Queen Noor of Jordan books?

[papillon]

Who has read "Leap of Faith," and what did you think of it? Did you learn anything new? Did it cover what you thought it would cover? Were you surprised by anything QN wrote or failed to write? Let's discuss this book.

[hrhcp]

just wondering why this topic is shown three times ?

[papillon]

Originally posted by King Christian@Jul 13th, 2004 - 8:38 pm
just wondering why this topic is shown three times ?

Think it has something to do with all the glitches on the site today and in recent days, with posts timing out. Probably the moderators will purge the duplicates.

[paloma]

I have read Queen Noors book and was not very impressed. It read more like a Middle East history book rather than a memoir. I'd wait for the book to come out in paperback rather than wasting money on the hardback.

[maryshawn]

I like this topic. Read it twice and saw interview with Larry King on it. I liked the book; wish she had gone into more detail on personal isssue besides having private time only in their bathroom. But she pokes fun at herself--like falling down the stairs in new boots on a visit to Canada and she talks of anger and frustration with KH after miscarriage and how he seemed to lose interest after affair--not in her--although she said a personal distance between them made her wonder--and how angry she was about that. She is a private person, no doubt about it. And I think a lot of things were deleted to prevent hurt, diviseness, etc.

In the article on her in People after KH's death, it was mentioned auther Suzanne Finstad was working on a biography of QN. Now that might be more revealing if it gets published. I wrote her publisher and received no response. Perhaps they are waiting until the PR from the autobiography settles down.

[papillon]

Originally posted by maryshawn@Jul 16th, 2004 - 10:47 pm
In the article on her in People after KH's death, it was mentioned auther Suzanne Finstad was working on a biography of QN. Now that might be more revealing if it gets published. I wrote her publisher and received no response. Perhaps they are waiting until the PR from the autobiography settles down.

Gosh, I didn't know about this. Maybe this is the book about her in which we'll read more personal details.

I, too, read "Leap of Faith" twice, once before going to Jordan and once after. Although I learned some things about Middle Eastern politics that I didn't know before, I did feel the book was written as a tribute to her husband (as opposed to strictly an autobiography about her), an attempt to write the first draft of his legacy. It's understandable and probably pretty clever of her, but I really wanted to read more about HER life.

[papillon]

Did anyone else notice that QN's memoirs ends at the point when KH dies, even though it wasn't published until four years after that? It seems to me as if the door was left open for a second autobiography, one covering QN's life from that point forward.

Just to stir the pot a bit, what did you all think of KH's reaction to QN's miscarriage? And do you think QN had a ghost writer?

[Banadoora]

Originally posted by paloma@Jul 16th, 2004 - 9:42 am
I have read Queen Noors book and was not very impressed. It read more like a Middle East history book rather than a memoir. I'd wait for the book to come out in paperback rather than wasting money on the hardback.

I have to agree. I wasn't impressed about that either. As much as I am interested in Middle Eastern history, I felt like I was reading a history book rather than an autobiography. I would've liked it a lot more if she wrote more about her personal life. She wrote more about meeting foreign leaders and their wives than she did about her personal life.

On the other hand, I did enjoy reading about her life. I didn't know much about her and King Hussein. I also wanted to know more about what happened with his alleged affair in the early 90s, and she wrote about that.

[maryshawn]

Originally posted by papillon@Jul 18th, 2004 - 12:47 am
Did anyone else notice that QN's memoirs ends at the point when KH dies, even though it wasn't published until four years after that? It seems to me as if the door was left open for a second autobiography, one covering QN's life from that point forward.

Just to stir the pot a bit, what did you all think of KH's reaction to QN's miscarriage? And do you think QN had a ghost writer?

I think the door may be open......but what is she going to write about? Life in the US? Her inheritance? Relationships with kids? I'm really not being sarcastic; just wonder what on earth she could add. I hope Ms. Finstad writes her book; she seems to have been watching QN for awhile--mentions that in 1991 she could see signs of tension in her but she held her head high. So I don't think it'll be a lynching but it might be more objective and personally informative.

I doubt she had a ghost writer but she certainly had an editor....remember, QN is a self-described "perfectionist" who will write and rewrite one speech 20 times, which may account for the 4 year delay......

[maryshawn]

Originally posted by papillon@Jul 18th, 2004 - 12:47 am
Did anyone else notice that QN's memoirs ends at the point when KH dies, even though it wasn't published until four years after that? It seems to me as if the door was left open for a second autobiography, one covering QN's life from that point forward.

Just to stir the pot a bit, what did you all think of KH's reaction to QN's miscarriage? And do you think QN had a ghost writer?

Oh, forgot.....his reaction to her miscarriage seemed so cold. I forgot what he compared it too but she excused it by saying he couldn't cope with grief.....and I see that pattern in his life when you look at other things he did. Marrying less than a year after the love of his life died, Queen Alia, is a good example.

[papillon]

Originally posted by maryshawn@Jul 18th, 2004 - 11:21 pm
I think the door may be open......but what is she going to write about? Life in the US? Her inheritance? Relationships with kids? I'm really not being sarcastic; just wonder what on earth she could add.

I doubt she had a ghost writer but she certainly had an editor....remember, QN is a self-described "perfectionist" who will write and rewrite one speech 20 times, which may account for the 4 year delay......

