El asesinato del calígrafo de Bagdad by José Vicente AlfaroMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thought this was an interesting, entertaining, well researched historical novel with an emphasis on plot and action.
For those like me who are middling Spanish readers, this should be quite comprehensible. I found it so, and that helped me enjoy it.
The story centers on Theobald, an English monk who travels to Baghdad because he wants to be in the center of scientific and literary studies and has skills as a translator. The action takes place on all sides of him--a kidnapped boy, a murdered translator, a framed businessman, an escaped princess, and a powerful caliph facing intrigues of many sorts. It's clever how all these plots (and more) intertwine and are drawn together at the end, and I enjoyed the mystery as much as the action.
It's clear the author did a great deal of research and set the story in the midst of actual events, but I couldn't help thinking that some of the action was out of character for that cultural setting. For example, some of the movement of female characters and interactions with men outside the family probably would not have happened (afaik), and those apparent flaws disturbed my appreciation somewhat. However, the author clearly admired many aspects of that society and generally did it justice, emphasizing the progressive attitudes toward learning and the arts, the period's flourishing trade, and the attitudes of religious tolerance. Overall, the novel gives a fair representation of the empire at that time while telling a compelling and satisfying story.
Recommended.
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