SOFIA

"This elaborately detailed melodrama is set in the mysterious and enthralling world of the Ottoman Empire during the sixteenth century. When their ship is seized by Turkish pirates, a beautiful Venetian noblewoman and a virile young Italian sailor are kidnapped and sold into slavery. Ravishing and willful, Sofia Baffo is immediately procured for the royal seraglio. Fascinated by harem life and specially favored by the mother of the sultan, Sofia begins to exercise and relish an inordinate and exhilarating amount of power. Unfortunately, Giorgio Veniero does not experience such a pleasant fate. Brutally castrated and marketed as a eunuch, Giorgio struggles to rediscover and redefine his manhood. A vivid and lush brand of historical fiction." (Booklist)