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Mother without a Mask: A Westerner's Story of Her Arab Family
 
 
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Mother without a Mask: A Westerner's Story of Her Arab Family (Paperback)

by Patricia Holton (Author), Andrea Jones (Illustrator) "A YOUNG ARAB SAT comfortably on the drawing room couch in our London home drinking English tea and eating chocolate cake ..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 278 pages
  • Publisher: Kyle Cathie; New edition edition (8 Jan 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 185626288X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1856262880
  • Product Dimensions: 24.7 x 15.7 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 405,955 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

The Times

A deeply sympathetic evaluation of a culture --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


Product Description

When Patricia Holton welcomed two young Arab boys into her home for the summer to oblige their father, a Gulf Sheikh, little did she realize how intertwined their lives would become. She became fascinated by the boys, and an invitation to visit their mother and the women of her family - the harem - was quickly accepted. Between Patricia and the masked women of the desert there developed an extraordinary relationship, and as "the English mother" of the Sheikh's sons she came to understand something of the traditions which govern their lives. This is her story.
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A YOUNG ARAB SAT comfortably on the drawing room couch in our London home drinking English tea and eating chocolate cake. Read the first page
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Mother without a Mask: A Westerner's Story of Her Arab Family
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars If you are visiting the UAE, this book is a MUST., 3 Jan 2001
By A Customer
This is the true account of a middle-class Western lady's extraordinary encounters with a UAE family. Patricia Holten is an American, married to a Cornish businessman. Her story starts in the early days of oil, when a Sheikh sends his two sons to England for their education, and she acts as their carer. The result is that Holton is given an unexpected opening into the private world of the Sheikh's family, back home in Abu Dhabi. Through many visits over many years, she builds a lasting relationship with the Sheikhs family, but what makes this account so unique is that much of what she learnt and observed came from the time she spent with the women.

Holten spent extensive periods living alongside the Sheikha and her extended family. She was with them at their home in Al Ain, in their desert camps, and latterly in their Abu Dhabi palaces. The care and sympathy with she recounts her experiences gives the reader a superb insight into a recent history which is, to many of us living here, little known and little understood. And while many of the old ways have died with the arrival of oil, it was suprising how often Holton's account shed light on some aspect of modern life which I had not fully understood.

This is a gentle book, with colourful and detailed descriptions of every day life. Having said that, the characters (slightly modified to protect their identity) do come alive, and the impact of the UAE's dramatic modernisation on their lives makes for a story-line which I found gripping.

Most impressive to me however, is the depth of learning that Holton's book offers. As someone who lives in the UAE I feel deeply interested in the lives of the veiled women I see around me: in the shops, emerging from gated homes, even at work; but so often the cultural norms prevent any meaningful friendship developing, and I am left wondering about their histories, their families, their beliefs and their traditions. This book has, more than anything else, offered me invaluable context for the way of living I see around me. Maybe I particularly enjoyed Holton's account because I am living here in the UAE. But in any case, anyone with an interest in the region, or in Arab cluture, or in the impact of oil in the modern world, will certainly learn a huge amount from this wondeful book.

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for those visiting the Middle East, 30 Mar 2005
By A Customer
This review is from: Mother without a Mask: A Westerner's Story of Her Arab Family (Paperback)
I picked this book up in a supermarket in Abu Dhabi and found it impossible to put down once I started reading it. As a westerner living in the Middle East, I have been intrigued by the customs of the area and this book really helped to explain a great deal about many facets of family life here. I have visited Abu Dhabi twice and this book tells of life from the beginning of the oil rush onwards. If you are interested in social history, you will love this book. The insights into bedouin life and the role of women are excellent. This way of life is slowly disappearing. Thank goodness the author recorded her experiences for us all to share. One of the best books I've read in ages.
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars A mildly interesting read, 30 May 2003
By J. Kisseih (Croydon, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I am afraid to say I did not end up finishing this book - it was just too samey all the way through. It was a day to day account of her life with the Arab family and there generally just wasn't really anything stimulating enough to hold one's interest, apart from an Arab wedding. I suppose if you have never read anything about this culture before you might find it mildly interesting.
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