Historical Fictionistas discussion

Looking for some recommendations for some history or historical fiction on the Middle East. Thanks!

I haven't read this one yet, but I own it: The Blood of Flowers

Becky wrote: "I haven't read this one yet, but I own it: The Blood of Flowers"

I actually read this and did not like it! Don't mean to put a damper on your to read shelf though!

I have the book Samarkand by Amin Maalouf on my to-be-read shelf.

Two great books are:
My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq
The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East

The latter is much much better than Mornings in Jenin!

Thanks guys, I'll look into those books. I'm also interested in older timelines too, should I say ancient? So, pre1800's down to B.C. stuff, thinking Persia, etc.

I don't know if this is the kind of book you are looking for but I enjoyed Gods and Kings

I enjoyed "Dreamers of the Day" by Mary Doria Russell. It's about the Cairo Conference of 1921 as seen through the eyes of an American spinster traveling alone in Egypt. It has a very interesting (and funny) depiction of Winston Churchill in all his eccentricity, and gives some insight as to why the Middle East is the way it is now.

Melodi wrote: "Thanks guys, I'll look into those books. I'm also interested in older timelines too, should I say ancient? So, pre1800's down to B.C. stuff, thinking Persia, etc."

I can't personally recommend anything but you might find something of interest at http://www.historicalnovels.info/Anci...

Leo Africanus byAmin Maalouf is a must read for anyone interested in
historical fiction on the Middle East. It is based on the life of a real life person. The story takes place in the end of the 14 hundreds going into the mid-15 hundreds, a time where there was so much going on at once. It starts in Granada, Spain just before the Christians retook the power, then goes to Egypt just as the Ottomans take control, then finally in Rome where the Catholics and Protestants are fighting. Don’t be put off by the first paragraph which sounds a bit pompous. It is a wonderful book that I have read many times.

Melodi wrote: "Becky wrote: "I haven't read this one yet, but I own it: The Blood of Flowers"

I actually read this and did not like it! Don't mean to put a damper on your to read shelf though!"

Awww... And here I was thinking "Ooh! I know one!" Well, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. One day I'll get around to it and see what I think. :)

Becky wrote: "Melodi wrote: "Becky wrote: "I haven't read this one yet, but I own it: The Blood of Flowers"

I actually read this and did not like it! Don't mean to put a damper on your to read shelf though!"

A..."

I am currently reading The Blood of Flowers for the HFU Challenge. I am about a quarter of the way through and I am enjoying it so far but I will update when I finish.

Creation by Gore Vidal fits your criteria? Persia 5th century BC. Have the book, haven't read.

Sadie Jones wrote Small Wars. It takes place on Cyprus, which is in the crossroads of the Middle East.

Loukia, it's not appropriate to ask people to email you directly for book recommendations or information about books. That's why we're here.

In addition, it's generally not the best idea to post your email address in a public forum - we have no way to monitor who is reading these threads, and you open yourself up to a lot of unwanted spam (and possibly worse) that way.

Please edit your post to remove your email address.

Melodi wrote: "Thanks guys, I'll look into those books. I'm also interested in older timelines too, should I say ancient? So, pre1800's down to B.C. stuff, thinking Persia, etc."

Of course I'll recommend my new novel, Rav Hisda's Daughter, Book I: Apprentice: A Novel of Love, the Talmud, and Sorcery. It takes place in 3rd-century Babylonia, which at that time was ruled by the Sasanian Persians.

Another recommendation is Amin Maalouf's The Gardens of Light, whose setting is the same time and place as mine, although you could read almost any of his novels.
A third is The Wayward Moon, which takes place in 8th-century Babylon.

Good luck and have fun reading,
Maggie Anton

Maggie wrote: "Melodi wrote: "Thanks guys, I'll look into those books. I'm also interested in older timelines too, should I say ancient? So, pre1800's down to B.C. stuff, thinking Persia, etc."Another recommendation is Amin Maalouf's The Gardens of Light, i>

Yes, I had forgottenThe Gardens of Light . Actually almost everything from Amin Maalouf is great:


Leo Africanus
Samarkand
The Gardens of Light
Ports of Call

Dutch wrote: "Melodi wrote: "Becky wrote: "I haven't read this one yet, but I own it: The Blood of Flowers"

I actually read this and did not like it! Don't mean to put a damper on your to read shelf though!"

H..."

