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The Viking's Kurdish Love #1
Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival
An epic tale of romance and reminiscence. A meeting of hearts in the most unlikely of circumstance!
A woman with a dazzling mind. A man makes impulsive decisions. A royal wedding turns into beheading, a nation at risk of annihilation, and a battle for survival is on the horizon.
Two vikings – one of whom is the formidable former Varangian Guard whose name is carved on a marble slab in Constantinople's Hagia Sophia – settle down in Kurdland. Though defined by the different opportunities and challenges imposed on them, Ivar and Halvdan are both desperate for recognition and affection. As their lives intertwine with the enchanting and virtuous doctor, Vesta, the successful Palace manager, Zara, and the newly coronated Kurdish King, Saaid, they try to deal with the inevitable trials of love and loss at a time when uncertainty continues to cloud their future.
Well-researched and seductively charming, The Viking's Kurdish Love spans across continents, cultures, religions and decades of tumultuous regional and global history. Widad's lyrical prose sensuously wraps the readers in the story of how the people of the era refuse to be trapped by their past experiences.
A woman with a dazzling mind. A man makes impulsive decisions. A royal wedding turns into beheading, a nation at risk of annihilation, and a battle for survival is on the horizon.
Two vikings – one of whom is the formidable former Varangian Guard whose name is carved on a marble slab in Constantinople's Hagia Sophia – settle down in Kurdland. Though defined by the different opportunities and challenges imposed on them, Ivar and Halvdan are both desperate for recognition and affection. As their lives intertwine with the enchanting and virtuous doctor, Vesta, the successful Palace manager, Zara, and the newly coronated Kurdish King, Saaid, they try to deal with the inevitable trials of love and loss at a time when uncertainty continues to cloud their future.
Well-researched and seductively charming, The Viking's Kurdish Love spans across continents, cultures, religions and decades of tumultuous regional and global history. Widad's lyrical prose sensuously wraps the readers in the story of how the people of the era refuse to be trapped by their past experiences.
Paperback
Published March 1, 2021
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About the author
Widad Akreyi
38 books174 followersMultiple award-winner Widad Akreyi has authored several books.
Her series, “THE VIKING’S KURDISH LOVE,” offers a fresh perspective on our shared history through an original story. Her memoir, “THE DAUGHTER OF KURDLAND,” weaves together personal and political events that have shaped her life, shedding light on the essence of human identity. “ANATOMY OF COVID CALAMITY” combines cutting-edge pandemic research with critical reflection, providing insightful analysis of the global response to COVID-19.
Widad’s accolades include the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award, the International Woman Harmony Award, the Davenport Mayor Medal, the International Pfeffer Peace Award, and the Prize for bridging cultural gaps.
Born Kurdish, her heart finds solace in diverse Western cities scattered across vast continents.
In a special gesture, Widad has donated her manuscripts to charity, forgoing royalties from any published books. All proceeds from the sale of her books are dedicated to charitable causes.
You can reach her:
http://www.widad.org
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/author/widadakreyi
https://twitter.com/DrWidad_A
https://www.facebook.com/DrWidadAkreyi/
Her series, “THE VIKING’S KURDISH LOVE,” offers a fresh perspective on our shared history through an original story. Her memoir, “THE DAUGHTER OF KURDLAND,” weaves together personal and political events that have shaped her life, shedding light on the essence of human identity. “ANATOMY OF COVID CALAMITY” combines cutting-edge pandemic research with critical reflection, providing insightful analysis of the global response to COVID-19.
Widad’s accolades include the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award, the International Woman Harmony Award, the Davenport Mayor Medal, the International Pfeffer Peace Award, and the Prize for bridging cultural gaps.
Born Kurdish, her heart finds solace in diverse Western cities scattered across vast continents.
In a special gesture, Widad has donated her manuscripts to charity, forgoing royalties from any published books. All proceeds from the sale of her books are dedicated to charitable causes.
