Birds without wings
Anyone who has read ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ by Louis de Bernieres will want to read this more recent book by the same author. Set in Turkey in the early part of the twentieth century, “Birds without Wings” is a powerful and gripping narrative about the effects of some of the major events of the early twentieth century–the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Gallipoli Campaign of WW1, the bitter struggle between Greeks and Turks, and the achievement of Turkish Independence–on the lives of individuals in a small village in south-west Turkey. The effects are profound and the narrative deeply moving. As well as being a fantastic story, “Birds without Wings” also presents in a very readable way an account of the history of the early twentieth century in this troubled part of the world. It is fascinating to read about the Gallipoli Campaign from the Turkish point of view. Has anyone else read this amazing book?
J. Simpson
