Book Description
This stirring, poignant novel, based on real historical events that made of actual people true heroes, unfolds the tragedy that befell the Armenian people in the dark year of 1915. The Great War is raging through Europe, and in the ancient, mountainous lands southwest of the Caspian Sea the Turks have begun systematically to exterminate their Christian subjects. Unable to deny his birthright or his people, one man, Gabriel Bagradian—born an Armenian, educated in Paris, married to a Frenchwoman, and an officer doing his duty as a Turkish subject in the Ottoman army—will strive to resist death at the hands of his blood enemy by leading 5,000 Armenian villagers to the top of Musa Dagh, “the mountain of Moses.” There, for forty days, in the face of almost certain death, they will suffer the siege of a Turkish army hell-bent on genocide. A passionate warning against the dangers of racism and scapegoating, and prefiguring the ethnic horrors of World War II, this important novel from the early 1930s remains the only significant treatment, in fiction or nonfiction, of the first genocide in the twentieth century’s long series of inhumanities. It also continues to be today what the New York Times deemed it in 1933—“a true and thrilling novel ... a story which must rouse the emotions of all human beings.” “Musa Dagh gives us a lasting sense of participation in a stirring episode of history.... Magnificent.”—The New York Times Book Review “A novel full of the breath, the flesh and blood and bone and spirit of life.”—Saturday Review
Customer Reviews:
Deserves to be required reading.......2006-12-04
The Forty Days of Musa Dagh is an historical fiction drama set in WWI Turkey. During the war, the Turkish government imposes a policy of forced relocation on Armenian Christians living within its borders. Refusing to leave, the residents of several villages at the foot of Musa Dagh (Moses Mountain) decide to stay and fight. They take refuge on the mountain, constructing a fortress with their meager resources. The band of ordinary citizens courageously holds out for forty days, sucessfully holding off the better equipped, better trained and vastly larger Turkish army. Want to know how it ends? Read the book!
The book is clearly written, and translates well from the original German. The imagery is vivid and I really cared about the characters. Although the book is long, there are few lulls. It's been over 18 months since I've read this book, and I still find myself thinking about it and I remember a surprising amount of it; it's that memorable!
I was amazed that I had not even heard of this book before reading it. The Armenian genocide in Turkey was barely mentioned in my college history classes. It is a shame that such a well-written book about such a large atrocity (1.5 million people died) is so obscure. Of course, there is some controversy regarding the historical accuracy of this book and of the Armenian genocide in general, but the consensus is that, except for the names and minor details, the book is accurate. Do your homework and make up your own mind.
Stirs and pervades the human spirit with great emotion.......2006-01-20
How do I begin describing this book? this marvelous novel penned by an Austrian writer who was not indebted to the Armenian people and owed them nothing. How do I describe and compress this eight-hundred page long book into a miniscule summary?
The truth of the matter is, is that words alone cannot describe Franz Werfel's "The Forty Days of Musa Dagh". It is too grand a story that should, rather, be read by everyone and experienced to the greatest extent possible in the human spirit. The novel revolves around the life and culture of the Armenian people in a Western region of Syria in 1915. The Ottoman Empire, lead by the Young Turkish leadership have enacted the state-wide policy of genocide against the Armenians. Sensing the impending the danger, the 4,000 people of this region are forced to take shelter on the towering and biblical mountain of Musa Dagh. With a Turkish military force encircling the mountain, it is up to the Armenians to defend their way of life or die and vanish into history.
I do not wish to impede on others' reviews and assert my position on whether or not they are correct, it is their opinions after all; however, those who gave this book a one star rating did it out of malice and contempt over what they see as a misrepresentation of their country's history. Rather they looked at what the book was professing about and instead of placing what they thought of a well-written novel, they placed their version of the events of 1915.
It is of no matter, it is up to the reader to gain an understanding from what the reviewer provides. Werfel composes a beaufiful note which instills the reader's spirt with much more than words, it gives them hope, it gives them proof that perhaps there are happy and positive stories that stem from tragedies. Werfel couldn't have done it any better.
