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A Woman of Cairo
Son and daughter of diplomats in Cairo, the gentle Serena Pasha and Mark Holt are privileged and attractive, growing up in a magical world of champagne breakfasts and midnight picnics at the pyramids. Their lives entwined since childhood, they grow ever closer as adults. Yet Serena's hand has been promised not to Mark, but to his brother, Greg. As World War II speeds closer to Cairo, a shocking accident gives these young lovers a second chance—but with this chance comes terrible danger. Egypt is threatened not only by the German army but by nationalist forces within Cairo determined to end the British occupation at any cost. The country torn apart, and enemies everywhere, Mark and Serena's love is tested to the limit.
672 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
54 people are currently reading
991 people want to read
About the author
Noel Barber
47 books72 followersNoel Barber was a British novelist and journalist. Many of his novels, set in exotic countries, are about his experiences as leading foreign correspondent for the Daily Mail. He was the son of John Barber and his Danish wife, Musse, and had two brothers: Kenneth, a banker, and Anthony Barber, Baron Barber.
Most notably he reported from Morocco, where he was stabbed five times. In October 1956, Barber survived a gunshot wound to the head by a Soviet sentry in Hungary during the Hungarian revolution. A car crash ended his career as journalist. He then began writing novels: he became a best-selling novelist in his seventies with his first novel, Tanamera.
Most notably he reported from Morocco, where he was stabbed five times. In October 1956, Barber survived a gunshot wound to the head by a Soviet sentry in Hungary during the Hungarian revolution. A car crash ended his career as journalist. He then began writing novels: he became a best-selling novelist in his seventies with his first novel, Tanamera.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 4, 2020
Recommended. Five stars for history of Egypt in the 1930s thru 1950s. Three stars for the romance between wealthy families. Second in what might be a five book binge of Barber's novels. (The next three I started didn't hold my interest.)
A quote for flavor
p270 - "I knew that camels were used extensively for smuggling hash. It was very simple. For years fifty thousand camels were imported into Egypt annually for slaughter to provide meat for the fellahim. Half the trade came from the east or from southern Sudan. Recently the police had discovered slabs of hashish, made up into the usual flat cakes, hidden under the luxurious camelhair which grows thickest near the hump. Smugglers had in effect half scalped the hair from the hump, glued slabs of hashish to the camel's skin, then glued the hair back, covering each slab.
"That was one way. Even more popular -- and safer -- was to force the camels destined for slaughter to swallow metal capsules containing hash. A camel is a ruminant and chews the cud, so smugglers packed the hash into containers fifteen centimeters long and four centimeters in diameter -- just large enough to stop them from passing from the first stomach, the rumen, into the second, from which they could be evacuated; but just too heavy to prevent them from being regurgitated. Some camels which had been slaughtered on police instructions contained up to twenty-five capsules.
"'Are you telling me that Freedman smuggles German messages into Cairo by camel? It's not possible. You can't just pick one camel out of fifty thousand and find a message in its belly!'
"'You can if the camel's marked ..."
***
A quote for flavor
p270 - "I knew that camels were used extensively for smuggling hash. It was very simple. For years fifty thousand camels were imported into Egypt annually for slaughter to provide meat for the fellahim. Half the trade came from the east or from southern Sudan. Recently the police had discovered slabs of hashish, made up into the usual flat cakes, hidden under the luxurious camelhair which grows thickest near the hump. Smugglers had in effect half scalped the hair from the hump, glued slabs of hashish to the camel's skin, then glued the hair back, covering each slab.
"That was one way. Even more popular -- and safer -- was to force the camels destined for slaughter to swallow metal capsules containing hash. A camel is a ruminant and chews the cud, so smugglers packed the hash into containers fifteen centimeters long and four centimeters in diameter -- just large enough to stop them from passing from the first stomach, the rumen, into the second, from which they could be evacuated; but just too heavy to prevent them from being regurgitated. Some camels which had been slaughtered on police instructions contained up to twenty-five capsules.
