I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed reading it the plot was interesting and the characters made me want to know more about them. I highly recommend.

I am a big fan of the history of the Ottoman Empire so naturally, I had to read this.

The writing flows well and you can immerse yourself to the trials and tribulations the royal family faced.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for giving me the opportunity to read this.

this really was a beautifully done historical novel, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the time period that they were in.

The Gilded Cage Of The Bosphorus by is a beautifully written historical novel based on the authors actual family. I was in my element reading this gorgeous looking book. The fact that I adore history (bit of a geek actually) made this such an immersive read.
Istanbul, 1903.
Since his younger brother usurped the Imperial throne, Sultan Murad V has been imprisoned with his family for nearly thirty years.
The new century heralds immense change. Anarchy and revolution threaten the established order. Powerful enemies plot the fall of the once mighty Ottoman Empire. Only death will bring freedom to the enlightened former sultan. But the waters of the Bosphorus run deep: assassins lurk in shadows, intrigue abounds, and scandal in the family threatens to bring destruction of all that he holds dear…
I felt I needed to let you read the synopsis as my words would not have done it justice. An emotional read that drew me in straight away. The added interest of knowing the story was about the authors relatives made it all the more interesting. I was almost reduced to tears at certain moments and was very happy when joyous moments occured too.
I loved learning more about the Ottoman Empire and the culture within. The details and the research that Ayşe Osmanõglu has put into this labout of love must have taken so much of her life up, it is a story that is the closest I will ever come to inderstanding that particular time in that country.
Her characters develop so well throughout the book. These are historical royalty, remote people we will normally only read about in an educational text book. As the story unfolds they become more flesh and blood people. I cared about what would happen to them. They laid bare their fears and lonliness which only made me care more.
If you love your historical fiction books, like me try this. It is a well-paced, charming and touching story of hope and everything that follows it. It also shows the importance of keeping the flame of our ancestors lives alight...if only in remembrance.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and Ayşe Osmanõglu for my copy of the book on its birthday blog blitz.

I love books which embellish history with a fictional storyline. This one is on a whole different level, not only because of the author’s close ancestral bonds to the characters, but her knowledge from stories handed down through generations has enriched the depth of narrative.
I was mesmerised by the splendour of this era, country and culture but also able to empathise with the family. For much of the book, I lost myself in the palace with the family as I ‘listened’ to the many deep and intellectually informed discussions , however it often delved into long thought processes and conversations which I felt could have been more succinct.
I’d love to find out what happened next….is there going to be a sequel?
Informative and enjoyable.
Top Tip : reading on my kindle I was quickly able to use the ‘look up’ function to help me with many unfamiliar terms and vocabulary.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced reader's copy if this book.

The book started slowly for me, and the family, who is living in captivity inside of a palace in Istanbul, seemed too perfect for the situation. The patriarch, who is a deposed Caliph, has several wives, concubines and I think "favorites" along with many children. It seemed unreal to me that they all got along so lovingly, without jealousy in a polygamous family. However, I kept reading because I had never read anything about this culture and knowing the author was a descendent of some of these people, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Between a quarter and a third of the way in "things happened" that really started to grab my attention, and then, once the ball started rolling, it really picked up speed, Sadly, I ended up reading way past my bedtime :-/ to see what happened. Then, I ended up googling the family because I wanted to see what they looked like. Knowing that all of this happened just prior to the outbreak of WW I and the culture that I was unfamiliar with made this a very interesting book. I fear that the ending is crying out for a sequel, and I hope the author obliges. I strongly ask that the next book include pictures of these real people.

My thanks to BooksgoSocial and NetGalley for a review copy of the book.

Imagine living in an opulent place, with rich furnishings, delicious, decadent dishes to eat, beautiful tailored clothes in the best of fabrics to wear, your every want satisfied, a retinue of people to attend you at all hours. But also imagine, never being permitted to set foot outside that beautiful palace, being able to have next to no contact with people or life outside, even your own family. And not just for a day or a month or even a year, but for 28 long years.

