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ronabout's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
A truly interesting woman in an interesting time. Incredibly intelligent and strong willed but also suppressed by the times and her mother. A flawed family life and up bringing that created a flawed person but fascinating none the less, and what an adventurous life. This is worth a read just to let you know of who this woman was and what she did in her life, and what anyone can do with their lives if they really want to.
margyly's review
4.0
Another woman in the Middle East, the generation after Gertrude Bell. An extraordinary life.
tufriel's review
5.0
A brilliant tale of the incredible life led by Freya Stark and an a bit of an eye-opener into politics and war in the 40s.
christinafrancisgilbert's review
4.0
I read this biography on recommendation from a lifelong fan of Freya Stark and her intrepid life of exploration.
A writing retreat is planned for September this year near to Asolo in Italy where Freya returned for the final ten years of her life. More to come on this!
I had expected there to be a great deal more detail and description of Asolo in Italy, for some reason, yet the majority of Stark's life, as explained by Jane Fletcher Geniesse is occupied with her travels in the Middle East. Her ambition is fascinating. She drove her way into situations and managed to gain support and favours from many along the way. She is described as 'difficult', driven, 'a fighter', and 'Freya learned to give no quarter to anyone or anything that stood in her way or threatened her fragile self-esteem. Her competitiveness became her strength.' Her letter writing 'the fat pile bearing exotic stamps was waiting in her mother's desk' is considered of huge cultural significance and an extensive knowledge base for civilization in the Middle East.
I can't say I liked what I was led to learn of Freya Stark. Her methods for getting her own way are eye-opening. 'She cultivated people if she thought they could be useful...'
Yet, her endeavours, what she achieved in cartography of the regions, her craving for 'ataraxia, a Greek concept meaning the attainment of perfect peace or transcendent calm,' and her determination to encourage true understanding between cultures is admirable.
This biography is an elegant and coherent presentation of her life, both personal and professional. The narrative has many hints towards her obsession with her appearance and her troubled love connections and she comes across as a vulnerable figure in places, in spite of her ruthless ambition.
I have missed out so much about her attitudes towards and actions of all that she did on her travels and missions. There's a lot to be learned here of 20th century Middle Eastern history.
steds's review
4.0
great biography of a fascinating, mercurial, somewhat controversial person. makes me want to read all freya's own travel writing.
bizzylizzie's review
4.0
After reading this fascinating biography, it's hard to believe that so few of us have ever heard of Freya Stark. I read it while traveling in Israel and it was so easy to imagine this tiny, confident woman bravely setting out to explore the Middle East, nearly 100 years ago! If you have a sense of wanderlust and independence that needs a bit of a boost, and you like biographies, it's well worth a read.
nadoislandgirl's review
2.0
A biography of a fascinating woman. I very much wanted to learn about this woman - though this biography focuses a lot on Freya's complicated friend and family relationships, to such an extent that I kept thinking "yes, yes, you've said this already." I had moments when I would plow through this book, but other times when I could barely make it through a page. It took me a year to read. Interesting woman, but I'm not sure if I would recommend this biography to anyone.
ida_ree's review
3.0
Freya Stark was not shrinking violet. Born in the 1890s to English parents, she was raised mostly in Italy. She went to great lengths to learn Arabic and then traveled, against the advice of everyone, throughout the Mideast, drawing new maps and discovering the buried past.
For some reason, I didn't enjoy the book as much as I had anticipated. Maybe it's because I got the feeling I wouldn't have liked Stark as a person all that much? Maybe it's because her trips and personal relationships are described in ways that make it seem repetitive to me. Still, I admire her pluck and independence.
For some reason, I didn't enjoy the book as much as I had anticipated. Maybe it's because I got the feeling I wouldn't have liked Stark as a person all that much? Maybe it's because her trips and personal relationships are described in ways that make it seem repetitive to me. Still, I admire her pluck and independence.