"'Are you telling me that Freedman smuggles German messages into Cairo by camel? It's not possible. You can't just pick one camel out of fifty thousand and find a message in its belly!'
"'You can if the camel's marked ..."
***
June 13, 2010
I have learned alot from this book. I truly have - I'm not just saying that. If I were to write a book review about this book I would title it Women of Cairo: Are they all Farida's?
If you have read this book you'd know who Farida - or Safinaz - is. She is the true model of a conservative Egyptian wife which also happens to be the queen of Egypt. But, the problem is Farida is oppressed by her spoiled husband - king. I believe there's a completely clear message set there in the book.
The 'woman of cairo' isn't Queen Farida. The woman is a girl called Selena. if you focus long enough, you'll find out that Selena is a foil to Queen Farida. They were both put under the very same situations. However, they go through these situations in completely different manners.
I love the way Noel barber writes in a wonderful way. He just keeps you hooked up on the substance - the book - until you're done with the very last page. He is a man that is going to have you looking for the rest of his works. He is a man that - clearly - respects and treasures Egyptian culture - my culture. It is such a delight to read tastful novels about my country written by foreigners. This is definately a book to read.
If you have read this book you'd know who Farida - or Safinaz - is. She is the true model of a conservative Egyptian wife which also happens to be the queen of Egypt. But, the problem is Farida is oppressed by her spoiled husband - king. I believe there's a completely clear message set there in the book.
The 'woman of cairo' isn't Queen Farida. The woman is a girl called Selena. if you focus long enough, you'll find out that Selena is a foil to Queen Farida. They were both put under the very same situations. However, they go through these situations in completely different manners.
I love the way Noel barber writes in a wonderful way. He just keeps you hooked up on the substance - the book - until you're done with the very last page. He is a man that is going to have you looking for the rest of his works. He is a man that - clearly - respects and treasures Egyptian culture - my culture. It is such a delight to read tastful novels about my country written by foreigners. This is definately a book to read.
August 4, 2019
Read this book now. One of the most fascinating captivating and magical books I’ve read in a long time. So well written - you’re whisked off to 1930s Cairo. Suspense, emotion, sadness, hope. Brilliantly written.
July 15, 2012
Noel Barber was a renowned foeign correspondent for the London Daily Mail. Perhaps he should have stayed in journalism. This novel is a sentimental tale of unrequited love, adultery and jealousy within a narrow circle of British expats in Cairo (diplomats, bankers etc.), Arab anglophiles and Egyptian nationals; the latter are quietly working behind the scenes to bring down King Farouk's corrupt regime in the early 50s.
The nationalistic cause --which eventually brought Nasser to power--is not dealt with sympathetically but from the English-centric point of view of the major protagonists. All the main characters are very rich and have everything to lose should Nasser and his Free Officers eventually take over Egypt and launch a socialist revolution. Here was a rich opportunity for Barber, with his vast knowledge of international affairs, to write a breakthrough novel about a new nationalist era that was then dawning-- a period which despite all the international crises it spawned [France , the U.K. and Israel tried to topple Nasser in a short, futile war] raised living standards and the basic self-respect for the vast majority of Egyptians.
But Barber chose to write from the colonialist's point of view--which given his age and time, is perhaps understandable. The novel is set at a time when the 'winds of change' had hardly gathered their full strength and the West collectively [with perhaps the exception of the U.S., then under the Wilsonian administration of General Eisenhower] couldn't get to grips with a post-colonial world order. Too bad, but it was still a good read.
The nationalistic cause --which eventually brought Nasser to power--is not dealt with sympathetically but from the English-centric point of view of the major protagonists. All the main characters are very rich and have everything to lose should Nasser and his Free Officers eventually take over Egypt and launch a socialist revolution. Here was a rich opportunity for Barber, with his vast knowledge of international affairs, to write a breakthrough novel about a new nationalist era that was then dawning-- a period which despite all the international crises it spawned [France , the U.K. and Israel tried to topple Nasser in a short, futile war] raised living standards and the basic self-respect for the vast majority of Egyptians.
