Harem: A Novel

Book Description

A seductive and intriguing journey from the humble Persian Jewish quarter to the fascinating world of shahs, soothsayers, eunuchs, and sultanas, Harem follows three generations of strong-willed and cunning women: Rebekah -- a poor girl married to the abusive blacksmith, Jacob the fatherless -- who emerges from her disastrous match with a mysterious brand between her breasts; Gold Dust, Rebekah's treasured daughter, who enters the opulent and perilous world of the harem and captivates the shah with her singing bones; and Gold Dust's daughter, the revered and feared albino princess Raven, who will one day rule the empire.

Rich in visual imagery, Harem vividly depicts the exotic bazaars and dangerous alleys of the city and palace chambers brimming with conspiracy and betrayal -- as well as love and redemption. A skillfully crafted, intricately textured novel, Harem represents the beginning of a remarkable literary career.

Customer Reviews:

Nothing Can Crush A Strong Spirit.......2007-08-16

At least this was the central lesson I took away from Harem, a fable spun of the incredible and of the horrible. I say fable because Harem is not stretched to fit the conventions of a novel. With a certain magic of her own, the author tells a tale of three real and strong women, somehow managing to keep a thread of the fantastic throughout the least pleasant parts of the story. Sitting down with Harem is what I imagine being entertained by a troubadour would have been like.

Of course I'm not a fan of female enslavement--or enslavement of anyone. Looking through 21st century eyes, the Shah's harem seems suffocating and rather misogynistic. But this has happened, and is happening now. It's happening today in the much more subtle pressures of advertising and society, both of which can imprison a woman's spirit just as brick walls do. Books like Harem--and there are a few--do not extol the harem system, but rather the strength and cunning of the women who either thwarted it or used it to their benefit (Roxelana of Turkey, the wife of Suleyman the Magnificent, comes to mind).

Harem has moments where I was grinding my teeth in frustration or disgust. This isn't like Disney's "Aladdin" which whitewashed the classic tale. But it's all done in good taste, and nothing is gratuitous. Readers might also want to bear in mind that this book deals with the harem of the Shah of Persia. "Harem" implies the womens' quarters of any household, and certainly there have been many harems in existence. But in the West we may be more familiar with the harem of the Ottoman Sultans. I only mention this as something to think about should information not gel in one place or another.

A Great Read.......2007-03-10

I really like this book, it draws you in. You feel as if youre hearing, tasting, touching the things she describes. I only gave it four stars because having read similar books before it was lacking. Still worth the read though, and I really hope she follows up with these very interesting woman. They overcame alot against the odds.
NOTE..there quite a few disgusting, hurtful,gross scenes. One must remember it was a differrent time.

Don't bother...........2006-06-14

By the middle of the book I could not bear to continue with the passionless and pointless story. Seriously, it was just terrible. The characters are flat and lifeless and all they do seems pointless. The book goes nowhere. I stopped at page 250 and gave the book to charity.

Depressing.......2006-04-19

To be fair, I never finished the book. I found it to be too graphic, the rape scenes were disturbing ( yes, it IS a muslim country, and it WAS long ago, but still...the girl is only 10 years old ! )and I couldn't sympathise with any of the characters. None of the characters were well developed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not into 'light' books with happy endings, but this book was just too boring and depressing. Gave it a fair chance, then gave up.

How unusual -- delightful. . . .......2006-02-10

Because I consume most every past and current piece of literary and even more trashy works of fiction that could be deemed "historical," I confess that sometimes I feel I am reading the same story decorated a bit, more or less, but the same. Do not get me wrong, there are many historical works I adore, and many that are better than this novel, but THIS BOOK is so odd, so interestingly unusual! The writing its self, more than the story, enthralls me! But that isn't the take away credit from the story, but I admit the style of the author's prose is what I enjoyed most.
This was a very nice refreshing change to the sometimes, most times, monotonous reads in historical fiction (and still historical fiction is my only choice in fiction). If you are not of an artsy nature, you probably will not enjoy the book, but if are, DO pick it up!