Fictional-but.......2004-09-14
Yes, the book is fictional, but based on a real incident. The survivors were taken by the French warships to Lebanon and started an Armenian village there. As to one reviewers questions as to what happened to the Turks in Armenia, they are still the majority there, along with Kurds. Turkish Armenia has no Armenians, they are all gone. The modern country of Armenia was part of the Russian empire at the time of the massacres. It was predominately Armenian in population and escaped the massacres. As to the extent of the destruction, we will never know just how many were killed. However, I do feel that Turkey from 1915 through 1922 was one of the first modern examples of ethnic cleansing, with a determined effort to rid the country of all non-Turkish elements. Western Asia Minor had been Greek for better than 3000 years (Symrna, Miletus, Laodicea, Ephesus, etc). It is not today. The land around Mt. Ararat and Lake Van had been mostly Armenian for 3000 years. It is not today. The Black Sea coast had been mostly Greek for 2500 years. It is not today. Yes, the Greeks did invade Turkey in an attempt to take advantage of the country's defeat in WWI. They were thrown back in a great show of courage and patriotism. But the aftermath must also be examined. Yes, there were Armenians who wanted to succeed and form an independent state. But the aftermath must also be examined.
We are talking of things that happened almost 100 years ago. I do not feel that the Turkish people today have guilt for the actions that were taken then. I like Turkey and the Turks I have met. But historical facts do not disappear by denying them.
We all have an obligation to face up to the unpleasant facts of history. Only when all of us say "Never again" to any genocidal action will genocide cease to exist.
Is this "genocide" akin to religious fanaticism?.......2004-08-06
If this book is fictional as even the people who are crazy about it admit, then how could they take it as historic fact? The degree of emotionalism involved by the Armenian reviewers here is phenomenal. It's almost as though this supposed genocide is a religious experience, and the truth needs to be damned.
An Ara Belian (Feb. 4, 2004) is upset at the revelations of another reviewer, whose essay made a lot of sense to me. He counts on stories by relatives as his evidence... but nobody is arguing Armenians did not suffer. The point is, everyone suffered during those tragic times. Didn't Armenians kill Turks in large numbers, that we never hear about? (Why are there no Turks in Armenia, when once the Turks were the majority?)
The point is whether a governmental extermination policy was in effect; this is the unproven part of genocide theory, and emotionalism is an unfair substitute for history.
All the "documented evidence, witnesses and memoirs of the genocide" prove is that ugliness occurred during what was a state of war. That's why none of it was admissible as actual evidence when the British attempted to try the Turks for massacre crimes at the end of WWI.
Taking the moral high road by claiming numbers don't matter is awfully ingenuous of Belian when propagandists make sure to tell us numbers do matter... the higher the number, the greater the sympathy value. That's why false numbers as 1.5 million have been created. Instead of saying he was made to "fume and filled ...with anger," why doesn't Mr. Belian THINK? Approach this subject coolly, rationally and without emotion? Instead of acting like a religious zealot who doesn't care about reason and common sense?
Powerful and Moving........2004-08-02
The Forty Days of Musa Dagh is a very human novel written on an epic scale. It is at once the struggle of a "foreign" man to hold together his family, and the valient attempt of a people to survive. It is unfortunate that so many people have attacked this book to advance their political agenda of blurring history. "Martyr" is a word that is unfortunately abused today, however, in Forty Days one truly understands the broad scope and sacred purpose of that word. This is a book of wonderful contradictions: profound loss replaced by hope for the future; despair replaced by courage. Truly moving.
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The Forty Days of Musa Dagh
Manufacturer: The Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HMDPEE |
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The Culturally Complex Individual: Franz Werfel's Reflections on Minority Identity and Historical Depiction in the Forty Days of Musa Dagh
Rachel Kirby
Manufacturer: Bucknell University Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0838753930 |
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The Forty Days of Musa Dagh
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GSQB36 |
Book Description
BY THE AUTHOR OF THE BEST-SELLING SILK SERIES–OVER 150,000 COPIES IN PRINT!