You can reach her:
http://www.widad.org
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/author/widadakreyi
https://twitter.com/DrWidad_A
https://www.facebook.com/DrWidadAkreyi/
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 7, 2021
The Viking's Kurdish Love is a literary masterpiece. I rate it 5 shining stars!
Zoroastrians' Fight for survival is the first volume in The Viking’s Kurdish Love series by the award-winning global icon of courage Widad Akreyi. A series of unusual power, it contains more than twenty major characters in two volumes so far and occupies a grand total of 840 pages.
A true classic, it deals with timeless themes of love, faith, death, betrayal, family, fear, marriage, and cultures. The author has an exquisite talent for breaking down complex topics into coherent, manageable messages, but above all else she is a masterful storyteller. She has portrayed various aspects of ancient life, merging it with the present-day world in a way that awakens our consciences to truth.
I liked how each chapter started with Kurdish and Norse proverbs relevant to the main theme of the chapter. This book has so many memorable quotes and life lessons that really spoke to me. Widad's evocative prose makes the reader see, smell and hear everything in the scene.
Widad Akreyi has gained a fan with this one.
Zoroastrians' Fight for survival is the first volume in The Viking’s Kurdish Love series by the award-winning global icon of courage Widad Akreyi. A series of unusual power, it contains more than twenty major characters in two volumes so far and occupies a grand total of 840 pages.
A true classic, it deals with timeless themes of love, faith, death, betrayal, family, fear, marriage, and cultures. The author has an exquisite talent for breaking down complex topics into coherent, manageable messages, but above all else she is a masterful storyteller. She has portrayed various aspects of ancient life, merging it with the present-day world in a way that awakens our consciences to truth.
I liked how each chapter started with Kurdish and Norse proverbs relevant to the main theme of the chapter. This book has so many memorable quotes and life lessons that really spoke to me. Widad's evocative prose makes the reader see, smell and hear everything in the scene.
Widad Akreyi has gained a fan with this one.
April 15, 2021
Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival is the second edition of book 1 in The Viking's Kurdish Love series. It masterfully captures the lives of people in Upper Mesopotamia over 1000 years ago. Published in 2020, it is first piece of literature that combines the ancient story of Vikings, Kurds, Jews, Christians.
Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival features the biographies of the Kurdish healer Vesta Ashavan, her aunt Zara who was the manager of Miafarqin Castle, the young viking Ivar and his Dad Halvdan, who was the former Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Emperor, Basil II. In this book, Widad talks about their lives and how their experiences molded them into the persons they became, for better or worse.
The book consists of 10 chapters, an epilogue, maps and a table with important characters and words.
The first chapter is set in Birka, in today's Stockholm, Sweden. It starts off with Ivar being romantically involved with Avenable, who is a slave girl from Mercia.
The second chapter offers insights into strong, yet sorrowful souls. It introduces Vesta, Zara, Ivar and others.
The third chapter delivers a striking portrait of realistic versus idealistic people who try to navigate the harsh world they live in without losing themselves along the way.
Chapters 4, 5 and 6 trace some moments of reflection, the royal wedding which turns into beheading and the pre- and post-coronation revelations.
Chapters 7 and 8 share the love story between Vesta and Ivar, their marriage, their life together and the birth of their first child.
Chapter 9 focuses for the most part on the new normal, while the last chapter recounts the tragic attack on Vesta's home.
Zoroastrians’ Fight for Survival is a 5 star read.
Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival features the biographies of the Kurdish healer Vesta Ashavan, her aunt Zara who was the manager of Miafarqin Castle, the young viking Ivar and his Dad Halvdan, who was the former Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Emperor, Basil II. In this book, Widad talks about their lives and how their experiences molded them into the persons they became, for better or worse.
The book consists of 10 chapters, an epilogue, maps and a table with important characters and words.
The first chapter is set in Birka, in today's Stockholm, Sweden. It starts off with Ivar being romantically involved with Avenable, who is a slave girl from Mercia.
The second chapter offers insights into strong, yet sorrowful souls. It introduces Vesta, Zara, Ivar and others.
The third chapter delivers a striking portrait of realistic versus idealistic people who try to navigate the harsh world they live in without losing themselves along the way.
