Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #147713 in Books
• Published on: 1995-09-07
• Binding: Paperback
• 275 pages

Synopsis
An exploration of myth, passion and loyalty from the Lebanon's troubled past, The Rock of Tanios is another superbly rich and rewarding novel from the author of Samarkand and Leo the African. Expertly controlling his multi-faceted narrative with prose of great beauty and power, Maalouf delves into the history of an extraordinary life: that of Tanois, child of the mountains.

Customer Reviews

Better than I was expecting
I decided to try the Rock of Tanios after reading Amin Maalouf's excellent non fiction work "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" although having read some mixed reviews about Maalouf's fiction I wasn't sure what to expect. The Rock of Tanios did not disappoint. Far from it. Its a superb novel which will appeal to readers interested in the Middle East and fans of historical fiction alike.

Fantastic fiction
As an avid reader of Amin Maalouf's work anyway, I was really looking forward to reading The Rock of Tanios when it came out. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself far more impressed by this book than any of his others.
The book tells the story of a small Lebanese village where the Sheikh is the master who must be obeyed. His son (or is he? read it to find out) Tanios rebels against the system and suddenly disappears. But what has happened to him? No one knows, but his name is made famous by his disappearance.
Years later scholars try to find out what happened.
Don't take my word for it. Read it. It's great. If you're interested in the Middle East you'll love this book.

A lyrical, hauntýng story of great depth and beauty
This is one of those magical books in which, on almost every page, there is a sentence or turn of phrase that literally makes you catch your breath. The superb craftmanship of the writing of this book is admirable, but it is the unforced eloquence of the story that enchanted me. I was actually disappointed when it ended...despite the grace and strength of his other works, I feel strongly that this is--so far!-his masterpiece.