basic medical care, and servants. Yet the experience becomes one of self-discovery, as the children of the Ottoman Empire become inbued with the new Republican spirit embraced by Mustafa Kemal Pasha, a visionary general in the Ottoman army who later became the founder of the new country.
In the book's third act, the women return to post-Independence War İstanbul, but Feride finds that her heart and soul lies in Ankara, so she accompanied her husband Orhan back to the newly-established capital, where she carves out a position for herself as a decision-maker. Fanny and Dr. Pierce return to Turkey and discover that it is a very different place from what they experienced a decade previously.
Skillfully blending fact and fiction, Ann Bridge tells a stirring tale of courage and fortitude, of women discovering their social and political consciousnesses during times of strife, of men dedicated to serving their country, and a people dedicated to total war. Mustafa Kemal Pasha comes across as a rather forbidding yet brilliant leader with a yen for pretty women, which forces Fanny to make an agonizing decision at the novel's end. Everyone is ready and willing to serve the new leader, but sometimes that leads to conflicts of interest especially concerning personal and political issues. Bridge is quite enthusiastic about Mustafa Kemal (later Atatürk's) reforms, but understands how difficult they might be to implement; it is not always easy to impose western-oriented notions of sexual equality and social freedom on a country steeped in centuries of Ottoman tradition.
Bridge writes with sympathy and understanding for the plight of women living under the Ottoman Empire, and subsequently having to cope with catacylsmic social and political changes. Sometimes it seems quite literally as if their entire world has been turned upside down, and the experience is not a pleasant one, especially for the more elderly women. The only way to cope is to follow Feride's example and sublimate one's personal inclinations in favor of the common good, however painful that might be.
My parents were avid readers, and had a library full of books. As soon as I learned to read I could read any book
in their library with no reservation. As a child I read The Dark Moment, and loved it. I wanted to read it again
as an adult to see if it was as good as I remembered. It is. What an enjoyment. The story of the end of the
old Ottoman Empire is fascinating and wonderful historical fiction. It is a MUST read - even after all these years!
In all honesty, I initially started out this story with the Audible version, and disliked it very much. After the first chapter I started reading, and then became very engrossed. It was too difficult to listen to the high pitch of a female voice doing the talking for the strong male characters.
Now, I very much want to visit Istanbul and see the "yali's" someday!
0 Response to "∎ PDF Gratis The Dark Moment eBook Ann Bridge"
Post a Comment