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alanaleigh's review against another edition
3.0
Let me say that the main reason I keep reading Tasha Alexander's books is that I feel she takes particular care with her main character's ability to have complicated emotions. What keeps me coming back for more, quite frankly, is not the mystery part of her plot (which is often a bit coincidental and is always quite complicated -- though that's not always a bad thing). It's only sometimes the historical setting (oddly, I preferred her ability to convey a sense of time and place in her earlier works, whereas here I kept having The Aviary Gate flashbacks with this one). The best part of her novels, as far as I'm concerned, is Lady Emily's ability to struggle with feelings that make her a unique heroine for this particular mystery/romance/historical fiction genre. (Okay, and sure, there's a bit of her hunky love interest, Colin, tossed in there, too.)
The first book in the series, And Only to Deceive, opened on a young widow, Lady Emily Ashton, who barely knew her husband and came to fall in love with him only after his death and her investigation into the circumstances surrounding it. Not only did we have the fact that she was coming to care for him when they could no longer have a real romance, but she became aware of just how much he loved her and yet had never really expressed it. Alexander doesn't shy away from exploring the tangled (and often bittersweet) side of things in Emily's personal life. Thankfully, even though Emily has finally married Colin Hargreaves, things don't simply fade into happily ever after, though Colin himself does fade a bit into the background in this book, which is a bit of a disappointment. Sure, they're completely smitten with each other as they take off for their honeymoon and they repeatedly tumble in to bed, but there's also the fact that in a time without contraception, Emily's independence is somewhat in jeopardy should she become pregnant. Books don't often explore the potentially negative sides of this "blessed" event when it's in a stable and good relationship, but Alexander is aware that things are a bit more complicated than that in real life.
Tears of Pearl is set in lush Constantinople, at the beginning of Emily and Colin's nice, long honeymoon... but the reader shouldn't be all that surprised when they're embroiled in a mystery right off the bat. The storyline is dumped into their laps on the train (a surprisingly abrupt and graceless introduction, which is rather uncharacteristic of Alexander, I thought) and involves a British diplomat with a tragic past and an even more tragic immediate future. He traveled the world with his family in tow until one horrific night when his Turkish wife was murdered and his young daughter kidnapped. He managed to protect his son, Benjamin, but then spent the rest of his life seeking leads in hopes that his daughter, Ceyden, might still be alive (as she was likely sold into slavery). This story comes out in a rush when Colin and Emily sit next to this man, Sir Richard, on the train to Constantinople... only to then have him collapse from an apparent overdose of medication. Unsurprisingly, Colin and Emily (especially Emily) take interest in his situation. He repays their kind attention by getting them invited to an opera performed at the sultan's palace and even though the ending of the opera itself is altered to create a happy ending, the event ends with the murder of a young woman from the harem. Have you guessed who she is? Yep. It's Ceyden, the long-lost daughter, and with harem politics the way they are, it's anybody's guess who did this.
Emily, meanwhile, has actually gotten semi-official approval to work with Colin in situations when a feminine hand is required for his missions... like, say, when someone needs to do some interviews of harem-members. Emily gets wrapped up with several interesting characters (including the mother of the sultan, the sort-of-step-mother of the sultan, a young converted Christian desperate to escape the life of sin in the harem, and a very shifty eunuch) while Colin is off investigating other things that seem more official (read: boring), and so Emily wanders a lot of Constantinople on her own (though she's often accompanied by her honeymoon-crashing friend). During all this wandering, Emily notices that she's particularly prone to nausea while taking boats across the Bosporus. Hmm. Whatever could cause nausea in a woman who's been married a few months?
Emily's lengthy and difficult musings on the possibility of having a child were fascinating, because she was willing to admit that she might not be ready for this. She already enjoys a remarkable amount of freedom for any woman of the time -- but with a baby on the way, surely life would change. It would start with being coddled as a pregnant lady by her friends, family and even her loving husband -- and then she'd most likely have to stay close to home to be with a child. So much for rambling all over the world and assisting Colin on investigations. It's not like Colin is putting this pressure on her (though she sees his suspicious and hopeful glances), but Emily starts panicking about what a baby would change. In short, even if she might eventually want a baby, she doesn't feel ready yet and while this depth might not be uncommon in other genres, it's a unique and humanizing detail here, for a heroine whose life has not been full of easy emotions. In the usual historical mystery series, women always seem so ready for that inevitable child and somehow he/she is integrated into her life and the life of her adventuring husband with ease... or a series ends. Hm.
