#BlogTour: Children Of War by Ahmet Yorulmaz @NeemTreePress @annecater #ChildrenOfWar #AhmetYorulmaz #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

Hassanakis is a young Muslim boy of Turkish descent growing up on Crete during WWI. Fifteen generations of his family have lived on the island and until now he has never had any reason not to think he is a Cretan. But with the Great Powers tussling over the collapsing Ottoman Empire and the island’s Christians in rebellion, an outbreak of ethnic violence forces his family to flee to the Cretan City of Chania. He begins to lay down roots and his snappy dress earns him the nickname of Hassan ‘the mirror’. As WWI draws to a close and the Turkish War of Independence rages, he begins a heady romance with the elegant Hüsniye. There are rumours that the Cretan Muslims will be sent to Turkey but Hassanakis can’t believe he will be sent to a country whose language he barely knows and where he knows no-one. This powerful novel drawn from the diary of a refugee family evokes the beauty, complexity and trauma of Crete’s past and weaves it into a moving tale of an ordinary man living through extraordinary times.

Children Of War is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy using the link below.

My Review:

Children Of War is a beautifully written, poignant read which I found utterly fascinating. This book takes the reader through some of the interesting history of Crete which is a subject I didn’t know much about. I had no idea that they had such a interesting and colourful history so I enjoyed following events throughout the years. The story is interspersed with lovely poems and songs from the area which helps give the reader an idea of their culture and the kinship they enjoy which was also very interesting to learn about.

The author’s writing style was just beautiful and the diary entries helped make the story seem much more personal, so all that happens is very hard hitting. I often found myself getting teary whilst reading. The author perfectly blends fact with fiction which I thought was cleverly done. I always like being able to look up historical events and learn a little more about them.

The wonderful friendships between Hassanakis, Vladimiros and his wife was absolutely wonderful to read about. The fact that they could enjoy such a close, warm friendship despite their differences in religion was beautiful. I so enjoyed reading the passages involving them and I loved the descriptions of their special bond.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Neem Press for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Ahmet Yorulmaz was a Turkish a journalist, author and translator. He was born in Ayvalik to a family of Cretan Turks deported to mainland Turkey as part of the Greek/Turkish population exchange decreed in the Treaty of Lausanne. He was fluent in modern Greek and translated novels and poems from contemporary Greek literature to Turkish. Most of his original works were written with the aim of making people learn about Ayvalık, the city where he grew up. He dedicated himself to Greek-Turkish friendship and rapprochement.

Paula Darwish is a freelance translator and professional musician. She read Turkish Language and Literature with Middle Eastern History at SOAS in London graduating with a First in 1997. In 2015, she was invited to attend the Cunda International Workshops for Translators of Turkish Literature, where she participated in a collaborative translation of the works of Behçet Necatigil. Her submission from the novel Savaşın Çocukları by the late Ahmet Yorulmaz won a prize in the 2015 PEN Samples Translation Pitch competition. In 2017, her translation of the short story Uzun Kışın Suçlusu by Demet Şahin was part of the 10th Istanbul International Poetry and Literature Festival. She has also translated some notable non-fiction works, including a bilingual catalogue of the buildings of the famous Ottoman architect, Sinan. She is a qualified member (MITI) of the Institute of Translators and Interpreters.