Gertrude Bell
Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations
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Gertrude Bell
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Narrated by:
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Corrie James
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By:
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Georgina Howell
About this listen
She has been called the female Lawrence of Arabia, which, while not inaccurate, fails to give Gertrude Bell her due. She was at one time the most powerful woman in the British Empire: a nation builder, the driving force behind the creation of modern-day Iraq. Born in 1868 into a world of privilege, Bell turned her back on Victorian society, choosing to read history at Oxford and going on to become an archaeologist, spy, Arabist, linguist, author, poet, photographer, and legendary mountaineer.
She traveled the globe several times, but her passion was the desert, where she traveled with only her guns and her servants. Her vast knowledge of the region made her indispensable to the Cairo Intelligence Office of the British government during World War I. She advised the Viceroy of India; then, as an army major, she traveled to the front lines in Mesopotamia. There, she supported the creation of an autonomous Arab nation for Iraq, promoting and manipulating the election of King Faisal to the throne. Gertrude Bell, vividly told and impeccably researched by Georgina Howell, is a richly compelling portrait of a woman who transcended the restrictions of her class and times.
©2006 Manoir La Roche Ltd. (P)2016 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Gertrude Bell was leaning in 100 years before Sheryl Sandberg. One of the great woman adventurers of the 20th century, she turned her back on Victorian society to study at Oxford and travel the world and became the chief architect of British policy in the Middle East after World War I. Mountaineer, archaeologist, Arabist, writer, poet, linguist, and spy, she dedicated her life to championing the Arab cause and was instrumental in drawing the borders that define today's Middle East.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Raw historiography of a spectacular heroine
- By Josef on 01-07-16
By: Gertrude Bell, and others
-
Desert Queen
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- By: Janet Wallach
- Narrated by: Jean Gilpin
- Length: 20 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 278
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 235
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 239
Turning her back on her privileged life in Victorian England, Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), fired by her innate curiosity, journeyed the world and became fascinated with all things Arab. Traveling the length and breadth of the Arab region, armed with a love for its language and its people, she not only produced several enormously popular books based on her experiences but became instrumental to the British foreign office. When World War I erupted, and the British needed the loyalty of the Arab leaders, it was Gertrude Bell's work and connections that helped provided the brain for T. E. Lawrence's military brawn.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Great beginning, then gets boring
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By: Janet Wallach
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Indian Summer
- The Secret History of the End of an Empire
- By: Alex von Tunzelmann
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 201
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 169
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 170
At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the British Empire withdrew from India, igniting the exhilaration and turmoil of a newly free society. In this vivid, atmospheric popular history, Alex von Tunzelmann chronicles these times through the most prominent figures.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Such an interesting piece of History made easy
- By Diego on 01-23-12
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Those Wild Wyndhams
- Three Sisters at the Heart of Power
- By: Claudia Renton
- Narrated by: Claudia Renton
- Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 120
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 105
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 105
They were confidantes to British prime ministers, poets, writers, and artists, their lives entwined with the most celebrated and scandalous figures of the day, from Oscar Wilde to Henry James. They were the lovers of great men - or men of great prominence... They lived in a world of luxurious excess, a world of splendor at 44 Belgrave Square and later at the even more vast Clouds, the exquisite Wiltshire house on 4,000 acres, the "house of the age", designed in 1876 by the visionary architect Philip Webb - the model for Henry James' The Spoils of Poynton.
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5 out of 5 stars
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SLOW START BUT STICK WITH THIS ONE
- By The Louligan on 01-22-19
By: Claudia Renton
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Black Diamonds
- The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years That Changed England
- By: Catherine Bailey
- Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 69
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 63
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 64
When the sixth Earl Fitzwilliam died in 1902, he left behind the second largest estate in 20th-century England, valued at more than three billion dollars in today's money - a lifeline to the tens of thousands of people who worked either in the family's coal mines or on their expansive estate. The earl also left behind four sons, and the family line seemed assured. But was it?
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3 out of 5 stars
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Could use a good editor...
- By Phyllis on 04-30-18
By: Catherine Bailey
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Victoria & Abdul (Movie Tie-in)
- The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant
- By: Shrabani Basu
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Jasicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 130
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 111
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Story4 out of 5 stars 111
History’s most unlikely friendship - this is the astonishing story of Queen Victoria and her dearest companion, the young Indian Munshi Abdul Karim. In the twilight years of her reign, after the devastating deaths of her two great loves - Prince Albert and John Brown - Queen Victoria meets tall and handsome Abdul Karim, a humble servant from Agra waiting tables at her Golden Jubilee. The two form an unlikely bond and within a year Abdul becomes a powerful figure at court, the Queen’s teacher, her counsel on Urdu and Indian affairs, and a friend close to her heart.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Honestly, can’t finish yet.
