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The Fourth Queen: A Novel

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THE FOURTH QUEEN by Debbie Taylor
Courtesy of www.Loveromances.com

Debbie Taylor's THE FOURTH QUEEN takes the reader into the world of the harems of Morocco, where a young Scottish girl has been kidnapped and taken to live with thousands of other women to be the playthings of the Emperor. Comparable to Dora Levy Mossanen's HAREM, THE FOURTH QUEEN takes a young woman from a culture outside that of Middle Eastern heritage, and places her into a foreign world full of strange foods, colors, music, and values. But, while HAREM was filled with magical deeds and other wonderful things akin to fairy tales, THE FOURTH QUEEN is rooted in reality. Both books share a wealth of knowledge of this time and place in history, a world vastly different from that descended from the culture of Western Europe.

It is the mid-1700's, and young Helen Gloag is on a ship headed towards the New World. She is looking for a new life away from Scotland and a life of poverty that she wanted desperately to escape. As the ship is headed toward its destination, it is attacked by pirates and she, along with many of the women, are taken to Morocco to be sold.

Helen's life takes on a strange turn. She is now ensconced in the life of the harem, one of thousands of women that are vying for the attention of the Emperor of Morocco. Only four lucky women are chosen as queens, and while at first Helen finds her new life horrid and unbearable, she soon learns the ways of this culture, and aspires to be one of the lucky four. She gains weight to be more of a prize catch, as large women are considered beautiful, while thin women are considered undesirable. She learns how to apply makeup in a much different way than is done in her native land of Scotland. No more corsets. The larger the stomach and buttocks, the more appealing she will be to the opposite sex. Helen is slowly transformed into a woman that belongs in Morocco, no longer recognizable as that young Scottish girl, even taking on a new name Aziza.

Along her journey to this highest of positions, she befriends one of the queens, Batoom, known as the Black Queen, who takes Helen under her wing. Helen also meets the head Eunuch, Fijil, a Scottish dwarf who was captured many years ago and is now one of the most notable men working under the Emperor. Fijil finds himself in love with the lovely Helen, but he knows that his fate will never allow him to capture the love of this Scottish lass. He hides his feelings for her as best he can, becoming one of the best friends Helen could possibly have in this new world of hers. Helen's only goal at this time is to become a queen, and she cannot see past the jewels and the wealth that would go with that title.

A wonderful tale of love, greed, and power, THE FOURTH QUEEN was a book that at first did not catch this reviewer's interest. But, as one continues with each chapter, it is easy to succumb to the charms of this story. Debbie Taylor did an excellent job with highly descriptive particulars on what life in a harem was like. She interspersed her story with the erotic passions that came with living in a harem. She wove highly illustrative details of the foods that were enjoyed by Helen, so that the reader could imagine tasting and eating them. One could feel the heat that bore down on Helen day in and day out, and could imagine the life that she led with the emperor, with whom she was consumed with a desire so strong that she could see nothing else.

The fascinating aspect of this book is that THE FOURTH QUEEN was based on a person straight from history. Helen Gloag did exist, as did Fijil and the Emperor. History shows that there were indeed several Empresses of Morocco with red hair. Taylor took the liberties to write a story with these characters, and although they may not have co-existed in the same time period, Taylor did a good job making this story work. It has truly ignited in this reviewer an already burgeoning interest in the world of the ancient Ottoman Empire. This book is highly recommended to lovers of historical fiction everywhere.

Pros: Unlike many novels in which the plot is centered around a European woman kidnapped into a harem, the heroine Helen doesn't automatically entrance the Emperor of Moracco. Instead she is repulsed by him and by the mounds of fat females surrounding her. The politics of the harem, with the jockeying for the Emperor's eye and the importance of bearing sons seems real. The sections written from Helen's point of view are interesting and for the most part believable.