He fought to seek his fortune.
Would he lose a greater treasure: the love he left behind?
As the son of the squire of Grimston Way, aristocrat Rogan Chantry has fought hard to win his independence from Sir Julien Bley and the British South Africa Company. Now, his pursuit of a mysterious deposit of gold, marked on a map willed to him by his murdered uncle, Henry Chantry, is challenged by a new complication: the impending British colonization of South Africa. Can Sir Rogan find the gold in the midst of escalating tensions among the native tribesmen, the missionaries sent to win them, and the new colonists?
Meanwhile, Evy Varley, the woman Rogan loves back in England, is headed for a brave yet dangerous confrontation with Henry’s killer–but at what price? With so much against Rogan and Evy, a reunion seems improbable, if not impossible. Can yesterday’s promise hold them faithful to the hope of future freedom and a victorious love?
Customer Reviews:
Exciting book, but flawed........2006-12-30
I was slightly disappointed in this book, but don't get me wrong...I loved it. My complaint is this: Rogan is in South Africa, while Evy is in England. The relationship between Rogan and Evy is what drove the first book for me...if it hadn't been for their constant interactions, I would have gotten slightly bored. So, since Rogan and Evy are apart for most of this book, it was harder to read and not as compelling. However, it was still great! It was nice to see things from Rogan's point of view, and the storyline in South Africa was very exciting. This book is my least favorite in the series, but it's still excellent.
An incredible story of South Africa and love..........2004-10-18
I must confess, I believe this series is one of the best by Linda Chaikin! I loved the characters. I loved the plot. And I loved the exotic background to the whole story! The future Sir Rogan Chantry of Rookswood estate of Grimston Way, England is searching for the gold his uncle, Henry Chantry had left to him after Henry's supposed suicide. Despite facing his family's opposition and their own plans for him, Rogan sets out on his own to try to find the gold deposit in rich South Africa. His incredible journey to Bulawayo and Salisbury were well-detailed and well-thought out. The description of the colonists' journey admidst the escalating tensions of the natives and the Boers were also well-descripted. In England, Evy Varley has finally accomplished her dream of having her own piano school. But a confrontation with Henry's murderer has left her scarred for life. Will she and Rogan be reunited? Or will they lose the love they had discovered before Rogan left for South Africa? I couldn't put this book down, I finished it in one day. The suspense of finding out who is Henry's killer and Evy's attacker and the impending reunion of Rogan and Evy kept me reading to the satisfying end. But as you know, there is "Today's Embrace" which will continue the story of Rogan and Evy and their destiny in South Africa so I will definitely buy the third book when it comes out. Linda Chaikin is definitely one of my favourite authors and I can't wait to find out what she has in store for Rogan and Evy and other characters she will create in the near future!
Awesome continuation.......2004-07-11
Chaikin has done it again. This spectacular writer keeps me coming for more with this next installment of the "East of the Sun" series. The mystery of Evy's attacker kept me guessing and anticipation over Rogan's and Evy's reunion kept my eyes glued to the pages. Can't wait till the conclusion -- Linda, please write fast!
Exceptional Read!.......2004-06-21
Linda Chaikin does a terrific job in this sequel to Tommorow's Treasure. I absolutely love the main characters, Rogan and Evy. This book, like it's prequel is a must read. You are sure to love it because it has just the right mix of everything.
Such a great book.......2004-05-15
I read this and the first book "Tomorrow's Treasure" back to back. Both were wonderful. The storyline becomes so much clearer in this one. I can't wait to read the third book.