- By Cassie on 12-30-17
By: Shrabani Basu
-
Travelers in the Third Reich
- The Rise of Fascism: 1919-1945
- By: Julia Boyd
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 86
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 77
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 77
Travelers in the Third Reich is an extraordinary history of the rise of the Nazis based on fascinating firsthand accounts, drawing together a multitude of voices and stories, including politicians, musicians, diplomats, schoolchildren, communists, scholars, athletes, poets, fascists, artists, tourists, and even celebrities like Charles Lindbergh and Samuel Beckett. Their experiences create a remarkable three-dimensional picture of Germany under Hitler - one so palpable that the listener will feel, hear, even breathe the atmosphere.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Why must I write a review to have my rating count?
- By Saint Exupery on 03-04-23
By: Julia Boyd
-
Matriarch
- Queen Mary and the House of Windsor
- By: Anne Edwards
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,366
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,122
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,119
The life of Princess May of Teck is one of the great Cinderella stories in history. From a family of impoverished nobility, she was chosen by Queen Victoria as the bride for her eldest grandson, the scandalous Duke of Clarence, heir to the throne, who died mysteriously before their marriage. Despite this setback, she became queen, mother of two kings, grandmother of the current queen, and a lasting symbol of the majesty of the British throne.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow! Did not want this to end!
- By Susan Nall Sheehan on 07-16-17
By: Anne Edwards
-
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey
- The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
- By: The Countess of Carnarvon
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 796
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 709
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 703
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration and setting for Julian Fellowes's Emmy Award-winning PBS series, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants: Lady Almina, the fifth Countess of Carnarvon. Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war.
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4 out of 5 stars
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the lowdown on Downton times
- By connie on 03-17-12
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The Glitter and the Gold
- The American Duchess - In Her Own Words
- By: Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 162
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 144
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 145
Consuelo Vanderbilt was young, beautiful and the heir to a vast family fortune. She was also deeply in love with an American suitor when her mother chose instead for her to fulfill her social ambitions and marry an English Duke. Leaving her life in America, she came to England as the Duchess of Marlborough in 1895 and took up residence in her new home: Blenheim Palace. The ninth Duchess gives unique first-hand insight into life at the very pinnacle of English society in the Edwardian era.
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2 out of 5 stars
-
Facinating Story- Terrible reading
- By Ashley D on 03-27-14
-
The Churchills: In Love and War
- By: Mary S. Lovell
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 21 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 47
The first Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) was a soldier of such genius that a lavish palace, Blenheim, was built to honor his triumphs. Succeeding generations of Churchills sometimes achieved distinction but also included profligates and womanizers, and were saddled with the ruinous upkeep of Blenheim. The Churchills were an extraordinary family: ambitious, impecunious, impulsive, brave, and arrogant. Winston - recently voted "The Greatest Briton" - dominates them all. His failures and triumphs are revealed in the context of a poignant and sometimes tragic private life.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Grand! In it's own wonderful way.
- By Cookie on 12-05-11
By: Mary S. Lovell
-
Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia
- By: Michael Korda
- Narrated by: Robin Sachs
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 426
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 329
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 330
Michael Korda's Hero is the story of an epic life on a grand scale: a revealing, in-depth, and gripping biography of the extraordinary, mysterious, and dynamic Englishman whose daring exploits and romantic profile, including his blond, sun-burnished good looks and flowing white robes, made him an object of intense fascination, still famous the world over as "Lawrence of Arabia".
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4 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent book and narration
- By Ron L. Caldwell on 12-11-10
By: Michael Korda
-
Louisa
- The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams
- By: Louisa Thomas
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 99
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 85
Born in London to an American father and a British mother on the eve of the Revolutionary War, Louisa Catherine Johnson was raised in circumstances very different from the New England upbringing of future president John Quincy Adams, whose life had been dedicated to public service from the earliest age. And yet John Quincy fell in love with her almost despite himself. Their often tempestuous but deeply close marriage lasted half a century.
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4 out of 5 stars
-
Insightful
- By Jean on 05-18-16
By: Louisa Thomas
-
Royal Sisters
- Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret
- By: Anne Edwards
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 145
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 126
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 126
In Royal Sisters, Anne Edwards, author of the best-selling Vivien Leigh: A Biography and Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor, has written the first dual biography of Elizabeth, the princess who was to become Queen, and her younger sister, Margaret, who was to be her subject. From birth to maturity, they were the stuff of which dreams are made.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Where's The Rest?
