Empress of the Nile

A well-documented and sensitive portrait of a remarkable woman who shared her passion for Egypt and inspired so many others, myself included, to find their calling, while at the same time helping to reinvigorate the Louvre. -Henri Loyrette, former president and director of the Louvre Museum Once again, Lynne Olson introduces us to a modern heroine who defied the odds and achieved historic results. With her signature deep research and compassion for quirky characters, Olson spins an inspiring tale with a sometimes surprising cast, including First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Empress of the Nile is a tonic for our times and a reminder that one unstoppable woman can bend history to her will. -Kati Marton, New York Times bestselling author of The Chancellor Empress of the Nile is the best sort of micro-history: both an intimate portrait of a groundbreaking woman and a whirlwind tour through major events and personalities of the twentieth century. To anyone who ever tossed a coin into the waters around the Temple of Dendur-you must read this book. -Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of Band of Sisters Lynne Olson has found yet another fascinating unsung heroine: a French archaeologist with the moxie to take on the Egyptians, the Americans, and the French to save historic Egyptian temples. -Meryl Gordon, author of Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend Who else but Olson could have found Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, a beautiful and brave French resistance fighter brazen enough to tell her Gestapo interrogators to stand up when a woman enters the room, and who happens to be a kind of female Indiana Jones working behind the scenes-alongside Jackie Kennedy!-to save the ancient temples of Egypt? Readers will devour this wonderful book. -Evan Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of First: Sandra Day O'Connor Empress of the Nile is an exhilarating, in-depth look at a woman whose courage never faltered, whether she was facing Nazi interrogators, backstabbing archaeologist colleagues, or the imminent destruction of the Egyptian monuments and artifacts she held most dear. Olson's richly detailed, heart-stopping biography takes the reader for a magnificent ride. -Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt was one of the leading Egyptologists of the twentieth century, yet her remarkable achievements have received little attention. Lynne Olson has done her justice with this comprehensive biography. -Toby Wilkinson, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt and Tutankhamun's Trumpet Enriched by fascinating digressions into Egyptian history, museum rivalries, the plundering of archaeological sites, the 1956 Suez Crisis, and more, this is a captivating portrait of a pathbreaking woman. Readers will be enthralled. -Publishers Weekly (starred review)