But Barber chose to write from the colonialist's point of view--which given his age and time, is perhaps understandable. The novel is set at a time when the 'winds of change' had hardly gathered their full strength and the West collectively [with perhaps the exception of the U.S., then under the Wilsonian administration of General Eisenhower] couldn't get to grips with a post-colonial world order. Too bad, but it was still a good read.
November 4, 2015
I found this book in a hotel gift shop in Cairo... how fitting! Thus started a quest to find Noel Barber's other books (not easy to do) but he writes of war and peace, love and hate, vast decades of strife and struggle. I learned so much about far away places and times from his books.... so fascinating and well written.
Read
March 20, 2014No stars. That's how I see the book. I have to admit, it was brilliant, and engaging. The topic is catchy the splendor just lures you in. But that was just in the first 100 pages. Spanning over 650 pages and over two decades, the characters never develop, NEVER. The plot can only be described as one written be a 40-something Egyptian lady, who likes sensational gossip. The author is in the habit of reminding us with incidents (since the novel drags on till forever) he would actually let the character ramble on- in detail- about why certain events are linked ما أنا عارفة يا حيلتها
Another flaw was how he tackled the political situation in Egypt. You just can't have a disclaimer in the beginning saying how the events are all fictional, then go on to describe the private life and liaisons of some of Egypt's most prominent figures; Farouk, Nasser, and Sadat. You can't make terrible mistakes when it comes to political events and expect to get away with it!!!! That of course is added to the snide remarks about Egypt and Egyptians and the superiority of Anglo-Saxons
Another flaw was how he tackled the political situation in Egypt. You just can't have a disclaimer in the beginning saying how the events are all fictional, then go on to describe the private life and liaisons of some of Egypt's most prominent figures; Farouk, Nasser, and Sadat. You can't make terrible mistakes when it comes to political events and expect to get away with it!!!! That of course is added to the snide remarks about Egypt and Egyptians and the superiority of Anglo-Saxons
October 9, 2010
Noel Barber was a master in his craft of telling a tales of changing worlds through the lens of individuals tangled in forces of history. Years ago, I read his more famous epic of Singapore, 'Tanamera." I picked up this book (in its British edition under the title 'Sakkara') from my father's bookshelf and read through the 596 pages with continued interest. Mostly. The book tells the story of changing Egypt (where the author spent many years as foreign correspondent) from 1919 to 1953 through a fictitious love story of a rich Egyptian woman (oddly blond) and a British lawyer (fluent in Arabic). At moments the book turns into romantic drivel (and the sequential disasters that the privileged couple faces are indeed daunting). But the description of the events (laced with appearances by national figures, such as King Farouk, Nasser and Anwar Sadat) is actually quite interesting and even insightful (like the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood).
May 15, 2018
It was a long train of thought that landed me in the sudden memory of this book. The rating is from that memory - I cannot guarantee that I would rate it the same today, but then again, I can almost certainly guarantee that I would not agree to read it today.
In 1998, my English teacher (this is my second language, and I would have been about 14 at the time) was assigning books to the class to read. This will have been our fourth year studying English, and everyone was given these children's books disguised as "easy to read young adult books". I waited in line for whatever I was going to get, be bored by, but finish in an hour at most.
I didn't get one of those books.
My teacher went to a bookshelf and picked this up instead. This is what he gave to me. A reasonably thick, adult novel, as my first proper book in English to read, and the only "normal" book in the shelf.
I accepted the challenge.
I had this book in my possession for four or five months. I remember sitting up at night at my grandmother's house, in her rocking chair, while everyone else was asleep, and agonizing through it.
You see it starts off well enough. I say "well". But what I mean is, at least something is going on. There's a revolution, the children are in a place they're really not supposed to be, people are being cut up, the baby almost becomes a happy cannibal before she's stopped by the boys.
Then it just goes on to being one of the worst books I've ever read. It's not necessarily badly written, it's just... incredibly dull. And I say this in spite of being reasonably fond of adult novels at the time - albeit my interests lay more around "daughter of the gods" and "mother earth father sky".
