The Aviary Gate

Elizabeth Staveley is a graduate student with a somewhat fractured love life. Her current research project uncovers a story from Constantinople in 1599 where English merchant Paul Pindar discovers that his betrothed, Celia Lamprey, whom he thought dead in a shipwreck, is living in the enclosed Harem of the Sultan. Elizabeth travels to Istanbul to pursue the story, and take a break from her unfaithful lover, in her quest to discover the fates of Paul and Celia.

Elizabeth's story is intertwined with the ancient story of Celia living in the Harem and her discovery of the merchants who traveled to Constantinople with a gift for the Sultan - an exquisite musical clock. Since the clock was damaged in transit, the traders must spend extended show more time in the city and with a forbidden peek into the women's quarters, Paul is alerted to Celia's presence there. Celia longs to break free, however, she is trapped as a pawn amid the power struggles between the concubines, the Haseki (the Sultan's favorite) and the Valide (the Sultan's mother). Her every move is watched, her every word reported and Paul seems as lost to her as if she had died in a watery grave.

The Aviary Gate is a captivating and richly detailed combination of historical and modern day fiction. The stories of Elizabeth and Celia are expertly intertwined as both heroines relentlessly seek knowledge, as well as freedom and of course, love. The sights, scents, and sounds of Constantinople come alive with Katie Hickman's descriptive prose and the reader is offered a rare glimpse into life in the Sultan's harem as well as the world of the merchants from England. The characters are expertly crafted, and like Celia, the reader is bound to be caught up in their drama, never knowing who to fully trust. Overall, this was a highly intriguing and well written book. show less

sigh. i really wanted to like this book of two parallel love affairs - one from the 16th century and the other present day. it had all the right elements...meticulously researched, nicely written, desperate lovers, and a harem? wow...now maybe i could learn something! but it just didn't click for me. i never connected with celia, the young englishwoman sold into slavery after surviving a shipwreck, and paul, her merchantman betrothed, even less. never felt the love, esp. since they do not share one scene in the novel. i was confused by the many characters in the harem - who seemed to all be named the same; in fact, few of the characters in the book are fully realized, save elizabeth, our present day (and sad sack) graduate student. it show more was just a big "eh" for me. i spent a good part of the novel confused about who was who and who was spying on whom and i reached a point where i just didn't care. i feel guilty about that...but am not sure why. and for a book about a harem, i didn't get why 1) there was rarely any sex (not that there's anything wrong with that!;) and 2) our heroine, celia, is only summoned once! show less

In 1599, an English merchantman prepares to present the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire with the ultimae gift in an attempt to secure a favorable trade agreement. In the Sultan's harem, intrigue abounds and seems to be settling around Celia, a young Englishwoman captured from her father's ship. She left behind a fiancee who, for the last two years, believed her to be dead and who is part of the trading expedition. Little by little, they learn of each other's proximity and struggle to come to terms with their new realities. In the present day, a young graduate student from England flees to Turkey, both to escape an ill-fated relationship and to research the story of Celia after discovering a scrap referring to her existence. As these show more stories wind on towards their inevitable ends, the reader is drawn into the worlds of the characters, hoping for the best and fearing the worst.

The strongest part of this novel is definitely the part set in 1599. Celia is an appealing character and the world of the harem is so filled with intrigue that it's almost impossible not to become invested in the fates of the characters. The very nature of the harem lends itself to deceit and Ms. Hickman does an excellent job of creating characters that leave the reader uncertain as to who is on what side. The modern day story was still interesting, though I found the main character's obsession with a man who is obviously no good a bit annoying. Still, we've all made poor decisions when it comes to affairs of the heart, so maybe I should cut her some slack. Still, it left me a little bit cold. Also, the random mystical throw-ins seemed a bit off to me, both because I found them silly and because they weren't really necessary to the plot. In truth, they seemed unnecessary and even at times took away from the atmosphere.

