A stunning tale.

This was another of those books where two stories are beautifully intertwined. The character Maude, is a rightfully bitter old woman who has lost everything, or at least her life's purpose. She is introduced to a younger woman- Joan- a woman who is only beginning to discover her own purpose, or rather act on it. Maude shares trade secrets and old tales with Joan, and they develop a rather sweet friendship: as is expected when one shares buried secrets, cruel tragedies, tales of betrayal, bitter heartache with another individual.

So there they sit, sharing priceless gems of their lives' tales while continuing to live their lives: Maude with her servant, Abdullah and Joan with her fiancé, Rory. And throughout Maude tasks Joan with dangerous errands, which leads to secrets in her own family. But, also lead to self-discovery, she begins to seek a different path from what is expected of her. And Maude, meanwhile, seeks an opportunity to accept her past, as much as she is able.

Both women are fond of travelling but Maude is no longer able and no longer has the motivation to; for Joan, her trip to Arabia may very well have been her first trip away from England. But Maude pushes Joan to live her life, to challenge rules, to test boundaries and most importantly, to do that which no one else has dared to do. This is what Maude, herself did and this is what she relays to Joan. Joan makes this her purpose and there is much deceit, loss and pain in her journey towards achieving her goal. Just as there had been when Maude had made the same journey towards achieving her own goals.

This is an inspirational story, written in the context of Arabia's deserts, mountains and war climate. The odds are stacked against Joan, she is caught in the war, in the battles, which side will she fight for? The rebels (against the Sultan) she has met on her journey, or the side of her brother, Daniel, and her nation? The uncertainty of the present moment is perhaps, the most terrifying element of the book.

I believe it was the historical element that I couldn't fully appreciate. A lot of the historical background flew right over my head. This meant that, I found the story was incredibly slow to start and I quickly became quite impatient- to the point that I was about to give up. Hence the four stars. Though, I am very glad I continued reading it, for the most part because of the unexpected revelations especially those regarding the relations between Joan's brother and her fiancé, then her parents and then Maude's own personal life - these made it all worthwhile.

I received this title through NetGalley.