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Harem
Rich in visual imagery, Harem vividly depicts the exotic bazaars and dangerous alleys of the city and palace chambers brimming with conspiracy and betrayal—as well as love and redemption.
A seductive and intriguing journey from the humble Persian Jewish quarter to the fascinating world of shahs, soothsayers, eunuchs, and sultanas, Harem follows three generations of strong-willed and cunning Rebekah—a poor girl married to the abusive blacksmith, Jacob the fatherless—who emerges from her disastrous match with a mysterious brand between her breasts; Gold Dust, Rebekah's treasured daughter, who enters the opulent and perilous world of the harem and captivates the shah with her singing bones; and Gold Dust's daughter, the revered and feared albino princess Raven, who will one day rule the empire.
A seductive and intriguing journey from the humble Persian Jewish quarter to the fascinating world of shahs, soothsayers, eunuchs, and sultanas, Harem follows three generations of strong-willed and cunning Rebekah—a poor girl married to the abusive blacksmith, Jacob the fatherless—who emerges from her disastrous match with a mysterious brand between her breasts; Gold Dust, Rebekah's treasured daughter, who enters the opulent and perilous world of the harem and captivates the shah with her singing bones; and Gold Dust's daughter, the revered and feared albino princess Raven, who will one day rule the empire.
438 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
13 people are currently reading
471 people want to read
About the author
Dora Levy Mossanen
6 books87 followersDora Levy Mossanen is the international bestselling author of the widely acclaimed novels Harem, Courtesan, The Last Romanov, Scent of Butterflies, and Love and War in the Jewish Quarter. She is the recipient of the prestigious San Diego Editors’ Choice Award and Best Historical Novel of the Year from The Romantic Times. She is a contributor to numerous media outlets such as Huffington Post and The Jewish Journal and has been featured in various mediums and publications including Sh’ma, The Los Angeles Times, The Denver Post, Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB), Authority Magazine, Jewish Renaissance Magazine, KCRW, Radio Iran, Radio Russia, and JWT, and has appeared in numerous television programs. In 2010, Dora was accepted as a contributor to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, founded in 1926 and hailed by The New Yorker as “the oldest and most prestigious writers’ conference in the country”.
Her writings have been praised by many celebrated authors, among them: Amy Ephron, Steve Berry, Jonathan Kirsch, John Rechy, Rabbi David Wolpe and Adam Kirsch, to name a few.
"In this richly evocative novel, Dora Levy Mossanen conjures Tehran in the 1940s, where age-old customs and prejudices are being challenged by modern ideas - about love and sex, politics and science, and the place of Jews in Iranian society. The story of Soleiman Yaran, a Jewish dentist whose life changes course when he is summoned to treat a royal patient, is as romantic, suspenseful and compelling as the history of the city and people that surround it." – Adam Kirsch, Author, The People and the Books:18 Classics of Jewish Literature
Dora was born in Israel and moved to Iran when she was nine. At the onset of the Islamic Revolution, her family was forced to leave Iran. They eventually settled in Los Angeles. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California (USC).
You can learn more about her at www.doralevymossanen.com.
Her writings have been praised by many celebrated authors, among them: Amy Ephron, Steve Berry, Jonathan Kirsch, John Rechy, Rabbi David Wolpe and Adam Kirsch, to name a few.
"In this richly evocative novel, Dora Levy Mossanen conjures Tehran in the 1940s, where age-old customs and prejudices are being challenged by modern ideas - about love and sex, politics and science, and the place of Jews in Iranian society. The story of Soleiman Yaran, a Jewish dentist whose life changes course when he is summoned to treat a royal patient, is as romantic, suspenseful and compelling as the history of the city and people that surround it." – Adam Kirsch, Author, The People and the Books:18 Classics of Jewish Literature
Dora was born in Israel and moved to Iran when she was nine. At the onset of the Islamic Revolution, her family was forced to leave Iran. They eventually settled in Los Angeles. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California (USC).
You can learn more about her at www.doralevymossanen.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
February 24, 2011
Harem / 0-7432-3021-3
"Harem" is a great example of how *not* to write; this promising novel is completely riddled with Mary Sue characters and "tell, don't show" writing.
The three multi-generational Mary Sues here are Grandmother Rebekah (stunningly violet eyes), Daughter Gold Dust (molten yellow eyes), and Granddaughter Raven (ruby red eyes and silver hair that glows in moonlight). Grandmother Rebekah possesses magical brand in the center of her chest that changes color and shape depending on her moods; the brand was given to her via a hot poker plunged there by her brutish and insane husband. Despite having no training in dance or love-making, she becomes a world-renowned harlot in a matter of a few years, and while she may have to use her body to survive, that doesn't stop her from enjoying her clients.
Daughter Gold Dust, not to be outdone, can consume liquid iron without any harm to herself and her bones literally vibrate music and "sing" when she is happy. She is so beautiful that she captures the attention of the local ruler with little to no effort. Granddaughter Raven is a magical albino; she doesn't have any sun sensitivity, and her only "albino" qualities are the red eyes and silver hair. She matures at an impossibly magical rate, taming wild horses at the age of 5 and sexually initiating herself with adults at the age of 12. She has a cruel streak a mile wide, considers the possibility of her mother's death with total detachment, and is a completely uninteresting one-dimensional character.
Fundamentally, every character in this book is completely static. No one grows or changes in a meaningful way. This is particularly glaring in a multi-generational novel that spans such a long period of time. Rebekah never does anything with her life except advance her daughter's well-being; the indulgent Gold Dust only "loves" the Shah for as long as he is amusing before recklessly pursuing lovers; the impossibly mature Raven ages quickly but never changes: she is constantly an immature imperious child-queen. Major events do not cause room for reflection: Rebekah never wonders if she did the wrong thing in installing her daughter in the harem; Gold Dust never considers if she should be happy with her generous lot in life; Raven never reflects that her mother's death might be anything more than a minor blip on her emotional radar. The characters are untouched by the events around them and are instead propelled blindly forward by the needs of the plot. Supporting characters, such as the Shah, change personality capriciously as the plot requires in order to propel the action.
Several reviews have discussed the sexual content of "Harem". I have absolutely no problem with sexual content, provided that it serves a purpose to the plot. The content in "Harem", however, seems largely provided to fill in blank pages. Rebekah's brutal rape at age 10 seems coldly calculated to maximize "tragic potential". A lesbian scene with "Gold Dust" seems unrealistic and risky - it's not usually a good idea to gamble that a lesbian display will excite your husband in a time period where lesbianism is seen as an indication of a flawed, insane woman. Raven's rape of her father seems completely implausible; there's never any concern that she might suffer his wrath afterward, due to his guilt or revulsion - she just expects to be made the new sultana because of her magical "brains" and "fertility" at 12 years old.
I feel those three scenes serve as illustrations for why the sexuality in this book does not work as a plot device; consider that there are, by my guess, at least a couple dozen similar sex scenes in this book - none of them erotic or plot-relevant, and some of them involving gerbils (I swear I am not making this up) - and you have a good idea of how hard it is to slog through this novel.
I was made uncomfortable by the constant referencing of "light" and "white" skin as beautiful and "dark" skin as ugly and repulsive. This point is made several times over (in fact, a "true love" is rejected when he gets himself suntanned), and Raven-as-albino is held up as the ultimate example of beauty and wonderfulness.
Stay away from "Harem"; I couldn't sell my copy fast enough.
~ Ana Mardoll
"Harem" is a great example of how *not* to write; this promising novel is completely riddled with Mary Sue characters and "tell, don't show" writing.
The three multi-generational Mary Sues here are Grandmother Rebekah (stunningly violet eyes), Daughter Gold Dust (molten yellow eyes), and Granddaughter Raven (ruby red eyes and silver hair that glows in moonlight). Grandmother Rebekah possesses magical brand in the center of her chest that changes color and shape depending on her moods; the brand was given to her via a hot poker plunged there by her brutish and insane husband. Despite having no training in dance or love-making, she becomes a world-renowned harlot in a matter of a few years, and while she may have to use her body to survive, that doesn't stop her from enjoying her clients.
Daughter Gold Dust, not to be outdone, can consume liquid iron without any harm to herself and her bones literally vibrate music and "sing" when she is happy. She is so beautiful that she captures the attention of the local ruler with little to no effort. Granddaughter Raven is a magical albino; she doesn't have any sun sensitivity, and her only "albino" qualities are the red eyes and silver hair. She matures at an impossibly magical rate, taming wild horses at the age of 5 and sexually initiating herself with adults at the age of 12. She has a cruel streak a mile wide, considers the possibility of her mother's death with total detachment, and is a completely uninteresting one-dimensional character.
Fundamentally, every character in this book is completely static. No one grows or changes in a meaningful way. This is particularly glaring in a multi-generational novel that spans such a long period of time. Rebekah never does anything with her life except advance her daughter's well-being; the indulgent Gold Dust only "loves" the Shah for as long as he is amusing before recklessly pursuing lovers; the impossibly mature Raven ages quickly but never changes: she is constantly an immature imperious child-queen. Major events do not cause room for reflection: Rebekah never wonders if she did the wrong thing in installing her daughter in the harem; Gold Dust never considers if she should be happy with her generous lot in life; Raven never reflects that her mother's death might be anything more than a minor blip on her emotional radar. The characters are untouched by the events around them and are instead propelled blindly forward by the needs of the plot. Supporting characters, such as the Shah, change personality capriciously as the plot requires in order to propel the action.
