In Dreamers of the Day, Russell shifts her gaze to the Middle East, specifically to the 1921 Cairo Peace Conference, where a group of high-profile Europeans met to decide the fate of the region in the aftermath of the First World War. Didn't like the protagonist Agnes Shanklin, a 40 year old spinster, who has a personal awakening and traipses all over the Middle East with her dachshund Rosie. Agnes is an atheist. I understand why after surviving the loss of her family to the influenza and the vagaries of World War I. However, her disdain for Jerusalem and the casualness of her affair with German spy Karl didn't entice me. I don't know enough about history to find this book charming (Lawrence of Arabia was appealing but Winston Churchill seemed like a pill). Overall, I thought the novel was terribly preachy. Yes, dreamers of the day are dangerous men. We get it.
I have loved Mary Doria Russell's novels. This was my least favorite as of yet.
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