Passionate Nomad: the Life of Freya Stark Free
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FREE PASSIONATE NOMAD: THE LIFE OF FREYA STARK PDF Jane Fletcher Geniesse | 406 pages | 23 Aug 2001 | Random House USA Inc | 9780375757464 | English | New York, United States Freya Stark - Wikipedia Former New York Times reporter Geniesse offers an excellent, psychologically astute chronicle of the adventurous life of Dame Freya Stark — who became a female Lawrence of Arabia. At age 13, Stark was disfigured in a horrible industrial accident. She began studying Arabic in London and in her mids finally moved to Lebanon. As an Arabist proud of her British heritage, Stark was in the difficult position of justifying British colonialism to the freedom-loving natives. She collaborated with native groups in Egypt and Iraq, drumming up support for the Allied powers. Her early books on Yemen and the ancient cult of the Assassins won her plaudits from the public and the Royal Geographic Society. Despite her growing fame, her personal life remained unfulfilling. After the war, she married a minor colonial official who, after their wedding, admitted he was a homosexual. Although Stark could be amazingly kind to Iraqi Bedouins or Druze tribesmen, she took the smallest slights to her dignity as personal affronts. A worthwhile, stylish, and thoroughly researched biography of a fascinatingly complex, often exasperating woman. Doyle offers another lucid, inspiring chronicle of female empowerment and the Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark of self-awareness and renewal. More life reflections from the bestselling author on themes of societal captivity and the catharsis of personal freedom. In her third book, Doyle Love Warrior, etc. Some stories merely skim the surface of larger issues, but Doyle revisits them in later sections and digs deeper, using friends and familial references to personify their impact on her life, both past and present. An engrossing memoir as Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark as a lively treatise on what extraordinary grace under extraordinary pressure looks like. The former first lady opens up about her early life, her journey to the White House, and the eight history-making years that followed. As the author amply shows, her can-do attitude was daunted at Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark by racism, leaving her wondering if she was good enough. With her characteristic candor and dry wit, she recounts the story of her fateful meeting with her future husband. Throw a presidential campaign into the mix, and even the most assured woman could begin to crack under the pressure. Through it all, Obama remained Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark to serve with grace and help others through initiatives like the White House garden and her campaign to fight childhood obesity. Already have an account? Log in. Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials. Sign Up. Pub Date: Oct. Page Count: Publisher: Random House. No Comments Yet. More by Jane Fletcher Geniesse. New York Times Bestseller. IndieBound Bestseller. Page Count: Publisher: Dial Books. Review Posted Online: Dec. Show comments. More About This Book. Reader Votes Google Rating. Pub Date: Nov. Page Count: Publisher: Crown. Review Posted Online: Nov. Please sign Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark to continue. Almost there! Reader Writer Industry Professional. Send me weekly book recommendations and inside scoop. Keep me logged in. Sign in using your Kirkus account Sign in Keep me logged in. Need Help? Contact us: or email customercare kirkus. Please select an existing bookshelf OR Create a new bookshelf Continue. PASSIONATE NOMAD | Kirkus Reviews Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Freya Stark—traveler, explorer, Arabist, and woman of letters—began the extraordinary adventures that would glamorize her—and would catapult her into public life for the next sixty years—in And with the publication of The Valley of the Assassins inher legend was launched. Leaving behind a miserable family life, Freya set out, at the age of thirty-four, to explo Freya Stark—traveler, explorer, Arabist, and woman of letters—began the extraordinary adventures that would glamorize her—and would catapult her into public life for the next sixty years—in Leaving behind a miserable family life, Freya set out, at the age of thirty-four, to explore remote and dangerous regions of the Middle East. She was captured in by the French military police after penetrating their cordon around the rebellious Druze. She explored the mountainous territory of the mysterious Assassins of Persia, became the first woman to explore Luristan in western Iran, and followed ancient frankincense routes to locate a lost city. Admired by British officialdom, her knowledge of Middle Eastern languages and culture aided the military and diplomatic corps, for whom she conceived an effective propaganda network during Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark. But Stark's indomitable spirit was forged by contradictions, her high-profile wanderings often masking deep insecurities. A child of privilege, she grew up in near poverty; she longed for love, but consistently focused on the wrong men. This is a brilliant and balanced biography—filled with sheikhs, diplomats, nomad warriors and chieftains, generals, would-be lovers, and luminaries. Author Jane Geniesse digs beneath the mythology to uncover a complex, quixotic, and controversial woman. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published July 24th by Modern Library first published September 28th More Details Original Title. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Passionate Nomadplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Mar 09, Lori Lamothe rated it it was amazing. Thorough and descriptive bio with some interesting background on the Middle East. May 11, Ivy rated it it was amazing Shelves: history-biography-memoirs-nonfictiofive-star-hall-of-fame. As a lover of biographies, I became interested in this book after reading a positive review from Modern Library. What could be more interesting than to read about a woman ahead of her time, fearless, captivating, smart and daring? Dame Freya Stark was all of these things, as well as a little "difficult". Drowning in the despair of a dead-end future and smarting after a broken engagement, Freya decides to embark on a journey to the Middle East and from that moment establishes the course of an adve As a lover of biographies, I became interested in this book after reading a positive review from Modern Library. Drowning in the despair of a dead-end future and smarting after a broken engagement, Freya decides to embark on a journey to the Middle East and from that moment establishes the course of an adventurous and remarkable life. Having studied Arabic and arming herself with as much knowledge as possible about the people she is going to visit, Freya sets out to explore the mysteries of an often misunderstood people. Often with little else than a donkey and one guide, Freya would visit the remotest, most dangerous places of countries like Yemen and Iraq in search of lost civilizations and ancient ruins. Braving illnesses and occassional mishaps, her attempts prove fruitful as she is able to test the accuracy of British maps; and in proving herself a talented writer of her experiences, she is honored by the Royal Geographic Society. In time her successes win her the respect of both East and West and she becomes a Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark celebrity in her native Great Britain. Leading a colorful life while making and breaking friendships, Freya is eventually given work with the British Foreign Service during World War II and manages to establish a successful pro-British propoganda organization in the Middle East. Having proven herself an invaluable asset to her country, Ms. Stark is eventually knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Author Jane Fletcher Geniesse writes an honest account of this great traveler, neither glorifying or demonizing her. We are allowed to see Dame Freya as she truly is: a remarkable woman with all the quirks that make her human. Reading this book was an absolute pleasure and how wonderful to learn about such a courageous woman who did whatever the hell she pleased! To borrow from reviewer Jim Lehrer, "Passionate Nomad is a work of nonfiction that reads and sings with the drama and life of a fine novel". View all 6 Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark. Jan 11, Sharon rated it really liked it Shelves: non-fiction. The fascinating biography of Freya Stark, who traveled throughout Arabia and Persia between the two world wars. Her personal life was a mess, but she was an intrepid traveler, who demonstrated a strong respect for the Arab way of Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark. She learned several languages as an adult, used classical texts e. Herodotus as travel manuals, and discovered several valuable archeological sites. She published eleven books on Arabia, several others on Turkey, and her personal letters filled eight volumes The fascinating biography of Freya Stark, who traveled throughout Arabia and Persia between the two world wars. She published eleven books on Arabia, several others on Turkey, and her personal letters filled eight volumes when they were published! The author's style is concise and engaging. She really brings a startling personality back to life. May 10, Ann added it. This is a biography of one of the Twentieth Century's most inveterate female travelers and experts on the Middle East.