The Palace of Tears - Alev Lytle Croutier

A slim novel, but beautifully written - telling of frenchman Casimir de Chateauneuf's quest to find the Ottoman woman whose portrait he first sees in a Paris shop. Lovestruck, he leaves behind his family and travels to the exotic East during the declining years of the Ottoman Empire, suffering many trials en route before ultimately reaching Constantinople and the woman of his dreams.

Amazon.co.uk link: The Palace of Tears - Alev Lytle Croutier