Amin Maalouf delivers again. Interesting setting (1830s Lebanon) and engaging style. Worth a read for sure. ( )

What a storyteller! I felt myself spellbound as if increasingly cocooned as the narrative unfolded. An historical novel told through accounts of the life story of the fictional Tanios, a villager of questionable provenance. Highly recommended. ( )

> Nuit blanche, (57), pp. 27-28 : https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/19638ac
> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Maalouf-Le-rocher-de-Tanios/5547
> BAnQ (La presse, 14 nov. 1993) : https://collections.banq.qc.ca/ark:/52327/2176768

A good tale in the tried and true storytelling mode of narrator telling a story told to him, one that took place several generations ago (1830s-1840s Lebanon). The Great Game is in full swing as well as rivalries between the Ottoman Empire(The Divine Port) and the Pasha of Egypt as represented by the local Emir. Mix in religion (Catholic, Druze, Muslim, English Protestant), local and personal vendettas & one thing leads inevitably to another. ( )

Enkele aangename leesmomenten, echter geen indrukwekkende literatuur is. Vlot vertelde geschiedenis. Al of niet waar gebeurd. Biedt enig inzicht in het religieuze en politieke kluwen in en rond Libanon. ( )