Title: Driving the Saudis
Review:
On the cover of this book is the note “a Chauffeur’s Tale of the World’s Richest
Princesses” and that explains the whole book, it was a total waste of time.
I started the
book thinking it might just be interesting seeing how the other half
lives. It was not interesting for a lot
of reasons but one is the writing was so poor, the language was not necessary
to get the point across, but used for shock value, and the story wandered all
over the map. If you have lots of time
on your hands with nothing, and I mean nothing to do, pick up this book, it is
better than solitaire, but not by much!
I give this book 0 out of 5.
Thanks Eileen
for this review.
Publisher: Published October 16th 2012 by FreePress
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781451640014
Quick Review: 0 stars out of 5
Why did I read this
title: Sent from the publisher for
review.
Synopsis: Actress, producer, and
occasional chauffeur Jayne Amelia Larson offers a funny and insightful memoir
about the time she spent as a driver for members of the Saudi royal family
visiting Beverly Hills, detailing her invitation inside one of the world’s most
closely guarded monarchies.
When the Saudi royal family vacationed in Los Angeles, they
hired Jayne Amelia Larson, an actress struggling to make ends meet, to be their
personal chauffeur. She’d heard stories of the Saudis’ outrageously generous
gratuities and figured that several weeks at their beck and call might be worth
her time. But when the family arrived via their private jet with an entourage
of forty and millions of dollars in cash, Jayne Amelia realized she might be
getting into more than she bargained for.
For weeks, Larson observed the family’s opulent lifestyle:
they occupied four luxury hotels, enjoyed day in and day out shopping binges,
and servants catered 24/7 to Princess Zaahira and her entourage. From the
thirteen-year-old princess who slapped down $100 dollar bills at a supermarket
and didn’t bother to wait for her change to the nanny who ran away in the
airport the moment she was handed her passport, the stories Larson shares are
bizarre, poignant, and illustrative of the profound contradictions and
complications that only such massive wealth can create.
Driving the Saudis, based on the author’s successful
one-woman stage show, is a vivid portrait of the Saudi royals as few ever get
to see them. As funny as it is insightful, this is a true-to-life fable for our
times. But at its heart, it’s a story about the corruption that infinite wealth
creates, and about what we all do for money.
Author
Biography: Jayne
Amelia Larson is an actress and independent film producer based in Los Angeles,
and has also been an occasional chauffeur between gigs. She has degrees from
Cornell University and from Harvard University’s American Repertory Theatre
Institute. Her one-woman show, Driving the Saudis, has been performed in
Memphis, Ithaca, Boston, Roanoke, and Vienna (Austria), and won Best Solo Show
at the 2010 New York Fringe Festival. She
is one of ten children and is an excellent driver.
Other Reviews: Hey Lorri, Red Letter Reads, Made by Jess
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