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"Yesterday, Today, and Promises for Tomorrow
Robert Price
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1419629662
Release Date: 2006-08-28 |
Customer Reviews:
One of her best "pure" romance books ............2006-12-17
Other ppl have already said what this book is about and I dont want to give out further details or it'll just ruin it for other ppl who havnt read it yet. But I will say this, this book reads like a movie.. written so well and vividly that you wont even notice the words... you'll "see" the drama played out in your mind. Its one of those books. Beautiful, taestful, a classic romance by Sandra Brown. Enjoy!
Passionate, bittersweet melodrama.......2006-10-18
Keeley was married just three weeks before her husband Mark's helicopter was shot down in Vietnam and he was classified as an MIA 12 years earlier. She has remained faithful over the years. As she prepares to meet with Congress to fight for the right to maintain his MIA status to continue receiving his military salary which pays for the care of his elderly parents, she meets and falls for a sexy congressman. As she struggles with the guilt to love on without Mark and forge a new relationship with Dax, she finds herself in a catch 22 when there is a possibility that Mark is among the group of POW's that have emerged out of the jungle.
Because it was written early in Brown's career, character development takes a backseat to the romance itself. But this, emotional drama plays out like a well-scripted movie of the week, and has readers wondering who they will root for.
Read It Only When There Is Nothing Else To Do.......2006-09-08
It wasn't the worst that I've read, but it was also far from the best.
In this lame attempt to play off the tales of MIA/POWs, readers are introduced to Keeley Preston whose husband, Mark, has been missing for many years. Keeley has remained faithful for all those years in hopes that Mark is still alive and to fight to maintain his military pay that, in turn, pays for his elderly parents medical costs. She is the leader of a small but determined group of women who are scheduled to argue against declaring their husbands dead by the government in front of a special committee.
And it is in flight to this committee meeting that Keeley meets a handsome stranger and falls in love. Yet she is torn between her hopes and intense guilt and the strong feelings she has for this man who just "happened" into her life. Just when she is at the apex of her emotional struggle, she gets "the" call...a group of soldiers have wondered out of the jungle. Is Mark among them?
If you read romance frequently, you can probably guess the end. If you can't, then pick it up and read it; but do so when there isn't much else to do or anything else to read.
Hot and Steamy.......2005-09-13
I loved it and was totally engrossed from the start. I love Sandra Brown books!!
More Like a Rough Draft!.......2005-05-13
Sandra Brown attempts to tap the MIA / POW debate that has been continuing for years. TOMORROW'S PROMISE is a story of a woman whose husband has been missing in action for years and just when she starts coping with the fact that he's not coming back, fate plays a nasty trick. The government announces that 26 men have been found, alive. She's torn between hope that her husband is one of those men, and longing for a new love that she's just found.
This is a pleasant enough way to spend some free time in which you don't want to think and "veg out". There's nothing in TOMORROW'S PROMISE that will get your mind moving, or your blood pressure up for that matter. This is an ok story line, but it leaves you feeling like it's Brown's rough draft and not the final book. There's room for many subplots, stronger character definition, etc., but she falls short of this being a spectacular book. Because of the cookie-cutter plot line, the story is very predictable, and leaves little to the imagination. TOMORROW'S PROMISE is another one you don't want to buy new, just borrow someone else's copy!
Customer Reviews:
I love these great christain every day books.......1998-09-25
I love reading these books as I'm a christian and when I read these books it sounds like my life and I get some great tips and things to keep in mind, it's great. It's like reading my everyday life and recieving the answer to my problems. It has given me courage to be myself and praise God for everything. Thank-you
Book Description
Daria Mitchell made a choice-the wrong choice. Swept off her feet by the flashy brother with pro basketball potential, she overlooked the kindness and quiet integrity of the other.
Jared Wilkes secretly pined for Daria, only to watch her succumb to the predatory charms of his selfish, womanizing older brother.
Ten years later, Jared and Daria meet again. A soul-stirring attraction draws them together for a whirlwind romance like neither has ever known. But will deep-rooted insecurities; bitter sibling rivalry and a twisted deception destroy their second chance at love?