Eventually I gave up. I got about a fifth through this book. And one warm spring day, me and my friend walked into the teacher's lounge, and I handed my teacher the book back, and said I can't read this. It's just too boring.
The other English teacher in the lounge stared at it with wide eyes, saw the position of my paper shred bookmark, and said "How you got that far is beyond me, I couldn't read it at all!"
My own English teacher turned to me, peered at me over his glasses, and said simply "You know what we're gonna do with this book?" then he threw it in the trash.
My bibliophile heart stopped beating for several seconds, and my friend (who did not even read voluntarily) gasped at this treatment of a book.
My teacher, observing my state of shock, stated simply "If you can't finish it, no one can."
So that's the story of how this book turned out to be SO BAD that my teacher threw it in the trash. And frankly, it was so bad that I didn't pick up another full length book in English for another two years.
In 1998, my English teacher (this is my second language, and I would have been about 14 at the time) was assigning books to the class to read. This will have been our fourth year studying English, and everyone was given these children's books disguised as "easy to read young adult books". I waited in line for whatever I was going to get, be bored by, but finish in an hour at most.
I didn't get one of those books.
My teacher went to a bookshelf and picked this up instead. This is what he gave to me. A reasonably thick, adult novel, as my first proper book in English to read, and the only "normal" book in the shelf.
I accepted the challenge.
I had this book in my possession for four or five months. I remember sitting up at night at my grandmother's house, in her rocking chair, while everyone else was asleep, and agonizing through it.
You see it starts off well enough. I say "well". But what I mean is, at least something is going on. There's a revolution, the children are in a place they're really not supposed to be, people are being cut up, the baby almost becomes a happy cannibal before she's stopped by the boys.
Then it just goes on to being one of the worst books I've ever read. It's not necessarily badly written, it's just... incredibly dull. And I say this in spite of being reasonably fond of adult novels at the time - albeit my interests lay more around "daughter of the gods" and "mother earth father sky".
Eventually I gave up. I got about a fifth through this book. And one warm spring day, me and my friend walked into the teacher's lounge, and I handed my teacher the book back, and said I can't read this. It's just too boring.
The other English teacher in the lounge stared at it with wide eyes, saw the position of my paper shred bookmark, and said "How you got that far is beyond me, I couldn't read it at all!"
My own English teacher turned to me, peered at me over his glasses, and said simply "You know what we're gonna do with this book?" then he threw it in the trash.
My bibliophile heart stopped beating for several seconds, and my friend (who did not even read voluntarily) gasped at this treatment of a book.
My teacher, observing my state of shock, stated simply "If you can't finish it, no one can."
So that's the story of how this book turned out to be SO BAD that my teacher threw it in the trash. And frankly, it was so bad that I didn't pick up another full length book in English for another two years.
July 1, 2014
I had great expectations about this book, but unfortunately those expectations were not met. It is a very contrived tale from the outset, and whilst the author wants to cleverly intertwine the political history of Egypt from 1919 - 1952 (and it seems historically accurate) the characters, and especially the main characters, are just too clever by half and I found it difficult to believe very much of the tale. Mark Holt who tells the story, is so much a super-hero in every possible situation that it made me cringe. To me the behaviour (sexual) of these characters seems too modern for that era, but maybe that really is how it was in Egypt. His main rivals(brother Greg, King Farouk, and the last husband of his true love Serena) are all impotent, but Mark proves that he is not. Wow. I flicked through the majority of the story because I was so disappointed with it.
June 12, 2018
This book was a perfect example to me that you should never judge a book by its cover. I had not read any reviews about it, and the cover of the version I have “promises” some “romantic reading” which is not my cup of tea at all. However I started reading because I am interested in history and especially Egypt and had not read any books about this particular time period in Egypt. The book describes the life of British people in Cairo during the reign of Egypt’s last King, Farouk, as well as the revolution and WW ll. Many of the characters, places and events are based on true facts and the events are nicely tied into the fictional part of it. To me this was a page turner. Yes, some “romance” there is, with details.. totally unnecessary from my opinion, but it is so little that it did not bother after all.
