jenmat1197's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of the author and how she became the Queen of Jordan, and her work in that role. Born in America, as Lisa Halaby, Queen Noor was a Princeton graduate who quickly found herself in love with King Hussein after a chance meeting 2 years after she graduated. He was recently widowed, and after a whirlwind romance they were married. They had 4 children together, and the book covers her time as Queen and the work that she and King Hussein did to bring peace to Jordan and the countries around them. King Hussein died of cancer in 1999 and Queen Noor continued her work for Jordan long after.
This was a very well written book. I am always intrigued by stories coming from this part of the world because I know so little about it. It is always interesting to hear personal stories and read their point of view. Queen Noor gives a personal account of her time as Queen and also the unrest that took place during her rein from the 1970s through the late 1990s and how she and King Hussein fought to settle that unrest. She was very involved with the political aspects of her country. You can tell from her writing how much she loved her husband, her adopted country, and her life as a leader in Jordan.
Worth the read.
This was a very well written book. I am always intrigued by stories coming from this part of the world because I know so little about it. It is always interesting to hear personal stories and read their point of view. Queen Noor gives a personal account of her time as Queen and also the unrest that took place during her rein from the 1970s through the late 1990s and how she and King Hussein fought to settle that unrest. She was very involved with the political aspects of her country. You can tell from her writing how much she loved her husband, her adopted country, and her life as a leader in Jordan.
Worth the read.
tamaralgage1's review against another edition
5.0
Since I have given this book 5* rating, you can guess I liked it. At just under 450 pages, this is a hefty challenge and it has taken me sometime to finish it. My rating is purely based on the knowledge that I have gained regarding the country of Jordan, its relationship with the bordering countries, and life inside an Islamic culture. It is interesting to be reading the Bible simultaneously and read events occurring in the same area 1000s of years apart.
In Nov of 1979, I was a freshman in College when the US Embassy diplomats and citizens were taken hostage in Iran. This marked the beginning of attention to world events. Many times I have wondered why regarding the many, many conflicts in the region? I listen to our news and political leaders to understand events. But was I or am I getting the whole story?
In 1978, a 27 year American woman would marry the King of Jordan. She had graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Urban Development. Working in the Middle East for company doing planning for future developments, she meet the king at various events. He and her father (who had been head of the FAA under Kennedy) had known each other. After a brief courtship, they were married. This marriage would last for 21 years when the King died of Cancer at the age of 62. Today, their son, Prince Hamazah, is next in line to be the next King of Jordan (The current King of Jordan is the oldest son from previous marriage). After her husband's death, she was convinced to write this book to tell the story of her husband, their life together, and the country they worked to build.
This book
In Nov of 1979, I was a freshman in College when the US Embassy diplomats and citizens were taken hostage in Iran. This marked the beginning of attention to world events. Many times I have wondered why regarding the many, many conflicts in the region? I listen to our news and political leaders to understand events. But was I or am I getting the whole story?
In 1978, a 27 year American woman would marry the King of Jordan. She had graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Urban Development. Working in the Middle East for company doing planning for future developments, she meet the king at various events. He and her father (who had been head of the FAA under Kennedy) had known each other. After a brief courtship, they were married. This marriage would last for 21 years when the King died of Cancer at the age of 62. Today, their son, Prince Hamazah, is next in line to be the next King of Jordan (The current King of Jordan is the oldest son from previous marriage). After her husband's death, she was convinced to write this book to tell the story of her husband, their life together, and the country they worked to build.
