The Infidel's Garden

by Ingrid Banwell

In the spirit of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, The Infidel’s Garden combines the magical with the mundane in a love story of epic proportions.
Set in the Dutch city of Hertogenbosch in 1502, nineteen-year-old Marjit, an orphan of the Spanish Inquisition, stubbornly refuses to abandon her Muslim faith. Baptized against her will, the passionate and outspoken Marjit challenges all things Christian. Forced to clean and garden in a household of religious fanatics, Marjit wages a war with her own soul when she falls wildly in love with her Master, the devilishly handsome and piously Christian Pieter van der Beeck.
Danger sets in when Marjit’s exotic beauty is coveted by the mysterious and possibly mad artist Hieronymus Bosch, and by the lecherous brother of her foul-mouthed, drunken Mistress. Terrorized and accused of witchcraft, Marjit must battle scheming clerics and the evil Archbishop Solin before she can fulfil her destiny alongside the married, loyal and devout Pieter.
There are many secrets in the van der Beeck household, and the mystery of Marjit’s birth is one that results in an explosive revelation that changes everything for this pair of eternal soul mates.

Genres: Historical Fiction

469 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 9, 2015

About the author

Ingrid Banwell is a New Zealand born artist and writer living with her family in Sydney. She holds a Master’s degree with First Class Honors in painting from the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland, New Zealand and her artwork hangs in homes and offices around the world. Her three-dimensional work is also featured in several key publications on New Zealand art.
Thanks to travel-hungry genes, she’s lived in Mexico City, Vienna, London and New York.
As an author, Ingrid has been published in Cosmos Online, Andromeda Spaceways and the NSW Writers’ Centre magazine Newswrite as well as numerous online publications. Her story Untangling the Future features in You’re Not Alone - a collection of science fiction short stories edited by Damien Broderick and published by Surinam Turtle Press.
In order to support her art and writing, Ingrid has had a breathless number of jobs including art teacher, market researcher, fundraising manager, librarian, consular public affairs officer and real estate receptionist.
These days, when she’s not teaching, painting, writing, gardening, chauffeuring or nagging teenagers, she’s probably in a car somewhere trying to compress space-time in Sydney traffic jams.

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Infidel's Garden was a super interesting read. It follows Marjit after her home is destroyed during the Spanish Inquisition and she's taken to a convent before working as a servant in a Christian household. This is where she is reunited with her reincarnated lover, Pieter, who is also now her master. Marjit struggles with keeping her feelings for him hidden as he's married and she isn't sure if he recognizes her in this life, and holding onto her faith in Islam while being forced to live as a Christian.

I loved Marjit. So much happens to her over the course of The Infidel's Garden, but she always holds her head up high and does not give up. Pieter's wife is awful to her, but she deals with her with grace and dignity, even as she's cleaning up crap from their pet monkey. The neighbors accuse her of witchcraft, consorting with the devil, and being a succubus, but she still goes on. Her life is pretty rough, but she finds comfort in her faith and her love for Pieter. Although at times, she can't hold her tongue, and does give as good as she gets!

The one thing that I didn't quite enjoy in The Infidel's Garden was the romance. I loved the idea of Marjit and Pieter being reincarnated lovers who must find each other again in this new life. I also loved how their religions were an obstacle in them being together for various reasons. However, it felt like a lot of telling rather than showing. Marjit repeatedly tells us how in love with Pieter she is and how great he is, but I didn't see it. He was just kind of there. I was rooting for them to be together, mostly because I wanted Marjit to find her happiness more than I was actually invested in them as a couple.

The Infidel's Garden was a very good read. I liked learning more about this time period and about Islam. Like I said, I adored Marjit. I also really enjoyed her friendship with Rutger. There is so much happening here, and there are several shocks along the way which I won't spoil. It does get slow in places and lost my interest a few times, but something always happened to pull me back in.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Laura Ruetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I have always been fascinated with other cultures and so this book really grabbed my attention. In in, Marjit, a Muslim girl, sold as a slave and then left at a convent, where she was converted to Christianity, is the central character in this tale of love and clashing cultures. The themes in this book are very relevant to today. I love the idea that two souls can find each other again, in another lifetime.

The first thing that struck me about this book was the writing and the language. It was rich and invoked strong images as I read it. With skillful wording, you are put right into the action, able to see the people as they are described and the action as it happens. This is my first time reading this author, but I will most certainly seek out any other novels based on this writing style.

The story itself really pulled me in. Marjit is somebody I connected with and she's a very empathetic character as she tries to hold onto her faith and her hope in the midst of such turmoil and personal danger. It was fascinating to me to learn more about her faith as well, and it was so skillfully written.

I really recommend this book. Although it has strong religious tones, it is not about religion, but rather about the people and that is why it works so well. The people are the core of this novel and their stories are engaging and fascinating.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author (after having read one of my reviews) contacted me and asked me if I would like to read her book. Based on my reading history, she thought I might like it. I have to say - it was hard to put down. I really enjoyed the story, and it made me curious about that period of history. The heroine of the story is a Muslim girl, Soheila, whose parents were killed during the Inquisition. She is taken captive to be sold into slavery. Because she is young and sick, she does not sell as a slave and is dropped off at a convent in the Netherlands where she lives until early adulthood. It is where the story begins, and the readers are told the story from Soheila's point-of-view. She is not a perfect person; we see her weaknesses. She is, however, very strong, and ultimately she is vindicated. She suffers many trials, and the characters are well developed. The villains are truly villains. It makes me so glad that I am living in the 21st century. There was so much violence and suffering. I enjoyed the story a lot. There were a few places where I thought the book dragged a bit, but as soon as I thought that, there was another plot twist. I would definitely recommend this historical fiction/love story to anyone who enjoys reading about life in the 1500's.

[Karen James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suspect this book might end up being quite controversial, given the illicit sex scenes between a Muslim woman and a devout Christian. The style of the writing is very visual and quite poetic, especially the erotic dream sequences. I loved the way the author incorporates artist Hieronymus Bosch’s works into her plot. Seems like she’s done her historical research thoroughly, too, which is something that really bugs me when it’s done badly. Ultimately, what kept me glued to the page was the epic love story. I’m really glad I stuck with Infidel’s Garden because after the first few pages, it really gets going.

[Ruta' Tauiliili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: some spoilers in review.

Captivating mix of fantasy, history and art... not to mention an interesting contrasting of Islam and Christianity. Read to discover how a reincarnated soul rediscovers her soul mate and the trials and tribulations they face over a period of 15+ years... how they find each are torn apart and find each again. Banwell also provides a very compelling theory on meaning and motivation for Herionymous Bosch's, "Garden of Earthly Delights" - just loved it. For me, would have wanted a bit more action and development of the technical aspects of some of the supernatural occurrences in the book, but that is just me, otherwise love the unusual combinations of genres this book offers!