Book description
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. '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 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.
