September 15, 2008
Booker Prize–winning Unsworth (The Ruby in Her Navel
) sets his intelligent and timely new book in Mesopotamia during the spring of 1914, just before the chaos of WWI. John Somerville, a British archeologist desperate for fame, worries that his new discovery, an ancient tomb, will be compromised by the construction—funded by Germany—of a new railway line. At the excavation site, Somerville’s wife, Edith, wonders if her marriage has fizzled, especially after the arrival of Alex Elliott, a handsome American posing as a geologist but secretly searching for new sources of oil. Meanwhile, Jehar, an Arab confidence man, brings often fabricated messages to Somerville, warning him that the Germans are quickly approaching. The tension between the players—all eager to claim rights to what the land provides—builds toward a violent, unexpected finale. In elegantly modulated prose, Unsworth creates a tapestry of ambition and greed while, at the same time, foreshadowing the current conflict in the region.
Starred review from November 1, 2008
The Booker Prize –winning British author 's latest novel is a tale of archaeological exploration and global political cross-purposes, set in the former Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in the immediate pre-war year of 1914.
When obsessed researcher John Somerville attempts to unearth a buried Assyrian palace that lies directly in the path of a German-built railroad line leading to Baghdad, rival international interests collide in the area of the dig (a mound known as Tell Erdek). British diplomat Major Manning, scheming oil magnate Baron Rampling, Somerville 's assistant Palmer (encouraged by his love interest Patricia, an educated woman committed to feminist advancement) and Somerville 's neglected, resentful wife Edith enact a dance of mutual involvement, estrangement and conflict that 's disturbed by two manipulative "outsiders. " American petroleum geologist Alex Elliott, ostensibly employed by Rampling but driven by a more complex agenda, easily infiltrates both Somerville 's activities and Edith 's starved affections. And Arab interpreter-factotum Jehar (whose name bears a sly echo of "Jihad ") works against his employers ' priorities, consumed by his love for a beautiful young Circassian girl. As tell-tale "Layers of Parthian, Byzantine, Roman occupation …[are] found, " Somerville anticipates scholarly fame for having deciphered mysteries related to once-glorious Assyrian kings. But much more is at stake than his love of the past, and as plotlines are skillfully drawn together, the ingenuous prophecy of a visiting pair of biblical archaeologists who seek the site of the Garden of Eden is fulfilled —as "the danger of human overreaching " precipitates a literally explosive climax. One hopes this rich narrative may inspire a film version enlisting the talents of Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Ben Kingsley and their peers.
A transfixing melodrama alive with crackling suspense, sharply drawn characters, intense historical relevance and ideas in action. Absorbing and irresistible.
(COPYRIGHT (2008) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
Starred review from October 1, 2008
Well known for the widely acclaimed novel "Sacred Hunger", which received the Booker Prize, and his well-crafted"Morality Play", Unsworth here offers historical fiction at its best. It provides some insight into current political divisions in the Middle East as it explores the power and limitations of storytelling. While the publisher characterizes this novel as a thriller, and it certainly has a compelling plot, Unsworth exceeds the limitations of that genre by drawing characters with depth and complexity. As several Western countries do their best to exploit the looming prospect of war and potential oil reserves in 1914 Mesopotamia (now Iraq), a British archaeologist races against time to uncover the secrets of an Assyrian site before construction on the new railway flattens the site and his hopes for further expeditions. Consumed with worry, he doesn't realize who, among his growing party, has betrayed him, who is working undercover, and who is just lying. Highly recommended for all literary fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 9/1/08.]Gwen Vredevoogd, Marymount Univ., Arlington, VA
Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 15, 2008
The workings of imperialism in all its guises form the subject of Unsworths latest historical, set in 1914 Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). As Britain, America, France, and Germany scramble for footholds in the dying Ottoman Empire, John Somerville, a British archaeologist, excavates an ancient Assyrian palace, the lost remnants of a once-thriving world power. However, the site lies in the projected path of a railroad linking Constantinople to the Persian Gulf, which would open up access to rich oil fields and serve as a vital supply line in case of war. As Somerville accumulates evidence for his discoverys significance, his nervousness and desperation grow, as do tensions and double-dealings among his party. His bored wife, Edith, looks elsewhere for excitement; an Arab hired to spy on the railways progress schemes to earn his own fortune; and an American geologist ostensibly working for British interests conceals his real motives. With measured prose that builds steadily in suspense, Unsworth does an excellent job at simultaneously evoking a past era and foreshadowing American involvement in the modern Middle East.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)
Starred review from November 1, 2008
The Booker Prize –winning British author's latest novel is a tale of archaeological exploration and global political cross-purposes, set in the former Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in the immediate pre-war year of 1914.
When obsessed researcher John Somerville attempts to unearth a buried Assyrian palace that lies directly in the path of a German-built railroad line leading to Baghdad, rival international interests collide in the area of the dig (a mound known as Tell Erdek). British diplomat Major Manning, scheming oil magnate Baron Rampling, Somerville's assistant Palmer (encouraged by his love interest Patricia, an educated woman committed to feminist advancement) and Somerville's neglected, resentful wife Edith enact a dance of mutual involvement, estrangement and conflict that's disturbed by two manipulative "outsiders. " American petroleum geologist Alex Elliott, ostensibly employed by Rampling but driven by a more complex agenda, easily infiltrates both Somerville's activities and Edith's starved affections. And Arab interpreter-factotum Jehar (whose name bears a sly echo of "Jihad ") works against his employers ' priorities, consumed by his love for a beautiful young Circassian girl. As tell-tale "Layers of Parthian, Byzantine, Roman occupation …[are] found, " Somerville anticipates scholarly fame for having deciphered mysteries related to once-glorious Assyrian kings. But much more is at stake than his love of the past, and as plotlines are skillfully drawn together, the ingenuous prophecy of a visiting pair of biblical archaeologists who seek the site of the Garden of Eden is fulfilled —as "the danger of human overreaching " precipitates a literally explosive climax. One hopes this rich narrative may inspire a film version enlisting the talents of Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Ben Kingsley and their peers.
A transfixing melodrama alive with crackling suspense, sharply drawn characters, intense historical relevance and ideas in action. Absorbing and irresistible.
(COPYRIGHT (2008) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)