A very detailed and comprehensive biography of Gertrude Bell. If anything, this book suffers from too much detail. Whole slabs are devoted to explaining politics that are relevant to Gertrude's career but where she's not directly involved. It wavers from a glowing history of the woman herself to an analysis of the political situation in Mesopotamia (later Iraq) as well as tribal politics and custom. All interesting but it made it a dense read at times.