The Woman at the Well

In the early years of Islam, three lives braid together.Khalid ibn
al-Walid never lost a battle, either fighting against the Prophet
Muhammad or for him."Women no longer give birth to the likes of
Khalid," the Prophet said. In old age, the general dictates his memoirs
to a eunuch scribe, with a
new perspective to all the blood he shed.

In the desert oasis of
Tadmor,twelve-year-old Rayah comes of age,accepting her new religion
and her
own power.

About the Author

Ann
Chamberlin's Reign of the Favored Women trilogy caused a sensation when
it was published in Turkey. She is the author of eleven
historical novels and a nonfiction history of women in the Middle East.
She also writes plays, including Jihad, which was named Best New
Off-Off Broadway Play of 1996.

Ann is the author of eleven historical
novels and a non-fiction History Of Women's Seclusion in
The Middle East. Her trilogy set in the 16th-century Ottoman Empire was
on the bestsellers list in Turkey for over six months.

Praise
for Ann Chamberlin:

Praise for The Merlin of
St. Gilles' Well:

"The Merlin of St.
Gilles' Well is
wonderful!...It's the best book I've read in months and months; a
terrific premise, and so beautifully imagined and described, I can only
gnash my teeth in envy...Every word is-literally-magic, evoking another
world, an older time-and the echoes of the Old Ways that live on in us,
unseen."

-Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series

Praise for Sofie

"This is a brilliant novel. Ann Chamberlin is the master of crafting
exciting realistic historical fiction. Sofia brings alive
sixteenth century Italy and Turkey through the eyes of its
fabulous lead protagonists."

-Affaire de Coeur (Five
Stars)