I read it because of the high ratings. I typically try to only read 4 stars plus with more than 1,000 ratings. I read this book 3 years ago, so I honestly dont remember, but from my review I only read 1/2 and skimmed the second half because I didn't like it. I also thought it had too much sex for my liking. I can handle harsh stories, but this wasn't my cup of tea. I only gave it 2 stars. Maybe I didn't give it a fair chance, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. You know how that happens sometimes. I'm sorry to turn people off the book, because maybe you'll really like it! I'd say go for it because obviously It is well rated. Maybe I just read it t a point in life that it didn't suit me. Btw, the photo on the front is the author, found that...an interesting choice.

I am just starting The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain. It includes a few maps, and begins in the mid eighth century and extends through to the 1600's. The original character is a prince in exile from his Islamic Dynasty, and it brings light to the positive aspects of creativity and forces that were in play at a time that was otherwise known as the dark ages.
It came to me highly recommended.

Treasa wrote: "I am just starting The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain. It includes a few maps, and begins in the mid eighth century and ..."

What a wonderful book! I did not mention it because it is not fiction. Other non-fiction must read books areScheherazade Goes West and Forgotten Queens Of Islam by Fatema Mernissi

Melodi wrote: "Dutch wrote: "Melodi wrote: "Becky wrote: "I haven't read this one yet, but I own it: The Blood of Flowers"

I actually read this and did not like it! Don't mean to put a damper on your to read she..."

I also read The Blood of Flowers (I'll need to add a review) and would probably give it three stars. The writing is good and the setting interesting, but as I recall (it's been a year), the main character didn't capture my sympathy. She made such bad decisions, ugh, and she seemed to feel sorry for her bad luck a lot of the novel (something I just can't stand even when the character has good reason for it).

I wouldn't have minded the sex at all if it had been in the context of a loving or romantic relationship, but since the man was explicitly using her it just felt sleazy.

Still, in the end it was a semi-satisfying read. I'd say read it if you want to know about the sensuous world of 17th century Persia. The descriptions of the glamorous city of Isfahan at this period were beautifully written.

Hannah wrote: "Melodi wrote: "Dutch wrote: "Melodi wrote: "Becky wrote: "I haven't read this one yet, but I own it: The Blood of Flowers"

I actually read this and did not like it! Don't mean to put a damper on y..."

I just finished the book yesterday and I agree with you. A weak 3 star for me!

I've thought about why I wasn't crazy about it since it did keep me interested and I was eager to finish it and I think it has to do partially with what you said about the characters and partially about the lack of plot. Really not much happens! She makes poor decisions, suffers consequences, makes more poor decisions, suffers consequences repeat a few more times, then learn lesson - end of story.

I agree with you that the strength of the book was the descriptions of the setting and the social mores of the culture.

Maureen wrote: "Hannah wrote: "Melodi wrote: "Dutch wrote: "Melodi wrote: "Becky wrote: "I haven't read this one yet, but I own it: The Blood of Flowers"

I actually read this and did not like it! Don't mean to pu..."

Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt this way!! All credit to the author for a good literary effort ... she simply writes an unlikeable character. I was disappointed with the ending.

Melodi wrote: "Becky wrote: "I haven't read this one yet, but I own it: The Blood of Flowers"

I actually read this and did not like it! Don't mean to put a damper on your to read shelf though!"

I did not read The Blood of the Flowers but I just realised in is by the same autour as Equal of the Sun, Anita Amirrezvani
which I enjoyed very much.

I started to recall more specific reasons I didn't like Blood of Flowers. The secondary characters were mostly quite nasty to the main character, except for her best girlfriend. So who is SHE nasty to? Her best girlfriend. Essentially they're competing for the same man, but her friend has a more legitimate claim to him than she does. If the (unnamed) MC had done the noble thing and stepped aside, she would have captured my heart forever.

Thanks for the tip on Equal of the Sun.

Becky wrote: "I haven't read this one yet, but I own it: The Blood of Flowers"

i really enjoyed it. Some other books concerning the Middle East which I have enjoyed include:
From a Persian Tea House: Travels in Old Iran
The Art of the Islamic Garden a particular interest of mine
The Rose of Sebastopol set in the Crimean war
The Twentieth Wife
The Feast of Roses
Shadow Princess: A Novel
Persia and Its People

What about:
The Kite Runner
A Thousand Splendid Suns
or the books by
Jean Sasson?

If you like Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns, you may also like Rooftops of Tehran.

I'm about to start "Honour" by Elif Shafak (I can't find this on Goodreads for some reason--very strange!). Though it's set in London it centers around a Turkish family's journey from Istanbul to England...very much looking forward to it. I also loved In the Eye of the Sun--and of course The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowels is a classic.

Sorry about that Melodi....I'm still learning how to use Goodreads