Chapters 4, 5 and 6 trace some moments of reflection, the royal wedding which turns into beheading and the pre- and post-coronation revelations.
Chapters 7 and 8 share the love story between Vesta and Ivar, their marriage, their life together and the birth of their first child.
Chapter 9 focuses for the most part on the new normal, while the last chapter recounts the tragic attack on Vesta's home.
Zoroastrians’ Fight for Survival is a 5 star read.
May 24, 2021
When I read Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival, I couldn't help but notice that Dr. Vesta's interests resemble those of the author. Vesta is a nature-lover and poet, haunted by the unspeakable atrocities she witnessed in her childhood. As Vesta and Widad grow into adulthood, their mothers are frustrated with their refusal to marry. Both women are tormented by their love for the people of Kurdland – a land where Dr. Widad is held in high regard as a peace icon and role model.
Written with vigor and verve, the first part of The Viking's Kurdish Love series pieces together details of ancient events and places them in a wider context of historical Middle Eastern interrelations between power, politics and conflicts. It is a prodigious exploration, a timeless reminder of humanity’s messed-up past. With her characteristic freshness and well-rendered prose, the author ties in the present and past neatly together. The dynamics between the characters is as central to the storyline as their fights against the evil doers.
I finished the book wanting to know what would happen in the next book.
Written with vigor and verve, the first part of The Viking's Kurdish Love series pieces together details of ancient events and places them in a wider context of historical Middle Eastern interrelations between power, politics and conflicts. It is a prodigious exploration, a timeless reminder of humanity’s messed-up past. With her characteristic freshness and well-rendered prose, the author ties in the present and past neatly together. The dynamics between the characters is as central to the storyline as their fights against the evil doers.
I finished the book wanting to know what would happen in the next book.
December 14, 2021
The Viking’s Kurdish Love would make a great film or a TV series. Wholly engrossing! Phenomenal storyline. The characters are so real, the places so well described that I feel like I was right there with them.
The first book in The Viking’s Kurdish Love sequel is a spectacular epic story, a tale of passion and daring set against the back-drop of an invasion and a war. Absolutely fabulous book by Dr. Widad Akreyi!
The first book in The Viking’s Kurdish Love sequel is a spectacular epic story, a tale of passion and daring set against the back-drop of an invasion and a war. Absolutely fabulous book by Dr. Widad Akreyi!
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January 19, 2024Am i tweaking or did i just find a viking kurdish love story😭😭 ???
April 15, 2022
I decided to read this book because "The Viking's Kurdish Love" title intrigued me. I started the book with really high hopes, but the book didn't really live up to my expectations. I think most of my problem was with the editing that missed a lot of typos. Another issue was the language. The book was not written by someone who is used to writing fiction in English and it took me a while to get used to some of the phrasing that was used. The story is actually a fascinating one, but there are a lot of references to a tragedy to come later that I found distracting. However, that does not prepare anyone for the last chapter when the tragedy arrives. You know who is going to commit the crime, and you know why. That is clear from very early in the narrative. The sheer brutality of that chapter reminded me a lot of the stories of women who survived ISIS. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. I suspect that I would have taken a break if I had not decided that I needed to finish the book so I could move on to something else. It is hard to read. I expected it to haunt me, but it didn't and I am not sure why.
There are three more books in The Viking's Kurdish Love series. I have the second book and it picks up where the Zoroastrians' Fight for Survivial ends. Hopefully, the narrative will move more quickly in the second book than in the first.
There are three more books in The Viking's Kurdish Love series. I have the second book and it picks up where the Zoroastrians' Fight for Survivial ends. Hopefully, the narrative will move more quickly in the second book than in the first.
April 16, 2021
The writing style is really exelent
September 26, 2018
This book is full of information, discussions, romance and struggle . The book detailing the lives of people in Upper Mesopotamia 1000 years ago. Well written novel and historically factual. It is first piece of literature that combines the ancient story of the Vikings and Kurds. I loved this book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews