CULTURE EDITION
LUCY FOLEY LAST LETTER FROM ISTANBUL An early novel by star author Lucy Foley that really deserves to be read more widely, this beautifully written piece of historical fiction is set against the backdrop of the British occupation of Istanbul (Constantinople) in the 20s. The work gives us multiple perspectives on a time period so often reduced to black-and-white facts. Nur is a spirited and ambitious teacher who lost everything in the preceding conflict – her family, their home, her prospects – and has found herself caring for an unnamed orphan boy. They scrabble out an existence in the ravaged city now occupied by British, Italian and French forces. She permits herself an occasional transgressive visit to her old family home, a sprawling complex on the banks of the Bosphorus Strait, wrapped in lush gardens laden with fig trees and perfumed roses, and now all requisitioned for use as a British military hospital. When the boy falls ill, Nur manages to persuade medical officer George Monroe to treat her young charge. Although this directly contravenes his orders to only care for the military, the young medic is bewitched by the mysterious woman who he’s spotted haunting the grounds of the hospital. Despite their best intentions, the two become friends and share their personal perspectives on the conflict, as well as the journeys that have brought them to this point in time. External forces threaten to tear the two apart just as their connection draws them ever closer. An evocative, personal take on this historic conflict, showcasing a different side to the one usually depicted by textbooks – it’s well worth seeking out.
HISTORICAL NON-FICTION
Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike
Killers of the Flower Moon
Where the Old Roses Grow
DAVID GRANN
JANELLE MCCULLOCH
The riveting, multi-award-winning book behind the equally decorated film. A superb true-crime study of the Osage murders in 20s Oklahoma. At least 20 members of a tribe were murdered because of the oil-rich land they inherited, and the newly created FBI’s attempts to crack the case.
Pre-order this fascinating look at historical rose lovers and their legendary gardens, such as author Vita Sackville-West with Sissinghurst. It gives a unique insight into their efforts to preserve the rarest, oldest forms of Britain’s favourite flower during World War II.
BARBARA KINGSOLVER
The first non-fiction book by this living legend of an author has only recently been published in the UK. It documents life on the picket line in the mining towns of rural Arizona, and the women who changed their lives by standing up for their communities.
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK JANUARY 2025 45
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