Review of Kurt Seyt & Shura
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Nisha Ward
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Review of Kurt Seyt & Shura
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Kurt Seyt & Shura" by Nermin Bezmen.]
Sometimes, when you read a historical fiction novel, it’s kind of boring. This isn’t really a knock on the authors themselves but, rather, a comment on the genre. After all, some topics just don’t translate well to fiction. Other times, there are novels like Nermin Bezmen’s Kurt Seyt and Shura, novels that are so deeply interesting that you can’t help but keep turning the page to find out more.
In this decades-spanning romance, we’re introduced to the titular Kurt Seyit and his life between Crimea and Russia. Born a white Muslim Crimean, Seyit is raised to be a loyal tsarist and military man. When a trip to St. Petersburg results in him meeting the lovely Shura, Seyit’s life is changed forever. Through the Bolshevik revolution and into his seeking refuge in Turkey, the book looks at Seyit’s life, love and the epic romance that would bring him much joy and pain as the years go by.
One thing to note about this book is that the author is very upfront about this being semi-biographical. Seyit is Bezmen’s grandfather, making this a tribute to his life and his love. As a reader, knowing that added much to the experience, and it’s part of why I’m giving it 3 out of 4 stars. It gives it a sense of realism that I felt added to the magic of the story, ironically.
In addition to this, the characters were immensely likable. Seyit’s struggles through the war and the Bolshevik Revolution made my heart ache. Moreover, I felt for Mürvet and Shura’s struggles in the latter half of the book. These women loved Seyit and suffered for it greatly. I don’t think I hated any of the main characters, though there was one side character that earned my ire. Given that he was a villain, I don’t think that this was an issue, given that we’re supposed to hate him.
This aspect of characterisation contributes to my rating, but I would be remiss not to mention that it is flawed. While the main characters are developed well, the side characters feel very one-dimensional. Mürvet’s mother, Emine, for example, reads like a caricature of the overbearing, meddling Muslim mother-in-law that I’ve seen in a lot of different media. In addition to this, the villain character I mentioned above isn’t really written to be more than a tool for Seyit and his friends to overcome. This is despite his origins as Seyit’s first friend at the military academy.
I also really like the plot. In fact, most of my rating is because of the plot. This one is purely subjective, but I do love narratives set during wars and revolutions. I love them when they’re done well, and Bezmen does this one well. It’s engaging, emotional and paced well. As such, it drew me in as a reader and kept my attention from wandering too much. There wasn’t really a downside to this.
I really liked this book. Between the editing, which was done well with few errors, the plot and the characters, it deserves its rating. I believe historical fiction and romance lovers will like this one, and I think fans of Russian narratives might find something of interest here.
******
Kurt Seyt & Shura
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Sometimes, when you read a historical fiction novel, it’s kind of boring. This isn’t really a knock on the authors themselves but, rather, a comment on the genre. After all, some topics just don’t translate well to fiction. Other times, there are novels like Nermin Bezmen’s Kurt Seyt and Shura, novels that are so deeply interesting that you can’t help but keep turning the page to find out more.
In this decades-spanning romance, we’re introduced to the titular Kurt Seyit and his life between Crimea and Russia. Born a white Muslim Crimean, Seyit is raised to be a loyal tsarist and military man. When a trip to St. Petersburg results in him meeting the lovely Shura, Seyit’s life is changed forever. Through the Bolshevik revolution and into his seeking refuge in Turkey, the book looks at Seyit’s life, love and the epic romance that would bring him much joy and pain as the years go by.
One thing to note about this book is that the author is very upfront about this being semi-biographical. Seyit is Bezmen’s grandfather, making this a tribute to his life and his love. As a reader, knowing that added much to the experience, and it’s part of why I’m giving it 3 out of 4 stars. It gives it a sense of realism that I felt added to the magic of the story, ironically.
In addition to this, the characters were immensely likable. Seyit’s struggles through the war and the Bolshevik Revolution made my heart ache. Moreover, I felt for Mürvet and Shura’s struggles in the latter half of the book. These women loved Seyit and suffered for it greatly. I don’t think I hated any of the main characters, though there was one side character that earned my ire. Given that he was a villain, I don’t think that this was an issue, given that we’re supposed to hate him.
This aspect of characterisation contributes to my rating, but I would be remiss not to mention that it is flawed. While the main characters are developed well, the side characters feel very one-dimensional. Mürvet’s mother, Emine, for example, reads like a caricature of the overbearing, meddling Muslim mother-in-law that I’ve seen in a lot of different media. In addition to this, the villain character I mentioned above isn’t really written to be more than a tool for Seyit and his friends to overcome. This is despite his origins as Seyit’s first friend at the military academy.
I also really like the plot. In fact, most of my rating is because of the plot. This one is purely subjective, but I do love narratives set during wars and revolutions. I love them when they’re done well, and Bezmen does this one well. It’s engaging, emotional and paced well. As such, it drew me in as a reader and kept my attention from wandering too much. There wasn’t really a downside to this.
I really liked this book. Between the editing, which was done well with few errors, the plot and the characters, it deserves its rating. I believe historical fiction and romance lovers will like this one, and I think fans of Russian narratives might find something of interest here.
******
Kurt Seyt & Shura
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"...while a book has got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the reader it's got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the writer as well." - Terry Pratchett on The Last Continent and his writing.
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Hussein21
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I love reading historical romance as they are very interesting! especially when the author add touch of olden tradition and culture, I am however, not a fan of war novels but I still think i will enjoy it
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