Leyla
ليلى
İstanbul, Turkey – 1720
9/10
I love Leyla’s story. Its detail, descriptions, and depth brings Leyla’s character and İstanbul to life. The book is long, and I feel like more happens throughout this book than in some of the other Girls of Many Lands books. I found there weren’t many large parts of the book that I could leave out of my summary, because everything that happens was important to the storyline. However, the first half of her book moves slowly, and both times I’ve read this book (twice), I took a long break in the middle because I had trouble staying interested in the book. However, the Leyla doll is one of the most beautiful Girls of Many lands dolls, from the intricacy of her clothing and jewelry to her face paint and detailed hairstyle. Nothing about this doll disappoints. I am only taking a point off due to the slow-moving first half of the book. It’s much more palpable in my condensed summary.
Official Fandom Page: Leyla
Leyla is a twelve-year-old girl living in İstanbul, Turkey in 1720. She’s caring and protective, and is always thinking of others. However, she’s willing to take risks when something piques her interest or feels important. She appears shy, quiet, and somewhat naive and secretive, and has a green thumb for raising flowers. She loves to draw and paint, and has an interest in poetry.