Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul

The title Midnight at the Pera Palace is very misleading, the sub-title is much closer to the topic. Yes, the Pera Palace Hotel and the Pera neighborhood are prominent ‘figures' throughout the book but this book spans time, not just one moment.

Although I've not read much about the history of Turkey before, I thought this was a great book to start with! The author moved thru history at a nice pace, stopping now and again to focus on a particular topic or person. As he got closer to today, he began to slow down and focus on more topics. It sounds like he ended just after World War 2.

I never realized how prominent Turkey played as a place where the cultures and religions of the northern landmass, and some southern, intermingled; especially when there was war nearby and refugees were on the move.

I'll have several new areas of the city to look for next time I visit the city.