Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations
by Georgina Howell
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Late Victorian England was the best place in history to be a rich man. You had telephones and cars, lots of servants, great tailors, good food, and of course a hefty portion of the globe at your command. Your opinions carried weight. Women learned small talk and French in order to please you. You stood at the very pinnacle of the evolutionary struggle. And then, as this colorful new biography suggests, there was Gertrude.
Explorer, travel writer, translator of Sufi verse, intelligent, devoid ...more
Explorer, travel writer, translator of Sufi verse, intelligent, devoid ...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
people interested in why the Middle East is the way it is
I could not put this book down once I got past the first few opening chapters. This woman was born at a time in England when women of her class were schooled to be wives, mothers and hostesses. Gertrude ended up unmarried, fiercely independent and a major player in middle-eastern politics during and after World War One. She helped give birth to the independent Arab nations of Iraq and Saudi Arabia after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire's control despite the British government's unwillingness t...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
history buffs
Fascinating account of a pretty amazing woman. Growing up in Victorian England, Bell received a First at Oxford, became an accomplished mountaineer, and traveled extensively through the desert in Syria and Iraq. Her most noted accomplishment was her involvement in the Arab Revolt during World War I and helping to create an Iraqi nation under the British mandate.
Well-written, well researched - Howell integrates lots of primary sources into her text, but it's not detracting and adds a lot to ...more
Well-written, well researched - Howell integrates lots of primary sources into her text, but it's not detracting and adds a lot to ...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
adventurers, presidents, foreign policy makers, screenwriters, feminists
I think I have a new heroine...
It boggles my mind that with our current involvement in Iraq, Gertrude Bell's name isn't bandied about on a daily basis. It's also a shame that we can't clone this amazing woman a hundred times over, as she seemed to be one of few to actually take the time to learn about the multitude of desert tribes and interact with them in a respectful, dignified manner.
In an era where women still struggled for basic rights, she used her vast knowledge or Arabia and po...more
It boggles my mind that with our current involvement in Iraq, Gertrude Bell's name isn't bandied about on a daily basis. It's also a shame that we can't clone this amazing woman a hundred times over, as she seemed to be one of few to actually take the time to learn about the multitude of desert tribes and interact with them in a respectful, dignified manner.
In an era where women still struggled for basic rights, she used her vast knowledge or Arabia and po...more
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Read in August, 2007
I am reading currently reading Gertrude Bell: Queen Of The Desert, Shaper Of Nations by Georgina Howell. I want to be Gertrude when I grow up, except I don't really want to move to another country and lead an Islamic nation to become an independent and democratic nation. Known as the female "Lawrence of Arabia", Gertrude Bell was instrumental in the creation of Iraq. One of the most dynamic, accomplished women of her times (first woman to ever earn a first at Oxford) she was a true ren...more
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Read in July, 2008
A very interesting read for anyone with even a passing interest in the geo-political history of the Middle East. This statement, and the title of the book belie the fact, however, that much of the book (half?) is devoted to Gertrude Bell's life outside of the Middle East. It is a very comprehensive biography, and one which tells a lot more than just Bell's influence in the organisation of the British in Arabia. It tells quite a lot about social mobility in late 19th century Britain, as well as s...more
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Read in December, 2007
Gertrude Bell was descibed as not only "the most famous British traveler of her day, male or female" but as a "poet, scholar, historian, mountaineer, photographer, archaeologist, gardener, cartographer, linguist and distinguished servant of the state." Her great love was for the Middle East, and she traveled widely, often with only a small escort, among warring tribes. She met Lawrence of Arabia, who she thought was something of a young upstart. She worked with and for the Br...more
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Read in July, 2007
This was an excellent account of a fascinating (and totally bad-ass) woman. Part of her amazingness is that what she did, and how she did it, and how her life went, was something that could have only happened during the narrow window in which she lived; she pretty much single handedly caused Britain to not force the newly-born Iraq into becoming part of Saudi Arabia, but thought womens' suffragists were kind of silly. I wish the book had talked more about politics, rather than focusing so on her...more
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Read in September, 2008
I'd never even heard of Gertrude Bell until my friend Eve added this book to her "To Read" list. Many thanks to Eve as I really enjoyed this book. Bell is a fascinating character, what with her life as a British spy in the Mideast during World War I and her role in shaping post-War Iraq. You can't help but speculate about the impact her decisions then have had on the situation today. I was a little intimidated by the book when it showed up on my doorstep because of its length and compl...more
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Read in July, 2008
Gertrude Bell is a fascinating person, but I felt this biography had some issues - the chronology kept jumping around for no good reason and more seriously, I did not feel that the writer has a sufficiently large comprehension of the historical events at play to lucidly retell them. Given considering Bell's magnum opus was the creation of modern Iraq, it's a pretty major failing. The last chapters felt more like a laundry list of official events and names rather than a contextualized history. St...more
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Read in December, 2007
Brisk, well-written bio of the early 20th century British traveler, explorer and later diplomat who helped shape the modern Middle East. A bit hagiographic -- ignoring the fact that the states she helped to forge were not real nations and therefore contained the seeds of modern conflicts -- it is nonetheless fascinating, as is its subject.
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Non-fiction. Gertrude Bell was an amazing woman at a time when it was much more difficult for women to be amazing outside of their homes or roll of wife/mother. Gertrude disregarded all expectations of herself and did as she damn well pleased. In the process she helped to establish the country of Iraq. This book will also give you a better understanding of the history of Iraq, it's Kings and warlords.
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Read in February, 2008
If only our government had read this book before deciding to invade Iraq. No one knew morea bout the middle East than this woman. She went on these great expeditions throughout the middle east in early 1900s and was a key player in the formation of the nation of Iraq. That was just one of her accomplishments. The book details her whole life which has it all- tragic love failures, crazy climbing expeditions, WWI, being a smart woman in a man's society. Well written and fascinating.
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Read in September, 2008
Not the best organized biography. While it is impossible to make Gertrude Bell's extraordinary life anything less than fascinating, many of the most interesting aspects were included as asides, rather than focused on as they should have been. The need to include feminizing aspects of her personality (like that she actually did fall in love once or twice) took up too much time and space. Her life was amazing, but this book, though good, did not quite do her justice.
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Julie by:
some lady on NPR
I thought this book was really interesting. I enjoyed learning so much about Gertrude Bell, someone about whom I had previously known absolutely nothing. What an extraordinary woman! And yet I'm sad for her because she never experienced the most rewarding things in life: marriage and children.
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Read in June, 2007
Another woman who makes me feel as though I haven't accomplished a thing in my life. Fascinating look at an era and a region. Demonstrates the importance of really understanding a people before trying to recreate their national identity. Very relevant book for 2007.
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Read in January, 2008
Detailed and insightful account of the life and career of Bell. The author does at times slip over into Gertrude Bell Fan Club President Mode, but this is understandable given Bell's extraordinary abilities and accomplishments.
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Read in March, 2008
Very interesting life story...ironic how we seem to repeat the same mistakes in regards to nation-building. Somewhat dense material but certainly worthy powering through until the end.
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Read in November, 2007
Gertrude Bell was an extra ordinary woman who was largely responsible for establishing Iraq as an independent nation. The book provides insight in to todays problems in Iraq.
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Read in August, 2007
I heard an NPR Nancy Pearl rec for this book and found it fascinating. You'll learn so much about the Middle east, and have great fun doing it. GB had an amazing life.
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