- By Simone on 12-19-17
By: Anne Edwards
-
Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey
- By: The Countess of Carnarvon
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 172
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 157
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 160
Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the setting for Julian Fellowes’s Emmy Award-winning PBS show Downton Abbey, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Catherine Wendell.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Not what was advertised
- By Jessica C Anderson on 09-10-19
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Clementine
- The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill
- By: Sonia Purnell
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,464
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,305
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,290
By Winston Churchill's own admission, victory in the Second World War would have been "impossible without her". Until now, however, the only existing biography of Churchill's wife, Clementine, was written by her daughter. Sonia Purnell finally gives Clementine her due with a deeply researched account that tells her life story, revealing how she was instrumental in softening FDR's initial dislike of her husband and paving the way for Britain's close relationship with America.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Exasperating At Times But Very Good--
- By Gillian on 04-09-18
By: Sonia Purnell
-
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume I: Visions of Glory 1874-1932
- By: William Manchester
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 41 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,654
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,152
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,146
Winston Churchill is perhaps the most important political figure of the 20th century. His great oratory and leadership during the Second World War were only part of his huge breadth of experience and achievement. Studying his life is a fascinating way to imbibe the history of his era and gain insight into key events that have shaped our time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Superb - Review of Both Volume I & Volume II
- By Wolfpacker on 01-23-09
-
The Romanov Sisters
- The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra
- By: Helen Rappaport
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 892
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 790
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 792
They were the Princess Dianas of their day—perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. The four captivating Russian Grand Duchesses—Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Romanov—were much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, the clothes they wore and their privileged lifestyle. Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 has clouded our view of them, leading to a mass of sentimental and idealized hagiography.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Made you want to change the ending
- By MissSusie66 on 01-23-15
By: Helen Rappaport
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 272
This is not your mother's memoir. In The Chronology of Water, Lidia Yuknavitch expertly moves the listener through issues of gender, sexuality, violence, and the family from the point of view of a lifelong swimmer turned artist. In writing that explores the nature of memoir itself, her story traces the effect of extreme grief on a young woman's developing sexuality that some define as untraditional because of her attraction to both men and women.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Bad choice of narrator
- By A Norman on 10-17-17
By: Lidia Yuknavitch
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The Arabs
- A History
- By: Eugene Rogan
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 27 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 661
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 581
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 577
In this definitive history of the modern Arab world, award-winning historian Eugene Rogan draws extensively on Arab sources and texts to place the Arab experience in its crucial historical context for the first time. Tracing five centuries of Arab history, Rogan reveals that there was an age when the Arabs set the rules for the rest of the world. Today, however, the Arab world's sense of subjection to external powers carries vast consequences for both the region and Westerners who attempt to control it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Superb Book About the Arab World
- By Nostromo on 05-29-16
By: Eugene Rogan
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Jennie
- The Life of the American Beauty Who Became the Toast—and Scandal—of Two Continents, Ruled an Age and Raised a Son—Winston Churchill—Who Shaped History
- By: Ralph G. Martin
- Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt
- Length: 26 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 13
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Story5 out of 5 stars 13
Sourcebooks is bringing the internationally acclaimed New York Times bestseller back for a new generation of listeners. Jennie Churchill was not merely Winston’s mother. She was the most captivating and desired woman of her age. Originally from Brooklyn, Jennie became the reigning queen of British society. Beautiful and defiant, she lived with an honesty that made her the talk of two continents.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent
- By appreciative reader on 02-13-23
By: Ralph G. Martin
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Abigail Adams
- By: Woody Holton
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 19 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 347
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 272
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 276
Abigail Adams offers a fresh perspective on the famous events of Adams's life, and along the way, Woody Holton, a renowned historian of the American Revolution, takes on numerous myths about the men and women of the founding era. But the book also demonstrates that domestic dramas---from unplanned pregnancies to untimely deaths---could be just as heartbreaking, significant, and inspiring as the actions of statesmen and soldiers.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Remarkable Woman
- By Michael on 01-14-10
By: Woody Holton
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Book of Ages
- The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin
- By: Jill Lepore
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 178
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 156
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Story4 out of 5 stars 156
From one of our most accomplished and widely admired historians, a revelatory portrait of Benjamin Franklin' s youngest sister and a history of history itself. Like her brother, Jane Franklin was a passionate reader, a gifted writer, and an astonishingly shrewd political commentator.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Back story of Ben Franklin
- By Candi Collier on 05-30-14
By: Jill Lepore
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The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women
- A Social History
- By: Elizabeth Norton
- Narrated by: Jennifer Dixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 647
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 569
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 567
The Tudor period conjures up images of queens and noblewomen in elaborate court dress, of palace intrigue and dramatic politics. But if you were a woman, it was also a time when death during childbirth was rife, when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education you could hope to receive was minimal at best. Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and dynamic women in a way that no era had been before.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I love this book!