Average customer rating:

Sexy!

The Harem (Club Fantasy)
Melissa MacNeal , Noelle Mack , Celia May Hart , and Emma Leigh
Manufacturer: Aphrodisia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0758215304

Customer Reviews:

Sexy!.......2007-01-04

THE HAREM contains four erotic romance novellas and each story has its own twist on the Harem theme. "The Secret Door" by Noelle Mack has a slight paranormal element where the heroine--a lonely odalisque--unveils a hidden garden overseen by a mysterious golden-hued man.

In "The Pleasure Garden" by Emma Leigh, the shipwrecked heroine finds herself at the mercy of a handsome Englishman who must teach her the ways of Tao lovemaking in order to prepare her for the emperor.

In "East Meets West" by Celia May Hart, the half-Indian, half-English heroine has been trained in the erotic arts in preparation for the Maharajah. Escorted by a charismatic lieutenant neither one can deny their overwhelming passion.

Author Melissa MacNeal takes a slightly different approach with the Harem theme in "A Lady's Pleasure." Recently widowed Ophelia Leeds discovers that her late husband captained an elaborate ship fashioned to entertain all his wealthy friends' sexual desires. Intrigued by the escapades detailed in a hidden journal, Ophelia sets out to make a Harem of her own.

Each story revolves around a theme of forbidden passion, but my personal favorite is MacNeal's "A Lady's Pleasure." Sexy and fun this novella lightens up the mood and still makes you squirm in your seat.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding Novel - A Must Read
Wonderfully written, difficult to put down!
Harem Life
A terrific book
Not worth it!

Valide: A Novel of the Harem
Barbara Chase-Riboud
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688043348

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Novel - A Must Read.......2003-12-16

An excellent interpretation of the fascinating story of Aimee Dubuc de Rivery. I'm a believer. This is one of the four books I have read and enjoyed that mentioned this fleeting mystery figure in history. Three of the four were primarily about this character, and one made her a supporting character. This book is my favorite of the four. It's very vivid, inspiring, romantic, wonderful, and sexy. Through this novel I was transported to the Turkish Ottoman Empire and behind the forbidden walls of the harem. I was caught up in the intrigue and struggles for power and survival, the opulence, the danger, and the idea of a fate that is not entirely your own to choose. I highly, highly recommend this book. If you love historical fiction with strong women characters, intrigue, luxury, inspiration... read this book. I love it. One of my new favorites.

Wonderfully written, difficult to put down!.......2001-01-26

Love, sex, intrigue, friendship...and all of it happening in a far, far away land! What else could a person ask for in a book? This is an incredibly detail-rich tale that alllows one's imagination to run wild. While there's no way to actually verify the most minute details of the working of a real harem (no one I know has been to one), it's easy to allow the book to create powerful imagery in one's mind. I loved this book, and read it quite a few times. A great read, a good addition for your fiction library, and TOTALLY engrossing!

Harem Life.......2000-12-23

A wonderful book about the inner-workings of the Harem. Ms.Chase-Riboud must have put an incredible amount of time and effort into her research. The story flows like water and keeps your attention from begining to end. I highly recommend the book!

A terrific book.......2000-02-25

Not just an historical tale, but a meditation on the contradictions of privilege and power within oppression. Powerfully written, erotic in places, and always capable of putting the reader into the time and place. Chase-Riboud also wrote the novel _Sally Hemmings_ which was much better than the made-for-TV movie (for which she got no credit).

Not worth it!.......1999-10-08

This book is full of things that would never have happened in the Sultan's Harem in Istanbul. 1.) No woman would be presented to the Sultan without being trained. She would usually catch his eye first before being presented. 2.) No woman in the Harem would be seen by the Sultan holding her Rosary. The author says that Nakshidil is not Aimee duBuq de Rivery, but the women in the Harem lost their identity when they entered and they were given new names and the new names were the names they were known by. I read parts to my sister who lived in Istanbul for 10 years and she said it would not have happened that way.

