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Rating: 
Summary: A very readable overview
Review: Covering eight hundred years of Christian-Moslem relations in one hundred and sixty pages may seem like an impossible task, but Richard Fletcher does it remarkably well. He avoids the details of wars and dynasties, tracking the major flows of events both with general descriptions and with selected examples and quotations that make larger points. His first chapter is particularly effective in introducing the reader to Islam and the Arabs as they were in the seventh century, with Muslims generally aloof from Christianity while Christians saw Muslims as threatening. Fletcher challenges some common wisdom, such as Pirenne's theory that Charlemagne would not have existed without Mohammad. His portrayal of the scholars whose translations of ancient works contributed to stimulating the Renaissance is less romantic than some other versions. Fletcher makes clear the practicalities of being part of a minority population. On the other hand, he responds to recent harsh criticisms of the Crusades by remarking that "rebuking the past from the different moral standpoint of the present does not advance historical understanding." In his epilogue, Fletcher writes that attitudes laid down like rocks long ago continue to shape the moral environment of Muslims and Christians. "There is a geology of human relationships," he reminds us, "which it is unwise to neglect." Unfortunately, Fletcher has been poorly served by the inadequate maps that accompany his text, as they provide no geographic detail other than coastlines.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative, Well Written, Insightful
Review: I became with Richard Fletcher's book as a result of a very favorable book review, and quickly realized why the review was so positive. When I finally located it, I was surprised how small it was. Nevertheless, Fletcher presents a concise and highly readable analysis of Islamic-Christian relations since the founding of Islam.
One aspect of the book I found especially fasinating was the relationship between "Eastern" christian churches and the Roman Catholic Church. Often, the Eastern churches (i.e., Armenian, Coptic, Greek Orthodox, Syrian, to name a few) were treated with as much suspicion by the west as Islam. Fletcher's discussion of the crusades was also fascinating.
To say that the subject of this book is timely and historically important is, of course, an understatement. Probably most Americans would learn something important about our Islamic neighbors at this time of war, hatred, bloodshed and misunderstanding. As we begin nation building in Iraq, or Iran or eslewhere in the middle east, as we watch the death toll mounting from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we will need as much information as we can gather to promote peace. This book is a great place to start.
Rating:
Summary: They chose not to understand the other.
Review: Pursuant to the author, the relations between Christian and Muslim during the Middle ages were marked by a persistent failure of each to try to understand the other: -The two essential ingredients of the Christian image of Islam were Muhammad as a pseudo-phophet, impostor, heretic; his followers as men of blood and violence. -Muslims were from the first imbued with the supreme self-confidence born of the conviction that they had been chosen to receive God's last and most complete revelation, and they looked upon Christians with scorn,with a lofty disdain. And, regretfully, attitudes laid down like rocks long ago continue to shape their moral environment for many centuries thereafter.
Rating:
Summary: Great scholarship for such a little book.
Review: This is probably the only book that you need to read regarding the social relationships, commerce, science/philosophy that happened in the Mediterranean world for 1000 years. I really enjoyed it. And this time there are footnotes to the quotes, and a small further reading section that lists about 5 books for each chapter. Two of the suggested books are used in the book itself.
Rating:
Summary: Presents Information Beyond the Stated Topic
Review: While this book is about Muslim-Christian relations, it also presents some unique information. In terms of specifics, the book tabulates the Biblical references to prayer (pp. 70-71). The postures of prayer include kneeling, standing, spreading out hands, etc. Parshall notes the irony of Muslim prayer habits often being "more Biblical" than the often casual manner that Christians pray. Although God is much more interested in the attitude of the heart than the position of the body, Parshall's analysis provides food for thought for all who would wish to re-evaluate their approach to prayer.
Rating:
Summary: Fun to read, wise, based on balanced scholarship
Review: With research including the true story behind the El Cid legend and on Christian Conversion of Barbarians, as well as Moorish Spain, Fletcher has special experience to bring to the task at hand. Emphasizing Christian-Muslim relations in Spain he provides balance and great interest with wise observations and fascinating examples. He does not idealize or demonize either but presents an interesting story and sound basis for understanding the era before the Reformation and an example for approaching interfaith history more generally. This is an outstanding and readable book that maintains perspective and is soundly rooted in scholarship
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