This was how Murad V, the 33rd Ottoman Sultan lived, imprisoned in a gilded cage, Çırağan Palace, with his children, grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. Murad was crowned after his predecessor Abdulaziz was deposed in a coup by some ministers—since he was not personally involved in the coup, Murad was deeply affected by the fate of his uncle, and suffered a nervous breakdown after the latter’s death. Taking advantage of this, his brother, Abdul Hamid II took over the throne. After just a few months on the throne, Murad and his family were imprisoned in Çırağan, and his ideas of introducing a constitutional monarchy remained a dream.

The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus is written by Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu, a member of the Ottoman family, in fact a descendant of Murad, and also a historian by training, holding a degree in Ottoman history. She tells the story of life in Çırağan Palace, where Murad and his family try to live as ‘normally’ as possible, despite all the hardships they are facing, keep abreast with all the developments in the world outside from the little news they can gather, and support each other through everything they go through. The book begins with the birth of Murad’s great-grandson Ali Vâsib, and the accompanying celebrations, at a time when Murad has spent nearly three decades in captivity. It takes us through a scandal that affected the family, Murad’s death, and the life of his family thereafter, when Abdul Hamid II permitted the family to return to the outside world (though still with restrictions), and into court life once again.

Reading the book, one can’t but feel both appalled and very very sad at what the family had to go through—especially the younger members—in particular, Nihad, the author’s great-grandfather was born, grew up, got married and had a child without ever stepping out of the Palace, while his son too was born in the palace. But after the latter’s birth, before Ali Vâsib would really know what was going on, the family had been permitted to go out again. One can only imagine what it would have been like to never see any people (other than one’s family) or to never speak to anyone except the few permitted in the Palace, or never know what life beyond your own is like. Yet Nihad was a compassionate man, and also one very skilled in music, architecture and mechanics, encouraged by his family. The girls of the family too were encouraged to take their studies seriously, with a view to them participating in society.

Locked away in the Palace, the family manage to keep their spirits up, taking pleasure from every occasion that afforded it. A fair bit of the first section of the book is devoted to the celebrations in the family at Ali Vâsib’s birth, and through her very vivid and lovely descriptions, the author takes us into those celebrations, watching the ceremonies take place, enjoying the food and sweetmeats, and observing the gorgeous costumes the ladies of the family wore—always the latest French fashions—even the music (Western classical and opera) that they enjoyed. And it wasn’t just festive occasions, but also the smaller pleasures, like picnicking in their garden or enjoying snowman-making or a snowball fight, that they enjoyed to the fullest.

We also get an understanding of the family—the thoughts of the different members, an idea of their history, and also their relationships with each other. With only each other to interact with and rely on, the bonds between the various members were strong and they supported each other always. Murad’s daughters had been allowed to leave Çırağan to be married, but once they left were never permitted to visit their family or keep contact. But when one of them, Hadice Sultan, found herself facing a scandal, the entire family in the Palace stood by her and lent every support. I really liked that the author, while focusing on the strengths and qualities of each of the family, presents them as real people, not devoid of their flaws.

Alongside we are also given a look into the political situation and developments of the day. In Turkey, the removal of Murad V meant that his ideas on Constitutional Monarchy were never given effect to, and autocratic rule continued. But at the time, in other parts of the world, there was unrest among the people and greater opposition to autocracy—the unrest was also impacting developments in the Ottoman empire. Russia, Persia and even Turkey saw the effects including in the form of an assassination attempt on the Sultan. Murad, his son Selaheddin and even Nihad understood the need for change but the chance to introduce it sadly did not come for them. Other developments at the time like the first flight by the Wright brothers were keenly followed by the family, and once visitors were allowed, bicycles (new at the time) were brought in, while Nihad built a model aeroplane. They also took great interest in matters of philosophy and religion and we get an idea of their views and discussions through the conversations they have—each of them being encouraged to develop their own views (some of the discussions are a little protracted, though).

Before I wrap up, I must mention that I also enjoyed noticing in the book some similarities in words we use in Hindi/Hindustani and Turkish, like ‘damad’--‘bridegroom’ in Turkish, used for sons-in-law in Hindi, and helva/halwa for a sweet dish (though I think the actual dishes are different); revani is a semolina cake in Turkey, and rava is one of the words we use for semolina (also though not in the book Peynir is cheese as is paneer in hindi, one type at least).