Alone In My King's Harem (Yaoi) (Yaoi Manga)

Average customer rating:

Alone in My King's Harem
Very cute...
Very good
DMP has yet to disappoint me
My first Yaoi: Fair

Alone In My King's Harem (Yaoi) (Yaoi Manga)
Lily Hoshino
Manufacturer: Digital Manga Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1569709378

Customer Reviews:

Alone in My King's Harem.......2007-07-22

This was a huge mistake. I never should have bought it. It's not yaoi, it's not even good mushy romance or fantasy. When boys look like girls and have crocodile-tears in their eyes all the time it just doesn't do it for me. Girls don't become boys if they're referred as "he".

Very cute..........2006-11-17

I loved this manga. I thought it was very cute. No it isn't yaoi, with all the hot steamy sex, but there's romance between guys, and it's adorable. The art is very beautiful as well. It's a collection of short stories, and yes, most of the bottoms (uke) look/dress like girls, but hey, that's not a problem, right? Either way, it's cute, and I would recommend this to anyone.

Very good.......2006-07-28

When I bought this, I had no precise expectations, which is always good for when you read something. What I got was beutiful stories about love in all it forms. Loving someone who has forgotten you, loving someone who you cannot be with, and so on. It isn't what you'd call dirty, so if you're looking for dirty stories about bishonen then go somewhere else. But the stories are very beautiful reading.

DMP has yet to disappoint me.......2006-04-12

i got this book b/c i've loved every single one of the other DMP books i'd read, even though i'd read the other reviews. yes, the long-haired and otherwise completely feminine characters are a bit of a turn-off if you're expecting boy on boy action, but for people who have a cross-dressing[...] and for anyone who is interested in exploring that realm this book is perfect. this was the first DMP book that extensively featured fantasy elements (such as a fairy queen, a fantasy kingdom, and a magical circus), which i enjoyed. what makes this worthwhile for me though is the artwork, which is some of the best i've seen and which fit the stories perfectly. (the freedom of the drawings and layout reminds me of clamp's clover series if that gives you an idea.) the masculine guys are drawn well also. if you're looking for a strong story with strong characters then you should def. try some of DMP's others (like the popular -only the ring finger knows-), but if you've read all the others and want to try something different this is def. worth getting.

My first Yaoi: Fair.......2006-02-23

The first thing I thought when I saw this: WOW!! It's pretty big. This is my first yaoi, so I don't know if all yaoi are this big aside from regular mangas.

What I thought of the cover: Uhhhh...I thought this was yaoi. Most yaoi has a pic of two guys on the cover, but I thought that 'lady like character' on the cover was a woman. Come to find out, Lily Hoshino actually made most of the Ukes in this manga look like women with flat chests and long hair. I did not like this type of uke design. I mean its just so..."transvestitish" lol. The only time the uke wasn't girl-like was the last story, which is pretty smutty and dirty. Meaning they have the most action.

What Caught my Attention: What caught my attentiuon was the good story idea in the first piece, 'Alone in my king;s Harem'. Not only did I continue this story because it caught my attention in all the sex scenes, but most of the stories are actually pretty interesting.

What I liked: I liked/loved, the story Adventures of a Canary in this book. It was great the way a human 'boy'(canary is the uke, which looks like a girl)was portrayed like a canary all caged up by its owner. And how the boy had a beautiful voice that juno (oure seme and hero) couldn't resist it. It was pretty retarted at the end of this section when he just got kicked off the ledge by the canary owner, but the next part made up for it when canary jumps off after him not knowing that he can't fly until his hair (i think it was his hair) turns into canary wings. Its just a beautiful tale b/c the live happily ever after at the end. I also liked the dirty 'just sex' scenes at the end of the book. The last story contains hardly any plot, but makes up for it in smuttyness. Like I said before this is the only story where the uke isn't rediculously 'transvestitish' (lol i live the use of that word). The last story I liked, was the shortest one, Night Circus. Even though its almost less than 7 pages long, I stil enjoyed it. It had no sex in it and the outcome of the story just made me feel mushy, because this is the story about a boy who has love for the lion, Kika. (Just read it an you'll see how it makes you mushy)BTW it has no sex in it.

