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10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

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10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

By: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Alix Dunmore
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About this listen

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2019

Brought to you by Penguin.

'In the first minute following her death, Leila's consciousness began to ebb, slowly and steadily, like a tide receding from the shore. Her brain cells, having run out of blood, were now completely deprived of oxygen. But they did not shut down. Not right away....'

Our brains stay active for 10 minutes after our heart stops beating. For Leila, each minute brings with it a new memory: growing up with her father and his wives in a grand old house in a quiet Turkish town; watching the women gossip and wax their legs while the men went to mosque; sneaking cigarettes and Western magazines on her way home from school; running away to Istanbul to escape an unwelcome marriage; falling in love with a student who seeks shelter from a riot in the brothel where she works.

Most importantly, each memory reminds Leila of the five friends she met along the way - friends who are now desperately trying to find her....

©2019 Elif Shafak (P)2019 Penguin Audio
Family Life Fiction Friendship Literary Fiction Political Women's Fiction Marriage Heartfelt Human Brain

What listeners say about 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

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Scintillating, Fascinating Characters

Beautifully read, this was a wonderful picture of life for the common social outliers of Istanbul. Kinda dreamy to begin with, as the rhythm of introductions emerged, I was hooked. One of the best Audible books I've purchased.

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4 people found this helpful

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superb

loved loved loved this book! original and so we’ll written and read. I was sad to finish it

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Impactful

Sorrowfully beautiful and captivating - difficult at times due to the subject-matter, but highly worthwhile and illuminating.

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1 person found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting beginning but dragged ending

The author has a talent for telling stories. The book started with an interesting idea but apart for the first part it seemed that the author was scrambling to fill the pages with so many details that are quite irrelevant to the story line. Not sure what she was going for but kept reading in the hopes of reaching a peak or epiphany but neither happened.

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  • Overall
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Original and fabulous story

Narration was perfect, characters perfect, Istanbul amazing, story just so original, loved all of it!

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This should have won the Booker

This is one of the best novels I have read it listened to in my life. A wonderful story by a wonderful writer. Full of compassion, depth of understanding and brilliant characters.

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Loved ♥️

Loved this book love this writer, such an incredible storyteller 🌿 look forward to reading more by her

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Wonderful storytelling

A story in history and in love. Just love Elif Shafak’s story telling and the narrator. I want to read all her stories

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An eloquent tale of friendship and loyalty

I adored this book. Exquisitely crafted from the first word - I was hooked. It was like a fairytale so deftly narrated that I felt enveloped within the story the entire time. Bravo Elif and Alix!

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Suffering of being a woman, the love of true friendship

I struggled through the pain of the young woman’s life in the first half of the story, redeemed by the love of her closest friends in the second part. A big sigh of relief

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