Some of the flames were momentarily still and others were travelling, meandering slowly among the lemon trees, the pots of pelargonium, oregano, mint and rose. "The inner court was a sea of glimmering, moving golden-yellow lights. These are the remains of the large house which Louis imagined as the home of one of the key characters from the book, Rustem Bey, and his concubine Leyla. With the end of a community that once transcended religious differences, their great love seems destined to end in tragedy and madness. Philothei, a Christian girl of legendary beauty, and Ibrahim the Goatherd who has courted her since infancy are but two of the many casualties. When war is declared and the outside world intrudes, the twin scourges of religion and nationalism lead to forced marches and massacres, and the peaceful fabric of life is destroyed. Placed against the backdrop of the collapsing Ottoman Empire, the Gallipoli campaign and the subsequent bitter struggle between Greeks and Turks, the book traces the fortunes of one small community in south-west Turkey, a town in which Christian and Muslim lives and traditions have co-existed peacefully for centuries. his portrayal of sleepy, multi-ethnic village life before, during and after the First World War is a magnificent achievement.” Birds Without Wings' is Louis de Bernieres' sixth novel and is set in the fictional village of Eskibache, based on his impressions and experiences when visiting the nearby "ghost town " of Kayakoy several years ago.
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