The Ottoman Lady: A Social History from 1718 to 1918

Davis ... has now provided a most readable and sympathetic account of the lives of Ottoman ruling-class women. She also discusses the lives of middle-class women intellectuals--Halide Edip being the most famous--who were beginnng the emerge in the late 19th and early 20th centuries under the impact of westernization. All facets of the Ottoman lady's life from childbirth (Chapter 2) to illness, old age, and death (Chapter 15) are described with clarity and in relevant detail. The reader is left with a vivid picture of Ottoman-Turkish soical life as it might have been perceived by a woman during the last 200 years of the Ottoman Empire. The study, based on extensive use of European and Turkish-language sources, breaks new ground and offers a starting point for further research on the subject. This book may be read with pleasure and profit by all readers, from the patron of the local public library to the graduate student embarking on research. It will be particularly useful for those interested in the position of upper-class women on Islamic society, and in comparative women's studies in general. - Choice