I loved this book and felt that Mrs Kazan gently opened
a new window to me, to a culture, time, and people far away yet in some ways in terms of the heroine of the book very close.
I'd love to be able to read more on Halide Adivar but we are unable to find English translations of her work here in US.
I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because there were times I felt Kazan could have developed her characters with more depth, and given the reader even a better feeling of the city. for example the neighborhood Halide ended up living in the European quarter could have been described in more vivid detail same goes for the Ottoman palaces Yildiz, and Cirakan. I am not sure if this was part of the fiction but I was delighted to read that Halide dumped the Mathematician loser who was making plans to take on a second wife and married Mr.Adivar quickly after. Beautiful cover artwork too! A must-read if you are into historical fiction.

This fictionalized account of the famous Turkish author and nationalist Halide Edip Adivar transports you to the closing days of the Ottoman Empire with its clashing European and Ottoman cultures, palace intrigues, and the Sultan's spies in the streets of Constantinople.

The book covers Halide Edip's pioneering years as the first Turkish student to attend the American Girls College in Istanbul (now Robert College) and her beginnings as an author. Kazan, like her subject Halide, writes from a woman's point of view, unveiling "konak life" in the harems of old Istanbul. If you've ever been to Istanbul you can picture all the places mentioned in the book and imagine what it was like in the late nineteenth century.

I was a bit disappointed that the book only covered the early years of Halide's life.

If you like to read about strong, well-written women characters, you'll like this book. Yes, the author could get more detailed about the Ottoman lifestyle but let's remember this is a novel not a text book. The book has given me a beginner's look into the time period and people. The story progresses and doesn't slow down for a second. Frances Kazan has written about characters we care about and wonder what will happen to them in upcoming chapters. Thanks for a great read, Mrs. Kazan! PS: Check out the glossy in the back pages-I didn't notice it at first.