The Aviary Gate: A Novel

A quick and easy, but ultimately unsatisfying, read. The action switches between the Sultan's harem in Constantinople in 1599, where captive English slave girl Celia is trying to negotiate her way around the palace politics, and the modern day, where tedious Elizabeth, a history student (who isn't overly bothered about using *facts* in her thesis, relying instead on her 'intuition'... -- save us) is trying to get over a laughably 2 dimensional villainous ex by finding out about Celia. Obviously it wouldn't make a very good story if Elizabeth found out what happened all at once, so there are ever more contrived ways for her to find out the next bit of the story. The bits about Islamic astronomy were interesting, but overall the descriptions of Constantinople weren't rich or engaging enough to make up for the pedestrian plot. ( )

Katie Hickman's engrossing novel takes readers from present-day England to the 16th century harem of the Turkish sultan. I found the book riveting and evocative, as it brought the sultan's court to life with lush detail. Ultimately a story of love and loss, "The Aviary Gate" chronicles the story of Celia Lamprey, who is initially thought to be lost at sea, and Paul Pindar, secretary to the British Embassy in Constantinople. The book is loaded with intrigue, cases of mistaken identity, and close encounters, which make for very exciting reading.

The book's sequel, "The Pindar Diamond," while well-done, was less compelling. ( )

The Aviary Gate is a novel set in both the present day and in 1599 Constantinopole. In many respects, this novel reminded me of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane; a modern day academic researcher is trying to solve a mystery from the past. In this case, Elizabeth Stavely is trying to find out what happened to Celia, an English girl who was shipwrecked near the end of the sixteenth century.

At first, I wasn't sure if I would like this novel. I found Elizabeth, from the present day narrative, a little exasperating. Her obsession with her playboy lover Marius was irritating. I think that the novel would have been more powerful if it solely focused on the historical aspects.

That being said, I was immersed in the world of the harem that Hickman conveyed. The politics, intrigue, and emotional lives of the women was powerful. I found myself cheering for Celia and found her to be a sympathetic and more engaging character than Elizabeth.

Recommended, if for the historical aspect alone. ( )

The book is set in the time of Queen Elizabeth I in the Ottoman Empire and current times. You become engrossed right away in whatever time period you are reading and when the scene abruptly changes to the alternate time period, you find yourself wishing it hadn't . The harem scenes are vivid and enthralling, making it quite easy to picture the surroundings and feelings of the slaves, concubines and eunichs. The only issue I have with this book is that the ending is quite abrupt and unsatisfying. ( )

Life in an Ottoman harem.

This received quite mixed reviews on Amazon UK, and I had reservations when I began reading. Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised and found it a very enjoyable read with plenty of historical interest and atmospheric descriptions.

There are two time frames used in the novel; the current day story of historical researcher, Elizabeth Staveley, is used as a tool to provide the background to the more interesting historical section. Elizabeth finds a fragment of a manuscript suggesting that Celia, an English girl, may have been ship-wrecked by pirates at the end of the sixteenth century and subsequently sold into the harem of Sultan Mehmet III of Constantinople (now Istanbul). The novel follows a few months in Celia's life in 1599. Having been bought by the Sultan's favourite concubine, as a gift for her mother-in-law, we follow Celia's rise within the harem and the intrigue and sceming that goes on within those walls.
Paul Pindar is her fiance and assumes her drowned in the ship-wreck, until his cook, John Carew, chances to see her while visiting in the palace. Both the historical and the modern time frames then follow these characters in a search for the outcome of this love match. Did Paul manage to rescue Celia from the harem? What were their ultimate fates?

While parts of this novel were excellent (such as the description of the gelding of a young boy so that he might become a much prized eunuch), other parts were less well written. The modern story, in particular, had a rather chick-lit feel to it.
In discussion, our book group hilighted many incidences of dubious behaviour or inconsistencies, and I have to admit that these criticisms were valid. Some of these instances did detract from my reading, but mostly my enjoyment of the novel allowed me to ignore them. I did find the ending a bit weak though.

Paul Pindar and John Carew also feature in Hickman's latest novel, The Pindar Diamond, set in Venice, and I look forward to reading this in the near future. ( )