G489 Book Review of The Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton
Author: Stephanie Thornton
ISBN: 978-0-451-41780-0
Publisher: New American Library
Type of book: Genghis Khan, family, historical fiction, 1171-1248, conquerors, Mongolia, Asia, Europe, Muslim, friendship, relationships, romance, mother/daughter relationship
Year it was published: 2014
Summary:
In the late twelfth century, across the sweeping Mongolian grasslands, brilliant, charismatic Temujin ascends to power, declaring himself the Great, or Genghis, Khan. But it is the women who stand beside him who ensure his triumph....
After her mother foretells an ominous future for her, gifted Borte becomes an outsider within her clan. When she seeks comfort in the arms of aristocratic traveler Jamuka, she discovers he is the blood brother of Temujin, the man who agreed to marry her and then abandoned her long before they could wed.
Temujin will return and make Borte his queen, yet it will take many women to safeguard his fragile new kingdom. Their daughter, the fierce Alaqai, will ride and shoot an arrow as well as any man. Fatima, an elegant Persian captive, will transform her desire for revenge into an unbreakable loyalty. And Sorkhokhtani, a demure widow, will position her sons to inherit the empire when it begins to fracture from within.
In a world lit by fire and ruled by the sword, the tiger queens of Genghis Khan come to depend on one another as they fight and love, scheme and sacrifice, all for the good of their family...and the greatness of the People of the Felt Walls.
Characters:
The characters are all distinct and very memorable, and each has their own uniqueness. The author has done a very good job in shaping the personality and not one sounds like the other. There are main characters that are men, but women have a lot larger role than the men. The first woman, Borte, is Genghis Khan's wife and she is talented in cooking and has a quiet power that makes others listen and follow her. She is also a very warm woman who takes care of others and does the best she can for them. Alaqai, the warrior daughter, is very similar to Genghis Khan in personality and behavior. She enjoys being a tomboy and isn't talented in things Borte is talented in. Fatima is a Muslim captive who comes from wealth and has lost people that are very important to her. She is knowledgeable, loyal, a bit vain, strong and resourceful. I have to say that its a bit difficult for me to capture Sorkhokhtani's personality and to know how she is like.
Theme:
All women have different strengths
Plot:
The story was written in first person narrative from four different women: that of Genghis Khan's wife, his warrior daughter, a Persian captive by the name of Fatima and the daughter-in-law Sorkhokhtani. I do feel that the daughter-in-law section should have been a little bit longer because I don't think I really understood what she was doing, other than that a captivating story with four distinct voices that is sure to last a very long time. What is also unique is that while there is romance, the latter half of the book focuses a lot more on strong friendships between women and how important and pivotal these friendships are to these women.
Author Information:
(From Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours)
Buy the Book
About the Author
Stephanie Thornton is a writer and history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from ancient history since she was twelve. She lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska, where she is at work on her next novel.
“The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora” and “Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt” are available from NAL/Penguin. “The Tiger Queens: The Women of Genghis Khan” will hit the shelves November 4, 2014, followed by “The Conqueror’s Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great” in November 2015.
For more information please visit Stephanie Thornton’s website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
Opinion:
This has been a very long time in coming, but yeah, around the time I got the book is when I got my seasonal job and had to, well, sacrifice a lot of my reading time. Unfortunately too things started to snowball and only now I'm trying to catch up with my readings. Yeah, enough of that and please review. Okay, I really loved the book. Its a rare book where I don't have a single complaint to make about, well, anything really. I loved learning about Genghis Khan and from the time it was going to be a book tour, I wanted to read it. (Reason being that I'm from Russia and I wanted to learn more about the infamous ruler that had such a big impact on the Eastern lands.) This book didn't disappoint in any shape or form or story. The voices of the women are all unique and very memorable, and it definitely answered and explained many things that I didn't understand. All in all, I feel blessed to have spent time with these women and I do hope that I'll get a chance to read about Alexander the Great.
This is a very late review for Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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