Garden of delight. - Rated 
Firstly the book itself, it is a hardcover and it is rather pretty. But, a book is for reading and this book definetly does not fall short. This book is a delightful read. It tells the story of a Turkish/Kurish family and an American family who have lived in turkey for a longtime. Anyway, not one to give stories away. It is about tragedy, love, race, religion and the emotions and turmoil of dealing with oneself and others through times of tragedy. The story does in some way go through the extreme of life and prtray 2 cultures at the bottom end of the spectrum having to deal with each family at one's tether.
The novel is gripping and brings up issues which some may have seen or dealt with in real life. But the beauty of the story is that it flows very well. yes, it's a story, but the author brings the world to life so well and this is why I gave it 5 stars.
Overall, a great novel and not just for bedtime reading for that fact...
High emotion - Rated
This is the first book I have rated 5*, which in itself says a great deal.
The sleeve says "A powerful story of survival and love", and it does not exaggerate. On the contrary, there is anger and so much more emotion, along with cruelty and pain. This results from the loss of homes, jobs and any semblance of a normal way of life, in the aftermath of an earthquake.
East meets west as two families from very different cultures are bound together by natural disaster. Will the conflicting beliefs prove too great?
"Gardens of Water" is a thought-provoking novel, unafraid to tackle complex issues, that will keep you in its grip to the last page.
A Lesson in International Relations. - Rated 
Set in Turkey, in 1999, the year the earthquake struck, this story follows the fortunes of two families whose fates become entangled. Sinan and Nilufer are conservative, Kurdish Muslims from a rural background who are attempting to bring up their two children, Irem and her young brother, Ismail, along strictly tradional lines. Marcus and Sarah and their son, Dylan, are Americans living and working in Turkey. Sinan has a profound mistrust of Americans who he accuses of aiding Turkey in the suppression of Kurds and their fight to establish a Kurdish homeland, so when the earthquake binds him to Marcus in ties of obligation, their relationship becomes even more scratchy. Several strands weave through this novel: the role of women in Kurdish Moslem society, the clash of cultures - conservative Moslem with twentieth century American, the clash of Moslem with Christian values, the position of minority Kurds living in Turkey, the stress of lives lived in refugee camps and the stresses of all these upon young people caught up in them, all combine to create a devastating scenario in which personal relationships are stretched to snapping point. Alan Drew draws his characters in depth and the reader, powerfully pulled into their emotions, will find it difficult to decide where the fine dividing lines between right and wrong lie. The novel also sounds warning bells about the dangers inherent in tampering with the belief systems of others and also of intolerant prejudice which blinds individuals to acts of kindness.
This is a powerful novel that raises many questions: it is for the reader to ponder the answers.
Gardens of Water - Rated
This was a predictable book in many ways. It tells the story of a Kurdish father and his family who have lost everything in the earthquake of 1999. His is a traditional way of life where family is everything and his name in his community is, after the quake when he lost all that he had, the only way that he could hold his head up and have respect in the community. The other family in the story is American and the father has lived in Turkey for many years and speaks the language (haltingly) and thinks that he understands the customs. Bring forward both the son of the American and the daughter of the Kurdish man and you know what is going to come next. Infatuation on the part of the girl and friendship on the part of the son. The relationship progresses largely due the hardship that both families face in the aftermath of the disaster and the traditional Kurdish life which the daughter rebels against when she is attracted to the young man. Against this we have the backdrop of the American Aid given to the people who are homesless. The price that the victims of the quake appear to have to pay for the basics of life are that the young will be told Christian stories which is at odds with what their parents believe. You just know that this will end in disaster and it does. Alan Drew tells a good story and though predictable I believe that it is one that we all should read. The lessons are clear for all of us who enjoy travelling and believe that we know our host country and its inhabitants.
Breathtaking - Rated
East literally meets West as Europe and Asia face each other across the Bosporus, the setting for this beautifully crafted and moving novel. Alan Drew tells the story of two families, one Kurdish and one American, against the backdrop of the Turkish earthquake in 1999. Sinan tries desperately to be a good husband, father and provider for his family despite the emasculation of losing his home and business in the disaster. Marcus is an American teacher and neighbour who has lived in Turkey for many years and becomes part of a humanitarian relief effort. Their lives are intertwined through the love of their children; the love of a father for his child and the love of the young people for each other. Irem longs to break free of the traditional restrictions of her strict Muslim upbringing and Dylan is cynical about his father's desire to convert everyone to Christianity while he is still struggling with his grief for his mother, who died in the quake. The relationship which develops tests their loyalty to family, religion and society, with Irem finally waking up to find out what she really wants, sadly too late.
A complex story which examines issues of faith, race, Middle Eastern politics, wealth and poverty, gender and morality, it is told tenderly yet without sentiment. The prose is breathtaking, flowing along easily like the river at the centre of the tale, yet hiding undercurrents which threaten to plunge the reader into the depths. Superbly done.
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