Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul Audiobook

Quotes

• “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, New York Times bestselling author of Krakatoa

• “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, New York Times bestselling author

• “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, New York Times bestselling author of Istanbul Passage

• “A dizzying kaleidoscope of a city that became recognizably modern in just a few decades. Charles King has combed out the threads of this complex and highly nuanced story in a hugely enjoyable, magnificently researched, and deeply absorbing book.”

  — New York Times Book Review

• “Elegant…multiple biographies unfold against the backdrop of an old city’s growing pains.”

  — Boston Globe

• “An engaging, detailed look at the old city that became the newest of them all.”

  — Seattle Times

• “Fascinating and perceptive.”

  — Christian Science Monitor

• “A case study in rapid social change, redolent of incense and gunpowder, a cultural biography of one of the few cities that can claim the title of capital of the world…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

• “The Pera Palace, named after the fashionable Pera neighborhood in Istanbul, housed foreign soldiers during World War I and foreign spies during World War II. Over the years, the residence was the site of a murder, a suicide, and an explosion. Using the palace as a backdrop, King skillfully recounts the decline of the Ottoman Empire after Mehmed V declared jihad against the Allies in 1914…This satisfying read is highly recommended for anyone interested in war or religious history.”

  — Library Journal

• “A dense but smoothly recounted history of Istanbul’s transformation from parochial imperial capital to multinational modern city…Staggering changes deftly chronicled by a seasoned historian.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

• “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