- By Kathi on 08-17-17
By: Elizabeth Norton
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The Vanderbilts
- By: Jerry E. Patterson
- Narrated by: Ray Childs
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 524
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 451
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Story4 out of 5 stars 448
Cornelius Vanderbilt parlayed a $100.00 investment into the largest private transportation company in the world while creating an American Dynasty in New York, Newport, Vermont, and Asheville, North Carolina. This history of his family and their lush, opulent lifestyle is filled with juicy stories and fun tidbits about their lives in the Gilded Era.
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2 out of 5 stars
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It only brushes the cold marble surface
- By Tracy on 12-03-13
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Andrew Carnegie
- By: David Nasaw
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 32 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,222
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 962
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 957
The Scottish-born son of a failed weaver and a mother who supported the family by binding shoes, Andrew Carnegie was the embodiment of the American dream. In his rise from a job as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory to being the richest man in the world, he was single-minded, relentless and a major player in some of the most violent and notorious labor strikes of the time. The prototype of today's billionaire, he was a visionary in the way he earned his money and in the way he gave it away.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Andrew Carnegie
- By Peggie on 10-01-07
By: David Nasaw
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Agatha Christie
- An Elusive Woman
- By: Lucy Worsley
- Narrated by: Lucy Worsley
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 515
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 444
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 439
Why did Agatha Christie spend her career pretending that she was "just" an ordinary housewife, when clearly she wasn't? Lucy Worsley's biography is not just of a massively, internationally successful writer. It's also the story of a person who, despite the obstacles of class and gender, became an astonishingly successful working woman. With access to rarely seen personal letters and papers, Lucy Worsley's biography is both authoritative and entertaining and makes us realize what an extraordinary pioneer Agatha Christie was—truly a woman who wrote the twentieth century.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A delight and a revelation
- By theenglishmajor on 12-02-22
By: Lucy Worsley
What listeners say about Gertrude Bell
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-20-19
Gertrude Bell
Loved it !! looking forward to reading more books on Gertrude Bell such a fascinating woman
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pamela D. Smith
- 08-17-19
Highly recommended!
Amazing story beautifully written and wonderfully narrated by Corrie James. It opened my eyes to history of the current Middle Eastern situation and unfolded an unimaginably fascinating character in the form of Gertrude bell, whom I had never heard of before. Pass this on to any friend , man or woman, and the will find it utterly engaging.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rhetta Drennan
- 12-03-20
Great biography of a great person
I loved the use Gertrude's letters and writings, as well as the letters and writings of her contemporaries. Such an amazing life and individual!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 02-15-18
amazing woman, history, detail, writing narrator
amazing woman history writing detail narrator everything 8 7 65 4 3 2 words remaining
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Debbie G.
- 06-27-24
Honesty and genuine caring fir people
A clean straight forward telling if a great woman and huge asset to the world during and after WW1 . We need someone like her now.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 05-09-19
Politically fascinating picture of today's conflicts.
The breaking up of the Ottoman empire and the Britains commonwealth dissolving the British held lands in the middle East are a vivid tapestry in Gertrude Bell 's life. She was an amazing woman to have worked and traveled through the Middle East in the Victorian era. The lands were divided, laws were written for governing the new countries of Iran and Iraq based on the recommendations of Gertrude Bell .
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karyn Myers
- 06-15-22
Amazing women!
Gertrude Bell was an amazing women. I wish her life’s story was better known. This book was a wonderful exploration of an amazing life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nostromo
- 08-05-18
Shattering The Glass Ceiling in Britain
This was an extremely well written book about a very remarkable woman who was very much ahead of her time. Born into family that made its money from manufacturing during the latter half of the British industrial revolution, Gertrude Bell refused to follow the script of a typical Victorian woman. Not only did she attend university but she graduated Oxford with honors and went to a career as an explorer and statesman(woman) during World War I and the subsequent development of the Middle East. In essence, she should be considered as one of the founding mothers of the modern Iraq as she worked with the British to create that state out of Mesopotamia and other adjacent portions of the old Ottoman empire. She was the rare woman at that time who succeeded by charisma, smarts and persistence to carve out a career for herself in a male dominated world. Her success came at a significant cost- she never married and although she was interested in two different men, neither led her to a successful domestic life (one man committed suicide while the other died at the Battle of Gallipoli during Word War One). The books is very well written and narrated. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the development of the modern Middle East as well as the story of a remarkable woman whose accomplishments were never as well recognized as they should have been. PS- if you have seen the movie "Dessert Queen" with Nicole Kidman, do not believe that the movie in any way mirrors the book. The book is much better.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tinkertown
- 06-22-18
History comes alive
An amazing biography of a remarkable woman. Breathtaking in her capacity for life. History comes alive as we see how little we have learned from the past in the Middle East!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Rosbach
- 11-18-24
An astonishing life!
A most remarkable woman who deserves to be known for her many achievements, adventures, accomplishments and astoundingly brilliant mind.
She’s fascinating!
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