Turkey – BookBunnies

Marshmallow reviews Evil Eyes Sea by Özge Samancı

Last year Marshmallow read and reviewed Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı. This year, as her last book before taking time off for the summer, she chose Samancı’s new book, Evil Eyes Sea, just published this month. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: I’m very excited about this book. So let us get started.

Marshmallow: Sure.

S: Why don’t you tell us a bit about what this book is about?

M: It is about this college student and her college dorm roommate solving a crime together.

S: That sounds interesting!

M: It is!

S: Okay, so tell me more. Please?

M: Okay, okay, you don’t have to beg! So the main character’s name is Ece, and her best friend’s name is Meltem. They have some interesting ideas. Like if they stare at something with their “Medusa gaze,” then they can control it, like move it and so on.

S: That sounds cool.

M: It is funny. But anyways, these two friends are going to college in Istanbul, Turkey, and their dorm is right next to the Bosphorus Strait, and they are diving there one day, when a car falls into the sea right next to them. There is a woman in the car, and they try to save her, but it is too late.

S: Is this the crime they will try to solve? Was the woman murdered?

M: Yes, at least they think so. Ece is quite fascinated and wants to dig into the facts of the case and solve it. They also feel bad for not being able to save her. They also know the woman; it was another student from their dorm.

S: I see. This sounds like a real thriller. And you like murder mysteries.

M: Yes, but this book is a lot more than just a murder mystery. Just like Samancı’s other book that I reviewed, this gives you a good snapshot of Turkey from when she herself was a college student.

S: And that corresponds to the 1990s, right?

M: Yes. There is political tension, and and the crime itself is politically motivated to an extent, and you see all of it through the view of a college student.

S: And from what you are telling me so far, a very perceptive and curious student.

M: Yes, you get to see a lot of different aspects of Ece’s life. There is a lot of smoking though.

S: There was a lot of smoking everywhere back then.

M: There is also some drinking.

S: Hmm, looks like this is not quite appropriate for younger bunnies.

M: Well, I think the fact that there is a gruesome murder in the center of the plot also makes that the case. We do see the dead woman’s body. And there is some cursing. So yes, not for very young bunnies.

Marshmallow is reading Evil Eyes Sea by Özge Samancı. — Marshmallow is reading *Evil Eyes Sea* by Özge Samancı.

S: Okay, so tell me a bit more about the characters. If I am understanding it correctly, Ece is the narrator, right?

M: Yup. And she is a very likeable narrator. You sympathize with her when she is losing her patience with Meltem for example. And Meltem is also a very interesting character. She is popular with boys, very smart, and maybe a bit more cautious than Ece in some ways. But their friendship is strong and real.

S: So in some ways this is a friendship story too?

M: Yes.

S: Okay, so you had really enjoyed Dare to Disappoint. Did this book fit your expectations?

M: Yes. This is more fictional I think, but it still has a sense of realism to it. You really feel like you are observing Ece’s world with its full details. And the book is really colorful! Ece’s hair, like Özge in the other book, is bright orange, but there are so many other colors, too. The color of the sea is very deep blue, and I really liked the cover too.

S: Why?

M: It sort of captures the whole story of the book in one picture, which is really impressive.

S: I agree!

M: There is a trailer for the book, too. Maybe we can put a link to it for our readers to have a sense of the book?

S: Sure. Here it is:

Evil Eyes Book Trailer, YouTube.

M: Thanks. I do think the trailer does a good job describing the book.

S: Great. I hope at least some of our readers will check it out.

M: They should!

S: Okay, maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review. Before we do that, can you tell me how you would rate this book?

M: I’d rate it 100%. But it is not for younger bunnies.

S: Okay, that makes sense to me. Alright then, this is your last review before we take off for July. What do you want to tell our readers?

M: Have a great summer and stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies, coming in August!

Marshmallow rates Evil Eyes Sea by Özge Samancı 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Evil Eyes Sea* by Özge Samancı 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı

Today Marshmallow reviews the autobiographical graphic novel Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı, first published in 2015.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like graphic novels or if you enjoy reading books about growing up in general, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Özge Samancı grew up in Izmir, Turkey (in late 1970s and early 1980s). Ever since she was very young, she was obsessed with the idea of going to school and loved the school uniforms. Her family’s house was across the street from her older sister’s elementary school, and everyday, Özge and her mother would wave at the sister who was at school. Özge longed to be on the other side, waving back home from behind the school fence. Finally, when she started to go to elementary school, she idolized her first-grade teacher (Turkey did not have a kindergarten grade at the time). But one day, after talking about a bizarre incident on the television, Özge was beaten by her teacher with her pink ruler. Her entire class was punished as well. Özge was confused as to what she or any of her other classmates had done.

As Özge grew older, the political tension in Turkey increasingly impacted her family and her family’s life and lifestyle. Knowing that education was a way for her to gain a steady, stable life, Özge set her mind up to enter a prestigious public high school. She, along with her sister, studied obsessively so they could do well in the test that would determine their high school placement and (practically) the rest of their academic lives.

When she began attending college, Özge found herself drawn to art, theater, and other creative endeavors. However, her father wanted her to study more practical and pragmatic fields like engineering or medicine. Eventually, Özge faced a decision: do what her father wants her to do or live a life of uncertainty on her own terms. Read to find out how she resolved this issue…

Marshmallow is reading Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı. — Marshmallow is reading *Dare to Disappoint* by Özge Samancı.

