The Abyssinian: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: An exciting historical adventure story!
Review:
It's an exciting novel of merit. Jean-Christophe Rufin's book "The Abyssinian" combines intrigue, drama, adventure, romance, and more intrigue worthy of the time spent reading it.

Set in 17th-century Cairo during the reign of Louis XIV, Jean-Baptiste Poncet, is the young protagonist, a French doctor who, alas, is practicing without a license in Egypt. Through his connections with the French consul, he is dispatched on a diplomatic mission to the King Negus, of Abyssinia to try to open up diplomatic opportunities. It is a dangerous mission, as Christians are not welcomed following, some 50 years prior, the expulsion of the Jesuits from the area. And during the course of the book, Poncet has to confront many personal obstacles, both physically and emotionally.

A "period piece" of the first water, "The Abyssinian" combines the typical melodrama of such a tine in literature-the daring adventures, the daring romances, the daring intrigues. Rufin seems to have captured well these characteristics as he's made a novel that is compelling to read, one that, despite the obvious melodrama, captures the reader's interest tout suite with lots of wit, creativity, and cleverness.

To call this book "larger than life" is perhaps an understatement but it's what one would expect if it were written by 18th or 19th century novelists! I look for further Rufin works of fiction! ([e-mail])




Rating:
Summary: Wonderful historical fiction...
Review: According to the dust jacket, THE ABYSSINIAN by Jean-Christophe Rufin is a first novel. If so, I hope Rufin writes many more books because THE ABYSSINIAN is one of the best works of fiction I've read in a while. Rufin is a French physician who has spent many years working with Doctor's Without Borders. His writing reflects his medical background as well as his love of and regard for his fellow human beings.

Rufin is both romantic and a realist. A major thread in the plot of THE ABYSSINIAN involves a romance between his protagonist Jean-Baptiste Poncet, unlicensed lower-class medical practicioner living in Cairo, and Alix Maillet, the beautiful upper-class daughter of the French Ambassador to Egypt. Rufin's story is made real by his deft interweaving of actual historical events and evocative fictional episodes he has crafted from his obvious knowledge of the era and it's political machinations.

The basis of the book is an event that occurred in 1699 when Louis XIV sent an embassy of ministers, Jesuits, and a physician to the Negus or King of Abyssinian. The Negus was sick and admitted the strangers only because they accompanied the physician whom he hoped would provide a cure for his malady. In the 17th Century, Abyssinia was a mysterious Coptic Christian country closed to outsiders for centuries. The nation-states of Europe and the Muslim countries of the near east struggled for control of Abyssinia which lay in North Africa southeast of Egypt. A desire for economic gain through trade lay behind the French King's offer of a physician to the Negus.

But other factors were at play. In the 17th Century, conflict continued between various Roman Catholic orders, between Catholics and Protestants, and between Christians and Muslims, all of whom sought relgious dominance. THE ABYSSINIAN is populated with French Jesuits, Italian Domincans, and Muslim imams all struggling to convert Abyssinians. The Jesuits' goal was to use the King's embassy as a means of penetrating the Coptic populace for the purpose of proselytization.

Like Dumas' action-thrillers, Rufin's book is filled with sword-play, gallantry, and back-stabbing, but unlike Dumas, Rufin's characters are fully developed. Poncet's sidekick, the apothocary Maitre Juremi is vividly drawn. Both Alix and Francoise (Juremi's love interest) are "real" women. Poncet is an honorable young man who seeks to win his fortune and claim his love's hand without selling his soul. His mission is dangerous and as he attempts to make his way back to Alix, the reader will wonder if he can possibly accomplish his goal in an age 'sans merci'. Long after you've read THE ABYSINIAN, you will recall the vivid imagery of an exotic place now lost to the world though civil war, and the wrenching suffering of a pair of lovers separated by the cruel irony of chance.

Rating:
Summary: (3.5) The long and winding road...
Review: Followed by a second historical novel, The Siege of Isfahan, The Abyssinian sets much of the groundwork for the politics of the 17th Century European attempt to inject Christianity into a world reluctant to receive it. The Pope, via the French Court, intent upon sending Jesuit missionaries to the "heathens" as far away as Abyssinia, now Ethiopia, invokes the use of embassies to bring the good offices from the French King, Louis XIV.

