Leyla's House - by Zülfü Livaneli (Paperback)

About the Book

"The last living member of a great Ottoman family, the refined yet sheltered Leyla finds herself homeless and vulnerable when her house is sold by the bank to a business tycoon and his ambitious wife. Forced out of this historic mansion on the bank of the Bosphorus, Leyla is rescued and taken in by Yusuf, the son of her family's former gardener who has become a journalist. She follows him to a modern, cosmopolitan district of Istanbul where she discovers a world of artists and outcasts alongside Yusuf's partner, Roxy, real name Rukiye, a hip-hop singer. Despite initial hostility, a real friendship gradually develops between these two very different women. When Leyla's former home is emptied of its furniture, a hidden family history resurfaces thanks to the discovery of a photo revealing the old lady's uncanny resemblance to a British officer. Could Leyla be the product of an illegitimate union between an Ottoman woman and an Englishman?"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Evicted from her Istanbul mansion, an elderly aristocrat forms surprising new connections across class and culture.

A colorful, nuanced novel about old and new money, the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey, from the internationally bestselling author of Disquiet.

The last living member of a great Ottoman family, the refined yet sheltered Leyla finds herself homeless and vulnerable when her house is sold by the bank to a business tycoon and his ambitious wife. Forced out of this historic mansion on the bank of the Bosphorus, Leyla is rescued and taken in by Yusuf, the son of her family's former gardener who has become a journalist. She follows him to a modern, cosmopolitan district of Istanbul where she discovers a world of artists and outcasts alongside Yusuf's partner, Roxy, real name Rukiye, a hip-hop singer. Despite initial hostility, a real friendship gradually develops between these two very different women.

When Leyla's former home is emptied of its furniture, a hidden family history resurfaces thanks to the discovery of a photo revealing the old lady's uncanny resemblance to a British officer. Could Leyla be the product of an illegitimate union between an Ottoman woman and an Englishman?

With a marked sense of romance, this vibrant novel displays all the layers of a society where social classes as diverse as the former Ottoman aristocracy, the nouveau riche, and the Turks who returned after immigrating to Europe coexist.

Review Quotes

Praise for Disquiet

"Entirely captivating." --New York Times Book Review

"[An] arresting novel." --The New Yorker

"A somber, pensive novel, by one of Turkey's greatest modern writers...Livaneli's slender narrative contains multitudes...[An] intensely emotional, memorable story." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

About the Author

Zülfü Livaneli is Turkey's best-selling author and a political activist. Widely considered one of the most important Turkish cultural figures of our time, he is known for his novels that interweave diverse social and historical backgrounds, figures, and incidents, including the critically acclaimed Bliss (winner of the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award), Serenade for Nadia (Other Press, 2020), Disquiet (Other Press, 2021), The Last Island (Other Press, 2022), The Fisherman and His Son (Other Press, 2023), On the Back of the Tiger (Other Press, 2024) and My Brother's Story, which have been translated into thirty-seven languages, won numerous international literary prizes, and been turned into movies, stage plays, and operas.

Brendan Freely was born in Princeton in 1959 and studied psychology at Yale University. His translations include Two Girls by Perihan Mağden, The Gaze by Elif Şafak, and, with Yelda Türedi, Like a Sword Wound by Ahmet Altan.

Yelda Türedi was born in Mersin, Turkey, in 1970 and studied chemical engineering at Boğaziçi University. Türedi has co-translated Ahmet Altan's Like a Sword Wound and Love in the Days of Rebellion.