Review of A Court at Constantinople

[Caroline Akoth Odhiambo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "A Court at Constantinople" by Anthony Earth.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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A Court at Constantinople: In law and love no one follows all the rules by Anthony Earth is a thrilling, unpredictable, and suspenseful historical fiction novel based in the 19th Century. The tale entwines the lives of James Bingham, Osman Mehmed, and Rosamund Colborne. James is a young, struggling barrister from London. He accepted an offer to work as a clerk in the British Supreme Consular Court at Constantinople. He met Rosamund at his welcoming party in Constantinople. The two grew closer after their first meeting. Mehmed is a Turkish Law student who believed that English Laws were against the Quran and couldn't provide justice to the Turks.

This book focuses mainly on law and the odd relationship between the British and Ottoman empires. The British arrested Mehmed for assaulting Rosamund. On the other hand, the Ottomans arrested James and Rosamund's father for the same crime; this situation caused unrest between the two empires. I liked how Rosamund didn't fear discussing the prejudices women faced during this era. Lastly, I liked the ending. I eagerly anticipated a good ending and wasn't disappointed.

What I disliked about the book is that the author used many advanced words, such as surreptitiously, fretted, belligerent, and plodded. It took me a long time to complete the book because I occasionally stopped reading to search for their meanings in the dictionary.

I found no grammar or spelling errors in the book. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars. I rated it highly because it is well-edited, and the challenging words aren't enough for me to deduct a point. However, I recommend that the author use simple language in his future works.

I recommend this book to people who enjoy historical fiction novels, especially those focusing primarily on cultural and religious differences between empires and how they affect their relationships. Although this book mentions Christianity and Islam, I still think it is suitable for everyone to read. However, I don't recommend this book to sensitive readers because of the sexual assault scenes.

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A Court at Constantinople
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