Reon Laudat is back with her second steamy indigo romance. You may know her as Reon Carter from her debut indigo novel, Picture Perfect, February 2000. As before, Reon packs a powerful punch into her love stories that keep you on the sensual edge. She resides in Michigan with her husband.
Customer Reviews:
Sweet dreams.......2001-11-17
It's the 10 year High School class reunion and it's time for
the duckling to make an appearance. But the catch this time
is that there will be no swan, instead he turned into a bird
of prey who was quite debonair. Jared Wilkes paced in his
Manhattan apartment comtemplating what to wear, he wanted to
make a good impression but he did not want to overkill.
Ten years ago Jared had a mad crush on high school beauty
queen, Daria Mitchell. But Jared was a nerd and he was too
shy and insecure to approach her. So Jared's older brother
Chapper, a high school and all-state basketball star added
her to his list of groupies.
Daria has been living in California pursuing her dreams as
an up and coming actress, but she is looking forward to the
reunion. Jared, works as a senior bonds trader for a
Manhattan firm. He is going home, but only because Daria will
be there. Jared never really got over the crush he had on her
and he's now ready to get up-close and personal.
Ms Laudat, has written an interesting twist to this coming
of age story for one shy young man who finally gets an
opportunity to share his feelings with his high school
fantasy. But his brother Chapper is living back at home and
he uses his old charms and a few new habits to create a firey
sibling rivalry. Will Jared finally beat his brother and
wake from his dreams to a promising and real tomorrow?
Reviewed by aNN
I Love You Not Your Brother.......2001-10-27
TEN YEARS AGO IN HIGH SCHOOL DARIA DATED THE WRONG WILKES BROTHER. CHAPPER, WHO IS A PLAYER FROM HIS HEART , HE IS ONLY AFTER WHAT HE CAN GET. WHEN DARIA TURNS HIM DOWN HE DROPS HER IN A FLASH. JARED THE SHY ONE WHO IS A MEMBER OF DARIAS' CLASS LOVES HER FROM AFAR. DARIA AND JARED RETURN FOR THEIR TEN YEAR CLASS REUNION. DARIA JUST TO SEE WHO IS THEIR AND JARED WITH THE HOPE THAT SHE WILL BE THERE. AS SOON AS THEY SEE EACH OTHER SPARKS FLY. THEY BEGIN A LONG DISTANT RELATIONSHIP, WHICH IS GOING GREAT. HOWEVER CHAPPER IS JEALOUS OF EVERTHING HIS BROTHER HAS ESPECIALLY DARIA. CHAPPER SET UP THIS ELABORATE PLAN TO BREAK THEM UP, BECAUSE JARED REFUSES TO LISTEN; PLUS HE STILL HAS HANG UPS FROM HIS HIGH SCHOOL DAYS IT WORKS. JARED SPEND THE NEXT FEW MONTHS HATING THE WORLD, WORKING NIGHT AND DAY, AVOIDING DARIA AND HIS BROTHER. DARIA SPEND IT CRYING AND TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH SHE STILL LOVES HIM. FRIENDS TRY AND TALKED TO HIM BUT HE IS SO BLIND WITH ANGER HE WON'T LISTEN. SITTING ALONE AND UNHAPPY A S HELL ONE NIGHT, JARED REALIZES HE LOVES DARIA MORE THAN LIFE IT SELF AND DECIDES TO GO SEE HER SAY HE IS SORRY AND BEG FOR A SECOND CHANCE. DARIA ISN'T SURE SHE WANTS TO GIVE IN, SHE ADMITTS SHE LOVE HIM BUT LOVE WITH NO TRUST IS NO GOOD SHE TELLS HIM. THEY WORK THROUGH THIS PROBLEM GET MARRIED AND THE REST IS HISTORY.
Book Description
The only Bible in the God's Promises
Customer Reviews:
Love this bible.......2006-08-24
This has go to be one of the best bibles, I can look up scriptures based of different subject matters. Language has been updated, print is easy to read.
