Primarily it is about Agnes, who is a spinster and is left with a lot of money after all of her family dies from the flu epidemic that has swept the country. She decides to go to Egypt and there falls in with the likes of Lawrence of Arabia and Gertrude Bell.
While in Egypt, she falls in love with Karl a German traveler (and possible spy) and ends up having an affair with him.
There isn't a heck of a lot to the story and I didn't think it was realistic at times. (For example, Agnes, despite being a spinster from Cleveland in the 20s is somehow literate in middle eastern politics when even the people in the know barely understood the ins and outs of middle eastern politics.)
Plus an overly large section of the book was taken up with her time in Jerusalem where she soaked up all of the touristy things. I got tired of reading about all of the places Jesus touched. Finally, what I didn't know about the book when I bought it was that it was a love story - and I'm not overly fond of those.
I think the most irritating thing was how the author portrayed Gertrude Bell. I am currently reading Gertrude Bell, Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations and she is a much more regal and kind person in the biography than is portrayed in Dreamers of the Day. Maybe neither version is the real version, maybe it is a mix between the two, but I much prefer the Gertrude Bell of Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations.
Rating: 6 / 10
ISBN: 9781400064717
Publisher: Random House
Edition: 1st Edition