my_reading_journal's review against another edition
I guess I'm just not in a mood for historical fiction
likecymbeline's review against another edition
3.0
When I asked my dad for his copy of [b:War and Peace|656|War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413215930s/656.jpg|4912783] to read, he wanted to give me this book as well. (I insisted it wait since I doubted how quickly I'd read W&P.) Now what I find kind of cute about my dad recommending me this one is that yes, he recommended it because he enjoyed it and thought if I were reading historical fiction right now I might follow-up with this one, but I also think that he recommended it because of the gay relationship in it. In high school I was very loud about gay rights and about wanting more queer stories in fiction and actively sought out LGBT books and films and authors. And I mean, I wrote my whole thesis on Oscar Wilde and homosexual subculture in 19th-century England & France. So my dad Gets that queer stories are important to me, and it makes me pretty sure that it was part of why he recommended me this particular book, especially in tandem with the fact that when he read [b:The Song of Achilles|11250317|The Song of Achilles|Madeline Miller|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331154660s/11250317.jpg|16176791] he said his chief regret was that he got an e-book version of it and couldn't lend it to me because he was so sure I'd want to read it. ("You know, it's a love story. They're two men," is, I'm pretty sure, how he summed it up for me once.)
Then again, it could also be that I made him watch The Lion in Winter with me and that he thought I'd like a story dealing with King Richard and the Crusades. But I don't think so. I think it's just that he listened to me when I was young and this is the connection he makes with me.
Which says nothing at all about this book! It was a pretty good read, though depressing in that we're dealing with a city under siege and everything is getting worse and worse when you just want it to get better and want to bring everyone a bowl of soup. I would've loved to see more conman antics from the English group--I was generally less interested in what was going on with Malek or Kalal, though I understand the role they play in this as a family story. I totally called.
Overall there's something about this that is very much modern historical fiction. Romance-y, but not as romance-y as the cover illustration would make you believe. I would've liked more architectural details about building ceilings and domes and arches, but I have a feeling it would lose a lot of people who came here for Interpersonal Relationships during Times of War and Crisis, which is basically what modern historical fiction as a genre really is.
Then again, it could also be that I made him watch The Lion in Winter with me and that he thought I'd like a story dealing with King Richard and the Crusades. But I don't think so. I think it's just that he listened to me when I was young and this is the connection he makes with me.
Which says nothing at all about this book! It was a pretty good read, though depressing in that we're dealing with a city under siege and everything is getting worse and worse when you just want it to get better and want to bring everyone a bowl of soup. I would've loved to see more conman antics from the English group--I was generally less interested in what was going on with Malek or Kalal, though I understand the role they play in this as a family story. I totally called
Spoiler
the Moor is maybeJesus, and that the nail of Treves would fit into the wood of the cross, I just knew that was comingOverall there's something about this that is very much modern historical fiction. Romance-y, but not as romance-y as the cover illustration would make you believe. I would've liked more architectural details about building ceilings and domes and arches, but I have a feeling it would lose a lot of people who came here for Interpersonal Relationships during Times of War and Crisis, which is basically what modern historical fiction as a genre really is.
alexis_hookedtobooks's review against another edition
5.0
"Are there miracles in the world, or just the clever toils of fate? Or maybe simply the wise use of opportunity? In a way it really doesn't matter: the outcome is still the same."
I loved this book! It was a story of the siege of Acre during the Second Crusade, and the author did a brilliant job of painting the picture of what it was like for both sides. The book follows 2 stories: one about a young Muslim girl and a Jewish boy who fall in love, even though they know they cannot be together! The other story follows John Savage, an orphan from England who gets dragged to the holy land with Richard the Lionheart's army! Both stories represent love, war, loss, and self realization of who you really are! If you like historical fiction, I would highly recommend this book!
I loved this book! It was a story of the siege of Acre during the Second Crusade, and the author did a brilliant job of painting the picture of what it was like for both sides. The book follows 2 stories: one about a young Muslim girl and a Jewish boy who fall in love, even though they know they cannot be together! The other story follows John Savage, an orphan from England who gets dragged to the holy land with Richard the Lionheart's army! Both stories represent love, war, loss, and self realization of who you really are! If you like historical fiction, I would highly recommend this book!
likecymbeline's review against another edition
3.0
When I asked my dad for his copy of [b:War and Peace|656|War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413215930s/656.jpg|4912783] to read, he wanted to give me this book as well. (I insisted it wait since I doubted how quickly I'd read W&P.) Now what I find kind of cute about my dad recommending me this one is that yes, he recommended it because he enjoyed it and thought if I were reading historical fiction right now I might follow-up with this one, but I also think that he recommended it because of the gay relationship in it. In high school I was very loud about gay rights and about wanting more queer stories in fiction and actively sought out LGBT books and films and authors. And I mean, I wrote my whole thesis on Oscar Wilde and homosexual subculture in 19th-century England & France. So my dad Gets that queer stories are important to me, and it makes me pretty sure that it was part of why he recommended me this particular book, especially in tandem with the fact that when he read [b:The Song of Achilles|11250317|The Song of Achilles|Madeline Miller|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331154660s/11250317.jpg|16176791] he said his chief regret was that he got an e-book version of it and couldn't lend it to me because he was so sure I'd want to read it. ("You know, it's a love story. They're two men," is, I'm pretty sure, how he summed it up for me once.)
Then again, it could also be that I made him watch The Lion in Winter with me and that he thought I'd like a story dealing with King Richard and the Crusades. But I don't think so. I think it's just that he listened to me when I was young and this is the connection he makes with me.
Which says nothing at all about this book! It was a pretty good read, though depressing in that we're dealing with a city under siege and everything is getting worse and worse when you just want it to get better and want to bring everyone a bowl of soup. I would've loved to see more conman antics from the English group--I was generally less interested in what was going on with Malek or Kalal, though I understand the role they play in this as a family story. I totally calledthe Moor is maybeJesus, and that the nail of Treves would fit into the wood of the cross, I just knew that was coming .
Overall there's something about this that is very much modern historical fiction. Romance-y, but not as romance-y as the cover illustration would make you believe. I would've liked more architectural details about building ceilings and domes and arches, but I have a feeling it would lose a lot of people who came here for Interpersonal Relationships during Times of War and Crisis, which is basically what modern historical fiction as a genre really is.
Then again, it could also be that I made him watch The Lion in Winter with me and that he thought I'd like a story dealing with King Richard and the Crusades. But I don't think so. I think it's just that he listened to me when I was young and this is the connection he makes with me.
Which says nothing at all about this book! It was a pretty good read, though depressing in that we're dealing with a city under siege and everything is getting worse and worse when you just want it to get better and want to bring everyone a bowl of soup. I would've loved to see more conman antics from the English group--I was generally less interested in what was going on with Malek or Kalal, though I understand the role they play in this as a family story. I totally called
Overall there's something about this that is very much modern historical fiction. Romance-y, but not as romance-y as the cover illustration would make you believe. I would've liked more architectural details about building ceilings and domes and arches, but I have a feeling it would lose a lot of people who came here for Interpersonal Relationships during Times of War and Crisis, which is basically what modern historical fiction as a genre really is.
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