The Sultan's Daughter

In 1564 Ottoman Empire, Esmikhan, THE SULTAN'S DAUGHTER and wife of the Grand Vizier, learns that she is pregnant. The Quince divines that the unborn is male which pleases everyone except Safiye, formerly Sophia, daughter of a rich Venetian merchant. Safiye, who may have been the real model for Machiavelli, previously caused the deaths of several of her fellow Venetian and turned her lover Giorgio Veniero into Abdullah, a eunuch. While Safiye is the favorite of Murad, Sultan Suleiman's grandson, Abdullah is a slave owned by Esmikhan. ......Safiye has been studying the Turkish power structure. She realizes that she must solidify her current position because that could be as fleeting as the wind. To secure her position, she would need to give Murad a male heir. Of course, being Safiye she cannot do this the old fashion way. Instead, she puts a plan in motion to secure her current position and increase her influence throughout the empire. However, this plan could hurt Esmikhan, leaving it up to Abdullah to keep his mistress from being the latest victim of Safiye's ambitions. ......The second book in Ann Chamberlin's Ottoman Empire series is historical fiction at its greatest level. THE SULTAN'S DAUGHTER is so colorful and real, readers can not only see sixteenth century Turkey, but smell the aromas (pleasant and ugly) of a different society. Like SOFIA (book one), this novel provides rare insight into Ottoman society during its heyday. Ms. Chamberlin is one of the best writers today as she combines teaching her readers with an amazingly entertaining and interesting tale of intrigue. This reviewer strongly recommends this novel and its predecessor because both books are among the best historical fiction written in the nineties. ......Harriet Klausner ---