Several reviews have discussed the sexual content of "Harem". I have absolutely no problem with sexual content, provided that it serves a purpose to the plot. The content in "Harem", however, seems largely provided to fill in blank pages. Rebekah's brutal rape at age 10 seems coldly calculated to maximize "tragic potential". A lesbian scene with "Gold Dust" seems unrealistic and risky - it's not usually a good idea to gamble that a lesbian display will excite your husband in a time period where lesbianism is seen as an indication of a flawed, insane woman. Raven's rape of her father seems completely implausible; there's never any concern that she might suffer his wrath afterward, due to his guilt or revulsion - she just expects to be made the new sultana because of her magical "brains" and "fertility" at 12 years old.
I feel those three scenes serve as illustrations for why the sexuality in this book does not work as a plot device; consider that there are, by my guess, at least a couple dozen similar sex scenes in this book - none of them erotic or plot-relevant, and some of them involving gerbils (I swear I am not making this up) - and you have a good idea of how hard it is to slog through this novel.
I was made uncomfortable by the constant referencing of "light" and "white" skin as beautiful and "dark" skin as ugly and repulsive. This point is made several times over (in fact, a "true love" is rejected when he gets himself suntanned), and Raven-as-albino is held up as the ultimate example of beauty and wonderfulness.
Stay away from "Harem"; I couldn't sell my copy fast enough.
~ Ana Mardoll
November 13, 2024
Πρόκειται για ένα ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα με μια γερή δόση υπερφυσικού! Σκιαγραφεί απόλυτα τις συνθήκες ζωής της εποχής εκείνης κ όλη την διαπλοκή κ τη διαφθορά πίσω απ' τη λάμψη κ τα πέπλα...κ σε αυτό το πιπεράτο κ ωμό πιάτο προσθέτει κ μία σωματοποίηση όλων των δυσειδαιμονιών....με κράτησε απ' την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος
March 29, 2022
This is such a sad story about three generations of women who had tragic circumstances that affected their lives in horrible ways. At some points, they were living well, but then bad things happened to them, and it was very hard for me to read some of the portions where those things happened. I know very little of this part of the world and this part of history, but it was certainly not a good time for women.
September 18, 2023
This just didn't capture my attention. I started out liking the story set in the Persian Empire of Rebekah and her early years as she navigates the horrible marriage her mother sold her into. However, once the singing bones, incest, and magical mint sprigs came into play, I found myself rushing through the pages just to be done.
December 31, 2008
Takes place in 14th century Persia, story of 3 women, Rebekah, Gold Dust (yes that’s her name), and Raven. Great imagery, I felt like I was in the harem in Persia.
Learned some Persian history.
Learned some Persian history.
June 24, 2013
Highly visual and evocative, Mossanen brings us a novel that pleases the human sensuality while upholding the empowerment of women. Centering on three generations of female protagonists, "Harem" points out the weaknesses of men in society and teaches the general public how women, though seemingly frail and powerless against the tides of a male-dominated history, take their own role in shaping the world. Vividly visual with Ancient Persia's myth and grandeur, Mossanen takes her readers on a journey from the poor and humble Jewish quarters to the palace of the shah and the eunuchs while focusing on each of the lives of Rebekah, the whore with the mysterious brand on her chest; Gold Dust, Rebekah's daughter with bones that sing; and Raven, the albino princess destined to rule the world of men.
The novel presents the erotic and the wanton in such a way that it captures the attention of the reader and in the long run, provokes them to decide whether each character's seduction or intrigue is a blatant showing of weakness or a ploy to dominate. Here we see how the harem controls the palace eunuchs through instigating desire and how the Shah, though the most powerful man in the kingdom, submits to the call of release from his need to submerge himself to the aura of sexuality. The novel presents an altered view to a history which sees the dominance of masculinity and showcases the faults and maladies brought by the female gender.
Though the novel needs more polishing regarding transitions of events, it, nonetheless, retains the original message of Mossanen: Women as the embodiment of power.
The novel presents the erotic and the wanton in such a way that it captures the attention of the reader and in the long run, provokes them to decide whether each character's seduction or intrigue is a blatant showing of weakness or a ploy to dominate. Here we see how the harem controls the palace eunuchs through instigating desire and how the Shah, though the most powerful man in the kingdom, submits to the call of release from his need to submerge himself to the aura of sexuality. The novel presents an altered view to a history which sees the dominance of masculinity and showcases the faults and maladies brought by the female gender.
Though the novel needs more polishing regarding transitions of events, it, nonetheless, retains the original message of Mossanen: Women as the embodiment of power.
March 20, 2008
I wasn't expecting to dislike this book, but it wasn't what I expected. Was this supposed to be historical fiction or fantasy? The boundaries were too distorted for me. I was hoping for something on the level of Rebecca Kohn's The Gilded Chamber and I was disappointed.
The main character was not admirable, sure she is out to make a good life for her daughter by any means possible. Truly. But, was it really necessary for the author to write an explicit sex scene between her (a seasoned prostitute of 25) and a thirteen year old boy? I suppose this is the historical context she thinks she is drawing from, but really, how does that invoke empathy to her protagonist? This is just one example.
Basically, in my opinion, this book had little historical relevance (other than the setting itself), no moral purpose and would be a waste of time to finish.
