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Towers of Trebizond
Towers of Trebizond | Rose Dame Macaulay
9 posts | 8 read | 10 to read
Hailed as "an utter delight, the most brilliant witty and charming book I have read since I can't remember when" by "The New York Times" when it was originally published in 1956, Rose Macaulay's "The Towers of Trebizond" tells the gleefully absurd story of Aunt Dot, Father Chantry-Pigg, Aunt Dot's deranged camel, and our narrator, Laurie, who are traveling from Istanbul to legendary Trebizond on a convoluted mission. Along the way they will encounter spies, a Greek sorcerer, a precocious ape, and Billy Graham with a busload of evangelists. Part travelogue, part comedy, it is also a meditation on love, faith, doubt, and the difficulties, moral and intellectual, of being a Christian in the modern world.
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review
merelybookish
The Towers of Trebizond | Rose Macaulay
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Bailedbailed

After two attempts, I'm abandoning my #bookspin for March. The prose is coiled so tightly, it felt like a lot of work to get though a page. But it was also cringey in the same way the current royal tour of the Carribean is. A 'funny' story about Anglican missionaries in the Middle East just feels wrong.

vivastory I started it last year but only made it 1 or 2 pages in. I couldn't call it a bail because it was too soon, but rI thought it was my mood at the time. Seeing this validates my thoughts 2y
merelybookish @vivastory I didn't get much further than you. And I also have tentatively thought I might try again...but I think it falls into the "life is too short" category. 2y
vivastory @merelybookish There def. needs to be an extra option for that on Litsy... 2y
See All 6 Comments
batsy Oh, dear! I don't think I'll be in a rush to read this. Plenty of other books! 2y
merelybookish @vivastory Yes! What would the symbol be? 2y
merelybookish @batsy Indeed! But may try another Rose Macaulay someday! 2y
61 likes6 comments
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merelybookish
The Towers of Trebizond | Rose Macaulay
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My #bookspin and #doubelespin. I feel good about these!

Leftcoastzen Nice! 2y
LeahBergen I‘ll be awaiting your review on the Macaulay. It‘s been on my shelves for ages! (edited) 2y
batsy Really curious about the Macaulay book! 2y
merelybookish @LeahBergen @batsy I'm curious about Macaulay although not sure this is her best. We'll see! 2y
61 likes5 comments
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Bookwomble
The Towers of Trebizond | Rose Macaulay
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Well, it looks good and - ahhh! - New Book Smell 📖😏

DivineDiana Love the cover! 6y
Aimeesue Gorgeous! Qa.49? I'm jealous! 6y
Bookwomble @DivineDiana It was a nice surprise removing it from its slipcase 😊 6y
See All 6 Comments
Bookwomble @Aimeesue I'll be back in there next week to see what else they've got hidden! 6y
LeahBergen I just bought this very edition a couple of weeks ago, too. 👍🏻 6y
Bookwomble @LeahBergen That gives me a little more confidence in its literary merits 😊 6y
14 likes6 comments
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Bookwomble
The Towers of Trebizond | Rose Macaulay
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Saw this still-wrapped Folio Edition in a charity shop when I nipped out from work to get a sandwich - a bargain at £2.49! As a title, I've heard of it but otherwise know nothing about it. The Litsy reviews aren't promising, but I'll see if I can wade through the colonialism to get at whatever else is here.

DivineDiana Great find! 👏🏻 6y
Bookwomble @DivineDiana And the sun was shining too! 😊📚🌞 6y
13 likes2 comments
review
shawnmooney
The Towers of Trebizond | Rose Macaulay
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Bailedbailed

The first chapter or so, in which the family background of Aunt Dot is sent up so hilariously, was absolutely delightful. But as soon as the group of eccentric Brits begin their tour of Turkey, I was put off by the headache-inducing density of the cultural references, and most of all by the superior, smug—indeed, racist—tone of the humor. British satire works best when it pokes at British culture; it quickly becomes odious when outwardly directed.

batsy I've got two of her other books on my TBR, and this is why I didn't start with this one 😖 6y
saresmoore That‘s an astute insight—good to put your finger on it, rather than to suffer blindly through it. 6y
LeahBergen Nooo! 😫 6y
rubyslippersreads Glad I‘m not the only one who didn‘t love this. 😏 5y
53 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
shawnmooney
The Towers of Trebizond | Rose Macaulay
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TOKYO USED BOOKSTORE HAUL - BOOK 3 OF 15

A 1956 novel about Brits in Turkey..

saresmoore This sounds fun! 7y
LeahBergen I've seen this around forever and have always been interested in it. 🤔 (edited) 7y
32 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
readingcities
Towers of Trebizond | Rose Dame Macaulay
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Bailedbailed

Picked up from a pansiyon in Foça after finishing the single novel I'd brought with me for a 2-day trip. It took some serious cajoling by my traveling companion during packing to get me to leave behind my backup book, and Towers was my punishment for not sticking to my guns and bringing enough reading material. A more exhaustive history of Anglicanism than I'll ever need + British colonists abroad = not making it past chapter 5 on this one.

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Amyegia
The Towers of Trebizond | Rose Macaulay
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Also, not to take over your feed or anything, but was this book blurbed by Spider-Man???

15 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Amyegia
The Towers of Trebizond | Rose Macaulay
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What is this cool book and why isn't it in my life yet?

Simona @Amyegia Nice cover😍 8y
15 likes1 comment