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Alan Gold
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Bell of the Desert: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Alan Gold (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 434
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A grand historical novel about Gertrude Bell, one of the most influential women of the twentieth century.

She was the most celebrated adventurer of her day, the brains behind Lawrence of Arabia, an adviser to kings and desert sheikhs, and the British government’s secret weapon in WWI in the campaign against the Turks. A brilliant academic, mountaineer, explorer, linguist, politician, and towering literary figure, Gertrude Bell is the most significant unsung heroine of the twentieth century.

Alan Gold’s meticulously researched novel accurately opens history’s pages on a peerless woman who broke all molds on how Victorian women were supposed to behave—socially, intellectually, and physically. Guiding the events of the day in open, sanctioned diplomacy and adventure all across the Middle East, her influence on the men at the vanguard of history, and her unparalleled skill in sculpting the pathways and influences of the English, French, and Arab allies on the region, all lead to perhaps her greatest achievement: single-handedly creating today’s Iraq. Told as a biographical narrative of history, Alan Gold reveals that, more than any other single figure, it was this extraordinary woman who most determinedly fashioned the Arab world as we know it today.
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  1. Print length
    567 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Yucca
  5. Publication date
    18 November 2014
  6. File size
    1415 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Product description

Review

“Gold offers an interesting, imaginative chronicle of an extraordinary woman present at the creation of post-colonial Arab-Western tensions. A dense, highly detailed fictional yin to the yang of Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A superb account of a historical woman.” —Historical Novel Society

About the Author

Alan Gold is an influential columnist for the Spectator, the Australian and other magazines. He appears regularly in the media as a commentator on human rights and international politics. Gold's previous works include the internationally-successful The Jericho Files, as well as the bestseller The Lost Testament. He currently lives in Sydney, Australia with his family.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00NS42DLY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yucca; Reprint edition (18 November 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1415 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 567 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 434

About the author

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Alan Gold

Alan Gold

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

I'm a novelist, OpEd columnist for newspapers and magazines and guest lecturer in creative writing at different universities.

Most of my novels are historical thrillers, their subjects dealing with the earliest days of civilization in the Hittite period to the most recent incidents in the Arab-Israel wars.

I've written about 20 or more novels...I lose count...published and translated into many languages throughout the world by HarperCollins, Penguin, Simon & Schuster and Atria.

I'm married, living in Australia with my wife and three children.

I'm sure there's more to me, but probably not all that much.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
434 global ratings

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Top reviews from Australia

Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A book of delightful insights into aspects of the marvellous ...
Reviewed in Australia on 9 June 2015
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A book of delightful insights into aspects of the marvellous Gertrude Bell's life and wisdom gained in pre-WW1 Persia and Arabia, and her role as adviser to then-possible local rulers and the British Government. While I will now read more much more about her, including her own "Desert and the Sown", Alan Gold's historical novel is based on through research of the events in the desert during Bell's time there, including the advent of Sykes-Picot and their dreadful plan which led to the divisions we now have on maps of the area. He is to be congratulated on a powerful story of a woman with a camel, portrayed as a friend of Lawrence of Arabia, and his command of the period's history.
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Kim Wingerei
4.0 out of 5 stars A great yarn about a great woman in extraordinary circumstances
Reviewed in Australia on 5 October 2018
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If Winston Churchill and the other leaders of Western Europe had listened more closely to Gertrude Bell and T.E Lawrence during and after the First World War, the Middle East might have been a very different place today. Bell and Lawrence both understood the complexities of the region better than any other outsiders, both having spent decades travelling the Arab peninsula as archaeologists, unofficial envoys, cartographers, reporters and writers and (in Lawrence’s case) officer of the Army.

And if Gertrude Bell had not been a woman, the immediate aftermath of the war may also have been quite different as she battled the male dominant hierarchy of British army generals ignorant of the history and culture of the Arab nations.
Author Alan Gold has made his name writing about the forgotten women of history. The book is written almost as an auto-biography, cleverly constructing scenes and dialogue as a first hand account of events. As such there is no doubt quite a bit of ‘poetic license’, but that doesn’t detract from the accuracy of the overall narrative, quite the contrary.

Apart from being exceptionally intelligent, Gertrude Bell also had the distinct advantage of coming from a very well-to-do and well connected industrialist family. Her grandfather was Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell, a Liberal MP during Benjamin Disraeli’s second term as Prime Minister, and her father was Sir Hugh Bell, who with a title of 2nd Baronet was (almost) to be counted as gentry.
Money and connections enabled her to study at Oxford and she was one of the first two women to graduate with a first class honours degree in history, when she was only 19. Never married – another factor that made her achievements in those times even more extraordinary – she started travelling the world at an early age. She developed a passion for archaeology and mountaineering (Gertrudspitze in the Swiss Alps near Bern is named after her – being one of the first to ascend it).

But her first and enduring interest was in the lands of the Arabs – Persia, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia as it was known then – borders fluid and very different to the lines later drawn up by men in the smoky map rooms of the war planners and at “peace” conferences.

Gertrude Bell learnt the languages, befriended the kings, princes and sheiks of the region and made it her life’s work to understand what so many of her countrymen did not bother to. Some of the top brass did appreciate her contributions, but most were, of course, threatened by the mere thought of a woman of knowledge and influence.