The main character was not admirable, sure she is out to make a good life for her daughter by any means possible. Truly. But, was it really necessary for the author to write an explicit sex scene between her (a seasoned prostitute of 25) and a thirteen year old boy? I suppose this is the historical context she thinks she is drawing from, but really, how does that invoke empathy to her protagonist? This is just one example.
Basically, in my opinion, this book had little historical relevance (other than the setting itself), no moral purpose and would be a waste of time to finish.
June 24, 2012
Jewish women enter the Turkish harem. The description of the tastes and scents made the scenery come alive. I was also intrigued by the magical elements. The three-generation storyline teetered on the edge of "epic" and basically justified the 378 pages. Some additional thoughts were posted to Helium.
August 1, 2013
The story of three cunning women and the way the all get what they want in the end. I love it. Mother, daughter and grand-daughter, three generations all living completely different lives. It was extremely vivid for me. I read it all in one sitting. For a debut novel I think it was worth every penny and every minute of my time.
February 7, 2024
The second star was really only for the action at the end. In totality, kind of a garbage read. I appreciate the magical realism in it but I think that shouldn't extend to the sexualization of children....honestly I kind of hate-read through most of it and am very glad to be done. Don't think this one will stay on the bookshelf
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2012
The first two sections of the book that introducted Rebekah & Gold Dust were not too bad....but did not enjoy the last portion that included Raven. Found the book centered on the characters and not on the "Harem". Title confuses you on what the book really is about.
March 7, 2013
This book is a must-read for all those people out there who, like myself, enjoy the tales of seduction and intrigue.... in a journey from the humble Persian Jewish quarter to the fascinating world of shahs, soothsayers, eunuchs, and sultanas!!!
August 5, 2016
A very interesting book. bizarre, but good.
November 17, 2017
Very good. I liked the part where Rebekah decided to take her daughter to the harem so she could have some sort of future.
March 31, 2025
Wow this was a weird ride into magical realism historical fiction. I just straight up did not like this book and I barely made it through by skimming the last third of it. It's just full of the weirdest sex scenes (many of them), flat main characters (but of course they are all unique and stunningly different in their beauty), and a plotline that was all over the place. There is so much going on in this book, it's a hot stinky mess.
And the damn sex scenes!! Sometimes I don't mind sex scenes if they are relevant to the plot, but my goodness all of these scenes are so unnecessary and very graphic.
This story follows three women; Rebekah, her daughter Gold Dust, and Gold Dust's albino daughter Raven.
ALL SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Rebecca is married at ten years old and has a horrible marriage to a husband who repeatedly rapes her and makes a whore out of her. Around the age of 13-14 he wants her today so he makes her eat the foreskins that were cut off of other boys (I gagged just thinking about this). Instead though she has a daughter, and within 30 seconds of that baby being born he brands her between the breasts because he's pissed it wasn't a son. Then he names the baby Gold Dust. Somehow this name leads to Rebelah saying that her daughter can swallow molten gold and be fine. She gets some kind of something for her daughter to swallow and then she swallows the molten gold and didn't die and I just... what the fuck...?
Eventually Rebekah somehow convinces her husband to kill himself by him just walking straight into his kiln, and then she tells everyone it was the plague.
Oh and did I mention that apparently Gold Dust's bones seeing her emotions, for no reason other than it makes her alluring and cool. It'll bite her in the ass later though
Then she uses the many tips and tricks she apparently learned from her husband to become a whore to support herself and her daughter. But of course she has large aspirations for her daughter to have a better life and eventually Rebekah makes herself a bundle woman, which is a woman who sells fabric. Somehow she's able to use this position to work her way into the palace and be the bundle women for the sultanas and get her daughter into the harem.
Mixed within this somewhere she meets a man that she's trying to marry her his son to her daughter, before she has the harem idea, and he is the man she was originally supposed to marry and they still like each other. And within their one conversation which they barely say anything to each other yet somehow think that neither of them wants to be with the other and they part ways. This is I guess important because he comes up many years later to help Rebekah and ash her to marry him. They hardly know anything about each other but they love each other, which is very common in this book.
Now she finally gets her daughter into the harem, at the cost of her having really weird sex scenes with the head eunuch. Beware this next sentence: Which includes a rim job, playing with his pee area (he has no scrotum or penis), and apparently sticking a gerbil creature up his anus.
Then Gold Dust somehow very quickly becomes the favorite of the Shah. She eventually bears him an albino daughter that she decides to name Raven.
Raven is a bold and "mature" little girl who apparently looks like she's 12 when she's five, and then when she's 12 looks like a grown woman.
She then sexually initiates herself with all sorts of people in the palace and they do everything except the true sex.
There's some more plot stuff that includes Gold Dust losing all of her bones but my god it's just so random and odd that I don't even care to try to describe it.