Well, it's only been a little over a year since her first book has been published, so maybe more toward the end of her life. Perhaps by then something "book-worthy" will have transpired.

All authors who publish through a major publishing house have editors. Although QN is a self-professed perfectionist, I've read a number of articles by professional writers who complain that QN uses tortured language to explain even the simplest things and is extremely verbose. So I'm sure she needed help with that.

[papillon]

Originally posted by maryshawn@Jul 18th, 2004 - 11:23 pm
Oh, forgot.....his reaction to her miscarriage seemed so cold. I forgot what he compared it too but she excused it by saying he couldn't cope with grief.....and I see that pattern in his life when you look at other things he did. Marrying less than a year after the love of his life died, Queen Alia, is a good example.

Cold. . .that's exactly the adjective I've used to describe it to people. What kind of man treats the death of one of his own children and his wife's great loss with such callousness? I thought it was a very telling insight into their relationship, in that it seems she wasn't able to confide even the most devastating events to him and hope to garner any kind of empathy and warmth. I was surprised she included that anecdote in her book.

[Freedom]

I read & enjoyed it.

I've always admired her. I think she deserves a lot of credit for growing up in one (rather free) culture and then marrying into the public life in a completely different culture. She had to emit confidence, display grace, and inspire trust in instances where she felt completely lost herself.

[bethan16]

Agree with everyone so far.

Re: coldness - one of the most recent times QN was on Larry King, he asked her what KH's reaction to September 11 would have been, and she said he would have been devastated and would have felt the loss of every life keenly - he could not face such emotional issues. If I recall from the book correctly, he compared the miscarriage to a situation in I think Gaza or the West Bank (not sure of the location), where multiple lives had been lost. (Basically, how could one life take precedence over the lives of many.)

This book definitely had an over-edited feel to it. For example, in a Vanity Fair interview given soon after KH's death, QN was asked how she, from a democratic, civil-rights oriented country, justified marrying a Muslim king (i.e., a more conservative society). She basically said, she hadn't really thought through all of the implications, and jumped into the situation without considering all of her options. (I'll have to find the exact quote.) Quite a difference from the tone in her book, that she carefully thought things through. In my job, I have to consider the credibility of the people who are talking to me, and I would tend to take a spontaneous statement to a reporter as more accurate than a page in a book that's been re-written and edited numerous times. But then again, being quoted by People Magazine as "A Blue-Jeaned American in Jordan Says of Her King: I'd Be Delighted to Have His Child" when all she supposedly said to the reporter was "Insh'allah" could mean the Vanity Fair interview was exaggerated. I'm just going on what's in front of me.

[bethan16]

Agree with everyone so far.

Re: coldness - one of the most recent times QN was on Larry King, he asked her what KH's reaction to September 11 would have been, and she said he would have been devastated and would have felt the loss of every life keenly - he could not face such emotional issues. If I recall from the book correctly, he compared the miscarriage to a situation in I think Gaza or the West Bank (not sure of the location), where multiple lives had been lost. (Basically, how could one life take precedence over the lives of many.)

This book definitely had an over-edited feel to it. For example, in a Vanity Fair interview given soon after KH's death, QN was asked how she, from a democratic, civil-rights oriented country, justified marrying a Muslim king (i.e., a more conservative society). She basically said, she hadn't really thought through all of the implications, and jumped into the situation without considering all of her options. (I'll have to find the exact quote.) Quite a difference from the tone in her book, that she carefully thought things through. In my job, I have to consider the credibility of the people who are talking to me, and I would tend to take a spontaneous statement to a reporter as more accurate than a page in a book that's been re-written and edited numerous times. But then again, being quoted by People Magazine as "A Blue-Jeaned American in Jordan Says of Her King: I'd Be Delighted to Have His Child" when all she supposedly said to the reporter was "Insh'allah" could mean the Vanity Fair interview was exaggerated. I'm just going on what's in front of me.

[bethan16]

Sorry for the double post- my browser's acting up....

[QueenB]

I think as a history of the ME and Jordan - the book was insightful and a good read.. but delving into her personal life with the JRF - I felt the book was overedited and left out a lot.. at some points - she seems to 'justify' everything the King did or said to her - and even in her own indirect way - hinted at his preference of Hamzah over all the other children.. I must admit - towards the end of the book - I just skimmed over the final chapters because it seemed waay too edited..
I think the only way there is going to be some real 'dish' on what really went on behind the scenes is when someone close to the family or within the family writes the tell all

[maryshawn]

Does anyone know anything about a book called "Queen Noor: Chosen By a King" by auther Suzanne Finstad? In a law journal in 2000 and a "People" magazine article it mentions there is such a book and the law journal says it is to be made into a mini-series by CBS TV.......I have looked everywhere and can't find it. Any ideas on how to refine my search or contact the author for an update? I think, although described as authorized, this book might contain more information....anyway its worth a shot, right?

Thanks.

[bubbles]

Mary Shawn,

i have looked for the book you are talking about but have not been able to find anything. I did a couple of searches on the net but came up with nothing. The book sounds interesting though...would luv to read it

:flower:

[Banadoora]

Originally posted by maryshawn@Jul 21st, 2004 - 11:00 pm
Does anyone know anything about a book called "Queen Noor: Chosen By a King" by auther Suzanne Finstad? In a law journal in 2000 and a "People"