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| Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia | 
 enlarge | Author: Janet Wallach
Publisher: Anchor Books
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95 (37.55 RON)
Buy New: $10.85 (25.54 RON)
You Save: $5.10 (12.01 RON) (32%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 10981
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 1400096197
Dewey Decimal Number: 956.02092
EAN: 9781400096190
ASIN: 1400096197
Publication Date: July 12, 2005
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Paradoxical Account November 24, 2008
My book club split evenly on to whether to give this book three stars or four. The same thing that makes it extraordinary is also its biggest failing, that is the use Wallach makes of the huge trove of diaries, letters and pictures at the University of Newcastle. She can write about Bell's day-to-day experience with a detail and authority others would die for, but tends to take Bell at her own valuation and shortchange those who did not share her vision of a large Iraq under Sunni dominance.
 Response to Paul Donovan July 14, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
In response to your comments on Janet Wallach's writing in "Desert Queen": Her wriing made a colorful biography and her sources fill pages at the back of the book. You noted there were no footnotes: Who wants to read footnote after footnote like in a textbook? This is a story of a very vibrant woman and why not have the author envision what Gertrude Bell might have been thinking or seeing at different times e.g., "...his dark eyes were flashing..." You could not understand why she was against women's sufferage: She was a traditionalist; she might also have thought women were not well informed enough to vote or because she thought more like a man and was so involved with men she might not have given women much weight in her world. Must everything have to be explained and analyzed in a book? Exercise your mind. This discussion from my good friend Jane Kosut, Atlantic Beach, FL> Harvard '77
exceptional woman June 24, 2008
I enjoyed learning about the fascinating life and accomplishments of Gertrude Bell and the delicate and complex Arab culture and political history. I sadly realize that the knowledge and lessons that the history provided for us so abundantly are not being applied by our current government. Should we make presidential candidates take mandatory history tests in order to qualify for their candidacy? I am not much of a history reader, but this book certainly inspired me to learn more. Also it is a shame that a person as influential as Gertrude Bell has not been well known to us as much as she deserves. The writing of this book was complex but coherent, very easy to follow and enjoyable.
 good concept but hard going June 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was my book group's pick and I could hardly wait to get it and read it; it sounded timely and fascinating. Unfortunately, it was like reading a textbook, interesting but WAY too dry. No one in our group finished it and even the brilliant woman who loves a book best if no one else understands it, didn't want to read it. I only stuck with it to page 50. Maybe it gets better as you get the author's rhythm, like Dickens. As much as I would like, I can't recommend it.
Illuminating and timely May 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's remarkable that a book written about events that took place 100 years ago has direct relevance to today, but that's just one of the many strengths of "Desert Queen." When you read about Gertrude Bell's political savvy about Iraq and the stubborness of the male politicians who ignored her advice, well, the parallels are obvious.
The biggest takeaway for me was imagining Bell's life traveling through the desert to meet sheiks who were truly living in a different world. The Middle East of the 19th century still had huge populations of nomadic tribes that measured their wealth in camels. They were not a part of the Western world -- though they were highly intrigued by it. With incredible bravery and an astounding ability to overcome exhaustion and discomfort, she worked her way into the tents of sheiks who would not let another woman sit in their presence. And then after a few months of visiting and gossip, she'd take a several-week journey back to the luxury surroundings of her family's home in England. There was probably only about a 50-year window in which a person could do what she did -- the heyday of British wealth, might, and arrogance -- and she took advantage of that period perfectly.
Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about how Europeans thought about and influenced the Middle East. And, in fact, that's also the source of my only criticism of the book. If you don't know a lot about Middle East geography and history, the names and places mentioned in this book can sometimes be a blur. The maps and photos are very helpful, but for someone like me who has only a superficial knowledge, it's still hard to figure out at times.
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