Reign of the Favored Women - Softcover

Chamberlin, Ann

3.87

315 ratings by Goodreads

9780765342973: Reign of the Favored Women

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0765342979 ISBN 13: 9780765342973

Publisher: Forge Books, 2002

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The great Turkish empire of the seventeenth century, the most powerful of its day, was ruled by women who had been brought to Constantinople as slaves for the Sultan's pleasure-but used their slavery to acquire power on a global scale. This is the story of one such woman. . . .

The harem slave Safiye, "the Fair One" as she is known, is the embodiment of beauty-and ambition. With her perfumed body and bewitching eyes, she rules the men who own her. She controls the Empire from within the veiled harem walls, her web of intrigue reaching far beyond Constantinople and into Europe. Her touch is felt in wars, acts of sabotage, and the machinations of both European and Asian politics. The aim of her ambition? To see that her son becomes ruler of the Ottoman Empire. She will allow nothing to stand in her way.

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About the Author:

Ann Chamberlin is the author of such acclaimed historical novels Sofia, The Sultan's Daughter, and The Reign of the Favored Women. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

From Publishers Weekly:

A complex historical tale of two formidable women, related by one of the eunuchs who guard them, the third novel in Chamberlin's trilogy of 16th- and 17th-century Turkey (after Sofia and The Sultan's Daughter) concerns the seraglio machinations and murderous pillow-talk that decide who will inherit the Ottoman throne. Brought as a slave to Constantinople, Safiye climbs to power when she becomes the lover of Sultan Murad, who is an heir to the throne, and the mother of his only son, Muhammed, whom she is determined will someday rule the empire. The most powerful of her many enemies is Murad's cruel, vindictive mother, Nur Banu, imperial head of the harem, "whose very curves had been the route to power." Added to the mix are Mitra, Muhammed's poetry-writing concubine, who dreams of escaping to Persia with her children and eschews the intrigues of harem life. Then there is Esmikhan, a half-sister to Murad whose daughter could force Safiye to share power if she marries Muhammed. In addition to conveying such intrigue with skill, Chamberlin provides a cast of characters and a glossary to guide readers through this elaborate, lush historical fiction.
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