A Woman in Arabia

Gertrude Bell was an extraordinary Englishwoman--a traveler, mountaineer, archaeologist, nation-builder. Georgina Howell arranges Bell's letters, diaries, and book excerpts thematically and provides a descriptive context around them. Narrator Sian Thomas reads Bell's writings with spirit, wit, and sincerity. She underscores Bell's broken heart when her great love is killed at Gallipoli in WWI. Bell's determination to see Iraq become a self-governing nation is also made clear. Adjoa Andoh exhibits crispness, authority, and not a small amount of empathy as she narrates the background material. Both women have voices suited to the pluck and intelligence of their subject. Their comfort with myriad Middle Eastern place names as well as French and Swiss mountains is quite remarkable. While they sound somewhat similar to each other, this is a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent and erudite production. A.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine