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Product Description
Book Description
The new historical blockbuster from the internationally bestselling author of The Cathedral Of The Sea.
Product Description
Snared between two cultures and two loves, one man is forced to choose...
1564, the Kingdom of Granada. After years of Christian oppression, the Moors take arms and daub the white houses of Sierra Nevada with the blood of their victims.
Amidst the conflict is young Hernando, the son of an Arab woman and the Christian priest who raped her. He is despised and regularly beaten by his own step-father for his 'tainted' heritage.
Fuelled with the love of the beautiful Fatima, Hernando hatches a plan to unite the two warring faiths - and the two halves of his identity...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I bought 'The Hand of Fatima' (a symbol banned by the Christians during the period) as soon it was published due to the fact that I had been extremely impressed with 'The Cathedral of the Sea' and didn't want to wait for the paperback. It was worth every penny. This time Falcones turns his attention to the history of the Moors in Spain, their enforced conversation to Christianity, rebellion and ultimate expulsion from the country. The actions of the warring factions are brutal, bloody and disturbing and in sharp contrast to the beauty of the country and the culture.
The central character is Hernando, his Muslim mother is raped by a Christian priest and his blue eyes mark him out to be reviled by the Morisco community and by his stepfather in particular. Throughout the novel he moves between both religions and yet belongs to neither. He falls in love with Fatima, a young girl who his stepfather wants for his second wife, will they ever be together? Hernando's story is an adventure, he is imprisoned, enslaved and he escapes. He makes friends and enemies on both sides of the divide. He tries to do what is right but his actions are misunderstood, he can't tell people what he is really doing for fear of putting more lives at risk. For both sides it was a case of convert or be slaughtered. On the front of the novel are the words 'Moors and Christians have been enemies for centuries - can one man bring their conflict to an end?' Unfortunately we already know the answer to that question, but documents exist that indicate that a group of Muslims were trying to find a way to reconcile the two religions back in the 16th century. Why can't the two sides concentrate on the similarities rather than the differences? This is one of the many questions that I asked myself while reading this novel.
In 'The Hand of Fatima' Falcones has brought this period vividly to life, although I am not able to read it in the original Spanish I believe that the translator has done justice to the original to the extent that it could easily have originally been written in English.
If you enjoyed 'The Cathedral of the Sea' or if you are a fan of epic historical novels in general then this is definitely for you, yes, it does take a while to read but I enjoyed every page and was sorry when I reached the end.
The central character is Hernando, his Muslim mother is raped by a Christian priest and his blue eyes mark him out to be reviled by the Morisco community and by his stepfather in particular. Throughout the novel he moves between both religions and yet belongs to neither. He falls in love with Fatima, a young girl who his stepfather wants for his second wife, will they ever be together? Hernando's story is an adventure, he is imprisoned, enslaved and he escapes. He makes friends and enemies on both sides of the divide. He tries to do what is right but his actions are misunderstood, he can't tell people what he is really doing for fear of putting more lives at risk. For both sides it was a case of convert or be slaughtered. On the front of the novel are the words 'Moors and Christians have been enemies for centuries - can one man bring their conflict to an end?' Unfortunately we already know the answer to that question, but documents exist that indicate that a group of Muslims were trying to find a way to reconcile the two religions back in the 16th century. Why can't the two sides concentrate on the similarities rather than the differences? This is one of the many questions that I asked myself while reading this novel.
In 'The Hand of Fatima' Falcones has brought this period vividly to life, although I am not able to read it in the original Spanish I believe that the translator has done justice to the original to the extent that it could easily have originally been written in English.
If you enjoyed 'The Cathedral of the Sea' or if you are a fan of epic historical novels in general then this is definitely for you, yes, it does take a while to read but I enjoyed every page and was sorry when I reached the end.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
A very well written book, dealing with episode of history I only had a vague knowledge of. I found the short "historical essays" designed to keep the reader informed of the larger picture very useful. My only problem with the book was it seemed to drag things out a bit. I believe a bit of judicious editing could have cut 200 pages from the book without a noicable loss. A good read none the less, and one which informs aswell as entertains.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Love this book. I'm enjoying it more than the cathedral of the sea. I can't wait till I go to Granada and see for myself.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A great read........
As a long term lover of all things Spain, and expecially Catalunya and Andalucia I had enjoyed Falcones previous book based in Barcelona and surrounds and looked forward to The... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Leonardo De Vespa
The Hand OF Fatima - Very Enriching
I really enjoyed this book once I got into it. I found it a bit slow to start with but after a while could not put it down. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. T. Leigh
The hand of a master
A few weeks back I strolled through my favorite book store and saw this book on the shelves. Without a doubt I picked it up, for I had enjoyed 'The Cathedral of the Sea' very much. Read more
Published 1 month ago by H. A. Hilvers
Clichéd and long
I am interested in this period of history and like historical fiction, but this book is too sensationalist for me. And too long. Yawn.
Published 2 months ago by sk2011
fantastic book
excellent book with a very interesting story based on historical facts that are not very well known. I really enjoyed being in the Alpujarra where the action is taking place.
Published 3 months ago by Mr. David El Baz
best read
book delivered very quickly,what a cracking story had me enthralled from the first page and i didnt want it to end,
Published 5 months ago by Macca
a worthy successor.
If you have read Ildefonso Falcones first book, Cathedral Of The Sea,then you know what to expect , a great read , lots of interesting period detail. and a great story. Read more
Published 6 months ago by weedkiller
Great Book
I loved this book. The story was very accurate historically about what had happened in Andulusia . Read more
Published 7 months ago by Noora
a novel bigger than life
I bought this book during holidays and its only drawback being that it was so interesting and captivating I almost missed my holiday reading it. Read more
Published 8 months ago by gift
Very long, but pretty Moorish
As the opening chapters in this long narrative are set in the Alpujarran village of Juviles, where I sometimes live, I've been looking forward to reading the English translation. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Martin
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