Simply Loved the Book

"I simply loved this book from the first page - but then, I pretty much knew the story, as I have been reading Jack's blogs now for the past year or so. It is warm and humorous (and often making a serious point - for example, on gay marriage). Most of all, Jack's blog of the same name (Perking the Pansies) and this book paint a wonderful picture of two openly gay British men who decided to move to Turkey, and their experiences with the "ex-pat" community and with the Turks in a delightfully personal way that I could in many ways relate to (although I am a heterosexual woman!). Although they make gentle fun of Turkish life and some of the amusing local characters they meet, it is written with a great respect for and appreciation of Turkish culture and history (it certainly made me want to visit Turkey!) What I found particularly interesting was the sexual ambivalence of Turkish society and the complexities of relationships. It actually made me feel quite sad - and one incident in particular reminded me of what happens with frightening regularity in the country I live in, Jamaica. Altogether it is very funny and insightful. And the descriptions of the wild world of the expats and its inhabitants are quite hilarious."

Petchary