The Sultan's Harem

Jan 29, 2008 Ann rated it 2 of 5 stars

God help me in my sorrow. That phrase was oft repeated in this book, and it pretty much sums up my feelings for it.

Two main issues:

1) The history of Roxelana is wack in the book (in the book she's supposed to be a Tartar chieftain's daughter. In reality, she was the daughter of a Ukrainian Orthodox priest). And she is portrayed as a bitter, scheming, bitch of a woman. Really? History does not show that at all.

2) None of the characters have any redeeming qualities. None. The author clearly hated...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Martha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: punya

Waktu baca sinopsisnya sekilas aku pikir ini ttg Sulaiman yang 'itu', sang nabi Sulaiman dlm Islam atau Raja Solomo dlm Alkitab. Tapi bukan, ini bukan Sulaiman itu. Novel ini berlatar abad ke-16, berabad-abad setelahnya, meskipun tokoh Sulaiman di novel ini juga seorang raja - Sultan Sulaiman, Sang Penguasa Dunia, Raja segala Raja.

Baguskah buku ini? Nah, awalnya aku suka, aku memang selalu suka cerita ttg kehidupan di balik istana, apalagi kalau sudah mengisahkan intrik2 para perempuannya. Dulu,...more Waktu baca sinopsisnya sekilas aku pikir ini ttg Sulaiman yang 'itu', sang nabi Sulaiman dlm Islam atau Raja Solomo dlm Alkitab. Tapi bukan, ini bukan Sulaiman itu. Novel ini berlatar abad ke-16, berabad-abad setelahnya, meskipun tokoh Sulaiman di novel ini juga seorang raja - Sultan Sulaiman, Sang Penguasa Dunia, Raja segala Raja.

Baguskah buku ini? Nah, awalnya aku suka, aku memang selalu suka cerita ttg kehidupan di balik istana, apalagi kalau sudah mengisahkan intrik2 para perempuannya. Dulu, aku ngefans banget sama Putri Huan Zhu. Pernah berburu semua bukunya sampai komplit, mengoleksi VCD serialnya, baik yg versi Vicky Zhao + Ruby Lin, maupun versi generasi selanjutnya yg dibintangi artis lain (yang btw gak sekeren Vicky Zhao dlm memerankan Putri Huan Zhu).

Seluk beluk harem dan kehadiran tokoh utama sbg seorang selir yg cantik, cerdik, cerdas, ambisius, kejam, licik, yg merangkak dari seorang budak sampai jadi ratu, sebetulnya bukan hal baru. Sudah banyak novel yg menghadirkan perempuan seperti itu. Tapi teteuppp... aku selalu tertarik membacanya.

Dari aspek itu, aku merasa harus memberi 3 bintang, karena ya aku suka.

Cumaaaaaaa.... aku gemes setengah mati sama sultannya! Geblek banget sih!! Katanya sultan, tapi kok ya lugunya kebangetan. Entah lugu atau tolol. Mosok dikerjain dan ditipu sama selirnya dari pertama sampe akhir, gak pernah nyadar atau curiga sedikitpun?!! Kalaupun dianya secara pribadi emang lugu, mosok sih dia gak punya mata-mata yg ngasih kisikan-kisikan? Sultan gitu lho! Yg sejak kecil di dlm istana, yg sudah selayaknya memperkuat jaringan mata-mata utk menangkap kasak-kusuk dan segala jenis rahasia kotor di lingkungan istana.

Menurutku rasanya kelihaian si Hurrem ini terlalu berlebihan. Seolah cuma dia yg punya jaringan mata2 paling luas, kaki tangan paling jago, orang kepercayaan paling setia. Kalau dia bisa begitu, kenapa Sulaiman tidak? Dari awal sampai akhir, gak ada perlawanan sama sekali dari "korban-korban"-nya si Hurrem. Hurrem gak punya lawan yang sepadan. Atau at least mencoba. Jadinya gak seru. Ibaratnya nonton sepak bola dg hasil 12-0. Penonton kecewa.

