Moh AL Rasheed

History cannot be changed

Revisado: 07-09-21

Revisionist history par excellence! This queen’s story is important. This author, however, wants to tell history and write a novel in one book. There is no mystery in the author’s intentions since she tells us on page one she wants to somehow cleanup the queen’s reputation as a “she-wolf”. Isabel was a she-wolf, and that cannot change.
This approach leads to endless phrases and terms such as: it must have been, probably, should have been, surely it must mean, it is possible that…., perhaps she meant to…
That is not history. This is apologia in a straight jacket. The woman killed her husband. He slept with men and that was reason enough to depose him. She fornicated with Mortimer, but that was love. Her husband’s favorites wrecked the kingdom, as did her lover with her approval and support. They were all killed. Her lover was hanged by her son.
Feminist reading is all well and good, but like any other reading, it can go overboard. And this book does, unfortunately. Dump it and read an ‘authentic’ history; the period deserves it.

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Suspend judgment

Revisado: 02-26-21

When listening to American narrators, one has to be patient with the pronunciation of foreign words or names. But when the narrator grossly mispronounces English names time and time again, the matter becomes rather serious. The names of two known writers are mispronounced throughout. Leigh and Baigent are such two. One is pronounced lay the other as bi-gent. I will not go into French or other words. If you can stomach this anomaly, then the book is mildly interesting.

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Spectacular

Revisado: 03-06-20

Having read this book twice before, it was a pleasure to hear it read to me. Vidal goes without the recognition he deserves. That takes away nothing from his brilliance. If for nothing else, his asides on the tongue of The narrator(s) are worth the time and money. We all owe the Master a debt of gratitude and be happy the he does not have to suffer the incoherence of Trump.

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Sublime

Revisado: 10-05-19

Best in its field. The research is overpowering. It really puts the newish generation of Biblical scholars to shame., not to mention their shallow populist approach introduced to this world by Dan Brown.

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Narrator

Revisado: 04-29-19

Best narrator ever. His French Arabic and German were perfect. Unless someone else was doing it.

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Excellent

Revisado: 12-02-16

The details are informative. What might sound like gossip to the lay reader is actually a brutal expose of petty dynastic squabbles that led to millions being killed. One extended family probably killed more than the Roman Empire managed in a thousand years of war. Hats of to the author. The reader's voice and tone matched the written words perfectly.

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History vs google

Revisado: 11-28-16

Apart from expecting the next sentence you hear to be: And God came from Central Asia, the information gathering (not scholarship) is impressive.
One example. To claim that Ahmad bin Hanbal as hailing from central asia, is like claiming that Jesus was an Egyptian just because he was taken there as a child.

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