In Oxford’s Bodleian Library, Elizabeth Staveley has found a fragment of ancient paper that may hold the key to a story hidden for four centuries: a British sea captain’s daughter held captive in the sultan’s harem.

Constantinople, 1599. In the sultan’s palace, the chief eunuch has been poisoned by a beautiful ship made of spun sugar, and a rebellion is rising within the palace’s most private quarters. A British merchant, Paul Pindar, brings a precious gift to the sultan and discovers that the woman he once loved, Celia, may be alive, hidden among the ranks of slaves in the sultan’s harem. Can this really be his shipwrecked Celia? And if it is, can they be reunited?

Steeped in mystery and sexual intrigue, The Aviary Gate transports readers to exotic sixteenth-century Constantinople, offering the rarest glimpse into the forbidden confines of the sultan’s harem.

Picked from the Women in Fiction VBB. Enjoy!

It's here! Apparently the postman tried to deliver it before, but left a note saying it was too big for the mailbox and would try again a couple days later (strange, never had that happen before..)
Anyway, thanks very much for sending Meg72! This sounds great, I am looking forward to read it. :)

This was a nice light and easy read. I enjoyed it, though I sometimes had difficulty keeping the characters apart at first. The historical part was more interesting, but the way it was told didn't feel very cohesive to me. And the ending was rather abrupt...
But then again, I also had times when I was sitting in the train reading, and got so absorbed I nearly missed my stop.
I did find it interesting that most people in the royal household are actually not Turkish, but usually sold as slaves from other countries and ending up there, working their way up.


Reserved for dancing-dog (for the historical fiction swap)

Off to Dancing-Dog it goes. Happy reading!

Oh I forgot all about this book Tsjara - thank you! sounds interesting :)