Driving the Saudis
A Chauffeur's Tale of the World's Richest Princesses (plus their servants, nannies, and one royal hairdresser)
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4.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
The true-to-life account of a female chauffeur hired to drive the Saudi royal family in Los Angeles.
After more than a decade of working in Hollywood, actress Jayne Amelia Larson found herself out of luck, out of work, and out of prospects.
When she got hired to drive for the Saudi royal family vacationing in Beverly Hills, Larson thought she’d been handed the golden ticket. She’d heard stories of the Saudis bestowing $20,000 tips and Rolex watches on their drivers, but when the family arrived at LAX with twenty million dollars in cash, Larson realized that she might be in for the ride of her life.
With awestruck humor and deep compassion, Larson shares the incredible insights she gained as the lone female in a detail of more than forty chauffeurs assigned to drive a beautiful Saudi princess, her family, and their extensive entourage.
At its heart, this is an upstairs-downstairs, true-to-life fable for our global times; a story about the corruption that nearly infinite wealth causes, and about what we all do for money. Equal parts funny, surprising, and insightful, Driving the Saudis provides both entertainment and sharp social commentary on one of the world’s most secretive families.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Larson earned her graduate degree at Harvard University's American Repertory Theater Institute. For many years, she earned good reviews for a steady flow of New York City acting jobs. She then tried her luck in Los Angeles, but found herself out of work and money. Actor-friends told her limo-driving wasn't bad, so she told herself, "after a few months, I would sell a script I'd been developing or land a great part in a film, and it would all be over." After a couple of months on the job, big news: the imminent arrival of a Saudi royal family, known for glamorous excursions and large tips. In her chronicling of 50 days with Princess Zaahira and her entourage, Larson reveals herself to be an articulate, observant writer. She balances colorful tales of excess with musings on women's roles, and accounts of bad behavior with considerations of the reasons behind it. There are lovely moments, too: she developed a bond with a nanny and a gaggle of servant-girls, and their kindness offers a counterpoint to Larson's often disturbing realizations about money, power, and perspective. There's plenty of fascinating insider info, too, about the job, her charges (Saudi and otherwise), and Los Angeles altogether, an often thoroughly enjoyable read.
Customer Reviews
Amazing Read
Could not put this book down. Anyone who thinks we are all equal, should read this book for a small insight into "the other side" but is it just a case of them being in a gilded cage of cultural rules and limiting structure and also religious requirements. Do not even start me on the demonstration of women's inequality in this culture.