So even if every bit of the novel wasn't a delight for me, I am at least delighted that Tasha Alexander is one of the few writers these days who is staying true to her characters and allowing them the luxury of exploring complicated emotions. It means that I'll keep marking the paperback release of each of her books and I'll eagerly read to see how Emily grows as a character and tackles interesting issues (and mysteries, too).
The first book in the series, And Only to Deceive, opened on a young widow, Lady Emily Ashton, who barely knew her husband and came to fall in love with him only after his death and her investigation into the circumstances surrounding it. Not only did we have the fact that she was coming to care for him when they could no longer have a real romance, but she became aware of just how much he loved her and yet had never really expressed it. Alexander doesn't shy away from exploring the tangled (and often bittersweet) side of things in Emily's personal life. Thankfully, even though Emily has finally married Colin Hargreaves, things don't simply fade into happily ever after, though Colin himself does fade a bit into the background in this book, which is a bit of a disappointment. Sure, they're completely smitten with each other as they take off for their honeymoon and they repeatedly tumble in to bed, but there's also the fact that in a time without contraception, Emily's independence is somewhat in jeopardy should she become pregnant. Books don't often explore the potentially negative sides of this "blessed" event when it's in a stable and good relationship, but Alexander is aware that things are a bit more complicated than that in real life.
Tears of Pearl is set in lush Constantinople, at the beginning of Emily and Colin's nice, long honeymoon... but the reader shouldn't be all that surprised when they're embroiled in a mystery right off the bat. The storyline is dumped into their laps on the train (a surprisingly abrupt and graceless introduction, which is rather uncharacteristic of Alexander, I thought) and involves a British diplomat with a tragic past and an even more tragic immediate future. He traveled the world with his family in tow until one horrific night when his Turkish wife was murdered and his young daughter kidnapped. He managed to protect his son, Benjamin, but then spent the rest of his life seeking leads in hopes that his daughter, Ceyden, might still be alive (as she was likely sold into slavery). This story comes out in a rush when Colin and Emily sit next to this man, Sir Richard, on the train to Constantinople... only to then have him collapse from an apparent overdose of medication. Unsurprisingly, Colin and Emily (especially Emily) take interest in his situation. He repays their kind attention by getting them invited to an opera performed at the sultan's palace and even though the ending of the opera itself is altered to create a happy ending, the event ends with the murder of a young woman from the harem. Have you guessed who she is? Yep. It's Ceyden, the long-lost daughter, and with harem politics the way they are, it's anybody's guess who did this.
Emily, meanwhile, has actually gotten semi-official approval to work with Colin in situations when a feminine hand is required for his missions... like, say, when someone needs to do some interviews of harem-members. Emily gets wrapped up with several interesting characters (including the mother of the sultan, the sort-of-step-mother of the sultan, a young converted Christian desperate to escape the life of sin in the harem, and a very shifty eunuch) while Colin is off investigating other things that seem more official (read: boring), and so Emily wanders a lot of Constantinople on her own (though she's often accompanied by her honeymoon-crashing friend). During all this wandering, Emily notices that she's particularly prone to nausea while taking boats across the Bosporus. Hmm. Whatever could cause nausea in a woman who's been married a few months?
Emily's lengthy and difficult musings on the possibility of having a child were fascinating, because she was willing to admit that she might not be ready for this. She already enjoys a remarkable amount of freedom for any woman of the time -- but with a baby on the way, surely life would change. It would start with being coddled as a pregnant lady by her friends, family and even her loving husband -- and then she'd most likely have to stay close to home to be with a child. So much for rambling all over the world and assisting Colin on investigations. It's not like Colin is putting this pressure on her (though she sees his suspicious and hopeful glances), but Emily starts panicking about what a baby would change. In short, even if she might eventually want a baby, she doesn't feel ready yet and while this depth might not be uncommon in other genres, it's a unique and humanizing detail here, for a heroine whose life has not been full of easy emotions. In the usual historical mystery series, women always seem so ready for that inevitable child and somehow he/she is integrated into her life and the life of her adventuring husband with ease... or a series ends. Hm.
