The Arbitrary Sword [Paperback]

Diane Goshgarian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 2000

The Arbitrary Sword takes the reader to a small village in Ottoman Turkey where Victoria, an Armenian girl, lives with her parents and with Nikol, a young rebel fugitive. The story opens in 1895 during an outbreak of violence and it is here that Victoria first witnesses the hatred the Turks hold for her people. Victoria's early life is spent in the protected heart of her family but as she moves from childhood to adulthood--from innocence to maturity--if she is to survive, she must triumph first over personal disasters and later over the government's mission to rid itself of the Armenian population in Turkey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a touching heartfelt story of a young woman and her family caught up in the terrible and unwarranted slaughter..." -- Joy Darlington, author of Those Van Der Meer Women

...somehow, Diane Goshgarian manages to make this story into a story in the old romantic tradition that conjures up the word "sweeping". -- The Improper Bostonian, Mopsy Strange Kennedy, January 31, 2001

Armenians will feel a deep sense of pride for their ancestors. Those of any nationality will be outraged at the indecencies these gentle people endured. -- Record-Journal, Barbara Parent, January 30,2001

Based on the personal history of Goshgarian's maternal grandmother, The Arbitrary Sword weaves fiction with historical summary... -- The Brookline TAB, Kelly Field, April 12, 2001

Diane brings to life a forgotten period in 20th century history for many. I highly recommend it! -- Jordan Rich, The Jordan Rich Show, WBZ radio, May 12,2001

Goshgarian has written a historical fiction novel based on the real events of the Armenian Genocide and loosely on her own family's experience. -- Visalia Times Delta, Justin Stoner, April 25, 2001

Rarely does a novel come along that weaves past events so deliberately around the character's lives that the reader is engaged in a history lesson. -- The Fresno Bee, April 20, 2001

We [women's book group] gained a deeper understanding of the Armenian genocide...We hope she finishes the sequel soon. -- The Boston Globe, Book Swap, May 5, 2001

About the Author

Author Diane Goshgarian grew up in Carlisle, Massachusetts and spent much of her childhood amidst the culturally rich Armenian community of Watertown, Massachusetts. Her grandparents were all survivors of the Armenian Genocide. She studied writing at Emerson College. The Arbitrary Sword is her first novel. She currently works as a nurse practitioner in Boston and holds a master's degree from Simmons College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Vision Pr (July 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966574206
• ISBN-13: 978-0966574203
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,452,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A profound experience., October 3, 2000

By 

Tom Doyle (Lowell, Ma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Arbitrary Sword (Paperback)

Many historical novels will give you a feeling for what it was like to live in a certain place at a certain time. Ms. Goshgarian's novel makes you feel it in your bones. She tells of a young girl thrust into adulthood by the horrific events taking place around her. Victoria and her family try to survive amid the suffering of the Armenian people during their conflict with the Turks. Even more admirable is the compassion they show to neighbors and friend.

The historical facts are obviously well researched and Ms. Goshgarian's pleasant writing style propels the reader through the experience of this novel much too fast. One is left with the desire for more.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating! I couldn't put it down!, August 21, 2000

By 

"jaywent" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Arbitrary Sword (Paperback)

Before reading this book I knew next to nothing about the genocide the Armenian people went through during the turn of the century. This book follows Victoria from childhood to adulthood. It tells of the day to day life and struggles of living in a tragic situation while still proudly maintaining a religion and a culture. The characters and locales are so richly described I felt like I could taste the food and see the landscapes. I began to like and feel for all the characters. I can only hope this author will continue to write such interesting books. She succeeded with this debut! Congrats!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, compelling, horrible and redeeming, December 4, 2002

By 

Susan O'Neill (Andover, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Arbitrary Sword (Paperback)

"The Arbitrary Sword" details 24 years in the life of an Armenian family in Ottoman Turkey at the turn of the 20th century. Through the eyes of the resourceful young Victoria, we learn of the joys and hardships of a hard-working farm family, and their trials under the oppression of a government that despises them--and ultimately inflicts upon them and their fellow citizens one of the era's most horrendously effective premeditated programs of mass murder.

Goshgarian has done her homework well, and her characters are both believable and likable. The story she tells is by turns fascinating, compelling, horrible and redeeming. It is also educational: the genocide perpetrated against Armenians by the Turks during and after WWI is not as widely studied, at least in the US, as it should be.

The book is not without its flaws, most of which could have been avoided by better editing. The first half might have moved more quickly with some strategic trimming and tightening, and there are some technical no-nos--ranging from references to the "Straights of Dardanelles" (later corrected to "Straits") to comma misplacements--that I found distracting. And although some mention is made of Turkish and Kurdish citizens who might have been sympathetic, there are none included, which made me wonder if they did indeed exist.

However, as it picks up pace and power, the story overrides these relatively minor annoyances--especially in the second half of the book, when I found myself staying up past my bedtime to turn the pages. Thank you, Ms. Goshgarian, for filling a blatant gap in my knowledge of history. I hope your book is widely read and enthusiastically received, and above all, that we draw from it another much-needed lesson about the deadly folly of dehumanizing our fellow man.

Susan O'Neill, Author
Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Viet Nam