What I didn't like: Like I said I didn't like the uke design, my least favorit story is the Sea Bed of Night, b/c the two main characters were just retarted to me. Also there was too much side-narration and random thoughts by the uke, Lullus.

Overall: Iguess this yaoi would be considered "fair". But overall if someone obsessed over wanting to read it, I'd say, "Dude, it's not all that great. Have you read Brother?" BTW that's what i'm going to read as my next yaoi manga. I bet it will be 10 times better than this one.

Average customer rating:

Bad, bad book
Slightly ridiculous in places
A multicultural adventure
A fascinating story

The English Harem
Anthony McCarten
Manufacturer: Alma Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Harem Girl: A Harem Girls Journal

ASIN: 1846880009

Book Description

Supermarket checkout girl Tracy Pringle has a very lively imagination indeed. In front of her, as she blip-blips herself into a daydream, walk past not boring housewives with screaming children or tired office clerks, but the likes of Lord Byron, Lawrence of Arabia and Princess Leia. It comes as no surprise, then, that she turns a blind eye when Her Majesty herself pops a packet of Mr. Kipling's Bakewell tarts into her handbag without paying. Obviously, the management sees it differently, and Tracy is given the sack on the spot and forced to find herself another job. But nothing can prepare her for the new life that awaits her at the Taste of Persia restaurant, where she is flung headlong into a clash of cultures, languages, dinner plates, religions and a rather tricky domestic arrangement...

Customer Reviews:

Bad, bad book.......2006-07-19

The English Harem started out well - Tracy seeing Literary figures in her supermarket customers was delightful, but that proved to be the only highlight of this disaster. I am always astounded by writers who manage to personify the opposite gender well, making their characters completely believable, but this author is hopeless. One wonders if he knows any women at all. Remember, he is supposed to be writing about Western women agreeing to be part of a harem (where the second wife is taking on the man who accidentally killed the love of her life!!) -really, what is their motivation to do this? The book is a long, drawn-out male fantasy, with glaring inaccuracies about Islam as well. It is a bad straight-to-video movie of a book; the author needs to get out more, meet some real people and some real muslims.

Slightly ridiculous in places.......2005-12-06

I really can't say I enjoyed this book much, and finished it more in the name of morbid fascination than general interest. Its a promising subject matter that could have been interesting, but instead was dealt with in a slightly ridiculous and melodramatic way which left no room for character development or further exploration of the key ideas. It would have been nice if the writer had gone deeper into Sam and his East-West conflict, or the real reasons behind Tracy's obsession with exoticism. Yes, there were points where I wanted to know what would happen next but I was mainly counting the pages to the end, where things turn out to sadly resemble a made-for-video matinee film.

A multicultural adventure.......2005-03-11

A young London working class girl becomes one of three wives of a middle aged Persian. Superb characterizations; funny; touching; a novel about goodness (in a totally unmawkish way) in the midst of lack of understanding and (for a few pages) of unbearable wickedness; full of unexpected developments until the very last page.

A fascinating story.......2003-10-21

It's a story about a twenty-year old girl who works as a check-out for Sainsbury. She compensates for her dreary job, by spending her days daydreaming about celebrities. It is no surprise when this daydreaming gets her fired. She found herself without a job, but determined to change her life she fights her way into a waitressing job at the Taste of Persia, a vegetarian restaurant ran by a 50 year old self-exiled Iranian.

It's a fascinating fantasy where modern London lifestyle meets that of the more old-fashioned and conservative style of Iran. It offers a gentle introduction to Muslim religion and tradition. I found it very entertaining and enjoyable.

Average customer rating:

This book is awesome!
Another winner from Victoria Holt
It Captivated Me!
Great!
why oh why?

Captive, The
Victoria Holt
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385263325
Release Date: 1989-09-23

Book Description

It is midway through Queen Victoria's long reign. Proper children grow up sheltered and Rosetta Cranleigh knows little of life beyond her London home. So when her parents book passage to Cape Town, Rosetta is ecstatic.