July 10, 2011
my love for novels started with this book ...
October 14, 2024
A book as long as this is bound to have transformative shifts in its writing and appeal. While the length of detail used to describe the protagonists, Marks, point of view may bore some, I liked envisioning the scenes as slowly as they were described. The heat of the city almost permeated through the words. The creative control was enjoyable to read.
The overlap between fiction and non fiction was enjoyable. Characters like Farouq and Nasser being fictionalised made the novel engaging and the rising suspense of the revolution flipped the book on its head. Glad it did.
The dynamic between all the (affluent) characters were well written and became more complex through the course of the novel. It's obvious the protagonist held colonial power that made any writing about characters 'not rich' limited - felt a bit racist. I can't tell if it was intentional (Marks p.o.v) so it's a shame I couldn't read about the non rich without it being laced with colonialism.
I feel like certain aspects of the romance put me off. Call me too young but the age gap and the explicit memories of the love interest as a child made it difficult for me to understand Mark and Serena's relationship despite it being the main motif of the book. I don't understand why they needed to have an uncle/niece relationship in the beginning if it wasn't going to be criticised. But the court case was one of my favourite parts of the book. Very well fleshed out not only in regards to their relationship but their dynamics with the new Cairo.
The frequent colonial stereotypes does waiver how good the book is in my opinion. I don't know if I could recommend anyone read it without throwing a bunch disclaimers at them. I guess the suspense-filled plot and descriptive writing does a lot of heavy work. I think the book needs to be read first to understand my review to be honest.
The overlap between fiction and non fiction was enjoyable. Characters like Farouq and Nasser being fictionalised made the novel engaging and the rising suspense of the revolution flipped the book on its head. Glad it did.
The dynamic between all the (affluent) characters were well written and became more complex through the course of the novel. It's obvious the protagonist held colonial power that made any writing about characters 'not rich' limited - felt a bit racist. I can't tell if it was intentional (Marks p.o.v) so it's a shame I couldn't read about the non rich without it being laced with colonialism.
I feel like certain aspects of the romance put me off. Call me too young but the age gap and the explicit memories of the love interest as a child made it difficult for me to understand Mark and Serena's relationship despite it being the main motif of the book. I don't understand why they needed to have an uncle/niece relationship in the beginning if it wasn't going to be criticised. But the court case was one of my favourite parts of the book. Very well fleshed out not only in regards to their relationship but their dynamics with the new Cairo.
The frequent colonial stereotypes does waiver how good the book is in my opinion. I don't know if I could recommend anyone read it without throwing a bunch disclaimers at them. I guess the suspense-filled plot and descriptive writing does a lot of heavy work. I think the book needs to be read first to understand my review to be honest.
February 28, 2020
I have read and liked some of Noel Barbers books before, set in various areas in the world of contemporary interest.
Very much at the start I have to admit to 2 slight annoyances at obvious inaccuracies. He sets Rupert Brooke's Granchester on The Thames at Oxford and not the Cam at Cambridge and then refers to Hitlers walking in to Czechoslovakia after achieving an unexpected but over whelming majority in a recent election.
It took me a while for Barber to regain my trust and let me believe in a Cairo of the interwar period still under British Occupation and before the unsettling events of WW2 and the nationalist movement thereafter. I certainly learned more about that and the characters of Nasser, Sadat and the always dangerous role of the Muslim Brotherhood.
As an expat myself and addicted to the product I liked the notice that went up in the British emporium in Cairo as Rommel's Africa Corps start their series of advances on Egypt " No further Supplies of Rose's Lime Juice until after the War "
The plot line itself repeats that of a previous novel Tanamera: the two protagonists grew up together as children, always loving each other, but are then thwarted in their romance by parental and societal pressures before eventually becoming partners by the end
Very much at the start I have to admit to 2 slight annoyances at obvious inaccuracies. He sets Rupert Brooke's Granchester on The Thames at Oxford and not the Cam at Cambridge and then refers to Hitlers walking in to Czechoslovakia after achieving an unexpected but over whelming majority in a recent election.
