Foreign Service Girl the tale of young Francine Dudley, a bright young woman whose dream is to be become a Foreign Service Officer. Of course, this is in the Bad Old Days when the diplomatic corps was very decidedly 'male, pale and Yale'. Career opportunities for woman or minorities of any kind were decidedly limited.
After passing the Written Test but failing the Oral Assessment (there was no QEP back then - oh sweet time of innocence!) Francis decides to join as a secretary.
Her first assignment is to Oram, a vaguely Middle Eastern country which is something like a cross between Iran and Morocco. After serving her tour there, she is transferred to her dream assignment of Paris. There are some misadventures and cultural misunderstandings, but finally things work out happily (though somewhat disappointingly for modern readers).
Of course, some aspects of foreign service life have changed. The service is more diverse, attitudes towards the local staff are (usually) more enlightened, and women are no longer forced out when they get married.
On the other hand, some aspects of Francine's experience are remarkably current. Her bewilderment over being assigned to a little-traveled backwater, the stark difference in social life between a small hardship post and a large European capital, and the emotional stresses Foreign Service Officers undergo still happen with regularity.
We've come a long way. But the world can still be a very intimidating place.
