Review of Before He Was Red
Many years ago I worked in Dymocks Bookshop in Sydney, Australia, the largest bookshop in the Southern Hemisphere at the time. I loved being surrounded by books (you should see my home office!), getting my hands on new things to read and meeting likeminded readers. I read almost everything and anything, but I’ve never been keen on historical romance because I’m neither sentimental nor a history buff. Unless of course I’m seeing something in real life and then I’m determined to know everything I can.
Then Christina Stahle contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in reading her novel Before He Was Red. Even though the genre didn’t appeal I’m always keen to read books about or set in Turkey, so I said yes. Boy am I glad I did!
Why you should read Before He Was Red
Before He Was Red is a compelling and dramatic tale of true love set in the tumultuous streets of Istanbul and the shuttered world of Topkapi Palace in 1876. Minority groups were under threat and Turkey was undergoing enormous change while ruled by a weak and susceptible sultan leading to the decision to appoint a new leader.
Stahle took her inspiration from a biography of Abdulhamid II which made passing reference to his secret marriage to a Belgian woman called Flora Cordier, the owner of a fashionable glove shop in Istanbul, before he became the sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
Stahle conjures up a strong picture of Hamid, the future Sultan Abdulhamid II. He was a reluctant candidate and more interested in experiencing life in all its forms rather than spending his life forever on guard against enemies and those seeking to influence him for personal gain. One night Hamid escapes the confines of the palace to roam incognito through the city streets and ends up inside Flora’s store where he enters both her world and her heart.
The consequences of that first meeting are many – Flora refuses to marry the man to whom she promised herself but doesn’t love (sorry but it’s only a minor spoiler alert!), Hamid sets out to resist his scheming stepmother Perestu, questions the loyalty of his tutor Reshid and desperately tries to prop up his brother Murad, first in line to become the next Sultan.
I usually read before going to sleep but Before He Was Read is so entrancing I couldn’t bear to put it down. Every scene is vividly written and I felt like I stepped back in time each time I picked it up. Stahle writes history as though it has just happened and I couldn’t wait to learn more about the fate of Flora and her beloved Hamid. I felt part of the machinations of the Ottoman court as though I experienced them personally and saw the past come alive on every page.
If you haven’t read Before He Was Red yet, you should and if you have, I’d love to know if you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Title: Before He Was Red
Publisher: Pebble Print
Date: November 26, 2025
ISBN: 978-9083607108
