A story of passion, scripted like a soap opera, but, hey, its WW1 and the Russian Revolution rolled into one very tumultuous era of history. Everyone's life was in upheaval. The series, I have read, is pretty close to the way events actually unfolded (more or less). Knowing some of the story's background (as explained by Kurt Seyit's granddaughter who wrote the book, taking 4 years to research) makes it even more exciting and interesting to watch.
Not a Hollywood or Disney ending but both Kurt and Sura (Sandra Nash, Sura's married name in America) went on to have other loves and new families in countries where they could live settled, happy lives - not communist Russia where they would have been persecuted. That's good news, right?
They also had the deep love that they shared in those brief but difficult years as a beautiful memory to carry them forward. Real life is messy. Remember, Sura was only 16 when she met 27 year old Kurt! They were from different backgrounds: Sura a Christian and Russian and Kurt a Turk and Muslim. There were huge pressures on them. Love does not conquer all.
I am glad the author stayed true to the real life story. Sad that in failing health Kurt Seyit eventually committed suicide. I saw in the LA Times that Sura and her daughter were reunited with her mother after 40 years. We forget what the ravages of war can be like and what people in the crossfire lose.
Not a Hollywood or Disney ending but both Kurt and Sura (Sandra Nash, Sura's married name in America) went on to have other loves and new families in countries where they could live settled, happy lives - not communist Russia where they would have been persecuted. That's good news, right?
They also had the deep love that they shared in those brief but difficult years as a beautiful memory to carry them forward. Real life is messy. Remember, Sura was only 16 when she met 27 year old Kurt! They were from different backgrounds: Sura a Christian and Russian and Kurt a Turk and Muslim. There were huge pressures on them. Love does not conquer all.
I am glad the author stayed true to the real life story. Sad that in failing health Kurt Seyit eventually committed suicide. I saw in the LA Times that Sura and her daughter were reunited with her mother after 40 years. We forget what the ravages of war can be like and what people in the crossfire lose.