It took me a while for Barber to regain my trust and let me believe in a Cairo of the interwar period still under British Occupation and before the unsettling events of WW2 and the nationalist movement thereafter. I certainly learned more about that and the characters of Nasser, Sadat and the always dangerous role of the Muslim Brotherhood.
As an expat myself and addicted to the product I liked the notice that went up in the British emporium in Cairo as Rommel's Africa Corps start their series of advances on Egypt " No further Supplies of Rose's Lime Juice until after the War "
The plot line itself repeats that of a previous novel Tanamera: the two protagonists grew up together as children, always loving each other, but are then thwarted in their romance by parental and societal pressures before eventually becoming partners by the end
January 23, 2022
I so enjoyed this book which was set in Egypt...mainly Cairo....from 1919 to 1953. I've read others by Barber who was a foreign correspondent and actually met King Farouk, Nasser, Sadat and others who play a large part of the story along with his fictional characters.
A frustrating romance between Mark Holt, a lawyer and his sister-in-law Serena, an Egyptian girl who is very loyal to conditions that women must follow during their lives.
Some of the events such as WWII, the riots, uprisings, the burning of 700 buildings belonging to the British, the decadent life of the young King Farouk took me to Google where the history of those events were documented....which made the story all the more interesting.
A longish book of 672 pages of small print was still very hard to put down at times.
A frustrating romance between Mark Holt, a lawyer and his sister-in-law Serena, an Egyptian girl who is very loyal to conditions that women must follow during their lives.
Some of the events such as WWII, the riots, uprisings, the burning of 700 buildings belonging to the British, the decadent life of the young King Farouk took me to Google where the history of those events were documented....which made the story all the more interesting.
A longish book of 672 pages of small print was still very hard to put down at times.
September 10, 2020
A Woman of Cairo is all you ever want from a summer read: history, geography, love, lust – er, love – well maybe lots of both! Barber is a master storyteller, so even if you are not so much into history, or geography, the mystery, the tension, the resolutions all intertwine to make up a tale which keeps you reading, even though at times the book seems a bit long (but that’s when you remind yourself you need to determine what happens with this, or that, or both!!!
I found myself “googling” maps of Cairo, the Pyramids, of Egypt and of Libya, in fact the whole Middle East, in order to bring more of this true-to-life story to, well, to life. Another Barber great read.
I found myself “googling” maps of Cairo, the Pyramids, of Egypt and of Libya, in fact the whole Middle East, in order to bring more of this true-to-life story to, well, to life. Another Barber great read.
December 18, 2017
I really, really, really liked this book. I originally got it because it is so long- so I figured it would last me quite a while. I ate it up in a week. It's a great historical romance story. Sophisticated plot, interesting characters, all done in very simple to understand language. What any great book should be. I would reread this in the future given the chance. The use of real time historical figures in Egypt's history also gave me a nice, soft, 101 history lesson that didn't feel like a lesson. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something to escape to for a while.
May 31, 2020
Might have had my own objections to the author's depiction of certain aspects, but foremostly, it was definitely a delight to read! I enjoyed how well depicted the imagery was and how meticulously the plot was schemed. And of course I loved how well-drawn the characters were. I'd definitely recommend it to fellow readers. :)
July 4, 2020
Returning to this book after many years, this time just can't get into it even though I've got up to page 250... I enjoyed some of the other books by Barber very much, indeed the one set in France I have read many times. This book seemed to have a similar format to his other books but without the excitement of a good storyline.
May 9, 2022
Most interesting book on Cairo politics. Very informative and demands further research on the political history of those days Egypt. it is sheer serendipity that I got this wonderful novel. It is much more interesting tha Tana Mera and the novel on Paris during second world war. I strongly recommend this to all young readers and senior citizens who missed this book
May 6, 2018
Hardback 1984. 1918-1953. The history, historical characters (King Farouk, Gamal Abdel Nassar, Anwar Sadat), and cultural comparisons were fascinating. The story and the fictional characters were much less so. I did much more skimming than I'm generally inclined to do.
