Instanbul

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. From the publisher - Istanbul has always been a place where stories and histories collide. From the Koran to Shakespeare, this city with three names--Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul--resonates as an idea and a place, real and imagined. Standing as the gateway between East and West, it has been the capital city of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. For much of its history it was the very center of the world, known simply as "The City," but, as Bettany Hughes reveals, Istanbul is not just a city, but a story. In this epic new biography, Hughes takes us on a dazzling historical journey through the many incarnations of one of the world's greatest cities. As the longest-lived political entity in Europe, over the last 6,000 years Istanbul has absorbed a mosaic of micro-cities and cultures all gathering around its core. At the latest count, archaeologists have measured forty-two human habitation layers. Phoenicians, Genoese, Venetians, Jews, Vikings, and Azeris all called a patch of this earth their home. Based on meticulous research and new archaeological evidence, this captivating portrait of the momentous life of Istanbul is visceral, immediate, and scholarly--narrative history at its finest.

This was an interesting book to review as I had already bought it and read it BEFORE I saw it on Net Galley - I wanted to share my love for it. I love the allure of Istanbul - the romance, the history, Hercule Poirot & The Orient Express, the bridging of Asia and Europe and I wish that I could afford to go and stay in the beautiful new Four Seasons there :-) The fact that history and modern life go hand in hand and are side-by-side. This book was a learned, mini-vacation that can be enjoyed by many and any fan of history, travel or FOOD. (I left the recent Kenneth Branagh movie wanting bread, bread, and more bread!) What a wonderfully enjoyable, fascinating book!!!