Queen Noor of Jordan

[shannen26]

as much as I love QN, I must say her book is cosugareted, just so many lies, she even denies what every1 knows, as her hubby falling in love with his PR , back in '92- I saw a pic of QN in London, it was taken in '92, she was crying, she escaped there to give KH time to think it over- and what about all the lies about her relationships with her step- children, expecially Ali and Hayah, the only 1 who's close to her is Feisal- I was really disappointed while reading it, though I knew in advance she could write down the truth,-

 

[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" 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.

Have you googled it? Google's great

 

[kirstengrafin]

Mary Shawn...

I undertook a brief search for info on Suzanne Finstad's book. I couldn't find any record of this book in the Library of Congress files, nor could I find any mention of it when I did an ISBN search. The mention of the book in the "law journal" was actually alumni news for the University of Houston from fall 2001. It could be that this book was written, but not published. Authors sometimes get TV options even before their books are completed. You might want to try contacting Random House/Three River Press, her publisher, or you might take a shot at contacting her directly.....she lives in Los Angeles and there is a google listing available. :flower:

Good Luck!

 

[maryshawn]

One of the most interesting and revealing portions of the book is who she gives credit to giving information and who didn't participate.......

 

[papillon]

Originally posted by maryshawn@Jul 24th, 2004 - 7:51 pm
One of the most interesting and revealing portions of the book is who she gives credit to giving information and who didn't participate.......

I agree with you, Mary Shawn. It's very telling.

 

[maryshawn]

Thanks to all for your help. I think I need to find a way to contact the author directly.....and then I'll let you all know.

 

[theprincess]

IMO, I did not like the book at all. It bothered me that Queen Noor when on and on about when she has a kid she had so much respect for her heritage. Like most kids, living in America, her knowledge for her background would have been limited. I found that all it did was tell readers how great Jordan and the rest of the mid-east is. I am not going to get into the polictics of the book. However, I do think the book was edited to make the King and the Jordan royal family look really good. IMO, the book seem so edited and I would have liked to have read something more balanced.
BTW, I do not wish to affend anyone...I am just giving my opinion of my book

 

[Josefine]

Thanks to all for your help. I think I need to find a way to contact the author directly.....and then I'll let you all know.

have you gotten any news on this book

 

[Nad25]

Iv got her book (Leap of faith) and have read it several times, she did have a difficult relationship with her father and maybe like others have mentioned she was looking for someone who was passionate and loving and caring, Queen Noor did say she found all of those things in KH and she loved him tremdously

Also the ending of her book is very powerful the way shes calling her late husband (my love) is so amazing.

 

[maryshawn]

Iv got her book (Leap of faith) and have read it several times, she did have a difficult relationship with her father and maybe like others have mentioned she was looking for someone who was passionate and loving and caring, Queen Noor did say she found all of those things in KH and she loved him tremdously

Also the ending of her book is very powerful the way shes calling her late husband (my love) is so amazing.

I loved the postscript where she says in a letter to her late husband that when they see one another again "oh, the adventures I shall have to tell you." Or something along those lines. It was poignantly written and very, very touching!

In many ways, having read her book several times, I felt QN tried again and again to cultivate a closer relationship with her father by becoming engaged in his interests, like flying and sports and the ME, but never felt it was quite enough to earn his full approval. That is so sad. But she also wrote after her father's death that during his final year, they found peace with one another--so I guess that's something. All of his children tried to "ape" his interests--Alexa became a lawyer and Christian a businessman, yet their father seemed to remain distant for the most part. But perhaps that was his lesson to them--do your own thing, do what makes you happy......--and, by the end, they seemed to have gotten it as Alexa practices less, Christian has focused more on music and QN is finding areas of interest which have nothing to do with her father but more to do with her own personality--women's rights, landmines, things like the Jerash Festival,......

 

[carlota]

oh, i'm quite disappointed about your views. i just ordered the book, and from what you explain, it's not as appealing as i thought it would have been. but again, i need to judge it for myself although i'm slightly put off about it

i can't wait for the book to arrive