La mano de Fátima
Ildefonso Falcones
Publicado: 2009 | 817 páginas
Novela Histórico

La historia de un joven atrapado entre dos religiones y dos amores, en busca de su libertad y la de su pueblo, en la Andalucía del siglo XVI. En 1568, en los valles y montes de las Alpujarras, ha estallado el grito de la rebelión: hartos de injusticias, expolio y humillaciones, los moriscos se enfrentan a los cristianos e inician una desigual pugna que sólo puede terminar con su derrota y dispersión por todo el reino de Castilla. Entre los sublevados se encuentra el joven Hernando. Hijo de una morisca y del sacerdote que la violó, es rechazado por los moriscos, debido a su origen, y por los cristianos, por la cultura y costumbres de su familia. Durante la insurrección conoce la brutalidad y crueldad de unos y otros, pero también encuentra el amor en la figura de la valerosa Fátima, la de los grandes ojos negros. A partir de la derrota, forzado a vivir en Córdoba y en medio de las dificultades de la existencia cotidiana, todas sus fuerzas se concentrarán en lograr que su cultura y religión, las de los vencidos, recuperen la dignidad y el papel que merecen. Para ello deberá correr riesgos y atreverse a desafiar las leyes con audaces y peligrosas iniciativas…

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There are a lot of people that are looking for historical-fiction that doesn't take in WWII. Well, you are in luck. Fatima's Hand is a translated work of art from Spanish (first published in Catalan) in 16th-17th century Spain. The truth is I was overwhelmed by the page count, but when I divided it to read it, chunks there were days that I wanted to continue and find out what will happen to the characters.
Falcones is a great storyteller. The historical background for this tale of fiction is accurate for times, people, and places. Unfortunately, the horror of cruelty and mistreatment occurred on the part of both Muslims and Christians. What happened in Spain was and is not new to the world, not to the east nor-west. But a division that strong, that destructive is worth studying and pondering over to never, ever repeat it.
Hernando, Fatima, Hamid, Rafaela, and many others broke my heart but will never leave it. They taught me the importance of clinging to your true self, beliefs, and identity in the face of the harshest persecution possible. ( )

too bloody for me ( )

The collection should probably be "partly read": some 150 pages in I decided to listen to the voice inside myself asking me whether I am really interested in this, and if not - why am I still reading it. So I decided to quit while I am still ahead and not at that point when one thinks: well, now that I have read such a big chunk I might as well finish it off. Life is too short to be reading the books you do not want to read, and there is no shame in stopping.
Hand of Fatima seems like a perfectly good passtime and it may even be properly researched and it may even reflect the time and put Hernando/Ibn Hamid's story into context to an extent, but it did not work for me. It seemed very purposefully written to fit in as much plot as possible, with an occasional emotional drama/major tragedy (personal or general) spicing everything up. In spite of all the turmoil of the times, the main character(s) seemed too be sailing all-too-smoothly through it all, haphazardly, yet always purposefully, almost as if they were on rails, their Destiny carrying them along, obviously towards something. So, basically, much complication in a chosen one's life time, with everything happening loaded with purpose and adding to complications along the way, ready for the hero to master it all. It felt like readying a soap opera, full of surprising turns of fate, ready to strike from the left or right. ( )