Marshmallow’s Review: Dare to Disappoint is an interesting and entertaining book. It describes a young person’s search for her own artistic and creative identity in the context of a loving but perhaps somewhat rigid family. It also offers insight as to what life was like for a young child in Turkey in the 1980s. It was especially interesting for me to see the many details of life in a different time and different place than what I have experienced so far.

I liked reading Dare to Disappoint. The author’s voice is down to earth and relatable. The plot and storyline of the book are easy to understand and follow. This is a graphic novel, and the illustrations are really cute, but also detailed and expressive. Color is sparse, but well distributed. Additionally, photos of 3-D objects are inserted and sort of interwoven with the author’s drawings. Today Samancı is a media artist who also teaches at a university. It was cool to read about her earlier life in this format and have the opportunity to learn about her path to finding her own artistic voice.

Though the illustrations are vivid and cute, and the author voice is friendly and accessible, Dare to Disappoint may not be appropriate for very young bunnies. My only concern is that at some point, the author is physically attacked and is almost sexually assaulted, which might be too scary for some younger readers. But other than that, I think that the book tells a beautiful and very personal story, and bunnies of all ages can appreciate the tale of an artist’s childhood and growing up into her own.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Dare to Disappoint* by Özge Samancı 100%.

Marshmallow reviews The Mysterious Mannequin by Carolyn Keene (Book #47 of Nancy Drew Detective Stories)

Marshmallow has read about fifty of the classic Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene. Below she shares her thoughts about The Mysterious Mannequin, the forty-seventh volume in the series, first published in 1970.

Marshmallow’s quick take: If you like detective stories where the main character is a kid who solves crime mysteries, then this might be the book series for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with spoilers): Nancy Drew receives a mysterious package that contains a Turkish prayer rug that hides a message. Nancy’s friends, George, and Bess, help her figure out the message:

“Carson, find mannequin. I love her. Carry her to Constantinople.”

Nancy and her father Carson Drew decide that the sender is probably Farouk Tahmasp, a client of Mr. Drew who, after being charged for smuggling, disappeared mysteriously. But other people know about the rug that Farouk Tahmasp sent to the Drews: a man comes and attempts to steal the Turkish prayer rug. Luckily, Nancy’s dog Togo saves the day (and the rug). Nancy sees a man who looks exactly like the man who tried to rob the Drew house. He meets with a woman and shows her a note that is short but sad. She bursts into tears, and then when the man sees Nancy, he tells her to run. They flee and Nancy and her friends, George and Bess, run after them.

Nancy is an amateur detective and immediately starts to search for the mannequin that the sender, Farouk Tahmasp, is looking for. Nancy finds a clue while dining at a Greek/Turkish restaurant. Nancy describes the thief and the woman who he talked to. She asks if he knows anyone by the descriptions that she tells him. Another man, probably the “neighborhood boss”, gets up and asks them (not very nicely) why they are asking all these questions. Nancy asks him who he is and then he goes back and sits down again. The owner of the restaurant, Mr. Akurzal, leaves. Later one of the waiters drops a note in Nancy’s lap. It says:

“There are many young people who answer your description but you might look for two men, Cemal Aga and Tunay Arik, and girls, Alime Gursel and Aisha Hatun.”

Find the people that the owner, Mr. Akuzal, told them about in the note. They cross out two of the suspects, Cemal Aga and Alime Gursel. That means that the main suspects are Tunay Arik and Aisha Hatun. They can’t find them though. Nancy and her friend, Ned, look but they can’t find the man Tunay Arik. Nancy and Ned start looking for Tunay Arik in shops. They don’t find him, but they do meet the two girls who lead them to Tunay Arik. Sue and Kathy, the two girls, take them to Tunay Arik’s location. He is not there though. They find out who is the woman, Aisha Hatun. They learn that Aisha and Farouk were in love and then Farouk got involved in the smuggling issue. (Farouk was proven innocent.) Farouk left and then Tunay started annoying her. Nancy and her friends, George, Bess, Aisha, Ned, Burt, and Evan, all leave to Turkey. The problem is that they don’t know where the mannequin is. Where is the mannequin?

Marshmallow is reading The Mysterious Mannequin by Carolyn Keene (Book #47 of Nancy Drew Detective Stories). — Marshmallow is reading *The Mysterious Mannequin by Carolyn Keene (Book #47 of Nancy Drew Detective Stories).*

Marshmallow’s Review: This is one of my favorite Nancy Drew mysteries and I have read it over and over again, several times. The characters are interesting and the way that Nancy reveals the mannequin is intriguing.

It is also at the same time an old book and its age shows. I felt that occasionally it is not very culturally sensitive. But the book does try to give a flavor of Istanbul to the readers, and does mention some facts about Turkish history.

Nancy Drew is a little like Encyclopedia Brown (you can see my review of Encyclopedia Brown Books 1-4 here). Nancy Drew is not an encyclopedia of facts A to Z but is very intelligent. She has a very practical mind and has the ability to make connections that most of the time solve the mystery that she is working on. Her friends are not as intelligent but are helpful and supporting of her.

Marshmallow’s rating: 95%

Marshmallow rates The Mysterious Mannequin by Carolyn Keene (Book #47 of Nancy Drew Detective Stories) 95%. — *Marshmallow rates The Mysterious Mannequin by Carolyn Keene (Book #47 of Nancy Drew Detective Stories)* 95%.