Then finally at the end Raven decide she finally wants to make the Shah her own and goes into his room and essentially rapes him, and a very pornographic scene. But remember, this is her father, and she tells him that she is going to be the one to bear him sons.
In the end Gold Dust has to escape to run off with her lover the acrobat, Rebekah ends up with the guy she was supposed to marry originally (I mentioned him earlier), and it seems that Raven is supposed to be the queen and bear her father sons.
Apparently each woman gets what she wants.
My God that was a lot to slog through. Can you tell I hate this book?? But now I can say I read it and I can give it away. One less book taking up space on my shelves.
And the damn sex scenes!! Sometimes I don't mind sex scenes if they are relevant to the plot, but my goodness all of these scenes are so unnecessary and very graphic.
This story follows three women; Rebekah, her daughter Gold Dust, and Gold Dust's albino daughter Raven.
ALL SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Rebecca is married at ten years old and has a horrible marriage to a husband who repeatedly rapes her and makes a whore out of her. Around the age of 13-14 he wants her today so he makes her eat the foreskins that were cut off of other boys (I gagged just thinking about this). Instead though she has a daughter, and within 30 seconds of that baby being born he brands her between the breasts because he's pissed it wasn't a son. Then he names the baby Gold Dust. Somehow this name leads to Rebelah saying that her daughter can swallow molten gold and be fine. She gets some kind of something for her daughter to swallow and then she swallows the molten gold and didn't die and I just... what the fuck...?
Eventually Rebekah somehow convinces her husband to kill himself by him just walking straight into his kiln, and then she tells everyone it was the plague.
Oh and did I mention that apparently Gold Dust's bones seeing her emotions, for no reason other than it makes her alluring and cool. It'll bite her in the ass later though
Then she uses the many tips and tricks she apparently learned from her husband to become a whore to support herself and her daughter. But of course she has large aspirations for her daughter to have a better life and eventually Rebekah makes herself a bundle woman, which is a woman who sells fabric. Somehow she's able to use this position to work her way into the palace and be the bundle women for the sultanas and get her daughter into the harem.
Mixed within this somewhere she meets a man that she's trying to marry her his son to her daughter, before she has the harem idea, and he is the man she was originally supposed to marry and they still like each other. And within their one conversation which they barely say anything to each other yet somehow think that neither of them wants to be with the other and they part ways. This is I guess important because he comes up many years later to help Rebekah and ash her to marry him. They hardly know anything about each other but they love each other, which is very common in this book.
Now she finally gets her daughter into the harem, at the cost of her having really weird sex scenes with the head eunuch. Beware this next sentence: Which includes a rim job, playing with his pee area (he has no scrotum or penis), and apparently sticking a gerbil creature up his anus.
Then Gold Dust somehow very quickly becomes the favorite of the Shah. She eventually bears him an albino daughter that she decides to name Raven.
Raven is a bold and "mature" little girl who apparently looks like she's 12 when she's five, and then when she's 12 looks like a grown woman.
She then sexually initiates herself with all sorts of people in the palace and they do everything except the true sex.
There's some more plot stuff that includes Gold Dust losing all of her bones but my god it's just so random and odd that I don't even care to try to describe it.
Then finally at the end Raven decide she finally wants to make the Shah her own and goes into his room and essentially rapes him, and a very pornographic scene. But remember, this is her father, and she tells him that she is going to be the one to bear him sons.
In the end Gold Dust has to escape to run off with her lover the acrobat, Rebekah ends up with the guy she was supposed to marry originally (I mentioned him earlier), and it seems that Raven is supposed to be the queen and bear her father sons.
Apparently each woman gets what she wants.
My God that was a lot to slog through. Can you tell I hate this book?? But now I can say I read it and I can give it away. One less book taking up space on my shelves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2025
Was a very interesting read but also highly inaccurate when it comes to historical depictions. It was a fictional feeling fantasy concept that tried to present as historically accurate- one which followed three women & their lives all being related to each-other (daughter, mother, grandmother). Very graphic & did not enjoy the father/daughter pairing at the end- would have loved for the book to end right in the middle actually. Massive trigger warnings for SA, forced marriage, prostitution, grooming & pretty much everything else you can think of. Shows inner workings of a Harem. Also lots of political struggles & murder plots most foul. Learned more about the sexual desires of eunuchs than I’d ever thought possible. No kids should read this - and the adults who do should do research & fact check, author ran with her own narrative on this one & I’m still not sure how I feel about this book - but I did finish it because of how weird & shocking each page was.
“Her future is embellished with crowns and jewels. A life of lust and passion, conspiracy and love. At times, it will be difficult, but never, ever hopeless.” (15)
“Her future is embellished with crowns and jewels. A life of lust and passion, conspiracy and love. At times, it will be difficult, but never, ever hopeless.” (15)
October 26, 2025
DNR - Bizarre “historical” fiction filled with gross, disturbing, graphic scenes; filled with characters obsessed with greed, envy, jealousy, hatred, lust, vengeance, and every other immoral and corrupt desire; little redeeming quality to the story whatsoever other than a few clarifying descriptions of ancient practices I could have continued not knowing as much about and been just fine. Totally surprised the copy had a Reading Group Guide included. Felt like a story about dark forces ruling the earth. Can’t imagine reading anything else by this author.