So even if every bit of the novel wasn't a delight for me, I am at least delighted that Tasha Alexander is one of the few writers these days who is staying true to her characters and allowing them the luxury of exploring complicated emotions. It means that I'll keep marking the paperback release of each of her books and I'll eagerly read to see how Emily grows as a character and tackles interesting issues (and mysteries, too).
cheesygiraffe's review against another edition
4.0
I loved where this took place. The suspense wasn't as good in this one as in the other 3. And the ending made me sad.
ktaylor1164's review against another edition
3.0
Although I still love this series as a whole, I found this installment less compelling. The mystery wasn't all that mysterious--the ending to me seemed obvious--and the overall plot was not as interesting. I'm always impressed by the author's settings and historical foundations, nonetheless.
lifeand100books's review against another edition
4.0
In the fourth installment of the Lady Emily mystery series, Tears of Pearl, Tasha Alexander takes us on an exciting journey to Constantinople, where Lady Emily and her now-husband Colin Hargreaves (I’m so glad they finally tied the knot!) attempt to relax on a peaceful honeymoon away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. However, Lady Emily can’t seem to catch a break, as mystery and suspense seem to have traveled with her (and her luggage) to Constantinople. Following an evening at the opera, Emily and Colin are witnesses to the discovery of a murdered harem girl’s body. As the ranking English citizen at the scene, Colin is assigned to the investigation, and is able to secure the Crown’s permission to have Lady Emily assist in the case. The Crown is a little hesitant in allowing her to help Colin, but realize they need a female to gain access to the women of the harem. Even with their misgivings it appears to be an excellent choice, as Lady Emily prepares to do what she does best: solve seemingly impossible mysteries. She explores the harem girl’s family history and discovers that her father is a British diplomat, and that she had been abducted from his care many years prior. She goes on to find even more interesting facts about harem life, all which make the murder seem not quite so out of the blue. Add to all of this the possibility that Emily could be pregnant and you’ve got one hell of a story to follow.
While still a solid book, Alexander’s Tears of Pearl felt like it lost a bit of its shine at some points. Emily spends most of the book wondering whether or not she could be pregnant and reeling with thoughts on what having a child could do not only to her independence, but also to her ability to work with Colin. While these were realistic things for her to be thinking about, the constant thought of “Could I be pregnant? Could I be pregnant?” got old after a while. If she’s intelligent enough to solve murders and learn multiple languages in a short amount of time, I’m pretty sure that she could figure out conclusive signs of being pregnant. It felt at times like the mystery was being put into the background while we dealt with the possible pregnancy.
Aside from this debate the remainder of the book is wonderful. Its lush portrait of Constantinople had me eagerly adding Turkey as a destination to visit on my bucket list. Not only were the descriptions of Constantinople’s palaces and temples wonderful, but the dialogue about their social customs was intriguing as well. I’ve said in the past that these novels made me feel smarter upon completion. Tears of Pearl is no different; the conversations that Emily has with the women of the harem are fascinating! You get to hear what others thought about the strictness of British society on women, and how they found it stifling. Of course I found this comical (as did Lady Emily), coming from women living in a harem. Yes, they were allowed an education, but the highest social position that they could rise to was a position entitled Valide Sultan. All this meant was that you were the sultan’s mother, and as such had more control than other women did. The debates between Emily and the harem women on how their social customs were better than each other’s were enlightening conversations that have led me to do more research on the customs of the Ottoman Empire.
Historical fiction novels that are meticulous in research are my favorite kinds. Not only do they offer you an escape from the world we currently live in, but they offer you a chance at learning about another, entirely different, frame of time. Alexander’s books fit the above description to a T, and as such have earned a spot on my “favorites” shelf. They’re obviously scrupulously researched and offer insight into social customs, art, literature, and so much more. If you’re looking for intelligent adventures with mystery and sleuthing thrown in, then the Lady Emily series is the best choice!
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-KK
While still a solid book, Alexander’s Tears of Pearl felt like it lost a bit of its shine at some points. Emily spends most of the book wondering whether or not she could be pregnant and reeling with thoughts on what having a child could do not only to her independence, but also to her ability to work with Colin. While these were realistic things for her to be thinking about, the constant thought of “Could I be pregnant? Could I be pregnant?” got old after a while. If she’s intelligent enough to solve murders and learn multiple languages in a short amount of time, I’m pretty sure that she could figure out conclusive signs of being pregnant. It felt at times like the mystery was being put into the background while we dealt with the possible pregnancy.
