Product Description

Badly in need of a new start in life, Phyllis answered an advertisement: 'English Governess wanted for Prince and Princesses of Saudi Arabian Royal Family.' She soon found herself whisked off to the desert to look after - in The King and I tradition - the children of HRH Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, the King's brother. In this frank personal memoir Phyllis describes her sometimes risky reactions to her secluded, alien lifestyle in a heavily guarded marble palace, allowed out only when chaperoned, veiled and clad from head to foot in black. Both as a Governess and as a modern western woman she constantly ran up against frustrating prohibitions and unexpected moral codes, only a few of which she could work her way around - usually in the interests of her young royal charges. Phyllis explores sympathetically and from the inside her impressions of the country, of Islam, of Muslim beliefs and customs, and of Saudi dress, cuisine, and attitudes to the family, women, marriage and divorce. Above all she gives a fascinating account of the secret life of what is effectively a world cut off from men, and if you think women only make themselves look glamorous and sexy - and dance without inhibition - for men, then think again. But like the desert itself, romance in all its forms is all around her, and it does not leave her untouched.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #100297 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

Review
'A fascinating account of her time in the closed Muslim society.' Daily Express 'Her sense of comedy is as sharp as ever.' Saga 'An enormous adventure.' Realm

Media Reviews
"Fascinating...Desert Governess throws light on a way of life that has hitherto remained almost literally under a veil." - The Sunday Express
"Desert Stormer" - The Evening Standard
"A King and I tale" - The Daily Mail
"Not just a natural adventuress Phyllis is an astute observer of human life andnotices details of human actions that give her a great insight and appreciation of other people's lives." - The Women's Writers Network

The Daily Mail
‘A king and I tale.’

Customer Reviews

Prim, unimaginative, and factually flawed
It becomes clear from the first page of Ellis's book that it is only her exotic subject matter, and not her writing style, that won her a contract with a publisher. The majority of her descriptions are insipidly dotted with weak-legged adjectives such as 'nice' and 'pretty'. Erratically, she chooses to describe the palace's unremarkable kitchen table but does not once attempt to paint portraits of those she lived with. Yes, we know you are not allowed to photograph Princess Abtah, but how does she look? What is her face like?

I have lived in Saudi Arabia for the past seventeen years, and each factual flaw that I stumbled across made me wince. The author incorrectly claims that 'Islamic law forbids women to show their faces in public' and that 'women can't travel in taxis'. When in public, a Muslim woman is permitted to show her face and her hands. I cannot believe that Ellis did not know this fact, as a.) she claims to have read Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood's book 'Islam' (Maqsood devotes a whole chapter to the subject of female dress) and b.) one of the photos that illustrate the book shows her camel-riding unveiled on the Jeddah Cornice. I suspect that she deliberately slipped in these little errors to 'spice up' her book - this is nothing more than a sordid effort to squeeze money out of the unusual position in which she found herself.

Ellis also handles her material with staggering arrogance. Whilst declaring that 'Arabic is far too difficult for me to learn', she still tries to convince the reader that she has touched Saudi women's lives. How can she have done so, when she herself admits that she could not understand their conversations and could only sometimes find a translator? There is a saying: "The limits of my language are the limits of my world," and Phyllis's inability to learn even basic Arabic fetters both herself and her readers. Her English is equally abysmal - misused punctuation and poor grammar made me want to attack the text with red ballpoint. A thoroughly bad read.

Terrible!!!!
I was really looking forward to reading this book. I have always been fascinated with the Middle East, and in view of the privileged vantage point of the author - who spent about a year working as governess for the young Saudi Prince and Princess - I really thought this could well be a great read. But I was wrong. Promising as the premises are, the writer is simply not up to the job. The superficiality of many commets made me cringe, and some of her remarks so arrogant! I ended up really disliking the author by the end of the book. I kept going, hoping the book would get better, but - unbelievably! - it actually does get worse, and it touches rock-bottom when the author decides to plunge into poetry... Terrible, believe me, this bookis just terrible!!!!!!

Is this the whole story?
An interesting account of life within the palace walls of Saudi Arabia. However, having lived in the Middle East for a number of years, and having visited Saudi Arabia, I felt that while describing the frustrations of the closeted life, the author is holding back on some of the seedier details of womens' life behind the veil. Readers should try Jean Sasson's books, of which 'Princess' is the first, and then attempt to reconcile the two very different accounts. I'd certainly be interested in people's comments.