Thanks for the insight into contemporary Ottoman culture and the royal miniaturist 'art scene'. Also loved how the book didn't take itself too seriously, and had humorous moments including chapters narrated by everything from a painting of a dog to a coin. The plot did take a long while to really get started, and I was more fascinated by the historical lesson than the murder mystery, but overall My Name is Red is worth your time if you can work your way through a 400+ pages read. It almost made me want to learn Turkish so I could read it in the orignal language.