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Princess
- A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia
- Narrated by: Catherine Byers
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
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Princess
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Summary
Princess describes the life of Princess Sultana Al Sa'ud, a princess in the royal house of Saudi Arabia. Hidden behind her black veil, she is a prisoner, jailed by her father, her husband, and her country.
Sultana tells of appalling oppressions, everyday occurrences that in any other culture would be seen as shocking human rights violations: 13-year-old girls forced to marry men five times their age; young women killed by drowning, stoning, or isolation in the "women's room". Princess is a testimony to a woman of indomitable spirit and courage, and you will never forget her or her Muslim sisters.
A New York Times best-seller, Princess was named one of the 500 Great Books by Women Since 1300. It was also an Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club and a Reader's Digest Selection.
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What listeners say about Princess
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Pauline O Connell
- 15-05-21
A troubling read
This book would certainly allow one to empathise with Saudi women & their horrific mistreatment at the hands of men, however their greed & complete lack of touch with reality makes it somewhat difficult to like these women.
The real victims seem to be the mistreated & innocent servants.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kimberley Ann Fletcher
- 24-07-22
Tragic, fascinating and awe inspiring
Princess is Sultana’s heart-warming and tear-inducing account of womanhood for the privileged echelons of Saudi Arabia. Her unquenchable spiritedness are intoxicating and addictive - the horrors of what she has witnessed women endure is tempered by the magic of the wonderful women in her life and tales of their mischief.
Sultana’s revealing and empathetic narrative shows bravery and resilience to be admired.
This window into depth of the plight facing eastern women is tragic but inspiring - no longer can we in the west be blind to the thirst for freedom of these women, and no longer can we be blind to the selfishness, ignorance and outright cruelty of men free to preside over a subservient gender.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joanne
- 14-09-19
Engrossing
An engrossing book about the day to day lives of women who have all the money in the world but none of the human rights, though the eyes of a woman who witnessed and resisted the cruelty of Saudi society. A fascinating biography.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-04-20
Mesmerized.
loved the story. Though the narrator was monotone so I struggled to finish the book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tina Vincent
- 03-06-22
Enlightening snd fascinating.
Time has passed since this book opened and we can only hope that the position of women in Saudi continùes to improve. As recently as May 2022 over 400 'people' were stoned to death for 'fornication' while men continue to marry multiple wives. Hiw manuy of thise were men?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- c jones
- 23-04-20
Riveting read
Loved listening to this book. I realise how much I take my freedom for granted. I now have some insight into Saudi life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Abeel
- 24-07-16
she relite my Falmes of passion for women's rights
Sasson had always spoke so deeply to my heart as a Muslim woman, knowing of how other muslim women suffered brought great relief and shukar that I was blessed with more then deserving dad and mom. sultana may crossed a line in the eyes of men. yet she did it for us, and for herself and women alike. I greatly thank her for her confidence in us. thankyou sultana
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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- Sharna
- 01-07-23
Fascinating!
I really enjoyed this book and for those criticising saying it’s not like that in Saudi today, this book was written about her life in the 60’s and 70’s and into late 90’s… I loved it and have purchased book 2
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sigrin
- 19-08-19
Behind the veil
This was a good look at the second class status of Saudi woman.
This lady was a princess and described the legacy of shame on the women of Saudi Arabia, as well as to foreign women who come to work in the country.
At the start she came across as a feisty young woman and I was hoping for good things to come. However nothing will change in this male dominated misogynistic society. I do wonder if there wold ever be a chance of change as the oppression of women is so deep rooted.
Sultana speaks of life from the comfort of her palace, however my thoughts are with the normal Saudi women who do not have her lavish lifestyle to cushion the injustices.
It was a big mistake having an older American female narrator, the book was crying out for a soft Middle Eastern voice to put some feeling in the book.
Many moons ago I had the opportunity to work in Saudi Arabia. The salary package was fabulous and I was very tempted. However during the interviews and selection process alarm bells started to ring, which was enough for me to withdrew my application, and in hindsight it was a very wise decision.
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14 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ingrid
- 06-12-22
Very Interesting Book
Absolutely 💯 A fantastic book, I was actually sad the book ended then I discovered there are at least 3 more in the series… I can’t imagine how brave Princess Sultana was to get this book published… well I will be listening to them all..
I also learned a lot about the culture In Saudi Arabia…
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1 person found this helpful