or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
The Lords of Navarre: A Basque Family Saga
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

The Lords of Navarre: A Basque Family Saga [Paperback]

José Lacambra-Loizu (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Price: $23.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it delivered Friday, February 3? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover $33.95  
Paperback $23.95  

Book Description

May 19, 2004
An epic novel of breathtaking scope, The Lords of Navarre is skillfully conceived and masterfully written. It traces a Basque family's history from the last Ice Age to the present, an untold story of a people still speaking the haunting voices of its Cro-Magnon ancestors.

Lacambra-Loizu weaves a compelling chronicle of successive generations of Basque warlords who settle in the western Pyrenean uplands. Over the course of centuries, their destinies and fortunes become intertwined with those of Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionheart, the Black Prince, Sancho el Fuerte, Cesare Borgia, and Ferdinand and Isabel of Castile.

The Lords of Navarre is an authoritative, meticulously researched account of the Basques, their lives as early hunters and farmers, the dawning of Christianity in their land, their fierce battles to fend off Celts, Romans, Franks, Moors and Castilians from their beloved highlands.


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lacambra-Loizu grew up in the Basque country, graduated from Gettysburg College and earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Duke University. He recently published Rising Sun Blinking, his W.W. II memoirs, and now writes about his people, the Basques. Retired, he lives with his wife, Ann, in Winter Park, Florida.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 428 pages
  • Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (May 19, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0595311482
  • ISBN-13: 978-0595311484
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,907,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:    (0)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Micheneresque, June 13, 2005
This review is from: The Lords of Navarre: A Basque Family Saga (Paperback)
Several years ago Mark Kurlansky had a surprise bestseller with his book, <a href=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0140298517/juddsbookreviews>The Basque History of the World</a>, in which he revealed the fascinating story of a people we'd come to associate only with terrorism in recent times. José Maria Lacambra-Loizu, a native of the Basque region, has taken this rich history and turned it into an epic novel reminiscent of James A. Michener. Mr. Lacambra-Loizu accepts the version of the Basque past that holds they are directly descended from Cro-Magnon man--they do have a language and blood types that are unique--and follows as adventurous Ice Age bands trek from the Caucasus to their eventual homeland in northern Spain, in the Western Pyrenees, along the Bay of Biscay. Once settled they interact over the coming centuries with such historical figures as Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionheart, and, of course, the kings and queens of Spain and defend their chosen land against Celts, Romans, Franks, Moors and Spaniards.

The strengths and weaknesses of the book are much of a piece with Michener's works and any fan of his is likely to enjoy this one. Mr. Lacambra-Loizu uses the device of plunking down successive members of one family in the midst of the action. The format is necessarily episodic and just when you're getting to know the main character you're about to leave him behind. However, the goings on around them are so interesting as to make up for such quibbles. It's no coincidence though that the best portion of the book is an extended visit with Inaki, a young knight who ends up going Crusading in the Holy Land with Richard. is the most fully developed of the characters and his tale the most compelling overall. The best set piece is probably the defeat of Charlemagne in the pass of Roncesvalles, which later formed the basis of the poem Chanson de Roland, though credit therein was given to the Moors rather than the Basques.


It's a longish book -- big enough to take to the beach this summer -- as befits its topic and the sweep of thousands of years. Still, it cuts off rather abruptly in and leaps ahead to the present. Presumably Mr. Lacambra-Loizu is working on a sequel, because there's plenty of Basque history still to be told and its recent past is just as event-filled. This fine effort will certainly get you started though.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars waiting for the sequel, April 11, 2009
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Lords of Navarre: A Basque Family Saga (Paperback)
I was not that impressed with this work, I want to here about what basque really are, and was some what disappointed, being basque my self I was eager to here about my ancestor's, and how special thease rare Rh negative blood people are,there is not enough info out there about thease people!I couldn't bring myself to reading the first part, to prehistoric for me,
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
Doña Inés, crossed lances
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Lords of Navarre, Holy Land, Great Hall, Black Prince, North Africans, Navas de Tolosa, Prince of Viana, Sancho the Wise, Antonius Primus, Prince Richard, Duke Bernard, King Sancho, Alfonso of Castile, King Juan, Gaston de Foix, Peña Vieja, The Iberian Blacksmith, Mother Earth, Count Aznarez, Ebro River, Richard the Lionheart, Julius Caesar, The Third Crusade, Inland Sea, Doña Filomena
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject