<![CDATA[Florence of Arabia: A Novel]]>

false <![CDATA[Florence of Arabia: A Novel]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172760245m/213388.jpg 213388 8 The bestselling author who made mincemeat of political correctness in Thank You for Smoking, conspiracy theories in Little Green Men, and Presidential indiscretions No Way to Treat a First Lady now takes on the hottest topic in the entire world–Arab-American relations–in a blistering comic novel sure to offend the few it doesn’t delight. Appalled by the punishment of her rebellious friend Nazrah, youngest and most petulant wife of Prince Bawad of Wasabia, Florence Farfarletti decides to draw a line in the sand. As Deputy to the deputy assistant secretary for Near East Affairs, Florence invents a far-reaching, wide-ranging plan for female emancipation in that part of the world. The U.S. government, of course, tells her to forget it. Publicly, that is. Privately, she’s enlisted in a top-secret mission to impose equal rights for the sexes on the small emirate of Matar (pronounced “Mutter”), the “Switzerland of the Persian Gulf.” Her crack team: a CIA killer, a snappy PR man, and a brilliant but frustrated gay bureaucrat. Her weapon: TV shows. The lineup on TV Matar includes A Thousand and One Mornings, a daytime talk show that features self-defense tips to be used against boyfriends during Ramadan; an addictive soap opera featuring strangely familiar members of the Matar royal family; and a sitcom about an inept but ruthless squad of religious police, pitched as “Friends from Hell.” The result: the first deadly car bombs in the country since 1936, a fatwa against the station’s entire staff, a struggle for control of the kingdom, and, of course, interference from the French. And that’s only the beginning. A merciless dismantling of both American ineptitude and Arabic intolerance, Florence of Arabia is Christopher Buckley’s funniest and most serious novel yet, a biting satire of how U.S. good intentions can cause the Shiite to hit the fan. From the Hardcover edition. 1869238 2004 Florence of Arabia: A Novel total:490|5:63|4:202|3:177|2:41|1:7| 490 1743 665 88 4 0 false false Thu Jan 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jun 27 03:41:12 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 05:50:35 -0700 2009
Assistant to the assistant to the deputy of Middle Eastern Affairs, F...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jul 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 11:39:58 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 11:49:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Jan 18 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 17 21:55:57 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 17:29:43 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Jul 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 10 14:08:32 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 08:30:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Oct 29 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jan 05 13:21:55 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 13:22:16 -0800 2009 STOP SMILING interview with Florence of Arabia author Christopher Buckley:

HUMOR IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL\
By Charles Haskell

(This interview originally appeared in the STOP SMILING DC ISSUE)

There are many ways of defining Christopher Buckley. He...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Oct 21 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 19 14:24:46 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 21 19:05:27 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jun 23 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Apr 15 05:47:36 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 15 05:48:11 -0700 2008 "The remarkable thing is how well we mean, America. And yet it always turns out so -- badly."
So says "Uncle Sam" a mysterious and powerful figure who gives Florence Farfaletti, a minor State Dep't official, well-versed in Middle Eastern history & language, a chance to chan...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Dec 11 19:05:49 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 11 19:05:49 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 13 12:02:56 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 13 12:03:36 -0700 2007 Florence is about a woman who goes to the fictional country of Matar (pro...more...]]> 2 2 false false Sat Jan 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 00:36:05 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 22:25:56 -0800 2009
Dear Mr. Buckley,
It is not necessary to make all of your female protagonists sexy. It is even less necessary to remind your readers of their sexiness every four pages.
Sincerely,
Someone who usually doesn't roll her eyes while readin...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jan 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 06 20:32:34 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 06 20:42:19 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Nov 25 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 06 17:53:26 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 25 19:14:50 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun May 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 13:54:32 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 13:54:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 true false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jun 28 12:32:44 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 28 12:37:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Jul 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 04:53:33 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 04:46:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Jan 06 12:33:36 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 06 12:33:56 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 07:55:55 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 07:58:55 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri May 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 23:47:15 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 16:36:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 18:42:25 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 18:44:21 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Mar 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Sep 09 06:25:20 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 03 06:29:33 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=213388