A schoolteacher still reeling from the tragedies of the Great War and the influenza epidemic travels to the Middle East in this memorable and passionate novel“Marvelous . . . a stirring story of personal awakening set against the background of a crucial moment in modern history.”—The Washington Post Agnes Shanklin, a forty-year-old schoolteacher from Ohio, has come into a modest inheritance … schoolteacher from Ohio, has come into a modest inheritance that allows her to take the trip of a lifetime to Egypt and the Holy Land. Arriving at the Semiramis Hotel just as the 1921 Cairo Peace Conference convenes, she is freed for the first time from her mother’s withering influence and finds herself being wooed by a handsome, mysterious German.
At the same time, Agnes—with her plainspoken American opinions—is drawn into the company of Winston Churchill, T. E. Lawrence, and Lady Gertrude Bell, who will, in the space of a few days, redraw the world map to create the modern Middle East. As they change history, Agnes too will find her own life transformed forever.
With prose as graceful and effortless as a seductive float down the Nile, Mary Doria Russell illuminates the long, rich history of the Middle East with a story that brilliantly elucidates today’s headlines.
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So fascinating! Middle East info
While this book was hard to start to read during the pandemic, I was so glad I stuck with it. The main character was believable, and I found myself rooting for her. The introduction of characters such as Churchill and Lawrence of Arabia made me want to do some research on my own.
excellent historical fiction around WW1. highly recommend. so well written
Listened to the Audio book. Couldn’t wait to pick up where I left off and listen further. Terrific book and good ending. Guess you could call it a page-turner if reading the print edition.
This is an excellent book and you should also read ´The Sparrow´and ¨Children of God´, some of the only truly original Science fiction books I have read. This book brought reality to the post-WWI world. The personal cost of the Spanish flu epidemic, and the turmoil in the Middle East. The portraits of Lawrence of Arabia and Egypt were especially …
Interesting history WW1 and 1920 ‘s
Some incredible writing.
This book makes the reader imagine what it would be like to be a witness to world leaders making important decisions. Very interesting, informative and enjoyable reading.
A well researched book , told from a unique point of view. From the tragedy of the 1918 flu pandemic and the loss of countless lives in WWI, this book weaves a tale of an unlikely heiress and historical figures who shaped the Mid East of that time and created many of the problems that have shaped the world events to our time.
This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know more about the history of the USA involvement in Egypt and the middle east. It is history-light and way less painful than memorizing dates, etc. The main character is a spinster who takes off to Cairo after her family dies from the 1918 influenca epidemic. She is confused but determined to …
Mary Doria Russell is one of my favorite authors. I recommend this, and any of her other books.
It would be difficult to start the year with a better – or more appropriate, but more on that later – book. Several years ago I loved Mary Doria Russell’s Doc, which set me on a Wild West reading spree. Moreover, Hero remains one of the finest biographies I have read, and Gertrude Bell was nothing if not extraordinary. Hence, there was no way I …
Very different but interesting. Learned a lot about some historical events. Great for fans of historical fiction!
This was such a lovely read. I enjoyed the walk through history with an interesting perspective. This is the second book of Maria Doria Russell’s I have read and each have been wonderful.
Great story with true to life characters
It was a slow read but informative. An interesting look at historical figures who were decision makers after WWI regarding territory in the Middle East.
A historical fiction about the middle east of the early 1900’s how the land was divided up. It wasn’t a page Turner but it kept my interest the whole book. The ending was a lititle strange but it doesn’t ruin the book.
I thought it was a very original story plot which was both entertaining and informative. Very inspirational!
Mary Doria Russell always has a quirky but compelling story to tell. I picked up this novel to read whenever I had time because I couldn’t predict what was going to happen, and I wanted to know. Agnes’s voice is strong, distinctive, humble, and intimate–I wanted to keep spending time with her.
Entertaining story that explains how the Middle East was screwed up by the Brits and French following WW I. A mid western school teacher who loses her family to the 1918 flu epidemic travels to Cairo where she meets Lawrence of Arabia, Churchill