Cons: The second narrator, Microphilus, a Scottish dwarf also kidnapped by pirates is just impossible to believe. First, that the Emperor would have allowed any man--even a dwarf--the run of his harem without ascertaining first that that man wasn't, if you know what I mean, is unrealistic. In addition, Microphilus' writing is tedious and overblown. He appears to write just for the joy of seeing his words on paper. Another problem to me is how quickly Helen acclimatizes to harem life, packing on the pounds until her butt looks like a pumpkin attached behind her waist (as described by the author), and becoming enamored of the same Emperor who repulsed her and who tortures and kills her best friend in the harem. A final issue is the conclusion--there isn't one. It appears that the author wrote herself into a corner, couldn't find a way out, and so just quit writing without resolving anything.

It seems I only find really good books when I'm not looking for them, meaning of course, I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. The premise is fascinating, a Scottish teenager, Helen is captured by pirates while on her way to America in the 17th century. She is hand picked by the dwarf keeper of the Emperors harem, because the dwarf, Microphilus, knows the emperor like white women. Helen is pregnant, but its standard procedure to give women bound for the emperors Harem an abortion, since a hymen test may prove unreliable and of course, all women must be, or appear to be virgins.

Helen adjusts to life in the harem quickly, helped out by Microphilus, who is also a Scot and introduces her to Queen Batoom, one of the Emperor's four wives, who helps her learn to "play sex" which all the women in the harem do. They wait for the Emperor to want to "play sex" with them. This is portrayed as well as anyone could do it, the author captures the desperation of the women waiting, the pride of the women chosen, and the disgust of Helen's at this system perfectly.

Life in the Harem turns vicious once Helen captures the heart of the Emperor (and he hers, though she knows Microphilus is in love with her) and strange spiny things start turning up in Helen's rooms. Soon she falls ill, as other queens have done, with a wasting sickness. Someone is behind this, but who is it? It must be either a woman in the harem, or one of the eunuch guards.

This book is romantic, exciting, mysterious and just dam great. Its one of the best books I've ever read and I can't wait for the author's next work. In fact, it may be a sequel to "the forth queen."

The best thing about this story is it's mostly true, or based on truth. The Emperor of this book is the real man behind the king in "the king and I" and he had a Scottish redheaded wife who is credited with gentling him and making him more "western." Some reviewers complain that the character of Microphilus is taken from a real person who lived not in Helen's time, but honestly, this is a novel. It's fine to do things like that. That's why it's fiction.

I recommend this book highly to everyone. If you're prudish though, you may not enjoy it. This book is very frank about sexuality and sex and quite violent. The time period though, was that way.

In The Fourth Queen, Taylor weaves an intriguing and erotic tale of life in a harem, where the rooms are filled with incense, beautiful women, jewels and jealousy. Circa 1769, the Emperor of Morocco is allowed by religious law to marry four queens. However, those queens are exposed to all manner of sabotage from the other women in the harem, those who covet their enviable positions.

When Helen Gloag sails from Scotland on a ship bound for Boston, she is anticipating a new life in America. But after her ship is attacked and boarded by pirates, who abscond with the cargo and the passengers, Gloag is lost to history; here author Taylor fills in the missing details of this true-life figure. Favored with pale, freckled skin and red-gold curls, Helen is chosen by the Emperor of Morocco for his harem, so enamored is he of the pale flesh of European women. A favorite of the emperor, Helen is immersed in endless days of luxury, outrageously pampered for the emperor's enjoyment. She falls in love with this man, seduced by her own newfound concupiscence and becomes his fourth wife.

Jealousy festers among the women, in spite of the indulgence and luxury of harem life, each craving the attention of the emperor, each dreaming of carrying his heir. The harem's women are supervised by the Chief Eunuch, Microphilius, a dwarf, who falls under Helen's spell. Microphilius harbors a secret: he is not emasculated like the other royal eunuchs. The Black Queen, the emperor's second wife, is a mountain of fleshly pulchritude who takes Microphilius as her lover. This queen observes his attraction to Helen, but tolerates this shared affection. Suddenly, one of the queens falls ill, slowly losing her beauty and her wits. Then Helen is stricken, forced to withdraw from the emperor's embrace; and finally, a third queen, indicating that either some terrible punishment has been visited upon the queens or someone is secretly poisoning them. Microphilius must discover the cause or the culprit.