Sampai hampir 2/3 buku, aku mulai bertanya-tanya, mana nih lawannya? Aku meneruskan membaca... menunggu... mencari... sampai gak sabar, dan akhirnya skip skip skip... ke bagian akhir... siapa tau adegan yang kuharapkan memang ditaruh di bagian akhir... tapi ternyata tetap gak ada.

Hurrem menang telak!

(less)

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Dec 26, 2008 Maggie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-2008

I'm still trying to decide how I feel about this one. While it was entertaining at times, I thought the characters were a little much. Mostly Sultan Suleyman just annoyed me (what a sissy!) and Hurrem was WAY over the top. I just find it hard to believe that Hurrem could have gotten away with everything she did. And I felt a little sorry for her, she was a terrible person...but the fact that she gained so much power, so quickly, eh....

And I found some of the story line completely unbelievable, b...more

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May 14, 2012 Shannon Donnelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are really two stories that are mixed here, and I found the transition from one to the other difficult to make. Initially it seemed as if another book was started in the middle of the one book that most interested me. The Venice story didn't hold my interest as well as the story set inside the Harem -- that story had complex characters, with very complex motivations and intrigue. I wish that story had taken more of the book -- there would have been room then for a more satisfying ending (t...more

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May 17, 2013 Truly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sosok Hürrem membuat saya ngeri dan kagum.
Akalnya sungguh luar biasa. Kepandaianya sungguh menakjudkan Ia mampu melihat kesempatan yang tak dilihat orang lain. Pastinya ia sangat optimis menghadapi hidup.

Pikiran-pikiran liarnya sangat memukau saya. Sebenarnya saya sedikit takut, jangan-jangan alam bawah sadar saya menyetujui semua sepak terjang Hürrem, mengingat seseorang pernah menyatakan betapa nekatnya saya jika sudah menginginkan sesuatu. Jika saya berada adalam posisi Hürrem (untungnya tida...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-free-ebooks

This book, free from Amazon, was quick and easy to read. The mechanics of good writing were good. There were a few editing errors, but none slowed my reading. I had trouble rating this book because I wanted it to have more about Suleiman and the Ottoman Empire than it did. But, by the book's title, the author promised to write about the women in Suleiman's life. Suleiman married wife one and had a fine son with her. His second wife was a she-devil who hoodwinked Suleiman and killed anyone she pe...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Lareesa rated it 4 of 5 stars

There were parts of this novel that were hard to get through, but in its entirety, I loved it. I am a sucker for anything to do with Turkey and Istanbul after living there, and I love exploring history I've studied through fiction.

Falconer obviously took many, many, many artistic liberties with his novel, but I found his portrayal of the atmosphere and characters a great strength. I could really picture the ancient city with its tiny alleys and mish-mash of diversity, as well as the magnificence...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars

This fascinating tale from the talented pen of Colin Falconer brings you inside the Harem of the sultan we now know as Suleiman the Great. The harem was a place barred to men, except for the sultan - he had his choice of all the women there and they saw his choosing them as their way out. But Suleiman was different; he did not follow the ways of his forefathers. He stayed faithful to one woman at a time. This is the tale of his second kadin - or wife.

I have long been a fan of Mr. Falconer's work...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sultan's Harem / 1-4000-8312-5

"The Sultan's Harem" is a spectacular tale of hatred and revenge, as Falconer weaves the tale of a single woman - a slave of the most powerful man in the world - who tears down a powerful empire by careful manipulation of the man who loves her. This one woman, Hurrem, manages to take down an entire empire, all while only ever being seen by a handful of men - the sultan and his personal eunuchs.

Falconer makes it difficult not to admire our cold-blooded heroine, who...more Sultan's Harem / 1-4000-8312-5

"The Sultan's Harem" is a spectacular tale of hatred and revenge, as Falconer weaves the tale of a single woman - a slave of the most powerful man in the world - who tears down a powerful empire by careful manipulation of the man who loves her. This one woman, Hurrem, manages to take down an entire empire, all while only ever being seen by a handful of men - the sultan and his personal eunuchs.

