THE ENGLISH GIRL by KATHERINE WEBB

 THE ENGLISH GIRL

BY KATHERINE WEBB

THE BLURB:-

Will the girl who left England for this beautiful but dangerous land ever find her way back?

Joan Seabrook, a fledgling archaeologist, has fulfilled her lifelong dream to travel to Arabia and has arrived in the ancient city of Muscat with her fiancé, Rory. Desperate to escape the pain of a personal tragedy, she longs to explore the desert fort of Jabrin and unearth the wonders held within.

But Oman is a land lost in time, in the midst of a violent upheaval, and gaining permission to explore could prove impossible. Joan's disappointment is only eased by the thrill of meeting her childhood heroine, Maude Vickery, and hearing the stories that captured her imagination as a child.

The friendship that forms will change everything. Both women have desires to fulfil and secrets to keep. As their bond grows, Joan is inspired by the thrill of her new friend's past and finds herself swept up in a bold and dangerous adventure of Maude's making. Only too late does she begin to question her actions- actions that will spark a wild, and potentially devastating, chain of events.

THE REALITY:-

What a wonderful setting- the desert! As a kid I used to view my dad's pictorial atlas with delight, poring over pictures of parts of the world's vast terrain. The bit that fascinated me the most was the Sahara Desert, with its miles and miles of undulating sands. I pictured myself crossing them, and imagined the bliss of peace and quiet (not for one moment understanding how unforgiving this environment can be.) This book is set in the Empty Quarter- part of the Arabian Desert- and the author certainly brings this location to life, in vivid detail. I loved the reference to Arabian folklore heroine Scheherazade (what a wonderful name!) and totally got both Maude's (she's born in 1882), and Joan's (she's born 50 years later, in 1932 and Maude is her heroine) need to escape and do something “different” to the life that's expected of them.

This book has been wonderfully researched, and it's interesting reading some of the author's influences as it's future reading material for myself- perhaps. Maude is obviously based upon intrepid explorer Gertrude Bell, who was born into undeniable wealth. The lives of both Maude and Joan come alive on the page, although I feel the character of Joan could have been better explored. Her back story did seem a bit bland- but perhaps that was the idea, and explained her need to break free. Islamic culture and speech patterns seem accurate and give the story credence, as do the mannerisms and ways of the British protectorate forces abroad (although the latter do seem ever-so-slightly stereotyped.  Mind you, I've always known that stereotypes exist for a reason.)

I didn't get the ending I wanted- I would have liked (spoiler alert!) Maude to have gone after Nathaniel and pull him up for what he'd done to her in terms of his betrayal, and make it public, claiming what was rightfully hers. But sadly there wouldn't have been a story if she'd done that; and as is pointed out (and expressed throughout the novel) things were different for women back in the main story time frames of both 1908 and 1958. The way times have changed also features in the way we have three homosexual characters who've hidden their true selves.

The term “God willing” features a lot; a reference to the Muslim beliefs of the Omanis who look after Maude (or perhaps I should say “inshallah” instead.) I don't consider myself a spiritual person. In fact, I did the VIA Character Strengths Survey and spirituality came right near the bottom. But in looking at some of the signs that have spread up throughout my life, I have come to believe that sometimes we do have to trust in fate a little. Or more than a little.  For that I thank this book- for putting me in touch with the mysterious, spiritual world.

The ending did come across as a bit bland- but maybe that was intentional, as it reflects the fact that Joan is on a life mission that even she doesn't quite understand herself.