Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • A Strangeness in My Mind

  • By: Orhan Pamuk
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 21 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (66 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
A Strangeness in My Mind cover art

A Strangeness in My Mind

By: Orhan Pamuk
Narrated by: John Lee
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Waiting for the Barbarians cover art
Light in August cover art
The Secret Letter cover art
Moon Palace cover art
The Museum of Innocence cover art
Istanbul cover art
Staying On cover art
Claiming My Place: Coming of Age in the Shadow of the Holocaust cover art
The Story of My Life cover art
The Glass Pearls cover art
After the Roundup cover art
The Untouchable cover art
Mr. Vertigo cover art
The Music of Chance cover art
Without a Country cover art
Culture and Imperialism cover art

Summary

At a family wedding Mevlut catches sight of a girl with whom he falls in love. After a secret courtship of letters passed via his cousin, she agrees to elope with him, and on a dark night the two come together for the first time. As they rush to catch a train to Istanbul, Mevlut realises he has been misled. But the die is cast, and the situation will determine the rest of his days. 

Over the next four decades in Istanbul, Mevlut works various jobs to support his loving wife and family - work that gives him a special perspective on his rapidly changing city and the people who live there. And every evening he walks the streets, selling his wares and dreaming his dreams.

©2015 Orhan Pamuk (P)2018 Faber & Faber Ltd

What listeners say about A Strangeness in My Mind

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    40
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    38
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    33
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A beautifully written ode to Istanbul

As the other novels by Pamuk, this one is a long listen. We witness the changes in the city as seen through the eyes of Mevlut, the main character. There is a lot of nostalgia here, especially towards the end of the novel when Mevlut has time to think about his life and choices he made.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

Beautifully written and read. Spent some time in Istanbul in eighties and it sounds like it changed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

a real feeling of another time in Istanbul

loved the detail. not so keen on the narrator who had a strange way of reading the dialog parts.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Sweeping Epic

An unusual sweeping tale of an Istanbul Street Vendor throughout the late 20th century. Pamuk’s sweeping narrative takes the reader through the social changes and attitudes of Turkey, highlighting the differences between the secular and religious elements of society, tradition vs modernity and the ever changing politics of the time.
Of particular note are the sequences wherein the central character observes various leftwing movements, including the Chinese and Soviet Rivalries played out in the local politics.
The book doesn’t seem too eventful, so those expecting action and plot twists may be disappointed, however, this is a book about feeling more than anything else.
The narration by John Lee, is, as always, superb. Anyone who has listened to the Audible performances of Snow or My Name is Red will be happy to hear the familiar voice performing once again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The astonishing work of a masterly novelist

My headline says it all.
A riveting and unforgettable listen.
Mevlut will stay in my heart forever

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

stunning!!!!

Thank you, Orhan Pamuk
As a native of another country who made her life in Istanbul..you have taught me a social history I wasn’t aware of and at the same time Mevlut, your hero became a close friend
What a magnificent story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enchanting tale of Istanbul and its people

In this tale of Istanbul and its people, Orhan Pamuk skilfully tells the story of Turkish history and traditions through the lense of the boza seller Mevlut and his family.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

terrible accents

While the first half wasn't too bad, it just got more and more nonsensical as it went on. The narrator's accents were the worst part - had my whole family laughing out loud when he did his 'Northern English' voice - worth listening to just for that!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not for those of Turkish descent.

Audible, was it really so hard to find someone who could pronounce the Turkish names/words?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!