April 11, 2018
The story disturbed me profoundly...well pretty much any story involving incest puts me in the disturbed category. That being said, it was extremely intoxicating and well written. It also, sadly, simply added to the large amount of literature that mystifies and orientalises the Middle East!
Read
June 11, 2022Read through chapter 5 and cannot finish. I personally cannot read a book that all of the sex scenes are either rape and/or involving a child. Read other reviews that said father-daughter incest comes later. Hard pass
April 12, 2020
Couldn't finish. It just didn't grab me.
August 10, 2020
Couldn’t finish it
May 15, 2021
Not nearly as good as i was expecting.
August 15, 2023
Entretenido
October 7, 2023
So odd, and I loved it!
September 28, 2014
When I was at page 171 of this book, I wrote in Goodreads:
Very lush, rich, delicious. Like staying in a five-star hotel in a foreign country.
I rated it four stars then. So why the drop?
It's a bit silly, but I'll try to explain. See, there was this scene in page 211 where our intrepid mini-heroine/scarychild Raven has to brave a body of water filled with sharks, and here's what she excitedly thought (as narrated): What if she conquered the voracious mammals? If she survived, nothing could ever stand in her way.
I admit I looked for mammals in the scene. I found some humans. And some other humans. The only other living creatures in the scene were, well, the voracious sharks. So ooookay... So.
So, Fifth Grader Fact of the Day: sharks are fish. I know they look more like dolphins or whales, but here's the deal. They lay eggs. Have cartilage. Also, gills. I tried asking Google if ancient Persians somehow conceived of sharks as mammalian, but Google was all like: Um, I don't think so.
God, I hate it when books I like contain silly errors like this. It catapults me out of the story like a frog out of boiling water.
And as much as I didn't want to do it, that particular word set me to thinking, So what if there are other inaccuracies? What if some of that wonderful, exotic verbiage I've been rolling around in like a deliriously happy feline in a bed of catnip is actually factually wrong?
It made me question everything. And I hate having to do that in a book.
Especially one that clicked with me as this one did.
Because really, I still loved most of it. I loved the brave and beautiful eunuch Hazel-Boy, with his silvery curls and green eyes and utter lack of a mean bone anywhere in his body (he also lacked screentime, sigh). I loved the fact that the Shah exuded an intoxicating and addictive smell of black roses, and had trained his falcons to respond to the beat of his heart. I loved Gold Dust's singing bones, and Rebekah's shameless way of walking into a room and turning it into an event about her. I loved the prose, the sensuality, the decadence, and the intricate dance of parent-and-child, lover-and-lover. I loved the bold and brilliant milieu, the bouquet of religions and blasphemies, the carefully placed dabs of horror, and the overlaying of myth and truth and perception. (And if I understood the old Persian (and current Iranian?) cultural outlook better, I'd probably have enjoyed it even more.)
Also, the scene where the Shah's fabulous falcons traced curly arabesques in the air and ended up stooping to pluck out the eyes of his enemies? Just love.
This is harem fantasy and magic realism and historical pastiche and grand old fairytale melodrama at their very best. It's the sort of thing that could make me swoon.
But the thing is, for exquisite concoctions of moondust and imagination like this, you have to Believe. And like I said, something made me stop Believing. And so I started asking myself annoying questions like "Why don't we see Honey and Gold Dust's relationship developed to the point where we could understand Honey's devotion to Gold Dust?" And "Why the heck would the foreign conqueror visit a whore in the city that he planned to conquer before he conquered it?" Wasn't that in the Evil Overlord List somewhere? Talk about begging to have your weaknesses found out and used against you by the current administration.
This sort of questioning is way too literal, and is not the way that this text is meant to be read. But that's how I ended up reading it, and I've got to be true to my own experience. I mean, it's a personal review, not a professional critique.
Anyway, if you end up reading this before buying the book, I hope you find yourself forewarned. Don't focus too much on the mammalian sharks. Come to it ready to be filled with wonder, and gorgeous sights, and really very sexy men and women and you will enjoy yourself, guaranteed.
I rated it four stars then. So why the drop?
It's a bit silly, but I'll try to explain. See, there was this scene in page 211 where our intrepid mini-heroine/scarychild Raven has to brave a body of water filled with sharks, and here's what she excitedly thought (as narrated): What if she conquered the voracious mammals? If she survived, nothing could ever stand in her way.
I admit I looked for mammals in the scene. I found some humans. And some other humans. The only other living creatures in the scene were, well, the voracious sharks. So ooookay... So.
So, Fifth Grader Fact of the Day: sharks are fish. I know they look more like dolphins or whales, but here's the deal. They lay eggs. Have cartilage. Also, gills. I tried asking Google if ancient Persians somehow conceived of sharks as mammalian, but Google was all like: Um, I don't think so.