This book
ladytoya_danbury's review against another edition
5.0
I truly enjoyed reading this. It put a lot of things into perspective of what was happening here in the states and in Jordan. I appreciate the chance to see things from a different side.
floorflawless's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Review 2023:
Stiekem moet ik wel even grinniken om mijn recensie van 2019. Want DUH hallo, het gaat hier om een koningin, logisch dat er veel in zit over de politieke situatie in zowel Jordanië als omliggende landen, want dat heeft een groot deel van haar dagelijks leven in beslag genomen. Dat gezegd hebbende moet ik wel toegeven dat deze memoires grotendeels een ode zijn aan haar overleden man Koning Hoessein van Jordanië. Bij een groot gedeelte van dit boek plaatste ze zichzelf wat meer aan de zijlijn om het verhaal van haar man te vertellen die ze door en door gesteund heeft tot aan zijn laatste adem toe.
Wel vond ik het soms een beetje lastig lezen, omdat ze soms een beetje van de hak op de tak sprong. Daardoor moest ik soms even een stukje teruglezen om te zien of ik het wel goed begreep en of ik iets had gemist. Uiteindelijk ben ik blij dat ik dit boek een tweede kans heb gegeven, want het is wel degelijk een interessante memoir. Ik heb hem alleen in 2019 als audioboek geprobeerd te luisteren en dat was kennelijk voor mij persoonlijk dus niet de juiste keus.
Review 2019:
DNF.. Ik dwaal steeds af met mijn gedachten doordat het zo langdradig is. Er zit heel veel historische achtergrond in over het land en de buurlanden, maar ik ging het juist lezen om HAAR verhaal te weten te komen. Erg jammer, maar ik geef het op.
Stiekem moet ik wel even grinniken om mijn recensie van 2019. Want DUH hallo, het gaat hier om een koningin, logisch dat er veel in zit over de politieke situatie in zowel Jordanië als omliggende landen, want dat heeft een groot deel van haar dagelijks leven in beslag genomen. Dat gezegd hebbende moet ik wel toegeven dat deze memoires grotendeels een ode zijn aan haar overleden man Koning Hoessein van Jordanië. Bij een groot gedeelte van dit boek plaatste ze zichzelf wat meer aan de zijlijn om het verhaal van haar man te vertellen die ze door en door gesteund heeft tot aan zijn laatste adem toe.
Wel vond ik het soms een beetje lastig lezen, omdat ze soms een beetje van de hak op de tak sprong. Daardoor moest ik soms even een stukje teruglezen om te zien of ik het wel goed begreep en of ik iets had gemist. Uiteindelijk ben ik blij dat ik dit boek een tweede kans heb gegeven, want het is wel degelijk een interessante memoir. Ik heb hem alleen in 2019 als audioboek geprobeerd te luisteren en dat was kennelijk voor mij persoonlijk dus niet de juiste keus.
Review 2019:
DNF.. Ik dwaal steeds af met mijn gedachten doordat het zo langdradig is. Er zit heel veel historische achtergrond in over het land en de buurlanden, maar ik ging het juist lezen om HAAR verhaal te weten te komen. Erg jammer, maar ik geef het op.
macfiar's review against another edition
1.0
I had really been looking forward to this book. I thought it would be an interesting look at how her life changed after marrying King Hussein. That's not what this was at all. This was part memoir part political manifesto. Queen Noor does two things in this book. First, she defends every political decision that her husband ever made, essentially being his posthumous PR manager. but she takes it a step farther by also defending herself for marrying him. She spends a lot of time showing us that she is really a feminist and how the world should also consider her husband a feminist. Then goes about destroying any proof of that by showing that she was and is a dutiful wife in the Middle East. This definitely doesn't fit the definition of a memoir. And it certainly isn't a love story, unless you are considering female oppression and one sided relationships "love" these days.
christineschronicles's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Lisa Halaby started out her life as the daughter of a wealthy family. Her family is Arab-American. She was very smart, and wealthy enough to go to Princeton, with the first class that allowed women! She graduated with a degree in architecture and urban planning, which is an interesting career in itself. She met King Hussein of Jordan while visiting her father, and a relationship developed between them. This book goes into all that happened during that meeting and how she became a queen in the Middle East. It was a really interesting story, and her experiences were unusual.