Aside from this debate the remainder of the book is wonderful. Its lush portrait of Constantinople had me eagerly adding Turkey as a destination to visit on my bucket list. Not only were the descriptions of Constantinople’s palaces and temples wonderful, but the dialogue about their social customs was intriguing as well. I’ve said in the past that these novels made me feel smarter upon completion. Tears of Pearl is no different; the conversations that Emily has with the women of the harem are fascinating! You get to hear what others thought about the strictness of British society on women, and how they found it stifling. Of course I found this comical (as did Lady Emily), coming from women living in a harem. Yes, they were allowed an education, but the highest social position that they could rise to was a position entitled Valide Sultan. All this meant was that you were the sultan’s mother, and as such had more control than other women did. The debates between Emily and the harem women on how their social customs were better than each other’s were enlightening conversations that have led me to do more research on the customs of the Ottoman Empire.
Historical fiction novels that are meticulous in research are my favorite kinds. Not only do they offer you an escape from the world we currently live in, but they offer you a chance at learning about another, entirely different, frame of time. Alexander’s books fit the above description to a T, and as such have earned a spot on my “favorites” shelf. They’re obviously scrupulously researched and offer insight into social customs, art, literature, and so much more. If you’re looking for intelligent adventures with mystery and sleuthing thrown in, then the Lady Emily series is the best choice!
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-KK
cassandra67b07's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the first three books in the series but found this one very tedious. By the middle of the book I was skimming just to get through the plot. The mystery was unbelievable. The ambiance of Constantinople was well done though and Colin remains as amusing as ever, but I didn’t feel much of a connection between them in this book. Neither confides much in the other.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Quite poky in the pacing, with too many dead-end conversations and a B-plot that seems out of place for a diplomat's wife.
cozydormouse's review against another edition
3.0
I felt like this was one of the weaker books in the series so far. I got tired of the constant referrals to "after all, we are on our honeymoon" (yes, got that after the 15th mention in 3 pages, thanks). The overall pace of the book seemed incredibly slow, but the ending was wrapped up in about 10 pages.
garnetofeden's review against another edition
4.0
Emily and Colin are enjoying their honeymoon when they get pulled into a case. Taking place in the Ottoman Empire, the social norms feel foreign to Lady Emily, and as a result, things don't necessarily wrap up in a way that feels 'fair' to our western characters and possibly to certain contemporary audiences. Besides the mystery, each book in the series also addresses social themes relevant to the Victoria Era. In this case, Emily wrestles with fears regarding childbirth (something that not infrequently proved to be fatal) and guilt over the ambivalence she feels about possibly becoming a mother. Once again, the epistolary asides enhance the overall tale.
Rating reviewed 12/26/2022.
Rating reviewed 12/26/2022.
seshat59's review against another edition
2.0
While not as terrible as I recall, Tears of Pearl isn’t exactly good either. Lady Emily and Colin have traveled to Constantinople on their honeymoon, and a murder of a half English girl in the Ottoman harem turns their wedding trip into an official investigation for the British crown.
My first criticism was that the mystery on a whole was rather weak. When the whodunnit is finally confirmed and the motives revealed, it was all quite underwhelming. Most of this is no doubt due to attempting to make a British connection to the Ottoman Empire so that the Hargreaves could investigate, but it rung hollow.
Secondly, Emily spends an inordinate amount of time crying. Boohoo: she might be pregnant. It grew quite tiresome.
I will say that Alexander handily provided an outlet for Lady Emily to not have a horde of children.
2 stars — it was okay.
My first criticism was that the mystery on a whole was rather weak. When the whodunnit is finally confirmed and the motives revealed, it was all quite underwhelming. Most of this is no doubt due to attempting to make a British connection to the Ottoman Empire so that the Hargreaves could investigate, but it rung hollow.
Secondly, Emily spends an inordinate amount of time crying. Boohoo: she might be pregnant. It grew quite tiresome.
I will say that Alexander handily provided an outlet for Lady Emily to not have a horde of children.
2 stars — it was okay.