Tuesday, March 25, 2014

HF Virtual Book Tours Review and Giveaway: The Debt of Tamar by Nicole Dweck

Title: The Debt of Tamar
Author: Nicole Dweck
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Devon House Press
Publish Date: July 1, 2013
Source: HF Virtual Book Tours


Why You're Reading This Book:
  • You're a historical fiction fan.
  • You like books that are split between different time periods.
  • You're an armchair traveler.
What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "During the second half of the 16th century, a wealthy widow by the name of Doña Antonia Nissim is arrested and charged with being a secret Jew. The punishment? Death by burning. Enter Suleiman the Magnificent, an Ottoman "Schindler," and the most celebrated sultan in all of Turkish history. With the help of the Sultan, the widow and her children manage their escape to Istanbul. Life is seemingly idyllic for the family in their new home, that is, until the Sultan's son meets and falls in love with Tamar, Doña Antonia's beautiful and free-spirited granddaughter. A quiet love affair ensues until one day, the girl vanishes.

Over four centuries later, thirty-two year old Selim Osman, a playboy prince with a thriving real estate empire, is suddenly diagnosed with a life-theatening condition. Abandoning the mother of his unborn child, he vanishes from Istanbul without an explanation. In a Manhattan hospital, he meets Hannah, a talented artist and the daughter of a French Holocaust survivor. As their story intertwines with that of their ancestors, readers are taken back to Nazi-occupied Paris, and to a seaside village in the Holy Land where a world of secrets is illuminated.

Theirs is a love that has been dormant for centuries, spanning continents, generations, oceans, and religions. Bound by a debt that has lingered through time, they must right the wrongs of the past if they're ever to break the shackles of their future."


My Two Cents:

Are you looking to get absolutely sucked into a riveting book? Are you looking for historical fiction and memorable characters? If so, you should really check out "The Debt of Tamar." I ate through this book in two sittings and it definitely blew me away. This book takes place in several different time periods and has love, family, and secrets at its center.

I don't really know where to even start with this book. The first time period was definitely my favorite and I almost wish that the entire book had taken place during the first time period.The book really takes place in a few different time periods. I loved reading all of them but I especially loved the first time period, which takes place during the Spanish Inquisition. The other time periods were good but not nearly as interesting to me. The first time period was so filled with action and intrigue for me.

The family at the center of this novel are pushed into the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul specifically where they will have to make a new life for themselves. Jose and his wife come to this place where they do not know anyone. They are swept into court life by the Sultan and raise their daughter and grudgingly promise their daughter, Tamar, to the Sultan's son. Mystery ensues. I loved reading about court life under Sultan Suleimon. I have not read a lot about this time period in this part of the world so it was absolutely engrossing to me.

The settings are really amazing in this book. I loved reading about Istanbul. That seems like such a fascinating city and I would love to visit someday. I really liked Dweck's description of the place. I could definitely picture it from the descriptions.

The rest of the book was enjoyable but slowed down for me. I liked seeing how the secrets of Tamar's family affected the characters in later time periods as a nice tie-together.

Overall, this was a good read!



Giveaway:

One lucky winner will win a paperback copy of this book (U.S. only)!


  
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Rest of the Tour:

Monday, February 24
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, February 25
Interview & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary
Wednesday, February 26
Review at Unabridged Chick
Thursday, February 27
Interview & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick
Friday, February 28
Monday, March 3
Review at The Written World
Review at History Undressed
Review at The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader
Review & Giveaway at Historical Tapestry
Tuesday, March 4
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book
Wednesday, March 5
Review at Just One More Chapter
Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book
Thursday, March 6
Review at Stephanie Thornton Website
Friday, March 7
Review at The Maiden’s Court
Tuesday, March 11
Review at One Book at a Time
Review & Giveaway at The Eclectic Reader
Wednesday, March 12
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages
Thursday, March 13
Review at Kelsey’s Book Corner
Friday, March 14
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Monday, March 17
Review & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Tuesday, March 18
Review at Chick With Books
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Thursday, March 20
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Friday, March 21
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Monday, March 24
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader
Tuesday, March 25
Review at The Novel Life
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Wednesday, March 26
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Friday, March 28
Review at The True Book Addict
Review & Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
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10 comments:

  1. This looks fascinating. I love to read about about time periods/places which are mostly unfamiliar to me. I also love to read about anything concerning Jewish history and culture. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  2. Sounds like such an interesting story. Lately I've been reading HF outside of my usual American and/or English settings.

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  3. This looks really interesting! I love books split between different time periods!

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  4. I am captivated with this fascinating novel which interests me greatly. many thanks for this giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. This sounds like a really good read and it covers some historical periods I'm not very familiar with as well. I think I could learn a lot from this book. Thanks.

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  6. I love stories that span several different time periods. This book has been on my wish list.

    lag110 at mchsi dot com

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  7. Great review - you liked this book more than I did. I agree that the first time period was more interesting and I would have liked to have the whole book take place at that time.

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  8. This one sounds really interesting! I don;t think I ever read anything quite like it.

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  9. It looks like a very good story.

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  10. I am always hungry to read stories set in Ottoman territories since my ancestors lived there once (and I love all quality historical fiction, regardless of particular place/time). Thanks for making your readers aware of this new release -- I appreciate it and hope to win!

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