First book of 2021: The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak
Our first book of 2021 was taken from the Duchess of Cornwall's reading room list . The book was well-received and scored a 7 out of 10. We felt the story was quite difficult to follow until the various threads were pulled together at the end. But we found the writing descriptive and enjoyed the link to the buildings which give Istanbul so much of its character. Also the link to Renaissance Europe. We felt we bonded with the elephant and cared about his mahout, although found his marriage at the end a little far-fetched! Most of us agreed that we would not have read this title if it hadn't been for book club (though the actual book cover is attractive and might have persuaded us!) A few of us would be tempted to read something else written by Elif Shafak.