Time of White Horses: A Novel (Hoopoe Fiction)

In three sections, the first under Ottoman rule, the second under the British, and the third during the Israeli war, the book chronicles life in a Palestinian village. The first half of each section describes rural life and traditions, centering on one boy and his descendants. The second half relates their struggles with higher authority, from the Ottoman feudal monarchy through British colonialism to the Jewish ethnic cleansing of the land. Touching without being sentimental and political without polemics, it presents the Palestinians as simple peasants struggling to tend their land in the face of powerful forces beyond their control.

Wonderful

Capturing story, writing tone changes midway, but remains engaging. One of very few books about Palestine that are not actually depressing.

Astonishing. As the years pass, I find it more and more difficult to find books that are compelling enough to be read all the way through. Magical and beautifully written.

Outstanding modern novel of the Palestinian experience. This is THE book to read to contextualize modern day Palestine and attendant circumstances. At times, the narrative moves very fast and takes some re-reading to thoroughly follow.

This impressive work tells the fascinating story of the life of a village from the turn of the twentieth century until the incoming Jews of 1948 absorb the land and the villagers become refugees. Although fiction, the narrative is based on fact, interspersed with italicised quotes from people who survived those turbulent times. It is also an interesting mix of narrative and mythology.We mainly follow the fortunes of a family living in the village of Hadiya (meaning Peaceful), headed by Hajj Mahmud, and succeeded by his son Khalid. Khalid rescues a striking white mare, al-Hamama, which eventually becomes his and which he is totally obsessed by.The life of such a village is poetically described, with many anecdotes of village life. Marriages, births, deaths, and the growing of crops, all take place at a leisurely pace, until life is turned upside down by the threat of war and defense of the land.My lowly rating of only three stars is based on my actual enjoyment of reading the book, which I found rather tedious and long-winded. However, writing this, three months after finishing the book, I realise that it has left a lasting impression on me, of how the Zionists infiltrated Palestinian lands, insidiously squeezing out the native Palestinians.The author, born to Palestinian parents in Jordan in 1954, grew up in a refugee camp there and is uniquely placed to narrate this story. The translation, by Nancy Roberts, was smooth and lucid. A difficult book to read but well worth the effort.