The bestselling author who made mincemeat of political correctness in Thank You for Smoking, conspiracy theories in Little Green Men, and Presidential indiscretions No Way to Treat a First Lady now takes on the hottest topic in the entire world–Arab-American relations–in a blistering comic novel sure to offend the few it doesn’t delight. Appalled by the punishment of her rebellious friend Nazrah, youngest and most petulant wife of Prince Bawad of Wasabia, Florence Farfarletti decides to draw a line in the sand. As Deputy to the deputy assistant secretary for Near East Affairs, Florence invents a far-reaching, wide-ranging plan for female emancipation in that part of the world. The U.S. government, of course, tells her to forget it. Publicly, that is. Privately, she’s enlisted in a top-secret mission to impose equal rights for the sexes on the small emirate of Matar (pronounced “Mutter”), the “Switzerland of the Persian Gulf.” Her crack team: a CIA killer, a snappy PR man, and a brilliant but frustrated gay bureaucrat. Her weapon: TV shows. The lineup on TV Matar includes A Thousand and One Mornings, a daytime talk show that features self-defense tips to be used against boyfriends during Ramadan; an addictive soap opera featuring strangely familiar members of the Matar royal family; and a sitcom about an inept but ruthless squad of religious police, pitched as “Friends from Hell.” The result: the first deadly car bombs in the country since 1936, a fatwa against the station’s entire staff, a struggle for control of the kingdom, and, of course, interference from the French. And that’s only the beginning. A merciless dismantling of both American ineptitude and Arabic intolerance, Florence of Arabia is Christopher Buckley’s funniest and most serious novel yet, a biting satire of how U.S. good intentions can cause the Shiite to hit the fan.
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"I don't think that I could ever say anything bad about Christopher Buckley. Anyone that can take women's rights in the middle east, public executions, and secret government organizations and make it funny is definately a keeper. " — Ebony (5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't think that I could ever say anything bad about Christopher Buckley. Anyone that can take women's rights in the middle east, public executions, and secret government organizations and make it funny is definately a keeper. "
" I had chosen "Florence of Arabia" as a fun easy read for my summer holidays. The truth is, that was a pretty bad choice. I must say that the authors choice of language was witty and fun, but that's it. The plot was bland, and the dcharacters forgetable. "
" Not my favorite of his books but a fun zany read "
" Entertaining satire of current events, more amusing than outright funny. A bit by the numbers, but the numbers exist for a reason--because they work. "
" We listened to this book on the drive home from Tucson. It was a funny farce of how Americans get involved in foreign countries and bad things can happen. "
" A good book. Loved the satire of American-Arab relations. However I found it hard to like the main character. "
" Everyone can enjoy this book dealing with the first women's TV network in the Middle East. Who thought overthrowing governments could be so entertaining. "
" This book was hilarious! And even though it's fictional, I still felt like I was getting to know the workings of the government a little better... "
" Again, I'm a fan of Buckley. In this book a young woman proposes a plan to liberate the women of a fictional Arab country in the Middle East. A must read for feminists! "
" went on a buckley stint. this one was fun, but not as good as supreme courtship. always smart and amusing. "
" This is a smart book that tackles U.S. foreign relations and the Middle East with a great deal of humor. It is more serious than Boomsday and far more interesting than Little Green Men. If you wanted to read Buckley, I would probably start here. "
" Funny in parts, but lost something about 2/3 of the way through. "
" A catchy, quick read. Buckley takes on the treatment of women in fundamentalist Islamic countries with a bit of humor and even an attempt at romance. "
" Genius! After reading Boomsday, I couldn't wait to devour more CB. I was not disappointed. Laugh out loud funny and mind-bendingly-brilliant plot! "
" funny, timely "
" A satirical adventure story about a minor State Department employee caught is a hilarious web of Middle Eastern sheiks and CIA buffoons. "
" It was funny and very readable. "
" WHY aren't we using Florence's plan? Funny, true, tart, and sweet. "
" Moderately amusing. Thank you for Smoking remains my favorite of his books. "
" Leave it to Christopher Buckley to write a funny book about the middle east! Deliciously bad--I loved it! "
" Very entertaining skewering of everyone. A little hard to follow the made up details, but amusing. Good read when sick on the couch. "
" I enjoy Buckley's writing style, but I was a bit underwhelmed. The premise was interesting, and I liked the development of the characters. Unfortunately, despite the action movie-esque plot, it felt slow. "
" I didn't think this book would be of interest to me, but I really enjoyed it. "
" An interesting parellel to current Middle East events. "
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" Can't quite make up my mind about this one. It is billed as being funny and there is some humor in it, but not all that much to my way of thinking. Maybe because I read it when there is so much unrest in the Middle East right now. I will try another of his novels and see if that helps. "
" I loved the book !!Though it was a bit offensive, i thought it was entertaining yet it shed light on serious issues !!! "
" So far typical Buckley - very funny. Then got very interesting while ending with some of the irony missing. Not his best work for me. "
" recommended by a friend. Funny and sarcastic...some value in its cultural theme...generally just a comical read "
Christopher Buckley is a novelist, essayist, humorist, critic, magazine editor, and memoirist. His books include Thank You for Smoking, The Judge Hunter, Make Russia Great Again, and The Relic Master. He worked as a merchant seaman and White House speechwriter. He has written for many newspapers and magazines and has lectured in over seventy cities around the world. He was awarded the Thurber Prize for American Humor and the Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence.
Carrington MacDuffie is a voice actor and recording artist who has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, received numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards, and has been a frequent finalist for the Audie Award, including for her original audiobook, Many Things Invisible. Alongside her narration work, she has released a new album of original songs, Only an Angel.
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