Five stars! Why? Well this book is not for every reader i guess. Because a lot of the readers cannot appreciate the details or the protagonist's "obsession"! Well, firstly Orhan Pamuk is my favourite writer! Second, this book is not just a love story! It should not be read just for that purpose! Otherwise the reader 'might' not like it. The subject of personal collections, the art of collection, the attachments to objects and what does a private museum means in the East compared to the West is waxed beautifully. Personally, i think Orhan Pamuk is a poet, painter and prose-writer all in a single novel! The concept of museum of a beloved is very enchanting and reflects the shrines and tombs for a beloved common in the East! The concept of Time that the writer touches is very true for a museum and in fact one feels the museum was only given a name, the rest was there before (including the beloved) and afterwards (minus the beloved). In the East there are many examples of such museums but rather than of secular origin they are of religious personalities.. There is ending surprise in which the writer enters the pages with his own voice, well one is piqued but if you listen to the writer he closes the book with the "last line" that justifies the writer's approach! Among the many underlined lines i cherished, a few are; "If the objects that bring us shame are displayed in a museum, they are immediately transformed into possessions in which to take pride.""Sometimes it would occur me that ours was a companionship of knowing shared defeat: This made me even happier than love did.""If i say that the painting contained elements recalling Indian miniatures painted under British influence, and Chinese and Japanese bird paintings, with Audubon's attention to detail, and even the bird series that packaged with a brand of chocolate biscuits sold in stores across Istanbul, please bear in mind that I was a man in love.""The power of things inheres in the memories they gather up inside them, and also in the vicissitudes of our imagination, and our memory - of this there is no doubt."Plus there is real ticket included in the novel to the "museum of innocence" in Istanbul! Rich in detail, Turkish culture, and the psychology of collecting (or hoarding), this novel is classic Pamuk. Set in Istanbul, a story of love, lust, and yearning between Kemal and the woman of his heart's desire, his distant cousin Fusun. Kemal and his fiancé, Sibel, meet Fusun where she is a shop girl in a boutique. Kemal begins a romantic affair with Fusun in the apartment where his mother stores her unwanted things. He breaks off his engagement but Fusun marries another man. For eight years Kemal pines for Fusun, going to her parents home for dinner, establishing a film company, Lemon Films, with the intention for Fusun to become a star. Over the years, Kemal collects many objects which his love, Fusun, has touched such as earrings, perfume bottles, salt and pepper shakers, etc., to feel closer to her and to remind him of his continued love for Fusun. Finally Fusun and her husband divorce, but Kemal and her relationship are not meant to be due to a tragedy. Kemal buys Fusun's parents home, lives there, and establishes "The Museum of Innocence." The reader finds that Kemal has commissioned Orhan Pamuk to write a novel about his love for Fusun and a guide for visitors to the museum so they will understand all the objects he has collected pertaining to Fusun.
What do You think about Bảo Tàng Ngây Thơ (2008)?
I love this author's writing style, but the story did get tedious.
—dynds
This book required by college. I read only the ending.
—FireDragon