God, I hate it when books I like contain silly errors like this. It catapults me out of the story like a frog out of boiling water.
And as much as I didn't want to do it, that particular word set me to thinking, So what if there are other inaccuracies? What if some of that wonderful, exotic verbiage I've been rolling around in like a deliriously happy feline in a bed of catnip is actually factually wrong?
It made me question everything. And I hate having to do that in a book.
Especially one that clicked with me as this one did.
Because really, I still loved most of it. I loved the brave and beautiful eunuch Hazel-Boy, with his silvery curls and green eyes and utter lack of a mean bone anywhere in his body (he also lacked screentime, sigh). I loved the fact that the Shah exuded an intoxicating and addictive smell of black roses, and had trained his falcons to respond to the beat of his heart. I loved Gold Dust's singing bones, and Rebekah's shameless way of walking into a room and turning it into an event about her. I loved the prose, the sensuality, the decadence, and the intricate dance of parent-and-child, lover-and-lover. I loved the bold and brilliant milieu, the bouquet of religions and blasphemies, the carefully placed dabs of horror, and the overlaying of myth and truth and perception. (And if I understood the old Persian (and current Iranian?) cultural outlook better, I'd probably have enjoyed it even more.)
Also, the scene where the Shah's fabulous falcons traced curly arabesques in the air and ended up stooping to pluck out the eyes of his enemies? Just love.
This is harem fantasy and magic realism and historical pastiche and grand old fairytale melodrama at their very best. It's the sort of thing that could make me swoon.
But the thing is, for exquisite concoctions of moondust and imagination like this, you have to Believe. And like I said, something made me stop Believing. And so I started asking myself annoying questions like "Why don't we see Honey and Gold Dust's relationship developed to the point where we could understand Honey's devotion to Gold Dust?" And "Why the heck would the foreign conqueror visit a whore in the city that he planned to conquer before he conquered it?" Wasn't that in the Evil Overlord List somewhere? Talk about begging to have your weaknesses found out and used against you by the current administration.
This sort of questioning is way too literal, and is not the way that this text is meant to be read. But that's how I ended up reading it, and I've got to be true to my own experience. I mean, it's a personal review, not a professional critique.
Anyway, if you end up reading this before buying the book, I hope you find yourself forewarned. Don't focus too much on the mammalian sharks. Come to it ready to be filled with wonder, and gorgeous sights, and really very sexy men and women and you will enjoy yourself, guaranteed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2020
Harem vertelt het verhaal van drie generaties vrouwen in het oude Perzië. Rebekka, een arm Joods meisje dat jong wordt uitgehuwelijkt en aan haar slechte huwelijk een bijzonder brandmerk overhoudt. Zij doet er alles aan om haar dochter Goudstof een beter leven te geven. De vraag is of ze daarbij niet haar eigen geluk in de weg staat.
Goudstof, Rebekka’s dochter, krijgt de kans om toe te treden tot de harem van de Sjah. Ze zal zich nooit mee zorgen hoeven maken om voedsel of kleding en bedienden staan in alles voor haar klaar. Maar het leven in de harem zit vol list, bedrog en intriges en is verre van zorgeloos. En verliefd worden is helemaal gevaarlijk.
Ravenzwart, de kleindochter van Rebekka, die in de harem geboren wordt en opgroeit te midden van het spinnenweb van intriges, dubbele agenda en egoïsme. Zij heeft een grote invloed op de Sjah. Wat moet er van haar terechtkomen?
Dan is er ook nog Narcissus, de machtige eunuch. Hij is een vertrouweling van de Sjah en wordt door Rebekka veelvuldig gebruikt om dingen te regelen.
Het boek is geschreven vanuit het vertellersperspectief. Dan weer zit je in het ene hoofd, een paar regels verder weer in het andere. Het verhaal begint met Rebekka en gaandeweg verschuift de aandacht naar Goudstof en daarna naar Ravenzwart. Toch blijven alle drie de vrouwen tot het einde van het boek veelvuldig in beeld. Van Ravenzwart krijg je het minste te weten, van Rebekka het meest. In zekere zin is zij dus de hoofdpersoon.
Ik vond het een middelmatig boek. Niet alles was even realistisch en sommige dingen waren ronduit ongeloofwaardig. Zo heeft de Sjah vele dochters, maar behalve Ravenzwart, wordt geen één van hen genoemd. Er zitten een paar heftige erotische scenes in, die niet iedereen zal waarderen, hoewel die ergens ook wel weer thuis horen in een boek als dit. Al met al vond ik het boek net iets te dik en langdradig. Tegelijkertijd geeft het wel een beeld van hoe het vroeger in een oosterse harem geweest kon zijn.
