Review
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“King has combed out the threads of this complex and highly nuanced story in a hugely enjoyable,
magnificently researched and deeply absorbing book.”
- Jason Goodwin, New York Times Book Review
“Superb―deliciously dense with detail and sheer narrative force as Charles King tells the twentieth-century history of
the Near East through the prism of one great city. A sepia-toned classic!”
- Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Revenge of Geography and Eastward to Tartary
“Popular history at its best, authoritative and hugely entertaining. Few places were as colorful as Istanbul between the
wars and Professor King captures all the chaotic brio and contradictions of a city, and a culture, reinventing itself.”
- Joseph Kanon, author of Istanbul Passage
“In this memorably distilled history, Charles King tells us just what the Pera Palace was―the ornately decaying hotel
crouched at the center of a mare’s nest of intrigue, violence, sex, and espionage, all set against the slow dimming of
Ottoman magnificence. I loved this book.”
- Simon Winchester, author of Krakatoa and The Map that Changed the World
“This social history of one of the world’s most fascinating cities is as illuminating as it is entertaining. Characters
from Trotsky to Hemingway, from a blind Armenian musician to a future pope, help tell the story of how Istanbul
transformed itself from a refugee-clogged backwater into a vibrant metropolis. Midnight at the Pera Palace is a true
Turkish delight.”
- Stephen Kinzer, author of Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds and Reset
“A diverse cast, ranging from Muslim beauty queens and Georgian royalty to Leon Trotsky, have left their mark on
Istanbul, and King nimbly weaves their threads with enough color to draw in general readers and enough detail to satisfy
specialists.”
- Publishers Weekly
“Elegant… multiple biographies unfold against the backdrop of an old city’s growing pains.”
- Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe
“An engaging, detailed look at the old city that became the newest of them all.”
- Melissa Davis, Seattle Times
“Fascinating and perceptive.”
- Randy Dotinga, Christian Science Monitor
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About the Author
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Charles King is a professor of international affairs and government at Georgetown University. A frequent
media commentator on global issues, he is the author of Gods of the Upper Air, Odessa, Midnight in the Pera Palace, and
other books. He lives in Washington, DC.
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