In the person of a physician, an emissary is sent from the French Embassy in Cairo to the negus (ruler) of Abyssinia, who has requested treatment for a debilitating illness. In a world surrounded by Islam, Abyssinia is viewed as a solitary opportunity for the incursion of Christianity into the region, particularly since the negus has been baptized in the Roman Church. The young physician chosen, Poncet, is, in fact, only an apothecary, but willing to accept the mission to increase his status in life, thereby becoming eligible to marry the French Ambassador's daughter. The romance is his raison de etre and his adventures on the journey and in the French court make up the story. Translated from the French, Rufin has done an impressive job of historical detail, but the book often becomes tedious under the exacting weight of this detail. The main characters, Poncet and Alix, as well as Francois and Maitre Juremi are well developed, but the many others are frequently one-dimensional, no doubt due to the preponderance of events at each stage of the journey. Perhaps these flaws have been corrected in The Siege of Isfahan, as its reviews are superior to The Abyssinian. In that case, I look forward to reading this second novel, as Rufin's prose opens up a world of possibilities in an unfamiliar land

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Diverting
Review: I really enjoyed this book and its sequel. They are both "simply" adventure stories and are not on a par with other timeless literature or history/political analysis, but they took me to a place and time about which I know only a little and that I would otherwise never be able to see. The characters are interesting if not so developed as, say, Holden Caulfield or any of Mary Renault's.

That being said, I was sad when the adventure was over and the events, settings, and characters stayed with me for months. I hope there will be a third book. I haven't had this much fun for quite a while.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Diverting
Review: I really enjoyed this book and its sequel. They are both "simply" adventure stories and are not on a par with other timeless literature or history/political analysis, but they took me to a place and time about which I know only a little and that I would otherwise never be able to see. The characters are interesting if not so developed as, say, Holden Caulfield or any of Mary Renault's.

That being said, I was sad when the adventure was over and the events, settings, and characters stayed with me for months. I hope there will be a third book. I haven't had this much fun for quite a while.

Rating:
Summary: The Very, Very, Very, Very Good Doctor
Review: It would be pretty difficult for the historical fiction buff to resist the allure of this novel, which takes place primarily in the French quarter of Cairo, circa 1699, but also zig-zags into deepest Africa, the middle-East, and France itself. However, caution is urged before diving into this one. Unfortunately, the author doesn't care to go into very much detail concerning his exotic locales, and the characters, while initially interesting, eventually sink into cliché, exhibiting unlikely heroic and almost fantastic behavior.

It does get off to a promising start. The language, for one thing, is excellent: it reads smoothly and is relatively complex. As mentioned, there is also the exotic locale. And the plot has to do with a French doctor--the Abyssinian of the title--who is selected to lead a lengthy and dangerous mission into the deepest, darkest part of Africa, a place that hasn't been visited by Europeans in fifty years, and whose king despises Christians. It looks pretty interesting at this point.

But the journey is not very memorable. Nothing happens on it, and we get little feel for the landscape and towns they travel through. Same with Abyssinia. Okay, it's hot. There are some barbaric punishments. There is an interesting custom which frowns upon people looking at one another while eating in public places. There are a few other things also, but in the end I came away from my virtual trip to Africa without much more than I started with.

This failure particularly struck home when, later in the novel, the author tells us of the doctor--the central character--describing an Abyssinian elephant hunt to an enthralled group of Parisian courtiers. It occured to me that this elephant hunt was exactly the kind of thing I was looking for in Abyssinia, but nope, we never get to see it. We only get to hear that he talked about it.

At this point, though, it doesn't matter too much anyway, because it has now become clear that this novel isn't really about Abyssinia or adventure after all. Instead, it's about our poor, handsome, decent hero, trapped in the middle of the intrigue and political maneuvering between the malevolent powers of the French consul, the Turkish satrap, the French monarch, French Jesuits, and Italian priests, and how he bravely and cleverly finds his way out of each and every predicament in which he finds himself.

