I loved the history in this book, Istanbul's Topkapi Palace is a wonderful place to visit , to learn of its past and use was so interesting and absorbing. Excellent research .

The Mapmaker's Daughter by Katherine Nouri Hughes is a well-written book that starts off at a fast pace that draws the reader into the story. Hughes has developed characters with depth, backed up with excellent historical research, and an wonderful storyline. The reason why I gave her book a 4 star rating is some of the writing is a bit nebulous and in one instance does not quite follow historical context.

The nebulous incident concerns Safiye getting into an argument with Murad III. The character, Nurbanu, comments on the argument but is unclear about what really happened. To me the inference was Safiye was killed by Murad III but she later appears in the story as an active character. I am a pretty good reader, and normally I can figure out the storyline, but in this instance I was not clear about what really happened between Safiye and Murad III.

The incident that seemed to be out of historical context was presumed lesbian lovemaking between Nurbanu and Esther Handali. In the story Nurbanu and Esther kiss mouth-to-mouth, bodies together, ankles locked. I suspect Islam does not condone homosexual affairs and including this incident in the book is out of historical context, if I understood the writing correctly. This ruined the believability of the historic novel as I believe historic novels should be written to match the time period they reflect. I do know historic novels take artistic license when it comes to history, and they are not supposed to be historically accurate, but there has to be a believability factor. The rest of the sexual incidents and romantic encounters seem to follow historic context.

I loved the illustrations found sprinkled throughout the book. I also loved the strong, intelligent character originally named Cecillia Baffo Veniero, who later took the name Nurbanu. She was kidnapped by Ottoman soldiers, taken to an Ottoman harem, educated thanks to the Sultan and later married Selim II.

Nurbanu's life is a colorful and unusual one as she was educated. She was also a strong leader. Both qualities were not typically found during that time period.

Recommend with caveats given.

Review written after downloading a galley from Net Galley.

I read this on a Kindle Paperwhite, which I feel affected my enjoyment of the book. At first, I thought I was having trouble getting into it. Then I realized that the first few pages are a list of characters, a map of the Ottoman Empire, and a genealogy page. Those are so small as to be unreadable in the Paperwhite format, so I thought I was missing something, and felt frustrated.

When I relaxed and allowed myself to enjoy the story line and not read as though I was going to be tested on the content, I truly enjoyed the story. There are parts that read like poetry, evoking imagery and imagination about the era, the lifestyle, and the palace.

Fiction based on the life of Ceclia/Nurbanu Sultan, taking place in the 16th century, this book is full of detail, presented as a diary of confessions. It is clear that the author has done extensive research, and has presented the growth and contribution of the Ottoman Empire here in a human, palatable context. I appreciate this insight, and feel not just a bit more enlightened, but also a bit more compassionate; a difficult reaction to explain.