The release date for the English version of 'The Architect's Apprentice' by
Elif Shafak is Mar 2015. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
Bright and enchanting story set in the heyday of the Ottoman Empire, from the critically acclaimed author of The Bastard of Istanbul
Elif Shafak weaves an epic narrative that spans over a century in the Ottoman Empire's history in her most recent book. Twelve-year-old Jahan travels to Istanbul in 1540. at his role as an animal tamer at the sultan's zoo, he tends to Chota, the extraordinarily intelligent elephant, and develops a friendship with Princess Mihrimah, the sultan's stunning daughter. After receiving an education in the palace, Jahan meets Mimar Sinan, the chief architect of the empire, who takes Jahan under his wing and together they create some of the most amazing structures in history with Chota's assistance. However, even as they construct Sinan's magnificent works of art, the amazing Suleymaniye and Selimiye mosques, sinister undercurrents start to show, with rivalry breaking out among Sinan's four apprentices.
Shafak's complex work is full of colorful characters, a captivating tale of creative freedom and inventiveness, and the conflict between science and religion. It is set against the opulent background of the Ottoman court, where raw power triumphs over love and devotion.