Neither T E Lawrence nor Gertrude Bell were supporters of the Sykes-Picot agreement or the Balfour Declaration, which in hindsight both proved to be disastrous for the region. I doubt if there ever was a greater example of “divide and conquer” than the British (and French) strategy in the Middle East during and after the First World War. It was all about the oil, of course, making sure that no Arab nation would be strong enough by itself. “Solving” the “Jewish problem” was just a side effect. The world is still suffering from the consequences.

Bell of the Desert provides excellent insights into all of these events, places the various combatants and participants in context and illuminates the history. It is also a most enjoyable read (or ‘listen’ as I did). The author cannot hide his love and admiration for Ms Bell, and it is hard for the reader not to join in. There are doubtless embellishments in the narrative – events and conversations that the author could not possibly be privy to. But it works as a great yarn whilst providing fascinating insights into an extraordinary woman in extraordinary circumstances.

Highly recommended.

PS> The movie “The Queen of the Desert” is no way of getting to know and understand Gertrude Bell. It is as narrow in scope as (lead actress) Nicole Kidman’s facial expressions.
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G Tibbits
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read
Reviewed in Australia on 16 May 2016
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A historical novel which makes you really feel like you understand the times and the characters involved. You want to keep on
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Jaxson
3.0 out of 5 stars Historically correct but romantic version of the life of an historically important person.
Reviewed in Australia on 23 June 2015
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This novel, based on the life of Gertrude Bell is generally historically correct but I found the dialogues between the principal characters somewhat unbelievable. Also one or two anachronisms irritated me. For example "a two up and down bungalow in Wimbledon" --bungalows are always single storied. And Gatling guns were not used in the first world war. I think Gatlings were from the American Civil War; Maxims and Lewis guns would be more correct for this war. This sort of error suggests that the author has not done their home work. For the reader wanting to learn something about Bell and her part in the First World war it is not a bad read, but the serious might like to try " Desert Queen " by Janet Wallach published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson or "The Letters of Gertrude Bell" edited by Bell's mother Lady Bell.
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Helen Geijsel
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insight into the life and times of a woman ...
Reviewed in Australia on 22 June 2015
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Fascinating insight into the life and times of a woman who had so much influence over British history, but does not seem to have received the acclaim she so richly deserved.
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Len W
4.0 out of 5 stars What a woman!
Reviewed in Australia on 17 July 2015
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A highly readable account of the life and work of Gertrude Bell (1868 - 1926) who really was a woman before her time. She wrote extensively, was a respected archaeologist, helped found the Iraqi Archaeological Museum which housed a great many of her finds, a political officer (whose expertise was highly valued by some and disparaged by others) among many other things. She travelled extensively throughout the Middle East and had a life long affection for the land and its people, including tribal leaders and kings, who held her in high regard. One is left wondering whether, if her advice had been more generally accepted, some of the present difficulties of might have been avoided.
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Ivor Livingston
5.0 out of 5 stars I want to read more Alan Gold books
Reviewed in Australia on 31 March 2015
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Great story of an unknown English heroine instrumental in the formation of the countries of the middle east.
5 people found this helpful
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diana mitchell
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Australia on 28 June 2016
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Very informative of that time, explains a lot of NOW.
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Top reviews from other countries

Lyndal
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on 6 January 2023
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I have this book for some months and finally thought I should read it.
It was excellent and gives a insight into the formation of the Middle East.
Read it and u will understand. I am not aware if it is based on the true recollections of history but it is believable. I do so love a strong woman.
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jocelyn
5.0 out of 5 stars great book about a great lady
Reviewed in India on 3 October 2020
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this is a story about a very unusual lady raised in victorian england who fell in love with the mid east and was very active in the development of mid eastern politics between wwi and the end of wwii
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CarolineG
5.0 out of 5 stars A book of revelations
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 September 2020
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I picked this book up because the subject matter was of great personal interest to me and I wasn’t disappointed.
Alan Gold has brought to life someone who has been obscured from history for too long. Her valiant efforts to bring together a nation of people’s in the Arabian desert areas was nothing if not extraordinary in those times of the early twentieth century.
Being marginalised at every turn her determination, intellect, knowledge and foresight were finally recognised, then once events had taken place put back into the shadows again.
Her final days must have been very sad thinking about what great achievements she’d made to be ignored by all those who meant so much to her.
Thank you to the author who has given this remarkable woman a new life in his book.
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doug swan
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on 18 October 2018
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incredible life story
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Gabbey2010
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting history of the Middle East
Reviewed in Canada on 24 September 2017
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This is a great book despite some typos and repetition. It is very long. That said, it is a tremendously interesting and readable story which made the history of the Middle East interesting to me. It brought this region alive for me and now I want to read more on this subject. There is much detail of the political intrigue, the forming of the League of Nations and other actions at the end of WW1, the negotiating between countries, the carving up of the Arab territories, and, finally, the emergence of Iraq and Syria as countries which united the many tribes of the desert. The problems of the first half of the 20th century persist today. Reading this book gave me an understanding of today's issues in the Middle East, and also why the European and American governments are so reviled. Colonialism was at times brutal.
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