Off Africa's west coast the ship turns turtle in a storm. Rosetta is rescued by a handsome deckhand, but the two are soon captured by pirates and sold to a Turkish pasha. But harem life is not for Rosetta. She risks everything to escape...and to find the stranger who saved her.

"Romance and mystery haunt the pages of this engaging novel...sure to please." (Booklist)

Customer Reviews:

This book is awesome!.......2005-07-07

This book is so cool and captavating . This is one of my favorite adventure books . I couldn't guess the ending I really wanted to find out was going to happen this is a really great read if you have a whole time, cause you won't want to put this book down.

Another winner from Victoria Holt.......2004-09-06

I don't know how Victoria Holt (aka Jean Plaidy, Philippa Carr, Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, Ellalice Tate etc etc) does it. She has the capacity to grab your interest from the very first sentence of all of her books. The Captive is no different. I found myself 'captivated' from the first page to the last. The review on the home page gives you the outline of this story, but it doesn't let you in on the secret of Victoria Holt's writing. It is superb. I love all of her books. She is so 'easy' to read. Her characters are 'real'. I loved the relationship portrayed between Rosetta & Kate. And, Victoria Holt doesn't scoop to writing romantic 'dribble' like a lot of other romance/gothic romance writers.
If you haven't tried her before this is as good as any of her books to start with.
Please give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

It Captivated Me!.......2003-09-26

Rosetta's ship is shipwrecked, and only three survive and make it to a deserted island. Once there, pirates kidnap them, and Rosetta is sold to a Turkish harem. After a lot of work, she escapes, with no harm done to her virtue, and gets back to England. She finds out that one of the men that saved her, Simon, is accused of murder. She sets out to prove him innocent, and uncovers a mystery that soon turns deadly!

Great!.......1999-08-25

This was my second VH book and it was just about as wonderful as the first. The new worlds it took me to was awesome and I could feel the emotion and suspense that Rosetta was going through!

why oh why?.......1999-06-10

Isn't this girl so lucky to have such a frightful adventure and come away unharmed? And once that end of the story is over, it never gets brought up again. I'm not sure I expected somebody to follow her, but I did feel there would be some point to that part of the story. It just seems as if the main plot on it's own just wasn't good enough. Well funnily enough in the end the whole story just isn't good enough either.

Average customer rating:

Harem Nights Collection
Lacombe , and Paquette
Manufacturer: Eros Comix
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560973544

Book Description

This book details the erotic travails of a gorgeous harem slave under a nefarious spell that forces her to achieve orgasm with a willing partner a day.

Average customer rating:

Engrossing read
Wonderful book!
Interesting but flawed
A glimpse of harem life...
Beautifully written, vivid, heartbreaking

The Fourth Queen: A Novel
Debbie Taylor
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1400049253
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Book Description

A lush historical epic, The Fourth Queen is the story of one woman’s struggle for power and love in the court of the eighteenth-century Emperor of Morocco. Poetically intense and sensual, it marks the debut of a gifted new author.

Beautiful Helen Gloag is determined to escape the cycle of poverty and early death that has destroyed so many women in her native Scotland. Barely out of her teens, she flees her hometown and sets sail for the Colonies on a ship bound for Boston. But the ship falls prey to a band of corsairs—pirates from the Barbary coast of Africa. Helen is taken captive and sent to a procuress in Morocco, where women are sold into the slave markets of the nobility. In the procuress’s house, she is discovered by the witty, soft-hearted dwarf Microphilus, who oversees the Harem of the Emperor himself. Knowing her red hair and milky skin will enthrall his master, he takes her to Marrakech, and the imperial palace.

The Harem of the Emperor is a mysterious, voluptuous, and forbidding place, a hive of dangerous political tensions and unlikely friendships. Microphilus, himself a Scot captured by pirates as a young man, has found his fortune in the Emperor’s Harem, where he serves the Queens, including the charismatic, amazonian African empress Batoom, who is his lover. With Microphilus’s help, Helen learns to negotiate the politics of the Harem and compete for the Emperor’s favor.

