** spoiler alert ** 
 I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. it came in very nice packaging, with a wraparound container with a faux "seal" of a hoopoe bird that appears throughout the book, and the book having high quality design, nice textured paper for the cover, etc, all for an ARC. 
 The writing is fluid and high quality as well-- think literary, but not so overwrought with intellectualism and evocative prose that it overwhelms the story. 
 The story is about a young Jewish girl who is a savant, and who stows away with her father to Turkey where she attracts the attention of spies, maybe-revolutionaries, and the Sultan as a result of her genius. 
 It is important to realize it is a slow, open ended drama when you start to read this book. Otherwise you may end up pretty disappointed with how the story is built up in certain ways only to have everything thrown away at the end. For example, the girl is followed around by a flock of hoopoe birds from the moment of her birth, and according to a couple of Turkish midwives, she is a child of prophecy. So does she fulfill a prophecy? Is there a point to those birds? Does she effect great change and influence to the politics of the Middle East? 
 No. She starts to. But before she gets into the thick of things, she runs away, quoting from her favorite work of fiction that the heart knows best. The birds scatter. The end. 
 The lovely, slow prose tries to fool you into thinking that such a message and course of action is terribly romantic or some such. But it's really not. How many people dream of running away from their troubles? Of having no responsibilities, no one asking their advice, no one asking anything? Everyone! Hearts yearn for greener pastures non-stop. Of a life of leisure, maybe some luxury as well. But doesn't mean it's right. If you actually go through with it, dumping all responsibilities, dumping all your friends who've supported you to disappear without a word, you're not a romantic. You're a hobo and an irresponsible, selfish schmuck who only cares about your own feelings rather than thinking about how you can sacrifice for a greater good. 
 Sure, the main character is like, 8 yrs old, but they spend the whole book going on about how grown-up her understanding and intellectual capabilities are that it doesn't absolve her from her cowardly resolution. Child can be adult; adults can be children. 
 She runs away before the story can really delve into the interesting machinations of Turkish politics and fulfill the title of the novel. Her flock of birds scatter in all directions at the end. Presumably she found her place in the world. I take it to mean that she wandered somewhere bad, and got herself robbed and killed. =/ No other reason why the birds would leave.