Goudstof, Rebekka’s dochter, krijgt de kans om toe te treden tot de harem van de Sjah. Ze zal zich nooit mee zorgen hoeven maken om voedsel of kleding en bedienden staan in alles voor haar klaar. Maar het leven in de harem zit vol list, bedrog en intriges en is verre van zorgeloos. En verliefd worden is helemaal gevaarlijk.
Ravenzwart, de kleindochter van Rebekka, die in de harem geboren wordt en opgroeit te midden van het spinnenweb van intriges, dubbele agenda en egoïsme. Zij heeft een grote invloed op de Sjah. Wat moet er van haar terechtkomen?
Dan is er ook nog Narcissus, de machtige eunuch. Hij is een vertrouweling van de Sjah en wordt door Rebekka veelvuldig gebruikt om dingen te regelen.
Het boek is geschreven vanuit het vertellersperspectief. Dan weer zit je in het ene hoofd, een paar regels verder weer in het andere. Het verhaal begint met Rebekka en gaandeweg verschuift de aandacht naar Goudstof en daarna naar Ravenzwart. Toch blijven alle drie de vrouwen tot het einde van het boek veelvuldig in beeld. Van Ravenzwart krijg je het minste te weten, van Rebekka het meest. In zekere zin is zij dus de hoofdpersoon.
Ik vond het een middelmatig boek. Niet alles was even realistisch en sommige dingen waren ronduit ongeloofwaardig. Zo heeft de Sjah vele dochters, maar behalve Ravenzwart, wordt geen één van hen genoemd. Er zitten een paar heftige erotische scenes in, die niet iedereen zal waarderen, hoewel die ergens ook wel weer thuis horen in een boek als dit. Al met al vond ik het boek net iets te dik en langdradig. Tegelijkertijd geeft het wel een beeld van hoe het vroeger in een oosterse harem geweest kon zijn.
March 17, 2010
This is a story centering around 3 women: Rebekah, a Jewish girl who's sold into marriage by her mother; Gold Dust, Rebekah's daughter; and Raven, Gold Dust's albino daughter. Rebekah's husband is abusive and nasty, and she tries to leave him but cannot. When he finally dies, she has to do what she must to survive, and she becomes a prostitute. Rebekah also begins collecting a dowry for Gold Dust and searching out the perfect husband for her. When those plans fall through, Rebekah turns to the royal harem and gets Gold Dust admitted, and Gold quickly becomes the Shah's favorite. He's depending on Gold Dust to produce the heir; instead, she produced Raven, a strange albino child.
The book itself is strange. I couldn't put it down, yet I wanted it to be over. I'd say the story stretches over 30-40 years. There's political intrigue, fantastical elements (Gold Dust's bones sing her emotions), and an overwhelming amount of a mother's ambition for her daughter that's confused for love.
The book itself is strange. I couldn't put it down, yet I wanted it to be over. I'd say the story stretches over 30-40 years. There's political intrigue, fantastical elements (Gold Dust's bones sing her emotions), and an overwhelming amount of a mother's ambition for her daughter that's confused for love.
November 20, 2008
I'm gonna be judgemental and say that I'm surprised a woman wrote this book. It toed the line between being a novel and porn. I'm not talking like "he mounted her with his quivering member" - I'm talkin rim jobs, girl on girl action, incest and putting hungry rodents in certain places. Normally I like a book with some steam to it but it was almost distracting with this one. You had to set the book aside every few pages to jack off.
That being said - I definately recommend this one to all you guys out there.
Aside from that, though, the novel was very rich in images. I love the references to spices, aromas, foods, bathing rituals, fabrics and such. I like the heroines who were beautiful but had one unique factor.
I was kind of bored with the war part but all in all it was interesting and powerfully feminine.
That being said - I definately recommend this one to all you guys out there.
Aside from that, though, the novel was very rich in images. I love the references to spices, aromas, foods, bathing rituals, fabrics and such. I like the heroines who were beautiful but had one unique factor.
I was kind of bored with the war part but all in all it was interesting and powerfully feminine.
August 2, 2016
This novel was apparently Mossanen's first, and it was an incredible debut. Three generations of women, all amazingly powerful and spiritual in their own ways. Rebekah, the first, has violet eyes and the ability to seduce any man. Gold Dust, her daughter, captivates the shah and becomes the favorite of the harem. Her daughter, Raven, an albino princess who becomes her father's lover, is destined to be the queen of Persia. It's a very rich novel, with settings and descriptions that literally enfold you with a velvety thickness. And in the end, all three women get their hearts' desire, despite the dangers in wanting it. I am very much looking forward to her second novel, COURTESAN.
February 17, 2016
A very interesting and unique novel about women back in 14th century Persia. The story starts with a young girl who is married off to an abusive blacksmith shortly before her mothers death. She bears him a daughter and after she convinces him to commit suicide and discovers she can't find his hidden fortune she becomes a prostituwe and vows her daughter will have a better life so she wiggles her way into the Shah's harem and gets her daughter married to the Shah. But life within the Harem is not at all as glamorous as it seems. I liked this book, it was a little wierd but still good.
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