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Ayshe Talay-Ongan confesses that her novel TURQUOISE is inspired by her life experiences. Her previous work as a university professor also entailed a considerable amount of writing - three textboks in developmental psychology and numerous academic articles - but penning this novel has been her ambition for quiet some time.
The sequel to Turquoise, Emerald is in the making. She lives in Sydney with her family and spends her summers in Turkey on her beloved Mediterranean, toasting sunsets with a drink in hand.
Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite
It's the 1980's and Istanbul-based Yasmin Atakol loves her work as a psychologist and has a goal of working with pre-schoolers with developmental disorders like autism. She enjoys socializing with her friends, but most of them are married and have started families.
Yasmin would love to find "Mr. Right" but that doesn't happen until she meets her longtime friend Ani's husband, Renan. He is married and Yas is not, but they are attracted to each other, gradually falling in love over the years even though Renan, Ani and their son Leon move to Australia and Yasmin's only contact with them is by telephone or letter. Yasmin stays in touch with Ani and Renan even though she moves to California to be near her parents. When her father is gunned down by Armenians seeking revenge for the 1915 slaughter of their countrymen by the Turks, Yasmin, her mother and brother grieve and Yas enters into a loveless marriage with California college professor Curly. Yas returns to Turkey to adopt baby Derya but can she bridge the years and bring Renan into her life?
"Turquoise" is a well-written love story of two people who truly and deeply love each other. Yas and Renan are attracted to each other from the moment they meet but they don't destroy the lives of people around them by jumping in bed together until years have passed. This is a love story worth reading. It is believable with incredible characters whom the reader will not easily forget. The plot line flows believably to The end, and the theme of old Turkish/Armenian hostilities is woven well into the text. The dialogue between characters is authentic and down to earth. "Turquoise" is a love story that readers will embrace and they will surely want more stories like it from the author.
