The Stone Woman - by Tariq Ali (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Stone Woman is the third novel of Tariq Ali's "Islam Quartet." Like its predecessors - Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree and The Book of Saladin - its power lies both in the story-telling and the challenge it poses to stereotyped images of life under Islam.

Review Quotes

"... an Eastern Magic Mountain." --London Review of Books

"A richly woven tapestry that, even before its completion, merits comparison with Naguib Mahfouz's celebrated Cairo Trilogy. A great work in progress." --Kirkus Reviews

"Ali spins a web of tales that is as inventive and fantastical as the Arabian nights." --The Times

"Tales of anguish, longing, lust and love all find their way to The Stone Woman. Ali paints a vivid picture of a fading world." --New York Times Book Review

"This Chekhov-like scenario of intense emotion within a creaking social structure constructs a rich picture of history and the way we think about history." --Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

Tariq Ali is a writer and filmmaker. He has written more than a dozen books on world history and politics - including Pirates of the Caribbean, Bush in Babylon, The Clash of Fundamentalisms and The Obama Syndrome - as well as five novels in his Islam Quintet series and scripts for the stage and screen. He is an editor of the New Left Review and lives in London.