An account of the life of the American woman who became queen of Jordan for the last twenty years of King Hussein's life. The first chapter was narrated by the Queen, whose voice I actually found more pleasing than the professional narrator's. The first part of the book was quite interesting, hearing about the childhood and maturation of Lisa Haliby, who became Noor. Her royal romance was also interesting, although I found it somewhat incredible that someone would be so naive concerning the attentions being paid upon her by a king. (She seemed to think they were just being friends and was totally startled when he asked her to marry him.) After that, however, the book degenerated into a polemic for the Arab point of view until the sections on the king's last illness. It probably boils down to the fact that one royal is not that much more interesting than another, whether they are British or Jordanian. ( )

I think it’s safe to say that any Queen has an extraordinary life, but being a Queen in the Middle East during the most conflicted times of the 20th century has a unique place in history. Queen Noor’s autobiography is a love story, not only the love of her husband and family but also her love of Jordan. The book chronicles her life from growing up in California to the death of her husband. Much of the book discusses relatively “normal” issues: a blended family with many stepchildren, having children, dealing with a spouse’s illness, etc.

However, those issues, which make the Queen seem very down-to-earth, are offset by the incredible duties of a Queen in a developing nation and the Middle Eastern conflict. She served as a champion for women’s rights, improving children’s lives, and liberalizing the rule of law in Jordan. She also sought to boost the economy with these changes; she started a large arts festival to showcase traditional Jordanian artists which were mostly women. She also implemented a vaccination program for children and a public education system. Lastly, she called for greater freedom of the press. These were all truly progressive ideas in the Middle East, and she handled them with grace and care for Jordanian traditions and respect for the Islamic religion.

Living on a country bordering Israel and being married to a beloved King who passionately pursued peace in the Middle East gave her an incredible vantage point in the late 20th century. I am not very educated on the Middle Eastern conflicts, and her book gave me a better idea of the Arab perspective in layman’s terms. She also effectively described the heartbreaking frustration of the peace negotiations between Arabs and Israelis.

It was a good read. The writing was decent, but her life has been incredible. ( )

Brilliant, sensitive, insightful. Dispelled so much of my ignorance of middle-east issues, the incessent, taxing, self-denying efforts conscientious royals must put into each day of their lives. A beautifully detailed portrait of a great man (King Hussein) and his amazing consort. So happy I read this long book. My deepest thanks to Queen Noor for sharing all of this in her most gracious way. ( )

I have to admit that I skipped through some of this book. It was just too detailed about *everything*. At first, those details were interesting, but I feel it bogged down the rest of the book to the point that it overshadowed the historical aspect of her life with King Hussein.She most certainly reveals a lot of the history of Israel, Jordan and the problems within the Arab-Israeli community in the Middle East - and from an Arab standpoint. It was enlightening, to say the least. I do feel that it showed some prejudice on her part, which is natural as she was Queen of Jordan for many years.I always admired Hing Hussein of Jordan, but after reading this (even with her obvious love shading descriptions of him), I realize what a great loss his death was to the efforts of peace in the Middle East.I would have given the book 4 or 5 stars if it had been more compact - the last few chapters are touching and wonderful. ( )

this book is about the life of queen noor of jordan before and after her marriage to king hussain, her early life as american lisa halaby, and her later life as the wife and later widow of king hussain ( )