This is the story of Selma, born at Ortakoy palace in Istambul, daughter of a sultana - princess of royal blood - between slaves, wealth and the splendor of the Ottoman court until the sultanate is abolished by Kemal Ataturk erasing the privileges of the royal family and forcing then to abandone the country, Selma and her mother took refuge in Lebanon where she received a western education and where her adolescent dreams are broken when her mother arranged a wedding with Amir, Raja of Badalpur in India where she lived a boring life of reclusion between the estate of Badalpur and the palace of Lucknow until she whent to France with her loyal eunuc Zeynel to deliver her unborn child in 1939 enjoying for the first time the sensation of freedom and happiness until the nazi invasion that deprived Selma of everything precious in her. This is an intense novel where the reader travel from different historic periods, WWI, the establishment of the turkish republic, the french occupation of Lebanon, the last years of the British Empire in India and the nazi occupation of France during WWII and the consequent difference in habits, way of life, the economic, political, social and cultural differences of all places she lived.
I liked it.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
Itwas a great book and her life was a drama. Anyone interested in late-Ottoman history should read it.
Death of a Princess
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
The original French version is wonderful, hope the English translation is a good.
One of my top ten books
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
This is one of the best books I ever read.It's make me want to learn more about Ottoman empire, more about Turkey, more about mussulms.It's an extraordinary book. For me it's means the search for happiness, and love that Selma never found and her mother either, I am looking forward to read her next book,about the awesome Ottoman empire.
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