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The Architect's Apprentice
- Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
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The Architect's Apprentice
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Summary
There were six of us: the master, the apprentices and the white elephant. We built everything together...
Sixteenth century Istanbul: a stowaway arrives in the city bearing an extraordinary gift for the Sultan. The boy is utterly alone in a foreign land, with no worldly possessions to his name except Chota, a rare and valuable white elephant destined for the palace menagerie.
So begins an epic adventure that will see young Jahan rise from lowly origins to the highest ranks of the Sultan's court. Along the way he will meet deceitful courtiers and false friends, gypsies, animal tamers, and the beautiful, mischievous Princess Mihrimah. He will journey on Chota's back to the furthest corners of the Sultan's kingdom and back again. And one day he will catch the eye of the royal architect, Sinan, a chance encounter destined to change Jahan's fortunes forever.
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Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Architect's Apprentice
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- R. J. Miles
- 27-02-21
Great book let down by irritating reader
I enjoyed the book very much & would highly recommend it - but the reader’s frequent mispronunciations were a constant irritation. I lost count of the number of words he appeared unfamiliar with - couldn’t he have asked someone how to pronounce words he hadn’t heard before, or looked them up?
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12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jenny Cathcart
- 13-03-21
A charming memorable read
I loved this book for its evocation of 16th century Istanbul, relationship between Johan and the white elephant and the determination of a brave architect’s apprentice which eventually led him to work on one of the greatest monuments to love the Taj Mahal
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- KLong
- 24-06-21
Very slow not paricularly engaging for me
Very slow……not interested in providing more words I am afraid..this is an annoying feature of Amazon’s website
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 09-07-24
could have been interesting but actually dull
sorry I really wanted to like this book but it's just very dull and pondering story that is far to slow.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 19-11-20
Superb
I could not stop listening to this.....many hours lost on sleep as I kept extending the timer! :)
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14 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- hfffoman
- 15-10-21
Ponderous but interesting
The Architect's Apprentice describes in detail the daily life and historical events in Istanbul in the 16th century. Checking some of the facts, it seems to be well researched and historically accurate. The writing has some nice touches with original imagery and it's almost worth reading for the non-fiction content. Overall I found it unsatisfying, largely because of the narrator but also because of the character of the apprentice hero who is generous in spirit to the point of neglecting his own interests. This is all very virtuous perhaps but at times became unconvincing and almost ridiculous. The narrator is not only ponderous with a flat voice devoid of expression, but jolts every few words a bit like a child learning to read. Seriously, any 6th former who did a bit of drama would have done a better job. If you get it, experiment with the playback speed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- LMcA
- 03-02-21
Delightful
This book was on the Duchess of Cornwall's reading list and I believe that she chose well. A beautifully written and narrated story. I was slightly disappointed by the last few chapters but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sigrin
- 10-03-21
Immersion in 16th century Istanbul
This is my second Élif Shafak book, I so enjoyed her 10 minutes and 38 seconds.
This book looked very different so I was a little apprehensive.
It took at least an hour to get into the book, as the prose is quite flowery in places. However the words soon weave you into a 16 century Istanbul, the Middle East and parts of Europe with its magic, mystery and mythical senses that are almost palpable at times.
The characters were beautifully drawn, the good the bad and the ugly. I loved the way she included and wrote about the animal as they too were a part of the court of the Sultan. Chota the white elephant is magnificent and makes the man that is Johan.
The summary of this book tells nothing, it is like the tip of an iceberg and you get drawn down into the vastness of this tale.
Exemplary narration by Grant Cartwright.
Highly recommend for lovers of historical fiction.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Raymond Khoury
- 16-03-21
Captivating,
Another beautiful novel by Elif Shafak. I literally could not stop listening to this, the descriptions of the characters and places so vivid I even dreamed the story again at night.
Also it was narrated brilliantly with Grant Cartbright really bringing the story to life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jane Law
- 22-05-21
Fascinating
A wonderful tale full of fascinating details, human nature, intrigue, twists and turns like making your way through labyrinthine lanes of the old city of Istanbul all anchored by the faithful relationship between one man and an elephant. This is a long book but not one word is wasted, a truly riveting tale which will not disappoint.
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