The book gave me some insight into Turkish history (which I knew very little about, though I have had the pleasure of visiting Istanbul), and into Ottoman rule at a time when there was much turbulence in the world. But more than that, I especially enjoyed getting to know the family themselves—a warm, closely-knit and very likeable set of people. So this turned out to be a really wonderful read.

I really enjoyed this book! The narrative focuses on the imprisoned Sultan Murad and his family who grow up and live their life in royal captivity during the Ottoman Empire. The book deals with historical events, but of course knowing the context of the author and that Osmanoglu is a descendant of Sultan Murad, there is bias intertwined throughout the storytelling. The story is immersive and I found myself wanting to both savour the pages left as well as continue reading. Arguably, there isn't a huge plot line and if you are someone that enjoys a lot of action and dynamic storylines then perhaps this wouldn't be for you. However, Osmanoglu's descriptive writing is so beautiful and everything is told in such detail that it's hard to not feel immersed in her crafted tale. It was enlightening reading about the Ottoman Empire and for any historical fiction fan: this book won't let you down.

I've just binge watched Magnificient Century so it was very apt that I got this book. Set in the twilight years of the Ottoman Empire
where their sheer power from the time of Suleyman has been greatly diminished, we are dealing with the family of Murad V whose thrown
was seized by his brother, but fortunately unlike before, he was not murdered, he was just exiled to the beautiful Ciragan Palace for
a period of twenty eight years and he eventually died there.

The story of Murad, his son and his grand son and the story starts with the blessings of his first great grandson. What the future holds
for this little prince is shaky and unknown. Murad has lived in the shadows for so long, and the whole family along with him. None of his
children or grand children, his wives consorts sisters have known the outside world but they have not rebelled against these strict rules.
When Murad dies, the ties seem to loosen a little and the family has access to their extended family at last. Added to this is the Sultan's sisters
indiscretion and the far reaching implications of the love affa

The story of the day to day life of an exiled family, living in luxury nevertheless and trying to accept their fate in the best possible
manner is this book. It was very good reading - both from a historical point of view, as well as a family saga. It marked the end of a
dynasty and the beginning of constituitional reform in Turkey.

The research and detail is meticulous and immensely educative as well as interesting. Written by a family member who is a history graduate as well, the
story epitomises all that is good for history buffs.

This is a wonderfully written saga of the Imperial Ottoman Empire as written by a descendant of the Ottoman family. This allows the author to give a unique insight into the life and times of this Imperial family. It is an incredibly moving story and one which should become part of the history syllabus for schools. I would love to see this richly epic story transferred to film. Highly recommended

This window to the past, written by a history graduate, Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu, takes us on a journey back in time to the splendour of Imperial Istanbul. Using her unique position as a member of the Ottoman family, she opens our hearts to her family and presents an accurate picture of the Ottomans in the first decade of the 20th century.

This book features the family of Sultan Murad V, who was the 33rd sovereign of the Ottoman Dynasty. His reign only lasted 3 months and was the shortest of the 36 sultans of the dynasty. In August 1876 his brother, Sultan Abdulhamid II replaced him as Sultan and kept the entire family confined within the walls of the Çırağan Palace for 28 years until the death of the former Sultan Murad in 1904.

My heart was broken to read about children being born and experiencing childhood and adolescence without having seen what lies beyond the walls of their ‘gilded cage.’ I was especially moved by Nihad, the author’s great grandfather and one of the main characters in the book. He spent his entire childhood in confinement, a prisoner of a paranoid sultan. What pulls at the heartstrings is knowing that he never played with another little boy. In fact, he never even SAW another little boy. I can imagine he was scarred for life having no interaction with children outside his family. I loved reading that he never gave up on his dream of seeing the Ottoman Empire ruled by parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy.

Although this is more a history book than a historical fiction novel, I loved the author’s engaging style and was successfully enlightened about what it means to be a Turk, a Moslem, and an Ottoman all rolled into one. She highlighted the imprisonment and educated me on the history of the Ottomans. I can’t wait for the sequel.

I was gifted this copy by Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu, BookGoSocial Publishing, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.