The Janissary Tree: A Novel | 
| Author: Jason Goodwin
Publisher: Picador
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
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Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 41189
Media: Paperback
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0312426135
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780312426132
ASIN: 0312426135
Publication Date: May 15, 2007
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Product Description
Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel It is 1836. Europe is modernizing and the Ottoman Empire must follow suit. But just before the sultan announces sweeping changes, a wave of murders threatens the fragile balance of power in his court. Who is behind them? Only one intelligence agent can be trusted to find out: Yashim, a man both brilliant and near-invisible in this world, an investigator who can walk with ease in the great halls of the empire, in its streets, and even within its harems--because, of course, Yashim is a eunuch. His investigation points to the Janissaries, who, for four hundred years were the empire's elite soldiers. Crushed by the sultan, could they now be staging a brutal comeback? And can they be stopped without throwing Istanbul into political chaos?
This first book in the Investigator Yashim series is a richly entertaining tale, full of exotic history and intrigue.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 38 more reviews...
Eunuchs + History Lesson + Murder = Good Read December 15, 2008
M. C. Large (Arkansas - USA)
This offers a glimpse into the declining Ottoman empire through the ironic eyes of a eunuch, who is eloquent & suave. This book is a fun and entertaining read for those who love historical themed novels and mystery. Just think, when was the last time you read a book that even mentioned the word - eunuch. This is not a heavy read at all - Just fun!
 I wanted to like it... December 3, 2008
EHinLA (Pasadena,CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I wanted to like it - I have spent months in Turkey, a fair bit of time in Istanbul, enjoyed the culture and history, so I thought why not give it a try. I enjoyed the main character - BUT it is too slow. The story (what little of it there is) drags, as almost every chapter (and they are quite short) begins with a long and detailed description of a place or character, like a guide book. And I appreciate that it is billed as a novel, but really, it is a mystery - one that moves quite slowly. Maybe you want to read about the history of the Genoese tower (or some other such thing) every 2nd or 3rd page - but I don't. I've been there, I've seen it. Give me some story, a mystery that moves along more quickly. Do I really have to read all about the ingredients of this dish and that dish? So I began to skip over paragraphs - not my favorite way to read a book. Maybe you won't mind all of the exposition - I prefer a narrative that moves - particularly in a mystery!
 Introducing Yashim!!! November 10, 2008
Prabal Guha Biswas (don't worry, I shall find you)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
What a lovely character he is! Goodwin is a fine writer, a historian of great caliber and is just top-notch in this first offering. This book is a must - read! There isn't a single page in the book where you feel bored or want to skip a page or two. I think that's a great achievement. I will read Bellini Card later since it is bit expensive, meanwhile I will be starting to read Boris Akunin who has been compared to this writer.
 Interesting setting but weak story September 10, 2008
Sturmey Archer
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Interesting setting for a mystery novel. The descriptions of 19th century Istanbul are vivid, but the story is lacking.
I was looking for an interesting historical novel and this caught my attention. The author is obviously familiar with Ottoman history and culture and the backdrop to the story is intriguing. I did need to spend some time on Wikipedia making sense of the Ottoman setting though. I found the attention paid to the main character's interest in cooking a bit hard to believe. From what I know of 19th century cooking practices, it's unlikely anyone from that time period would find that laborious process to be a pleasant diversion.
As for the story though, a major plot line involves solving a puzzle. That's fine, but when solved, it leads to, well, nothing. When a plot line ends, it should advance the story at least a little.
Also, at climactic points in the story, there are noticeable switches to a rather abstruse writing style. I found myself rereading chapters in a vain attempt to figure out exactly what is going on. Maybe that was just an attempt to be fanciful, but it might also be an effort to cover up weak plot structure.
While I found this book to be interesting, I don't think I'll be reading more of this series.
My Name Is Blue September 5, 2008
Alaturka (Northport, NY USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This promised to be a great summer read. I had enjoyed Goodwin's "Lords of the Horizons" immensely. It was a unique book, a brilliant creation. This one did not come close. The fact that he is so knowledgeable about the unique and at times bizzare Ottoman culture and Istanbul and its history, which he exposed generously in this book alone made it worthwhile, but as a novel it fell flat at the end having started out so promising. Maybe non-fiction is more his style.
In any case, we have everything in this book, all cliches and aspects of Ottoman history and cuture are given their due: Sultans, their foreign mothers, enuchs, harem and kyzlar agas (not kislar!), circussian "cariye"s, janissaries, instant death around a corner, transvestites, palace schemes, Potamkin, all kinds of races and religions, Aya Sofya, Bospourus, Topkapi Palace, proto-Jeun Turcs, Tanzimat reforms, hamams, and the city itself. Though it provides a very interesting and expert caliedoscopic view of this ancient queen of cities, a virtual and authentic time-travel of sorts, all too much for one book.
Choice of the decade after the demolishing of the Janissary corps was smart as this period truly connected old and new, and there were so many influences pulling the Ottoman Empire in different directions at the time.
Plot itself kind of goes surreal towards the end and loses credibility.
There were some faux pas in spite of his intimate knowledge of Istanbul and history. Sun never sets behind the Princess Islands in Istanbul Mr. Goodwin, and Salacak near Uskudar is the best place to watch the real sunset.
In any case, I like his point of view of the Ottomans. More than any other author, Goodwin appreciates the uniqueness of the Ottomans and how they represented, for a good while, a totally different path for the human civilization and history.
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