May 18, 2010
BOOK REVIEW: Anne Perry's 'The Sheen on the Silk' Explores Conflict Between Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Byzantine Empire in Sweeping Historical Novel
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
The sacking of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the heartland of the Eastern Orthodox Church, in 1204 is an historical event that most people have never heard of. This invasion by Roman Catholic crusaders and its aftermath is explored in a comprehensive historical novel, "The Sheen on the Silk," (Ballantine Books, 528 pages, $27.00) by historical novelist and mystery writer Anne Perry.
Disguised as a eunuch named Anastasius, physician Anna Zarides arrives in Constantinople in 1273, almost 70 years after the rape of the city by participants of the fourth crusade -- who were afraid to attack the Muslim occupiers of Jerusalem -- to determine why her twin brother, Justinian, has been implicated in the murder of Bessarion, a man with political and aristocratic connections.
Her skill as a physician who takes advantage of Jewish and Muslim medical techniques and medicines brings Anna into contact with the Emperor Michael Palaeologus; the Orthodox bishop Constantine, a real eunuch; and an aging beauty named Zoe Chrysaphes, who is well connected politically.
Anna interacts with Jewish, Arab, Venetian and Greek people in what is probably the most cosmopolitan city in the world. She also develops a relationship with Venetian sea captain Giuliano Dandolo, who is conflicted because of his mixed heritage: His mother was Byzantine. Dandolo doesn't realize that the physician he knows as Anastasius is a young widow who increasingly finds her friendship becoming love for a man she should hate. Venetians played a major role in the sacking of the city in 1204 which left at least 15,000 people homeless and thousands murdered and raped. Priceless religious relics were stolen by the crusaders.
Her carefully crafted disguise as a eunuch makes it easy for Anna to move freely throughout the city in her quest to learn why Justinian has been exiled in the desert between Egypt and Palestine. She also learns more about her brother, including his ties to Bessarion's beautiful widow and his possible role in a plot to overthrow Emperor Michael Palaeologus.
Time is not on Anna's side, because another crusade aimed at Constantinople is brewing, with the city potentially caught between Roman Catholic "crusaders" on one side and Muslim invaders on the other. (Less than 200 years after the events of the novel, in 1453, the Muslims captured Constantinople -- today's Istanbul -- and turned the Eastern Orthodox cathedral of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. It became a museum in 1935).
Perry includes a bibliography in this novel, one of the most painstakingly researched I've read in a long time. There is also a "chart of characters," necessary because of all those who people this engrossing book.
"The Sheen on the Silk" would make an outstanding television series on the order of HBO's "Rome." It has everything to attract readers -- and viewers: Romance, the vindication of a brother by his sister and the drama of corruption of what started out as a "religion of piece" that turned into a genocide of massive proportions.
About the author: Anne Perry is the bestselling author of two acclaimed series set in Victorian England: the William Monk novels, including Dark Assassin and The Shifting Tide, and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels, including Buckingham Palace Gardens and Long Spoon Lane. She is also the author of the World War I novels No Graves As Yet, Shoulder the Sky, Angels in the Gloom, At Some Disputed Barricade, and We Shall Not Sleep, as well as six holiday novels, most recently A Christmas Grace. Perry lives in Scotland. Her web site is www.anneperry.net.
Publisher's web site: www.ballantinebooks.com.
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BOOK REVIEW: Anne Perry's 'The Sheen on the Silk' Explores Conflict Between Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Byzantine Empire in Sweeping Historical Novel
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
The sacking of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the heartland of the Eastern Orthodox Church, in 1204 is an historical event that most people have never heard of. This invasion by Roman Catholic crusaders and its aftermath is explored in a comprehensive historical novel, "The Sheen on the Silk," (Ballantine Books, 528 pages, $27.00) by historical novelist and mystery writer Anne Perry.
Disguised as a eunuch named Anastasius, physician Anna Zarides arrives in Constantinople in 1273, almost 70 years after the rape of the city by participants of the fourth crusade -- who were afraid to attack the Muslim occupiers of Jerusalem -- to determine why her twin brother, Justinian, has been implicated in the murder of Bessarion, a man with political and aristocratic connections.
Her skill as a physician who takes advantage of Jewish and Muslim medical techniques and medicines brings Anna into contact with the Emperor Michael Palaeologus; the Orthodox bishop Constantine, a real eunuch; and an aging beauty named Zoe Chrysaphes, who is well connected politically.
Anna interacts with Jewish, Arab, Venetian and Greek people in what is probably the most cosmopolitan city in the world. She also develops a relationship with Venetian sea captain Giuliano Dandolo, who is conflicted because of his mixed heritage: His mother was Byzantine. Dandolo doesn't realize that the physician he knows as Anastasius is a young widow who increasingly finds her friendship becoming love for a man she should hate. Venetians played a major role in the sacking of the city in 1204 which left at least 15,000 people homeless and thousands murdered and raped. Priceless religious relics were stolen by the crusaders.
Her carefully crafted disguise as a eunuch makes it easy for Anna to move freely throughout the city in her quest to learn why Justinian has been exiled in the desert between Egypt and Palestine. She also learns more about her brother, including his ties to Bessarion's beautiful widow and his possible role in a plot to overthrow Emperor Michael Palaeologus.
Time is not on Anna's side, because another crusade aimed at Constantinople is brewing, with the city potentially caught between Roman Catholic "crusaders" on one side and Muslim invaders on the other. (Less than 200 years after the events of the novel, in 1453, the Muslims captured Constantinople -- today's Istanbul -- and turned the Eastern Orthodox cathedral of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. It became a museum in 1935).
Perry includes a bibliography in this novel, one of the most painstakingly researched I've read in a long time. There is also a "chart of characters," necessary because of all those who people this engrossing book.
"The Sheen on the Silk" would make an outstanding television series on the order of HBO's "Rome." It has everything to attract readers -- and viewers: Romance, the vindication of a brother by his sister and the drama of corruption of what started out as a "religion of piece" that turned into a genocide of massive proportions.
About the author: Anne Perry is the bestselling author of two acclaimed series set in Victorian England: the William Monk novels, including Dark Assassin and The Shifting Tide, and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels, including Buckingham Palace Gardens and Long Spoon Lane. She is also the author of the World War I novels No Graves As Yet, Shoulder the Sky, Angels in the Gloom, At Some Disputed Barricade, and We Shall Not Sleep, as well as six holiday novels, most recently A Christmas Grace. Perry lives in Scotland. Her web site is www.anneperry.net.
Publisher's web site: www.ballantinebooks.com.
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