Star of the Morning: The Extraordinary Life of Lady Hester Stanhope

New
Hardcover
2008
$24.79

The dramatic story of Lady Hester Stanhope - a wilful beauty turned bohemian adventurer - who left England as a young woman, unashamedly enjoyed a string of lovers and established her own exotic fiefdom in the Lebanese mountains where she died in 1839. Ambitious, daring and uncompromising, Lady Hester Stanhope was never cut out for a conventional life. Born into an illustrious political dynasty, she played society hostess for her uncle, William Pitt the Younger. After his death, she struck out for unchartered territory, setting sail with her lover for the Mediterranean and Constantinople - turning her back on England, as events would transpire, forever. It was in the Middle East, however, that she found her destiny. As the greatest female traveller of her age, she was the first western woman to cross the Syrian desert, where she was hailed by the Bedouin as their 'Star of the Morning'. From her labyrinthine fortress in the mountains of Lebanon, where she established what amounted to her own fiefdom, she exerted a canny influence over the region's devious politics. Hers was a life of adventure and intrigue - yet in the years following her death her remarkable story has been largely dismissed, reworked by the Victorians into a cautionary tale for young women with wayward tendencies. This captivating biography, drawing on fresh research from three continents, resurrects Hester as the complex, courageous and fearless woman she was, bringing to life her hidden loves, friendships and ambitions. More than a mere traveller, here was a woman whose aspirations led her straight to the heart of the shadowy race for influence between the great powers of the nineteenth century - a world of shifting alliances, double agents, romance, intrigue and murder. Above all, Lady Hester Stanhope was a woman driven by her desire to make a mark on the world, whose search for love and spiritual meaning in a war-torn Middle East provide an illuminating and moving parallel for our time.

Synopsis

The dramatic story of Lady Hester Stanhope - a wilful beauty turned bohemian adventurer - who left England as a young woman, unashamedly enjoyed a string of lovers and established her own exotic fiefdom in the Lebanese mountains where she died in 1839. Ambitious, daring and uncompromising, Lady Hester Stanhope was never cut out for a conventional life. Born into an illustrious political dynasty, she played society hostess for her uncle, William Pitt the Younger. After his death, she struck out for unchartered territory, setting sail with her lover for the Mediterranean and Constantinople - turning her back on England, as events would transpire, forever. It was in the Middle East, however, that she found her destiny. As the greatest female traveller of her age, she was the first western woman to cross the Syrian desert, where she was hailed by the Bedouin as their 'Star of the Morning'. From her labyrinthine fortress in the mountains of Lebanon, where she established what amounted to her own fiefdom, she exerted a canny influence over the region's devious politics. Hers was a life of adventure and intrigue - yet in the years following her death her remarkable story has been largely dismissed, reworked by the Victorians into a cautionary tale for young women with wayward tendencies. This captivating biography, drawing on fresh research from three continents, resurrects Hester as the complex, courageous and fearless woman she was, bringing to life her hidden loves, friendships and ambitions. More than a mere traveller, here was a woman whose aspirations led her straight to the heart of the shadowy race for influence between the great powers of the nineteenth century - a world of shifting alliances, double agents, romance, intrigue and murder. Above all, Lady Hester Stanhope was a woman driven by her desire to make a mark on the world, whose search for love and spiritual meaning in a war-torn Middle East provide an illuminating and moving parallel for our time.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 464
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: HarperPress
Published: 18 Aug 2008
ISBN 10: 0007170300
ISBN 13: 9780007170302

Media Reviews

'Ellis has unearthed fresh material, and retells the story with idiosyncratic panache... Ellis is a vivid narrator with an eye for detail...This book leaves little doubt that Lady Hester was brave, whether standing in her stirrups to fend off a charge or tossing her head as gossip about a love affair swirled around the salons of London and Damascus.' Sara Wheeler, Sunday Telegraph 'As Kirsten Ellis vividly shows, Hester Stanhope's story is one of brave (and often foolhardy) triumph over the straitjacket of Regency attitudes and the even more hidebound conventions of Islamic society. ... Ellis has unearthed startling new aspects of this remarkable woman's life, such as Hester's relationships with no fewer than three Napoleonic spies. Ellis's enthusiasm for her heroine makes Star Of The Morning a fascinating study with some trenchant points about the position of strong-minded women in male-dominated societies.' Barry Forshaw, Daily Express

Author Bio

Kirsten Ellis was born in New Zealand. She began her writing career aged eighteen on the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, and has lived in India, Cyprus and New York. Among earlier travel writing, her book on Cuba won a special commendation in The Observer's Travel Writer Awards. She has also written for Vogue, Tatler, Discovery, The Australian and the Explorer's Journal. While researching 'Star of the Morning' she travelled throughout the Middle East and Turkey. She now lives in England with her husband and their young son.