Falconer makes it difficult not to admire our cold-blooded heroine, who staunchly refuses to be a good little harem girl and concubine to the man who bought her from her parents. She despises the man who tore her from her home as just another bauble to add to his vast harem, and whom she must amuse endlessly lest she be tossed callously aside for another girl in the harem. If she must play the game of harem politics to survive, she will play it - but survival is too meager a goal for her. Carefully and coldly, she devises a plan to bear a child, remove the Sultan's favorite, entice him to fall in love with her, and then secure her freedom and unprecedented marriage to the emperor. Even as a wife, she is still a slave in everything but name, and she ruthlessly turns her mental hold on her husband to send him spiraling into madness while the kingdom collapses slowly around him.

Falconer carefully treads the personal and the political here, as with all his novels, and we see sympathetic glimpses into both the main players (sultan and sultana) and into the lives of the hapless girls living silently in his lavish harem. Each girl has her own history, her own loss, and her own sadness, and - faced with the realities of the harem, and of the monogamous sultan - finds her own pastimes and petty jealousies. Are these women better off than the ones on the outside? They are safe and pampered baubles in a collection of sex slaves that are almost never "used" by their relatively monogamous master. But the silence and loneliness gnaws at their souls and the passage of time weighs heavily on all involved. Is our dark heroine really so unusual in her hate and cruelty, or are her sisters in the harem just as enraged but powerless to act out?

Gripping and suspenseful, "The Sultan's Harem" is a compelling read - I could not put it down. I agree with another reviewer in that the story would make a wonderful movie, should anyone ever acquire the rights. Like other Falconer novels, the writing is frank and does not shy away from the facts of life, but the writing is never lurid or vulgar.

~ Ana Mardoll(less)

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Sep 14, 2009 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is really the story of three women. Gülbehar, the sultan's favored concubine and mother of his son, the next in line for the throne, Julia, a kidnapped Italian noblewoman who finds herself in the sultan's harem and soon in mortal danger, and finally Hürrem, a ruthless, red-headed Russian who hoodwinks and deceives the sultan to turn him away from Gulbehar and over to her side.

Insanely jealous, deceptive, cunning, and irresistibly beautiful Hurrem soon has no trouble convincing the sultan to...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Cora Ramos rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Through an easy writing style we enter the harem of Suleiman and glimpse the lives of some of the women taken from all over the Ottoman Empire. Mr. Falconer enables us to imagine the intimate details of their everyday existence. We follow the machinations and intrigues that ensued during their survival (or not) of the life they were forced into.

From a love story gone awry in Venice, Italy, Julia ends up in the harem in the midst of Hurrem’s attempt to overthrow Gulbehar as chief wife and secure...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

As you already know, I am a fan of novels set around the Ottoman empire. It was such a different time with a culture so different from our own that I find it absolutely fascinating. This book shows two sides of the Ottoman empire: one within the world of the Harem and one without. It seems to beg the question: Is the life one lives better in the Harem (especially as a woman) under the scrutiny of the Sultan, or outside, where one is "free" but living under the scrutiny of the Sultan's minions? A...more

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May 21, 2013 Adeela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: period-romance

The book is well written and succeeds in keeping the attention of the reader but I find the justification for bloodshed and maintenance of harems unsupported in any religion. I agree that powerful men in history have often sought justification for the most ridiculous and inhumane acts in religion and self-formulated laws and the case holds true for the characters in the book. However, what bothered me as a reader was the tone of the book wherein the impression going across seemed to put down res...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Evelyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Well, my streak of lousy books continues. I was really looking forward to learning something about the Ottoman Empire and the life of women during this time. I did learn about what it was like to live in a harem. However, the history was obscure. I had to keep referring to other sources to really understand the context of what was going on during the reign of Suleyman, because the author gave this short shrift. Also, so many Turkish terms were used that were not explained that I found it annoyin...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Adi_Toha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: suntinganku

