What do You think about Adora (1997)?
it was actually a very nice 1 n i liked it very much up2 the point where alexander was killed n murad claimed andora as his slave. der, it went downhill 4me. it's not the author's fault. she actually narrated it as it was in reality back in those days..dat is murad kept a harem of women n fucked them at the same time as andora. he had all women he lusted after in his harem. frankly, it disgusted me. i can't like this kind of hero. it repulsed me too much. also, by the end, the story was focused too much on war n plots like dat
—Roub
Much like her debut novel The Kadin, Bertrice Small's epic historical fiction Adora takes place mostly in the harem of the powerful ruler of the Ottoman Empire, about a century prior to The Kadin's setting. Adora is the affectionate nickname given by the Sultan Murad to his favorite princess Theodora, a Byzantine Princess who, in the fashion of Small heroines, is far better educated, spirited and of course beautiful than the average woman of her time, even one coming from royalty. That's the thing I have always loved about Small, that her heroines are feisty, cunning survivors who don't let the mostly horrible twists and turns in their lives crush their spirit. And there are plenty of horrendous things that happen to Adora, who is treated again and again like a chattel and political pawn by her family, be it her parents, siblings, spouses,or her own children. On top of it, she has to endure the very worst of what all women of her time, and let's face it, to a certain extent, even women in our times, have to endure:Rape, slavery, trafficking, betrayal, adultery, loss and grief galore, dehumanization, torture, pedophilia, incest, you name it, Small has included it. It is not all bleak of course. Adora fights for and gets what she craves, love, adoration, respect, adventure, happiness, romance, power. These are also all there.Adora is not a flawless book. Similar to the Kadin, it attempts to cram into one book a multitude of events spanning the life of one very busy Princess. It also has hopelessly purple prose and definitely questionable characters,including the heroine. These are not super cutesy cookie-cutter characters who fight for pure love, justice and rainbows. They are very true to their real-life historical inspirations (yes, there really was a Sultan Murad and a Theodora although as usual, Small takes her liberties with historical facts and lets her dazzling imagination run wild, much to the chagrin of some, and the utter delight of others): These characters are shrewd, pragmatic, ambitious, and occasionally given to blood lust. Adora'sister Helena, the Byzantine Empress, makes Cersei Lannister look like Pippi Longstockings. This is not a Barbara Taylor Bradford tame and cute romance. But it has spirit, boldness,energy,and emotion, which left me enthralled and choked up. RIP Bertrice Small. You have my respect forever. There won't be another one like you.
—Naksed
It's comforting that some things will never change. I mean...ever. This author's specialty is old-school bodice-rippers. We're talking arranged marriages with tall, dark, brooding stranger. Dare I say it, we're talking pirate captains. Her books might as well just have the cover blurb: "Don't! Stop! Don't...stop. Don't stop!" No. Really. But she also is known for packing in a lot of historical detail. Basically, NC-17 history buff brain candy. But as I was reading this on my Kindle (no, I can't explain why I bought this) I started thinking 'this plot seems familiar...if she gets abducted on the high seas by a pirate captain, I'll know I've already this one'. Guess what happened? That's right. But turns out I *hadn't* read this one - it takes place in Byzantium, so the setting was new - but apparently, there's a high seas pirate 'incident' in every book! I just feel comforted by the trashy continuity somehow. Good times.
—Alicia