The story is told from two perspectives: Helen's and Microphilius'. Helen is both naïve and gluttonous, hungry for wealth and attention. Microphilius watches with his more objective masculine perspective, observing an emperor capable of savage inhumanity towards others, renowned for his disparate cruelties. As Helen fall hopelessly in love, Microphilius allows her this self-deception, protecting her interests and comforting her when she becomes mysteriously ill.

The heavily claustrophobic air of the women's quarters turns from convivial to menacing as the emperor's pawns dance for the man who controls their fate, their small world restricted to the most intimate and selfish emotions. Taylor crafts a stunning and imaginative novel of life in a royal harem, the pages rich with the colorful personalities of the women and their interminable machinations. For all their isolation, the ladies of the harem exact their personal revenges upon the emperor's realm. Happily, excessive erotic detail doesn't sidetrack the author's focus; this excellent novel is a tightly woven tapestry of distorted emotions and unfulfilled yearning for a life more simple and livable. Luan Gaines/2004.

This is an exciting story about pirates, a harem, a dwarf, an emperor, lots of eunuchs, jewels, gardens, religion, beauty, ambition and poison. A dramatic story about a different world, where women are valued for their chubbiness and unibrows. Where men are, well, apparently most of them are nearly psychotic, but at least some of them have redeeming qualities.

It is a wonderful book. The language is beautiful. The story is sad but gripping. There were plenty of plot twists, unexpected alliances, and treachery. The main characters are complex, for the most part neither good nor evil, but struggling to rise above situational ethics.

I couldn't put this book down. It's the best things I've read in ages.

"The Fourth Queen" is a fascinating study of what life may have been like in the harem of the Emperor of Morocco in the 18th century. The author based the character of Helen Gloag on a real Scottish girl of the same name who is supposed to have become the wife of the Emperor after being taken into captivity by pirates.

Debbie Taylor's Helen is actually a composite figure of several women, about whom little is actually known. Due to this lack of knowledge about Helen's personality, character, and ultimate fate, Ms Taylor was able to create Helen as one would a totally fictional character. Helen is a flawed heroine in many ways (uneducated, unsophisticated, and basically self-centered). She is an interesting contrast to the character of Batoom, who is one of the four wives of the emperor. Batoom is older, as independent as one can be in the confines of the harem, and a woman of great compassion. The other main character is "Microphilus," a male dwarf based upon a real man named Jeffrey Hudson, who lived a century earlier than the setting of this novel, but who also for a time lived as a captive in a North African harem. Microphilus fell almost instantly in love with Helen, even though he was having a relationship with Batoom.

The most fascinating parts of this book include the rise of Helen from a bewildered, and pregnant, captive to one of the four wives of the emperor, and the wonderful depiction of harem life. The harem is shown in all of its decadence -- these women have nothing to do but eat, groom themselves, eat, spend money on useless trinkets, plot against each other, practice sex with each other, and eat some more. There are a couple of scenes of explicit sex, a violent execution of a runaway, and a mystery involving a plot against one of the four queens. While much of the novel is told in third person, the parts of the book seen from Microphilus' point of view are taken from his hidden journal (the author states that the journal entries are based upon the writings of Jeffrey Hudson). Although the character of Helen was a bit of a problem for me, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to those who like something a little out of the ordinary.

I'm unsure whether this is Debbie Taylor's first foray into fiction, particularly historical fiction. Whatever the case, I was a little disappointed in this novel, as other reviewers have liked it and had given it glowing reviews. After a good start full of vivid descriptions of life on a ship sailing to the Colonies, the story becomes sluggish and dawdles, as we enter the world of the harem, and Helen transforms from a malnourished Irish lass, to a well-fed "cow like" woman, ready for her first sexual encounter with the Emperor. The first part of the novel is the most effective, when Helen is taken captive by pirates and then sold into slavery, and the descriptive passages are indeed wonderfully atmospheric with "the sour smell of vomit, the sup of stenches, and the rats nibbling in the rotting rubbish."