Cast into the luxurious but sinister world of the Harem, Helen is at first terrified of the godlike and often cruel Emperor, but she soon becomes his favorite. Eventually, out of all the Harem women, she is chosen to become his fourth wife—the greatest of honors, since the Emperor may have hundreds of concubines but only four official wives. With her marriage, however, comes the greatest danger. Helen’s predecessor, the other “White Queen,” has succumbed to a mysterious, disfiguring illness and is slowly wasting away. Poison is the most likely cause, and Microphilus knows that Helen is destined to be the next victim.

In the Harem, hundreds of women are vying to be one of the four queens, thus setting the scene for the tragic power struggle and love story that ensue.

Download Description

DEBBIE TAYLOR lives in Newcastle, England.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Engrossing read.......2006-12-26

The first three or four pages didn't really grab me, but soon after I was hooked. By halfway through, I found myself thinking about the characters during my workday. I snuck in more reading while I ate dinner and used a book weight so I could keep the pages visible as I brushed my teeth. When I finally snuggled into bed, I stayed up for hours, unable to put the book down until I reached The End. The author's lovely, vivid descriptions and flawed characters kept me intrigued. (I particularly loved Queen Batoom.) Sections in the last quarter of the book nearly had me crying.

The ending wasn't quite as settled or satisfying as I would have liked, and there were a few plot devices and character choices I couldn't entirely accept. But overall, the book gave me that "turn off the world until I finish this" feeling, so I happily recommend it and wish you the same experience.

Wonderful book!.......2006-09-06

But for the ending, I would have given this book a full five stars.

Don't worry- I will not ruin the ending of the book, but I will say that I like closure at the end of a novel and this book just ends. If there is a sequal pending then I will gladly change my review to five stars, but if not, I was just too frustrated by the way she ended such an incredible story with too many loose ends! I know it is incredibly hard for writers to end their novels, but it felt like she just gave up and hoped her readers would provide the ending of their choosing.

That being said, I still recommend it highly! The characters are really intriguing and it is a well researched tale about the Moroccan Harem in the late 1700s for Helen, the protagonist captured by piarates from a boat heading from her homeland Scotland to the Americas, and Microfilus, the Dwarf (whose character is remniscent of Nabokov's Humbert Humbert in his love/infatuation/obsession with Helen) who guides the story with his intimate writings about Helen, the Emperor, the other Queens and life in the Harem. While the only men allowed in the Harem were eunichs, Microfilus avoided the brutality of castration due to his size; the ignorant sadistic Emperor would never have guessed his Dwarf was more of a "man" than he was.

Helen's story is both sad and uplifting. While you may not always agree with her actions or feelings, you'll enjoy going along for the ride as she becomes one of the most powerful women in the Harem.

Overall, a wonderful book with a less than solid ending, but defintiely worth the read. I would be very interested to read future novels by this author- she's clearly a talented and promising writier.

Interesting but flawed.......2006-06-17

Pros: Unlike many novels in which the plot is centered around a European woman kidnapped into a harem, the heroine Helen doesn't automatically entrance the Emperor of Moracco. Instead she is repulsed by him and by the mounds of fat females surrounding her. The politics of the harem, with the jockeying for the Emperor's eye and the importance of bearing sons seems real. The sections written from Helen's point of view are interesting and for the most part believable.

Cons: The second narrator, Microphilus, a Scottish dwarf also kidnapped by pirates is just impossible to believe. First, that the Emperor would have allowed any man--even a dwarf--the run of his harem without ascertaining first that that man wasn't, if you know what I mean, is unrealistic. In addition, Microphilus' writing is tedious and overblown. He appears to write just for the joy of seeing his words on paper. Another problem to me is how quickly Helen acclimatizes to harem life, packing on the pounds until her butt looks like a pumpkin attached behind her waist (as described by the author), and becoming enamored of the same Emperor who repulsed her and who tortures and kills her best friend in the harem. A final issue is the conclusion--there isn't one. It appears that the author wrote herself into a corner, couldn't find a way out, and so just quit writing without resolving anything.

