Such an interesting book, with five women I never would have learned about otherwise. A great read.

The usual caveat applies - Netgalley, free copy, blah, blah

This book is the story of five women of the last 300 years of so, who travelled extensively in the Middle East at a time when their contemporaries barely left their homes. It's interesting to speculate on whether or not the journeys would be easier today, if indeed it would be possible at all.

What a really fascinating book. When I picked it up I was expecting the standard layout of different sections devoted to each of these remarkable women with no real cohesion. Mr Cotterman does much better than that and manages to link them all to the story of Queen Zenobia of Palmyra (scene of the recent appalling Isis vandalism).
This makes for a very enjoyable and original read. The women featured here would be fascinating in any book, but this method makes for a much more coherent read. There's no doubt these women deserve to be written about and remembered and this book is an excellent addition to their stories.

Excellent start to finding out about five notable women explorers to the middle east. Though loved the intro on Zenobia myself.