Once ensconced the harem, Helen is discovered by Microphilius, a witty, softhearted dwarf who also purports to be Scottish. Microphilius overseas the harem and the needs of the Emperor himself but jealousies and envy starts to run amuck, when Microphilius develops a crush on the red headed, green eyed, and pale skinned beauty from Scotland. Taylor portrays the harem of the Emperor as a mystifying, voluptuous and forbidding place where women of all shapes and sizes spend their days washing their hair, making themselves up and preparing themselves for being chosen to "make sex" with the Emperor. With their "tattooed faces" and "powerful thighs", all the women think of is the "clothes, the paint, the dancing - it's all for sex, to make them good for sex, and for carrying babies." Taylor also does do a good job of showing the bitchy political intent along with the strained and unlikely friendships that Helen develops with the other women. And with Microphilius's help, Helen gradually negotiates the politics of the harem and eventually competes with the Emperor's favour. A kind of whodunit follows when Helen is forced to confront poison, death and danger as she is selected to become the Emperor's fourth queen.

Although Taylor raises some interesting questions about the body and soul: "what is the body except clothing for the spirit, the fleshy barrier dividing spirits from one another", the story is generally quite dull, tedious, and un-absorbing. Too much time is taken in setting up the premise for Helen's first sexual encounter with the Emperor, which isn't really that exciting anyway, and Taylor's style seems just so cluttered and overly descriptive in all the wrong places. The narrative doesn't flow, as gracefully and mellifluously, as it should. There is no doubt that historical fiction is a hard medium to get right, but I'm not sure whether The Fourth Queen is a particularly successful example of this medium. If you want to read some good, high-quality historical fiction that has been published recently, read Sara Dunant's The Birth of Venus.

Michael

I keep being disappointed by books that receive terrific reviews from my fellow Amazon readers, but have turned out to be quite a let down. This is one of those IMO. Others have described the plot outline of young Scottish "Helen" being abducted by pirates and spirited away to the exotic harem of the nasty Morroccan Emperor where she morphs into the Empress Aziza, and the dwarf who falls in love with her. Unfortunately, that pretty much sums up the entire "action" of the book which consists primarily of (sometimes interesting) descriptions of harem life. Maybe there was not much in the way of plot because nothing in particular happens in such a jeweled cage-like world. Much discussion of foods, clothing, gossip, and - the main event in this novel - who is poisoning the queens? This showed promise, and I enjoyed the first few chapters. Sorry to say, the book gets weaker as it goes along and I became restless for it to be wound up.

This one is half romance novel, half whodunnit - neither of them very interesting. The dwarf keeps a diary which lent the best part of the read for me, namely, his very clever use of words and descriptions. I loved his terming the gardner as looking like trampled vegetation himself and similar humorous narration. Didn't care much about what happened to Helen/Aziza as the author was never able to make her psychology particularly real to me. Poor waif showing avarice and ambition when opportunity knocks. What will she sacrifice for these empty goals? Yawn. What tipped the scales for me from "pretty good" to "meh" was the vague, precipitous and wholly unsatisfactory ending. Many questions left unanswered, to the point of me actually not being able to figure out what actually happened! Won't spoil anything for future readers, but do think they should be on notice not to expect much by way of conclusion.

This one is suitable for pick up reading if there's nothing else available. In my opinion, very ordinary.

I almost set this aside. I enjoyed reading about Helen, a Scottish girl abducted by pirates and sold to the Moroccan emperor and her parts of the story were interesting, but I did not enjoy the parts that were told by the midget "eunuch". His sexual thoughts, fantasies, and his dalliances with the harem "hippo" was all quite repulsive to me. I was grossed out a few times and had to scan over alot of his narratives. Had the story simply been told about Helen and in the third person, with no narratives by the "eunuch" I would have really enjoyed it. I felt sorry for Helen who was living the life of a prisoner with a few jewels and baubles to show for it in the privacy of her room. Truly an interesting look at harem life in the 1700s, but the midget and "hippo" sex was too much.

I was asked to read this book as a favor to a librarian because I like historical fiction. This story didn't disappoint with it's vivid descriptions of life in a harem, the brutality of the times and the interesting "who dunnit" that was, for me, a surprise until the end. There's a lot of sex in this book, almost too much, so if this offends you be aware.