Sultan Sulaiman I, khalifah ke-10 Kekhalifahan Turki Utsmani, berkuasa sejak 1520 hingga 1566. Orang Barat mengenalnya sebagai Sulaiman yang Luar Biasa (Suleyman the Magnificent) karena kekuasan dan pengaruhnya terhadap peta perpolitikan, perekonomian dan militer di Eropa pada abad keenam belas. Di kalangan muslim, ia berjuluk Sulaiman al-Qanuni, karena pencapaiannya dalam menyusun kembali sistem undang-undang Utsmani. Sulaiman adalah salah satu pemimpin tersukses dalam sejarah Islam. Ia memimpi...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sultan's Harem / 1-4000-8312-5

"The Sultan's Harem" is a spectacular tale of hatred and revenge, as Falconer weaves the tale of a single woman - a slave of the most powerful man in the world - who tears down a powerful empire by careful manipulation of the man who loves her. This one woman, Hurrem, manages to take down an entire empire, all while only ever being seen by a handful of men - the sultan and his personal eunuchs.

Falconer makes it difficult not to admire our cold-blooded heroine, who...more Sultan's Harem / 1-4000-8312-5

"The Sultan's Harem" is a spectacular tale of hatred and revenge, as Falconer weaves the tale of a single woman - a slave of the most powerful man in the world - who tears down a powerful empire by careful manipulation of the man who loves her. This one woman, Hurrem, manages to take down an entire empire, all while only ever being seen by a handful of men - the sultan and his personal eunuchs.

Falconer makes it difficult not to admire our cold-blooded heroine, who staunchly refuses to be a good little harem girl and concubine to the man who bought her from her parents. She despises the man who tore her from her home as just another bauble to add to his vast harem, and whom she must amuse endlessly lest she be tossed callously aside for another girl in the harem. If she must play the game of harem politics to survive, she will play it - but survival is too meager a goal for her. Carefully and coldly, she devises a plan to bear a child, remove the Sultan's favorite, entice him to fall in love with her, and then secure her freedom and unprecedented marriage to the emperor. Even as a wife, she is still a slave in everything but name, and she ruthlessly turns her mental hold on her husband to send him spiraling into madness while the kingdom collapses slowly around him.

Falconer carefully treads the personal and the political here, as with all his novels, and we see sympathetic glimpses into both the main players (sultan and sultana) and into the lives of the hapless girls living silently in his lavish harem. Each girl has her own history, her own loss, and her own sadness, and - faced with the realities of the harem, and of the monogamous sultan - finds her own pastimes and petty jealousies. Are these women better off than the ones on the outside? They are safe and pampered baubles in a collection of sex slaves that are almost never "used" by their relatively monogamous master. But the silence and loneliness gnaws at their souls and the passage of time weighs heavily on all involved. Is our dark heroine really so unusual in her hate and cruelty, or are her sisters in the harem just as enraged but powerless to act out?

Gripping and suspenseful, "The Sultan's Harem" is a compelling read - I could not put it down. I agree with another reviewer in that the story would make a wonderful movie, should anyone ever acquire the rights. Like other Falconer novels, the writing is frank and does not shy away from the facts of life, but the writing is never lurid or vulgar.

~ Ana Mardoll(less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Ashley Lipford rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a fantastic fictional book...that bring said you are not going to find much true history about sultan suleyman.

I will say do not read this book if you at already sad or upset because there it's no joy to be found inside it's pages... I made the mistake of reading this during a hazardous duty deployment... I was grumpy for days!

However the story is tantalizing in parts and the author does a wonderful job of painting a picture..albeit a very depressing masterpiece.

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Mar 20, 2013 Angie Steiner rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought this story was lovely. I particularly liked how everything was interwoven. There were a few times where I stopped to wonder, "where is this going?" but it always ended up working. I admit, I am a sucker for love stories, and while the sultan repeatedly made me want to hit myself, I very much enjoyed the Julia and Abbas portions of the story. Could it have been better? Certainly. Just as long as Hurrem suffered some sort of violent, agonizing death. But all in all, I liked it very much.

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Mar 12, 2013 Josephine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-general

Falconer took history of Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in mid-1500's and created a tale of intrigue. It appeared there was much intrigue going on, but it's exact nature is lost and that's where Falconer took over and created his fiction. Unfortunately, I really didn't like the people and his depictions made them even less appealing. His descriptive prose allowed me to finish reading the book, however I find them so distasteful based on his story.

