I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it fully for some reason. I loved the setting as Istanbul is one of my favourite cities and I find it's history fascinating and intriguing so I appreciated the many references to real spots in the city and the references to the politics and unrest as well. The writing itself felt skilled and the narrative voice was strong and powerful but I still felt disconnected from the story and characters arcs. Perhaps another of İşigüzel's will be more enjoyable for me.

I have tried reading book on a number of occasions, but I have not been in nthe right headspace, or it has not held my attention. I do not know if I will ever finish it. However, I would encourage others to try their hand at reading this, as it might be a story that many do enjoy.

The story was intringuing and the main character was interesting, but I just couldn't get into the writing style. It was way too all over the place and disorganized for my personal preference. I get why it was written that way as it fits the story better, but it just wasn't for me.

When I first began this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. The Girl talked quite a bit about Amy Winehouse and sounded awfully whiny. It wasn't until her family struggles and the death of her friends were mentioned that I truly started to enjoy this book and the train of thought narration actually began to make sense.

I struggled with this book, the narration is everywhere, and the story doesn’t flow well.

It is raw and heartbreaking, and I tried so hard to stay with this but in the end I DNF at 50%

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this review.

First of all, thank you NetGalley for an ARC for my honest review. Second, this is a great translation!

A young girl in Istanbul climbs a tall tree and decides she will live out her life there. A strange beginning, but what follows is fascinating. Unexpectedly a boy at a neighboring hotel sees her and befriends her and we get the opportunity to hear about what has brought each of them to this point in their lives.

This is a hard one to review. I made it to 60% and then decided not to finish. Not because I didn't enjoy the story- I actually found this a fascinating story and loved the randomness and the swirly way of the writing. It felt like we were actually inside her head, listening to her thoughts as they tumbled around. There is a lot to learn and it opened my eyes to things I hadn't thought about before- as political violence is not something that is in my day-to-day life.

Unfortunately I couldn't keep reading the crazy amount of swearing (it's a big part of her grandmother's and friends' identities) and the sexual references.

At first, i liked it - i really liked the raw, heartbreaking and a bit jumpy style of writing. I wanted to give the main character a hug. But after 50%, i tried to hold on, i tried - really tried to like it. But the jumpy style was tiring and confusing and all the different people that came and went, made it hard. Plus the main character was so miserable in one moment and so in love and "pink skies and unicorn" in the next. It was just tiredsome. So i decided to DNF a 69%, i just had to stop.

I have found it difficult to relate to the narrator/main character. The book was difficult to read. There were parts of it that made more sense than others. In priciple it could have been a brilliant book but it was unstructured and although I understand it was the thought process of the narrator it was just too much to keep me really invested.

After facing multiple personal tragedies, Girl in the Tree (her name is revealed right at the end of the book) chooses to climb the tallest plane tree in Gulhane Park, intending to spend the rest of her days up there, hoping to forget all of her past.

This book left me with very conflicted feelings and I find it very difficult to fully judge it. I do not have a good knowledge of Turkish culture so this book left me feeling lost in places as important events such as the Gezi Park Protests were touched upon. The story was a woven was a woven tapestry of stories from Girl in the Tree's past as well of that of the matriarchs in her family; these grew on me throughout the novel, possibly as they showed progressively more depth. The present day story of Girl in the Trees living within the trees was a little strange to say the least and I had difficulty connecting with it.

It is worth noting that this book was originally published (in Turkish) approximately 4 years so some of the cultural references may not have aged well.

This book is the first Şebnem İşigüzel novel to have been translated from Turkish in English. I suspect that this is possibly not the best example of her work and I definitely look forward to reading more from her in the future, even if this book has left me on the fence.

I found this book to be so much more than just a story of love. It’s a story of a young girl watching the war around her, falling in love despite this. She is going through life in the tree afraid to come down because of what is going on down below. She is watching the suffering and she is full of rage and sadness and she is alone. There are so many around her yet she’s so lonely. She is truly suffering and can’t seem to find comfort in anything. I found this book to be very heartbreaking and so true to what many teens and kids feel. This story follows one girl in Turkey but I felt as though many girls could feel this same way. It was a great book and written so well and it’s descriptive.

This book was interesting, but unfortunately I do not think I was the right reader. I just did not jive with the writing style, and it was a bit too metaphorical and speculative for me. Thank you so much to Amazon Crossing for allowing me to read an early eARC copy.

