All Comments on 'Tunisian Dreams Ch. 01'

Maybe I liked this story just because I'm a patriotic dutchie, but still: it was a good read! I liked the crash with the pizza courier, it made it very believable :p It's great that you tease the reader with the different storylines and enough blank spots that need an explanation later on. Maybe you could try next time to make some transitions a bit less sudden, like this one -

"You can keep teaching my children woman but now undress. I want to judge if Tulip is right not to send you to my bed."

He saw her freeze. The old eunuch issued a command and the guard seized her again. -

The one moment they are talking all nice, the next it's: undress. So if you lead it a bit more, for example by adding a bit more conversation between the characters, it will feel less sudden.

The harsh switch was intentionally. The people that had the misfortune to become slaves saw their lives reduced to that of a procession of their owners. Some of the men did have a life that was not that bad like becoming someone's secretary but others were send to the galleys as rowers or had to break their backs building a palace. Not every girl ended up in the bed of their lord. For instance in the imperial harem in Istanbul many of the women just had a job like "mistress of embroidery" who the had to run a group of other women and make sure the whole harem was dressed in fine cloths. But the moment the master would spot someone he liked he would just drop his handkerchief and that was the signal that particular woman had to be send to his bed. This however does not mean that such men and women could not fall in love. That happened as well. One of the most famous examples sultan Suleyman.

In this story you can already see some signs that the Dey of Tunis, Ali, is not a bad chap. It is obvious he is quite friendly (no corporal punishments allowed) with his wives and is longing for someone he would loose his heart on. In the meantime Sara is trying to make the best of her captivity by proving her usefulness in taking care of his children. And the way to a parent's goodwill is by being good to their offspring. So far at least she has won over the first wife. But still that would not prevent her from ending up on her back. But what about that Sara? How could a woman in those times be still a virgin at 37 while she looks not that bad? That sounds like more of a story does it not?

PS If you like this story, check out my others as well and have a look at my profile page.