Book Description
A glossy wooden box, inlaid with an image of a dark-haired woman. Its mysteries sealed tight for generations. Or were they?
Past
The reclusive Maxwell Wolford, Earl of Dorsey, acquires the box-only to discover that the beautiful Lady Amanda Pratt holds the key to its secrets-and his heart. . .
Present
Tina Chamberlain's fiance, Ryan Kinsey, is convinced the unusual box in her possession contains the secret to his research at NASA. But what Tina needs to discover is is Ryan truly wants her-or the box only she can unseal. . .
Future
During her studies, scientist Sara Tolliver accidently triggers a time machine, bringing a man named Kentar back from the future. . .a future where women no longer exist. Little do they guess that their only hope of being together lies in Sara's old heirloom chest. As does the future of love itself. ..
Customer Reviews:
The Hope Chest.......2005-07-29
Susan Kearney's story was the best out of all. This book was'nt what I expected. None the less the stories were put together very nicely by Susan Kearney in her part of the story. All in all not bad.
Great idea--not so great content........2005-05-24
It was a good idea--connecting the 3 different romance genres (regency/historical, contemporary, & futuristic) by writing around a common object (mysterious box) in the past, present, and future. Unfortunately, the stories were mediocre at best, with the first one (Yesterday's Magic) being perhaps the best of the three. This one is going in my discard pile. I would not recommend it unless you are willing to be only moderately amused.
three related well written romantic novellas .......2005-03-05
"Yesterday's Magic" by Jacquie D'Alessandro. In 1820 Cardiff Maxwell buys a hope chest at Gibson's Antiques and Curiosities just before Amanda tries to purchase the same item. He is cold to her efforts to buy the chest from him. Though the earl is known as the "Crazed Killer of Cardiff" due to the Scandalous Incident, he and Amanda fall in love due to the "matchmaking" of the hope chest.
"Today's Secrets" by Julie Kenner. While Ryan celebrates his taking over as head of Kinsey Applied Sciences, reporter Marty reflects on how disappointed her father, head of Allied International Technology, is in her. Marty and Ryan meet and are attracted to one another, but when he sees her hope chest with a special formula written on it he becomes fascinated with that. She wonders if he loves her hope chest or her.
"Tomorrow's Promise" by Susan Kearney. In 2705 Mars, womanologist Kendar looks back three centuries to doomed heroine Sara, a Martian archeologist, who tried to shut down a machine that ultimately obliterated the female population. While visiting Station 32 the site of Sara's doom, Kendar is sent back to 2405. He meets Sara. Together they must interpret the ancient Martian writings on the machine, a hope chest, or women will vanish from the planet.
This anthology contains three related romantic novellas that is fun to follow as readers gradually learn the secrets of THE HOPE CHEST. Each tale is unique with Ms. D'Alessandro providing a Regency; Ms. Kenner a contemporary; and Ms. Kearny a futuristic science fiction. Yet each tale is linked by fine writing that stars delightful protagonists and the overall lead the Hope Chest.
Harriet Klausner
Product Description
5 massmarket paperbacks Romance Titles By Sandra Brown - Heaven's Price - Shadows of Yesterday - Temptation's Kiss - Tomorrow's Promise - Prime Time
Books:
- The Four Loves
- The Honorary Consul: A Novel (Simon & Schuster Classics)
- The Keepers of Truth: A Novel
- The Lake, the River & the Other Lake: A Novel
- The Last Noel
- The Lost Library of Cormanthyr (Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires, Book 1)
- The Manhattan Hunt Club
- The Music Lesson: A Novel
- The Obscene Bird of Night (Verba Mundi)
- The Oppermanns: A Novel
Books Index
Books Home
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THE BURNING TIGRIS: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response
Black Dog of Fate: An American Son Uncovers His Armenian Past
Survivors: An Oral History Of The Armenian Genocide
Zabelle
Forgotten Fire (Readers Circle)