The Aviary Gate is an entertaining story that, by the end, had me fairly invested in the characters. I was sincerely anxious as to Celia's fate and sad to see her story end. It has its flaws but it's still an enjoyable read and I would easily recommend it to someone looking for a light but detailed historical novel. show less

When I was younger, harems intrigued me and enough of that fascination is left for me to pick up books like the Aviary Gate from time to time and immerse myself in the world of scheming women who are focused on a single man (and my inner feminist dies a little each time). This book makes for a compelling enough tale, caught between the present day world and a 16th-century Ottoman harem as a modern historian attempts to track down a English girl who may have ended up in the sultan's harem. Fun reading, although the ending left too many loose ends for sanctification.

For a slightly expanded version of this review, see my blog:
http://jlshall.blogspot.com/2008/08/review-aviary-gate.html

Although it has elements of the romance novel, The Aviary Gate is nothing like a Harlequin. It's a thoroughly engrossing historical tale of murder and intrigue in the Sultan's harem in 16th Century Constantinople, juxtaposed with the story of a present-day academic whose research brings the episode to light.

Based partly on fact, Hickman's novel shifts back and forth between the story of Celia Lamprey, a sea captain's daughter lost in a late-16th Century shipwreck and sold into slavery at the Sultan's court, and that of Elizabeth Staveley, the Oxford researcher who becomes obsessed with finding out what actually happened show more to the young woman. Did she escape the Sultan's harem and return to England? Was she rescued by diplomat Paul Pindar, the man she was engaged to at the time of the shipwreck? Did she live out her life as a Sultan's concubine? Or was she somehow involved in the poisoning of the sultan's chief black eunuch and possibly imprisoned or even executed?

The ending wasn't really what I expected. But then the entire book was a pleasant surprise. And some of it was just, well, surprising. Like the descriptions of a 16th Century version of a bikini-wax session, and the mechanics of producing eunuchs to guard the sultan's harem (actually, I could have done without that last episode altogether).

The book does have its flaws. Some of the dialogue sounds a little too modern to be thoroughly believable Elizabethan speech: One of the characters agrees with another by remarking "I'll say!" and another expresses his doubt about the success of a plan by arguing that "we'll be dead meat." And the current-day story frequently seems rather lackluster in comparison with the thrills and escapades of the Sultan's palace. Perhaps the fact that Hickman's earlier work was mostly nonfiction might have something to do with that.

One of the interesting things the novel points out is just how much power women could attain in the ancient harem system. There were, of course, the "powers behind the throne" – the Sultan's mother, and chief wives and concubines. But for the other most-favored slaves, there was also the possibility of a marriage outside the court, to a rich and powerful nobleman or merchant. These women were highly sought after because of their ties to the royal circle.

The Aviary Gate is a fascinating combination of academic mystery, historical adventure, and thrilling love story. I can heartily recommend it as a romance novel for people who hate romance novels. show less

The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman is a work of historical fiction to be savored, with certain passages being re-read to ensure complete understanding and total enjoyment. It is not an overwhelming ponderous tome, yet at the same time the character list, glossary, and map of the harem will be quite helpful to anyone not familiar with Constantinople in the year 1599.

The story begins with Paul Pindar, a secretary to the English ambassador. He believes that he has lost his true love, Celia in a shipwreck. Two years later he is informed that Celia has been spotted among the slaves in the Sultan’s harem. He needs to find a way to be sure. It is also a big question of this story of whether they can be re-united again. All this takes place show more concurrently with a rebellion in the Sultan’s palace.

I liked the fact that you had to play your cards very carefully as there were spies everywhere. The penalty for going against the Sultan’s rules is that you are sewn in a burlap sack and thrown in the Bosphorous River and shots are fired alerting the palace that a traitor has been dealt with. It felt as if I was skulking around the Sultan’s palace with Celia just waiting for a big greasy eunuch to clamp his hands on my shoulders. The descriptions of the palace, clothes and jewels also kept my attention.

What is the Aviary Gate? You’ll find out when you read the book, but it is key. The literary search taking place in Oxford and modern day Constantinople wraps the threads of this story in a cocoon of knowledge. So it is like a candy, knowledge on the outside and a delicious mix of love and intrigue on the inside. This is a book with a little bit of zest, and it stands up for itself as it defies your expectations. It almost dares you for a re-read. I would recommend this book for anyone who takes theirs with a bit of panache. show less

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.