Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree: A Novel (The Islam Quintet Book 1) Kindle Edition

1499. Zuhayr bin Umar and his brother Yazid, sister Hind, are the generation that sees the ‘final solution’ of the Catholic church and Christian rulers for the “Muslim problem” of the 15th and 16th Century. Though the Moors had inhabited much of Iberia for the past few hundred years; though the Moors skills and knowledge in most areas of science and mathematics far surpassed that of their Christian neighbors; though the Moors offered no threat other than their mere presence; though all these factors would seem to be in the Moors’ favor, the “Ximenes de Cisneros had always believed that the heathen could only be eliminated as a force if their culture was completely erased,” and so their art, their writing, their lives, even, were destroyed. Some Moslems departed Spain. Some converted to Christianity. Some pretended conversion. And some fought back. Many of the latter two groups died.

We in the West tend to forget or ignore the huge contributions to learning and science provided by Arabic scholars. This novel, which takes place at the end of seven hundred years of Arab occupation of southern Spain -- mostly Andalucía-- provides a stunning reminder of that era. The story is told predominantly from the point of view of a young boy in a Muslim household outside of Granada. As so often, when the Muslim world and the Christian --specifically Catholic here -- clash, the results are ugly and far from uplifting. Well-written and engaging. I would highly recommend this book.

I bought this book, along with the Stone woman, with great excitement. Getting an inside look into a living, breathing Moorish Spain was certain to be a delight, more so with the pen of a writer as capable as Tariq Ali.Certainly, he paints a vivid picture of Moorish Spain. That much i can say without doubt. However, after reading The Stone Woman, and then reading this book, it seems to me that Tariq Ali has a unhealthy obsession with narrating the most absurd of sexual escapades. I don't doubt for a second these escapades may have happened - especially in the Aristocratic class in a decaying Ottomon Empire - however, there's something to be said if the author can only grab my attention by the most fantastic of marital affairs.There's simply no depth to the characters in this novel. I can't connect with any of them. Maybe i'm spoiled by the profound relationships and immense emotional depth in the writings of Khaled Hosseini, maybe that is the reason why this novel simply fails to satiate me.As a history buff, this book does its just incredibly well in recreating Moorish Spain in its last days. As a novel trying to retain my interest throughout with living, breathing characters whom i care about, i'm disappointed to say, this novel simply fails to deliver.I would recommend The Stone Woman, but this particular novel, i would not.

Very well written. An incredible time and people destroyed. You read it with a sense of foreboding. You know what happens at the end. Tragic and beautiful.

This was not an easy read. I found the many similar names confusing, due to my own ignorance of the Arabic language. It was, however a story giving much insight and appreciation of the Arab history

A mesmerizing look at Muslim Spain during the Reconquest, from the perspective of the re-conquered. The disconnect between Ferdinand and Isabella's actual orders and the way they were implemented by the local Spanish Inquisition is fascinating. The idyllic home life of the Muslim village nobility is enchanting. The brutality of the Catholic violence is appalling. And the one-page epilogue is tantalizing. A book to include in any curriculum of wars from the perspective of the attacked....

Have been reaing a lot about Spain. Enjoyed this book so much I will now read the rest of the series. Author has a style that engages you to keep reading. Many nights I read too late!..Good book if you are enterested in Spain. Interesting to learn of the lives of the Spanish moors and the culture that added to Spains.

Feel what Arabic Sicily was like. A bit disjoinred, but historically on pint.

It gets 4* rather than 5* as no book about this era can beat Leo The African by Amin Malouf. However it was a well-written novel, and beautifully depicts the post fall of Granada in splendid detail. DO NOT READ FURTHER AS THERE MAY BE SPOILERS!!!!************There were so many characters and interwoven stories I wasn't sure who my hero was. It was a toss up between the older or younger brother until the end revealed all.I love the humanity of all the characters, their flaws the fact that the practice of Islam centuries ago in Moorish Spain was about traditions and human desire too. I loved the female characters; Aunt Zara was my favorite because she was a rebel. What the heck happened to Tio Miguel at the end? I don't understand where he disappeared too. Very much liked the depictions of the Chrisitan side including evil monk Cisnero, the father of the Spanish Inquisition and the those KKK white hats!!!It is a historical, epic, family saga and ultimately makes very clear how horribly Muslims and Jews were treated post the fall of Granada. The atrocities and humongous tragedy of what Muslims and Jews had to sacrifice are just way too painful to comprehend. It was a genocide we rarely talk about and something shamelessly ignored by many English-speaking historians. Wiped from the history books.I am currently reading The Hand of Fatima by Ildefonso Falcones and El Manuscrito Carmesi by Antonio Gala both Spanish writers who have not the wiped the history books with their Christendom version of Moorish Spain. There is a lot to be learned from this novel and parallels with today.

I enjoyed reading this novel of Tariq Ali, so much. Frankly, I did not know he has been writing fiction. The book gave a nice taste of Andulusian history and geography and no less introduced interesting ascetic, rationalist persona such as al-Maarri, who is even said to influence some Western Enlightenment figures, which was all through a fascinating well-written story of an aristocratic family taking place in a village of Granada.As a minor note, there was a sentence passing towards the end of the novel, where it talks about food and mentioning "tomatoes soaked in yoghurt". I don't think there were tomatoes yet in an Andalusian village, then. I guess this could only be possible years after the discovery of Americas (?). The author talks about "food" practices so much in the novel which makes me suspect that the author himself should be a good cook himself.All in all, definitely wort reading especially for the ones interested in Moorish Spain.

Beautiful book, beautifully written

Absolutely fascinating. Although written at least twenty two years ago (first published 1992) it has become very relevant to the present time in the middle east, although everything is now in reverse of the time that this was set, and more global now. If you read it you will see what I mean. I shall read the other three in the series with great anticipation. It's a bit like "Animal Farm" in as much as you read it as a novel but you are having a history lesson almost without realising it. Go on, read it!!!!!

a fantastic read - essential for anyone with an interest in the history of Spain

Good book.

Loved it, takes you right back there. Most of the places mentioned are still there in Granada.

You will lose yourself in this novel - wonderful imagery, magnificently researched.

Stunning book: full of epic story telling, historical novel written by a master of Muslim history. Sheds a completely different light on the common perception of Muslim rulers and dynasties in their Golden Era!

I liked very much the style and the wealth of information on the islamic world

Brilliant story. Even better if you have visited Granada and Al Hamra and the surrounding villages .

An excellent insight into the lives of members of the muslim community after the reconquest. I recommend the book to all who are interested i Al-Andaluz

well written, easy to read, not really my usual type of reading.

One of Tariq Ali's best. Rich, deep, moving; a poignant portrayal of the human condition, in this tumultuous but beautiful setting. His analysis is fair and celebrates the beauties of Muslim culture in Andalusia, while at the same time allowing his cynical view of religion to peek through regularly. He has stayed true to the historical facts on both sides of the divide, which is so important. Tariq Ali is a master writer and out of the Quartet, this is my personal favourite.

The evil Cardenal Cisneros moves to Granada. The blindness of religious obsession. Destroy those who do not believe the same as you. Unluckily a constant in human history.