In the early years of Islam, three lives braid together.
Khalid ibn al-Walid never lost a battle, either fighting against the Prophet Muhammad or for him. “Women no longer give birth to the likes od Khalid,” the Prophet said. In old age, the general dictates his memoirs to a eunuch scribe, with a new perspective to all the blood he shed.
In the desert oasis of Tadmor, twelve-year-old Rayah comes of age, accepting her new religion and her own power.
And on the third floor of the house in Tadmor, a woman with blue eyes hides her past in the safety of a harem—which cannot remain secluded forever. For she and her mothers led the tribes of the desert on sacred camels—and with the help of beings of fire and smoke: the jinn.
Ann Chamberlin
Chamberlin’s Reign of the Favored Women trilogy caused a sensation when it was published in Turkey. She is the author of eleven historical novels and a nonfiction history of women in the Middle East. She also writes plays, including Jihad, which was named Best New Off-Off Broadway Play of 1996.
Praise for Ann Chamberlin’s Novels
For The Woman at the Well
Chamberlin (Gloria, 2005, etc.) breathes life into the ancient Arabic world in this epic historical novel of one girl’s tumultuous search to discover her past.
One scorching summer day, 12-year-old, blue-eyed Rayah participates in a rousing water fight with her aunts and cousins at their home in the desert oasis of Tadmor. When her small cousin, Bushra, slips and lands head first on the mosaic floor, all believe her dead. Rayah prays over the body, and something miraculous happens; underneath her hand, the skull fragments of Bushra’s head fuse and life suddenly fills the toddler’s body. For Rayah, this new, unknown power only fuels her desperation to uncover the truth of her ancestry. She finds unwelcome answers from Sitt Sameh, the woman with the same blue eyes as Rayah, who lives in the harem, yet has no family connection. Sitt Sameh confirms what Rayah doesn’t want to hear: she is Rayah’s mother and carrier of a dangerous secret. But it’s the arrival of a eunuch scribe that demolishes the sanctity of Rayah’s world. His master is Khalid ibn al-Wal?d, the Sword of God. This mighty conqueror is Sitt Sameh’s father and Rayah’s grandfather. The scribe begins reading Khalid’s memoirs, and as Sitt Sameh fills in the details, Rayah learns the astonishing story of her sacred lineage, of blue-eyed women who rode into battle, of the men who loved them, and of the jinn, beings of fire and smoke who helped them. Readers should be prepared to immerse themselves so completely into the ancient Middle East, with its exotic spices, silken veils and hot, desert sands, that leaving it is akin to reemerging into the modern world like Rip Van Winkle. Chamberlin beautifully captures the depth of Rayah’s awakening to her heritage, both emotionally and spiritually, and deftly intertwines the narratives of her mother and grandmother to create a multigenerational saga of love, betrayal, faith and legacy.
Impeccable research and haunting, poetic language create a lush tale to be lingered over and savored.
–Kirkus Reviews
The Woman at the Well is an excellent historical novel–well written, well edited, and quite lyrical–and it is a contemporary novel giving insight into the history of Islam. Ann Chamberlin is an accomplished writer with a special gift. . .
I recommend this novel to anyone interested in gaining more understanding about Islam and the world today.
–Kaye Trout Reviews
The Woman at the Well is a deep and involving multi-generational novel about a fascinating land in the midst of religious and cultural transformation.
–Reading the Past
For Sofia
“This is a brilliant novel. Ann Chamberlin is the master of crafting exciting realistic historical fiction. Sofia brings alive sixteenth-century Italy and Turkey though the eyes of its fabulous lead protagonists.”
–Affaire de Coeur (Five Stars)
For The Merlin of St. Gilles’ Well
“The Merlin of St. Gilles’ Well is wonderful! . . . It’s the best book I’ve read in months and months; a terrific premise, and so beautifully imagined and described, I can only gnash my teeth in envy . . . Every word is—literally—magic, evoking another world, an older time—and the echoes of the Old Ways that live on in us, unseen.”
–Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series
Read more about Ann on her website.
