AS MYSTERIOUS, complicated, and improbable as any real family, four generations are brought to vivid life in pages spanning the entire twentieth century, from the outer reaches of Siberia to the heartland of America. Why does prudish Agnes nearly faint during a movie featuring Omar Sharif? Did she, or didn't she, make love with a Turk--or was he Croatian?--back in the Old Country? Why didn't Uncle Marko ever write home after he was taken prisoner in World War I? How did Grandmother come to know the blind Gypsy violinist Istvan, who turns up for a visit? As for the Polish Kaszube girl, Georgia's first love--was she his half-sister? Warm, intelligent, and beautifully written, "The Turk and My Mother immerses the reader in the sheer, indulgent pleasure of storytelling. A magisterial symphony in the form of a comic novel about immigrant life, inevitable death, and forbidden love, this is a book sure to win the hearts of a large audience.