I struggled following the flow of this book, I made myself keep reading, and I am so glad that I did.
The girl in the tree introduces herself as just that. She doesn't want us to know her name. I have never read a Turkish book before, so this was a new experience for me. The Girl in the tree thinks that she can just live in a tree and forget about life. She doesn't think that the real world is real, she thinks we are all just a story. She lives her life through the lives of others, as she lives in a tree.

This book will make you look up into a tree every time you pass one. I want to thank Netgalley for a copy of this book, in return for my honest review.

I have mixed feelings about ths book. But maybe it's me, my expectations as a reader, not the book! I unerstand why The Girl in the Tree needs a break from life, from all her family tragedies an disappointments, but I can't unerstand how this can become a way of life.
It seems that in her family women barely survive, finding their own coping mechanisms. In a country ruled by men, love is only a possibility they are robbed of... And then there's history, women and children are always the losers...
I do understand all these causes. And I was looking forward to a solution. Because, in my mind, I wanted her to succeed in spite of all these tragedies, though she never wanted anything but to understand, she did not have another goal. And, even if they can't love you back, trees never disappoint you, So, should we all survive in trees, and let life and love pass by below us?

This book was so fascinating. It grabbed my attention from the beginning. There is so much in here about life, loss, relationships, facing the dark side of life, etc. The writing was excellent. It was interesting to read about a book that takes place in Turkey, which is a setting I rarely read about and it has been in world news recently. This books also goes into some political strife that is taking place in Turkey between 2011-2014. I would highly recommend this book.

The Girl in the Tree

I am so glad I stayed with this book through the very last line. . . .it took my breath away. The narrator pulls no punches, doesn’t spare you a bit of her free-associating, with no filter in place. Her heart, hurts and hopelessness hang out there for all to read. . .making for more uncomfortable moments in reading than I usually tolerate. That said, it was compelling in places that pushed me impatiently to the tale’s conclusion. Growing up is hard in the best of circumstances, in the best of times. Growing up when everything you love is a spent target. . . .that’s excruciating. Enough to make a girl climb a tree and stay there.

This is a bright, shiny read. . . 5 bright, shiny tears for a girl you won't forget. When you next walk under spreading trees I suspect you'll look up with a more interested eye. . .wait. . .is that a heron nest?

A sincere thanks to Sebnem Isiguzel, AmazonCrossing and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm of two minds when it comes to "The Girl in the Tree". This was difficult to follow and get through due to the author's (and in a certain way, the narrator/protagonist) meandering prose. She jumps back and forth in a stream of consciousness. I'm painfully aware that this is exactly what the protagonist's writing teacher says of her writing and that this was done on purpose, but it didn't make me any less unmoored. However, the technique is effective and purposeful and ultimately I'm glad I read this book.

I struggled to get with the flow of this narrator, she is all over the shop. I think it is supposed to be representative of the fact that she herself has lost the plot or lost all hope? I'm intrigued to read more from this author but this one didn't speak to me at all. It is possible that I am a woman on the ground rather than a girl in the trees, so we were never going to connect anyway.

With thanks to AmazonCrossing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
#TheGirlInTheTree #NetGalley

A young woman climbs the tallest tree in Istanbul’s centuries-old Gülhane Park, determined to live out the rest of her days there. Perched in an abandoned stork’s nest in a sanctuary of branches and leaves, she tries to make sense of the rising tide of violence in the world below. Torn between the desire to forget all that has happened and the need to remember, her story, and the stories of those around her, begins to unfold.

Then, unexpectedly, comes a soul mate with a shared destiny. A lonely boy working at a nearby hotel looks up and falls in love. The two share stories of the fates of their families, of a changing city, and of their political awakenings in the Gezi Park protests. Together, they navigate their histories of love and loss, set against a backdrop of societal tension leading up to the tragic bombing that marked a turn in Turkey’s democracy—and sent a young girl fleeing into the trees.

Feedback: this book jumped around a lot. The time line was not linear, which I guess was great metaphor for how she jumped form branch to branch. I loved everything about it. Very original story and a sweet one story as well.

Really intense, sometimes rambly novel that had a lot of deep introspection. This is not a light book by any stretch of the imagination, get ready for some deep growth reading this.

I really had trouble with this book. The constant back and forward was a distraction for me especially when what was written as fact suddenly has been changed to a dream or just a lie at the time. Too clever by half. However I think this could have been a great read because the basic story was there to be told with a different style. The translation was absolutely was faultless.
Thanks to GalleyNet to review this book