Why read Midnight at the Pera Palace?

Book cover of Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul

Book description

When the Ottoman Empire collapsed, so many spies mingled in the lobby of Istanbul's Pera Palace Hotel that the manager put up a sign asking them to relinquish seats to paying guests.

As the multi-ethnic empire became a Turkish republic, Russian emigres sold family heirlooms, an African American impresario…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Midnight at the Pera Palace as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Gareth M. Winrow

Author

I was fascinated by this book and its colourful stories about the lives of individuals who played a role in the formation of today’s Istanbul. The backdrop is the famous Pera Palace in the centre of Istanbul, the much-loved hotel of the crime writer, Agatha Christie. Much of the book concentrates on the inter-war period. Superbly written, you can almost see and hear the sights and sounds of the alleyways, nightclubs, shops, and restaurants of a now almost forgotten Istanbul.

From Gareth's list on The best books on social and family history.