He is aided by his trusted sidekick, the bearish, bearded, Protestant-and-therefore-automatically-good chemist; and his loyal, beautiful girlfriend, who, naturally, will do anything--anything--for him.

He is also aided by his incredible knowledge of plants and their medicinal benefits, which he uses to cure practically every single affliction he runs into, particularly those belonging to rich and influential types, whom he luckily runs into each time he runs out of money or needs protection. This money allows him to do a lot of other good things also, things he knows the good people he knows would want him to do. Of course, he treats the poor for free.

This is because he's also a very free thinker, having embraced philosophies about religion and marriage and freedom that are way ahead of his time, and he's not afraid to thumb his nose at those who disagree with him either, even though it is in their power to jail him for eternity or torture him to death. But he's better than these evil, vicious, backward-thinking dolts, and he knows that he will be able to outwit and outthwart them. And what do you know, he does!

Rating:
Summary: Historical Fiction or fantasy?
Review: Okay, I like medicine, and I like historical fiction. This book disappoints on both counts. The main character is an unlicensed practicioner who is the best doctor in the world - way ahead of his time with a knack to connect what the illness needs to his vast knowledge of botany. Yikes!! This fantasy would have been more palatable if the author, who is a french physician, would have made some effort to tell us what the disease was (other than a rash, or a fever, or a pain). The negus (leader) of the Abyssinians was, correspondingly, the best leader in the world, a noble and sophisticated man (who, while he was putting people's eyes out for treason reflected on the manifold nature of the christian god) - a real fanatasy. Every character fell into a completely pat fantastical role - the loyal sidekick, the silly french ambassador, the conveniently placed wise man in France who recognizes the hero's true genius. Finally, as a previous review noted, the love interest (Alix - even the name tritely suggests that we have a 21st century fantasy heroine) goes from being a convent-bred girl to a swashbuckler on the basis of her love connection.

I gave it 3 stars because it does have interesting bits about the difficulties of exploration in the 17th century, speculation about Abyssinia, and some reasonably sharp foil thrusts at the internecine wars between sects of the catholic church.

When did the book "jump the shark"? When Alix goes to take care of her love's immense botanical collection and rather than learning even one thing about the plants there, she gets a nice love note that says all she has to do is water the plants - once a week for the succulents, a jug a day for the larger plants... Guess the author didn't feel like doing his homework.

Rating:
Summary: doesn't live up to the hype
Review: The reviews of this book were glowing, but I found the book to be good but not great. It's a pleasant read but so are a lot of books. the writing (or at least the English translation) is not sparkling, and the plot is frankly pretty pedestrian. Good summertime reading.

Rating:
Summary: a little predictable
Review: This was a very ambitious work and the writer pulled it off. It was a chronicle of the French attempt to colonize Abyssinia, now Ethiopia. It was a vivid account of the cultural life of Abyssinia before and during early contact with the west. It had very little to do with romance, or rather perhaps because of the era, (year 1699 through 1702) the romance in the story was very subtle. Nonetheless, this reader wanted for the hero, Poncet the apothecary and the heroine, Alix, daughter of French ambassador in Egypt to get together. It is a voluminous and detailed work. The small type and close line spacing made it difficult to read but if you like historical novels with well-paced plots, this book is for you. By the way, the book was so successful that the author wrote a continuation titled The Siege of Isfahan.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging, enjoyable "fluff" read
Review: ______________________________________________
Fluff or not? Fluff - thus the 3 stars.
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Buried in the not-so-literary prose are some true nuggets of lyricism. Although few, these nuggets help round out an engaging tale that make for an enjoyable, relaxing read. Set in an exotic locale in a romanatic era its easy to love the often foolish but endearingly daring Poncet, and to root for the frustratingly stoic Juremi. The host of egocentric politians and enigmatic foreign rulers are augmented by Murad, the loveable bufoon, and the courageous Francois.

+: fun and imaginative with loveable charaters and historical depth - an easy read.
-: low on lyricism, a little choppy, and left me feeling a little cheated - it seemed as if there was so much left out.