by Marek Halter (2012)
A fictional account of the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, captures the turbulent world of an idealistic young woman who risks everything to bring a much-needed miracle to her people.
Nino Ricci
Set in a remote corner of the Roman Empire at a time of political unrest and spiritual uncertainty, "Testament" is the story of how one extraordinary man, a man of enormous charisma and passionate belief, alters forever the lives of those around him.
Roberta Kells Dorr
"The sadness and the tenderness of life are felt so acutely in the presence of beauty, and love is revealed more in our sorrow than in our joy. -Solomon, from Solomon's Song. The wisest of all kings, beloved son of King David and his wife Bathsheba, builder of a prosperous empire, lover to many wives and concubines-King Solomon was once merely a son of David with no guarantee of ever taking the throne. On the cusp of adulthood, with no direction in life, Solomon found himself infatuated . . . in love with a lowly shepherdess, a young maiden chosen for his father to serve David in his later years. Overhead clouds ceased to discharge life-giving rain, and the anxious people looked to King David for relief from the famine. In their weakness they turned from Yahweh and sacrificed to foreign gods. But the David's eldest son, Adonijah had a plan, one that could cost the Benjamites their lives. Revenge. Solomon was still Bathsheba's eldest son and with it came certain family expectations. His mother wanted nothing less than the throne for her eldest living son. He must marry a princess first, and then he can marry any common woman he desired. Solomon struggled against family expectations and his chief rival, his own brother, Adonijah; he fought against the most disappointing aspect of his quest to become ruler. 'Love is nothing, when pitted against strength and power.'"--
Núria Masot
Before Templar knight Bernard Guils dies, he asks a man to find a pupil of his so that he can hand over some important, mysterious documents. But suddenly the documents disappear, and people are ready to put their lives at stake to get them back. What long-guarded secrets do these documents hold? "El poderoso secreto de un pergamino que podría cambiar la historia es protegido por un templario, quien muere envenenado sin finalizar su encomienda. Antes de morir, Bernard Guils pide a un judío amigo que busque a Guillem, uno de sus discípulos, para que proteja los pergaminos".
Jean-Christophe Rufin
Dans une petite ville du Berry, écrasée par la chaleur de l'été, en 1919, un héros de la guerre est retenu prisonnier au fond d'une caserne déserte. Devant la porte, son chien tout cabossé aboie jour et nuit. Non loin de là, dans la campagne, une jeune femme usée par le travail de la terre, trop instruite cependant pour être une simple paysanne, attend et espère. Le juge qui arrive pour démêler cette affaire est un aristocrate dont la guerre a fait vaciller les principes. Trois personnages et, au milieu d'eux, un chien, qui détient la clef du drame ... Plein de poésie et de vie, ce court récit, d'une fulgurante simplicité, est aussi un grand roman sur la fidélité. Être loyal à ses amis, se battre pour ceux qu'on aime, est une qualité que nous partageons avec les bêtes. Le propre de l'être humain n'est-il pas d'aller au-delà et de pouvoir aussi reconnaître le frère en celui qui vous combat?