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Mar 10, 2013 Barrett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-kindle-shelf, kindle-freebie

Entertaining, but inelegant - not sure if it was just the kindle version, but there were many typos and even mix ups of which character was saying or doing something. And every eunuch was described as "hideously fat" - there are so many ways to describe largesse, why limit yourself to that one?? Coolest thing about this book? Set during the same time as the Lymond Chronicles. And the antagonist is one badass lady.

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Aug 23, 2011 Histteach24 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Captivating. Rich with history that is fictional but could be true. A reminder of how much power mothers of the future sultans actually possessed and the cunning manipulation they used to get their son into power. We are told in the book many times over that women are not intelligent nor have souls...yet in the end are women the downfall of the most powerful men in history? Great read about the Ottoman empire.

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Mar 10, 2013 Neil Plakcy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lots of fascinating description and detail. I was really intrigued by the story of the Harem. Didn't care much for the middle section, though, about spoiled teenagers in Venice, and I didn't care for the way that story came together with the first. I wish the author had stuck to the main story. But the characters in the harem sections were very well-drawn and I wanted to read more of them.

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Oct 28, 2012 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mystery, Romance, Back-stabbing, Scheming, Mistrust, Sexual scenes. It was a nice read but in terms of being accurate with history, not so much. The characters were very dramatic nonetheless and over-the-top. I like Hurrem and her calculating mind. There were many times I wanted her to get caught but other times where I secretly applauded her schemes. A fun read and worth checking out.

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Apr 26, 2010 gia rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is not a happy novel. In it you will be torn between the somewhat dim but well-meaning sultan Suleyman, who wants to build rather than conquer, and Hurrem, his Russian-born harem favorite who wants to destroy the society that imprisoned her.

That said, it's well-written, neatly tangled, and consistent in its characterizations. I just re-read it and enjoyed it immensely (again).

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Feb 11, 2009 Brianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the book's setting and range of characters (there wasn't much to love about most of them, but that was okay). And I'm always happy when a little GOG action pops up in a decent story.

But I can't think of anyone I know who I would recommend it to. It's a bit long for casual historical fiction readers. Yet it's not quite good enough to rec to serious fans, or someone who might read it for the sake of reading.

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Jul 30, 2011 Jennifer added it

It starts out dramatically, like a made-for-tv movie, but once you get past that, you realize that it's a very accurate depiction of the events of Suleiman the Magnficent's life. We'll never know exactly what drove his consort-then-wife Russelana or what their conversations were like, so there's conjecture and artistic license there, but the events are accurate.

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May 14, 2011 Rebecca Huston rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 16th-century, historical-fiction, royals, wall-banger, harem-smut

Novel set in the harem of Suleyman the Magnificent, and one that is focused mostly on scheming and sex. Actually, it's mostly sex. And a real snoozer to boot. After this one, I haven't bothered to pick up any more novels by this author, it's just not worth my time.

For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_16931...

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Dec 26, 2012 Vera rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kitabı okumak istiyorsanız yazarın hayal gücüne dayandığını bilmelisiniz adı üstünde "masal". Kitap bir kurgu romanı ve gerçekle alakası olduğunu düşünmüyorum hatta en azından küçücük bir gerçeklik payı vardır deseniz de okumayın çünkü gerçekten yok. Zaten yazarın yabancı olması da bize bir nevi bunu kanıtlıyor. Kitapta abartmalar var ayrıca Hürrem ile alakalı olmayan çok farklı bir hikayeyi de kitabın içine yerleştirmeyi çalışmışlar, olmamış. Acaba aralarında bir bağ var mı diye okumaya devam e...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Candice Smith walker rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book.. The historical fiction was detailed and intriguing. My biggest issue was there were multiple errors throughout the electronic edition, which at times made understanding the location or character reference difficult. For actual content I give the book a 4.

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Mar 25, 2012 Simone rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, fiction

I choose this book to read because of serial, but I have to say, book is not as good. In the serial is main character more symphatic (here is only mean woman) and the story more interesting. Book was okay, but I missed some plots.

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