Passionate Nomad, The Life of Freya Stark by Jane Fletcher Geniesse, is a biography of one of the most famous women travelers of the 20th century. Freya traveled through parts of the Middle East where no European woman had been before, wrote numerous books, spoke many languages, was self-taught, admired by many and disliked by even more.
Surely hers was a fascinating life, and what started out as a fascinating book was bogged down by so many names and details, and the author's disparaging remarks about her subject, that the great story was lost. I was tired and bored by the end of the book and couldn't wait to be done with it. However, Freya played an interesting part of history, especially during WWII, and lovers of history and non-fiction might find this book interesting. Better yet, read the books written by Ms.Stark herself!
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