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The Seamstress of Ourfa cover art

The Seamstress of Ourfa

By: Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss
Narrated by: Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss
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Summary

The Seamstress of Ourfa is the first audiobook in a trilogy; a multigenerational tale about an eccentric Armenian family forced into exile by genocide and their quest to find a new home.

It begins in 1895 in Ourfa, a thriving cosmopolitan city in the Ottoman Empire. Khatoun Khouri, a girl of 13, meets her husband, Iskender Agha Boghos, a poet and a dreamer, who adores her but cannot express it in words. 

Around them, the Ottoman Empire is crumbling, the world heading toward war, and the Armenian minority subjected to increasing repression, culminating in the genocide of 1915.

As Iskender retreats into his books and alcohol, losing land, money, and business, Khatoun holds their family together by sewing for the wives of the men who persecute them...her creations inciting lust, love, and fertility.

The family helps the resistance and ultimately evades the death marches to the Syrian Desert only to lose everything when exiled by Mustafa Kemal and following the birth of the Turkish Republic.  

This is a story of friendship between enemies and of women who emerge from the shadows and rebuild lives in the midst of oppression. It is a powerful story of resilience and faith.

©2018 Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss (P)2019 Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss

What listeners say about The Seamstress of Ourfa

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A rich tapestry....

This book is pure magic.
I listened to this book absolutely enthralled by the tale I was being told by the author, who performed the narration.
Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss took me back through time and showed me what one family endured with dignity and pride. The book opens with the child meeting her great-grandmother Khartoun for the first time and from then on in one is transported to another land, another era.
But the beauty of this story is the way the author uses her words. It is almost poetical and one feels every word is chosen especially for the reader/listener to fully experience the action, the feeling and the meaning behind the story and its progress.
All the flavours and sounds of the Armenian household, the portrayal of each and every character in this story paints a vivid picture of their lives....a rich tapestry of the times.
A wonderful story written by a talented author. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

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The Seamstress of Ourfa

A beguiling tale/family saga of an Armenian family. Wonderfully descriptive... even poetic!. Beautifully narrated by Victoria Hardwood Butler-Sloss. I found her voice mesmerising. I appreciated the accurate pronunciation of Turkish words... I very much enjoyed her magical tale and author narration story-telling.
Would listen to another by this author after discovering her on Audible.👍🏻
I can imagine whatever she narrates as a voice-over artist in LA she does excellently and with aplomb. Very enjoyable audiobook experience.

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