KAYE TROUT'S BOOK REVIEWS 1

I specialize in reviewing Print-On-Demand (POD) published books for my website and Midwest Book Review. Please query for a review by email to hgunther234@hotmail.com.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL by Ann Chamberlin

Epigraph Books
Rhinebeck, New York
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: Very Good
ISBN: 9781936940097, $27.00, 390 pp.

Quoting from the back cover:

“The Days of the Arabs, The Time of Ignorance.
A time of jinn, poets, prophets, blood feuds, deserts.
A young man meets a young woman by a well.
The world is never the same.
The young man is Khalid ibn al-Walid, companion to the
Prophet Muhammad, conqueror of much of the known
world in the name of Islam.
And the woman–she has power of her own.

“Ann Chamberlin’s Reign of the Favored Women trilogy caused a sensation when it was published in Turkey. She is the author of eleven historical novels and a nonfiction history of women in the Middle East. She also writes plays, including Jibad, which was named Best New Off-Off Broadway Play of 1996.”

The Woman at the Well is an excellent historical novel–well written, well edited, and quite lyrical–and it is a contemporary novel giving insight into the history of Islam. Ann Chamberlin is an accomplished writer with a special gift. My only criticism would be that the type in the hardcover is small and not very dark. If you read with a Kindle, this is not a problem as you can adjust the size of the type.

I recommend this novel to anyone interested in gaining more understanding about Islam and the world today.

Kaye Trout - October 11, 2011