Emeralds of the Alhambra

John D Cressler

Fiction

How could we forget? We live in a world being torn apart by religious tensions and fanaticism, yet we managed to forget that for hundreds of years Christians, Muslims, and Jews...

Out of stock

9781620061978

-
+
$34.95

How could we forget? We live in a world being torn apart by religious tensions and fanaticism, yet we managed to forget that for hundreds of years Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived together in peace, sharing languages and customs, embracing a level of tolerance and mutual respect unheard of today. Working together, these three peoples spawned one of the great intellectual and cultural flowerings of history. When and where? Medieval Spain. Our aching world desperately needs to recall this forgotten fact, these rich possibilities.

Emeralds of the Alhambra, a historical novel, reawakens this remarkable era via the relationship between William Chandon, a wounded Christian knight brought to the Sultan’s court in Granada, and the strong-willed Layla al-Khatib, who is on a quest to become the first female Sufi Muslim mystic in a male-dominated society. As Chandon’s influence at court grows, he becomes trapped between his forbidden love for Layla, his Christian heritage, the demands of chivalry, and political expediency. Chandon must make a choice between love and honor, peace and war, life and death, a choice which ultimately will seal Granada’s fate as the last surviving stronghold of Muslim Spain.

Emeralds is set in the resplendent Alhambra Palace in Granada during the Castilian Civil War (1367-1369), a time when, improbably, Muslims took up their swords to fight alongside Christians.

Emeralds of the Alhambra is the first book in the trilogy Anthems of al-Andalus.

Visit http://johndcressler.com for more information on Author John D. Cressler

Watch the book trailer here! 

by John D Cressler
Page Count: 446
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Publish Date: June 5, 2013
Imprint: Milford House
Genre: Historical

FICTION / Historical / Medieval
FICTION / Romance / Historical / Medieval
FICTION / Religious 

Customer Reviews

Based on 2 reviews Write a review

Recently Viewed Products

Customer Reviews

Based on 2 reviews
50%
(1)
50%
(1)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
A
Anonymous
Emeralds of the Alhambra

EMERALDS, the first of a trilogy ("Anthems of al-Andalus"), holds one's interest from page one. Centered around the Alhambra and the inner-workings of the Sultan's court in Granada, John Cressler has created a sweeping story of the Crusades' effect on peaceful Muslims and Jews living harmoniously in Andalusia during the time of the Moorish invasion of Spain. From the opening battle scene to the final denouement, this book is a real page-turner with the reader wanting no time-outs for sleep or meals. Cressler's eye for architectural and historical details and his well-told story line of epic battles, political and religious skullduggery and the star-crossed love of William Chandon, a wounded Christian knight, and Layla al-Khatid, a determined young Muslim woman in a male-dominated society, makes one HAVE to know what is going to happen next! EMERALDS is the start of something big, and the beginning of a harrowing and fateful journey for its readers. Highly recommended!

A
Anonymous
Beauty, power and poetry in a forgotten time

Although I am not a frequent reader of historical fiction, this is a consummately entertaining, unique, beautiful and enlightening read, set in a period I find fascinating. I have never visited Granada but have seen nearby Cordoba...the great Mesquita must be one of the most amazing buildings I've ever seen, but would have been impossible to conceive of anywhere else. Here Cressler has crafted evocative descriptions of landscape and architecture and very touching and moving scenes of love in bloom. A delight to read, especially since I was falling in love myself when I read it! (I even stole the Rumi line "Your wind shivers my tree" and deployed it to my own nefarious purposes!) Romance, history, conspiracy, swashbuckling, mysticism, and you get to learn a bit of Arabic, Spanish and French...what's not to like about this epic tale? An inspiring and exciting story that speaks to the needs of our own time. Not to be missed...I'm looking forward to the next instalments!