A glimpse of harem life..........2006-06-09

I have read several books on life in a harem and this was not was particularly my favorite, although it was a good book.
The story goes back on forth between Helen, a Scottish girl who is kidnapped and brought to the harem and innermost thoughts of Microphilius, a dwarf, who also happens to be a eunuch.

The story gives you a glimpse of the miserable life in the harems that are full of jealousy and envy. Overall, the book was sad and the main character Helen can't catch a break. There was some irony in this story...Helen wants to be loved by the Emperor all the while she is the object of Microphilius' desire. There is also some betrayal which is a result of the jealousy which exists between the queens in the harem.
I was disappointed with the ending...It really left me hanging
If you want to read a good book on harem life read The Gilded Chamber

Beautifully written, vivid, heartbreaking.......2006-02-13

This is an exciting story about pirates, a harem, a dwarf, an emperor, lots of eunuchs, jewels, gardens, religion, beauty, ambition and poison. A dramatic story about a different world, where women are valued for their chubbiness and unibrows. Where men are, well, apparently most of them are nearly psychotic, but at least some of them have redeeming qualities.

It is a wonderful book. The language is beautiful. The story is sad but gripping. There were plenty of plot twists, unexpected alliances, and treachery. The main characters are complex, for the most part neither good nor evil, but struggling to rise above situational ethics.

I couldn't put this book down. It's the best things I've read in ages.

Lord George Herbert's a Night in a Moorish Harem: The Desire of an Heir (Night in a Moorish Harem)

Average customer rating:

Not what I expected

Lord George Herbert's a Night in a Moorish Harem: The Desire of an Heir (Night in a Moorish Harem)
Greg S. Baisden
Manufacturer: Amerotica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A Very Special Prison

ASIN: 1561633577

Book Description

The spicy tales conclude with girls from around the world mixing gender bending and even some zoophilia...

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected.......2003-06-01

Be warned! This book is like a comic book. High on visual, low on story. It has 4 parts. The harem girls are each telling how they came to be in the harem. The stories they told, had this been a regular novel, would have been spectacular. As is, you get the bare story with accompanying pictures. The pictures are good, but in this case, a picture is NOT worth a thousand words. I would have preferred to picture the story myself and heard more details of what happened. It was not worth the money.

The Romance of the Harem (Victorian Literature and Culture Series)

Average customer rating:

A Victorian woman looks at life in a Siamese harem
A great, romantic novel.

The Romance of the Harem (Victorian Literature and Culture Series)
Anna Harriette Leonowens
Manufacturer: Univ of Virginia Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0813913276

Customer Reviews:

A Victorian woman looks at life in a Siamese harem.......2001-09-19

The introduction to this book is as interesting as the book itself. Anna Leonowens remains a controversial character. The truth of her stories is questionable, her own biographical information may have been selectively edited or changed to reflect a more genteel background than Anna really had. Was she, in fact, an Anglo-Indian? Much scandal surrounds her still.

This book is the source, along with her other book The English Governess at the Siamese Court, for Margaret Landon's better known work Anna and the King of Siam. This book has the story of Tuptim, the concubine who was executed for running away, disguised as a priest. It is written in a typically Victorian elaborate style, so can be heavy going for some people. However, if you are curious about Anna herself, this is a must-read.

A great, romantic novel........1999-07-13

Mrs. Leonowens is a fine writer. Though most of here stories have been debated whether they were true or not, it reads as a good book if not a historical novel. Ms. Morgan gives a lot of backround to the author and book and unviels an amazing truth about Anna Leonowens. I like the book because it was like a small door to the world of yesterday that is dead with only a faint memory behind. I also like storiesof history.The book is heavy like most Victorian novels I've read. It takes longer than most but worth the effort. In this copy we see a picture of Anna Leonowens herself. If you enjoyed this you ought to read Anna and the King of Siam.

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