July 25, 2018
This book was such a pleasure to indulge in! It made me nostalgic for Egypt’s golden era as a monarchy. Noel Barber caught Egypt’s enchanting spirit in these magical days; he narrates a twisted story of power, love and a fight for independency. I was hooked for days on end! ❤️
June 29, 2019
You know a book isn’t good when World War II begins and the book gets LESS interesting. This one started good but got bogged down by a boring court case. Also the narrator was kind of an jerk so there’s that.
Really disappointing because I really enjoyed the previous book of Barber’s I read.
Really disappointing because I really enjoyed the previous book of Barber’s I read.
December 19, 2024
a whole movie in my head although if i were to be honest, i couldn't care less for the war happening but everything else? egypt's history? and the romance? top tier. also i could picture myself being serena because we're too similar!
October 18, 2019
Noel Barber writes engagingly about expat life in Cairo and takes us behind the doors of privilege and intrigue.
November 1, 2019
Noel Barber books
Noel Barber is excellent at capturing thw true spirit of the places he writes about during the pre and post WW2 era
Noel Barber is excellent at capturing thw true spirit of the places he writes about during the pre and post WW2 era
February 4, 2022
This book is a mish-mash of a lot of things - history, romance, family saga, espionage, but lacks a proper plot. It could have been wound up in 300 or so pages.
August 26, 2022
Have no review to write, but it became one of my favorite novels ❤️
August 28, 2015
I gave it a one-star cause goodreads doesn't allow us less than that. If I had my way, I'd give -5 stars.
I wanna say that the characters were the only thing horrible about this book but the style of writing wasn't that amazing, to be honest.
That being said, i really wanna bitch-slap all the characters in this book. Every. Single. One.
So it's basically about the lives of two families during the British occupation in Egypt, mainly during the thirties all the way to the early fifties. The Holts and the Sirrys are neighbors and papa Holt and papa Sirry - who are thought to be very open-minded - wanted to honor the old Egyptian tradition of controlling who your child married so they betrothed Serena Sirry to Greg Holt. But Serena and Mark - Greg's older brother and ten years the senior of Serena - are in love, though I've seen no proof of that throughout the 672 pages.
Greg likes Serena as anyone would like the girl next door he grew up with, but he's not in love with her, so he thinks it's fine if he goes to brothels and Serena doesn't really mind. She gets it on with mark a few days before her wedding and they don't feel any guilt. Actually, they don't feel any guilt or remorse throughout their affair. Even when Greg - the hot shot athlete- gets paralyzed and resorts to drinking. Instead of trying to be supportive of her husband and friend, she screws his brother. And then said brother - who I wanna castrate using a dull rusty machete - convinces her to ask for divorce.
Greg dies during an argument between him and Serena when mark interferes and to save her opts to KICK HIS BROTHER'S BROKEN PARALYZED LEGS! Greg falls off the stairs in his wheel chair and breaks his neck. You know what Serena and Mark feel? Nothing.
And then her son - who is actually Mark's but she told everyone is Greg's - dies when she ditches him with strangers in the US to go and shack up with Mark in Portugal. I'm not a very maternal person, but even I know a mother wouldn't leave her kid for something like that.
Oh and then she married an old millionaire right after her kid dies and 7 years later that guy offers to hire Mark for some legal shit and gives his blessing for Mark and Serena to go at it again just as long as they remain discreet. Okay.
Now, I would sort of be able to accept the whole infidelity thing if they had felt bad about it, but to be this oblivious is just...ugh! And Greg wasn't a monster; yeah he slept around and everything but Serena's wasn't really bothered by it. And I didn't feel like Serena and Mark really loved each other. All they cared about was sex, sex, and more sex. There wasn't any emotional scenes between them. None, so I found it pretty hard to believe that their love blinded them enough to betray basically everyone in this book.
Oh yeah and Mark impregnated a girl who lost the baby after child birth and he felt nothing as well. Maybe he switched it off by accident at some point when he was kid and couldn't figure out how to turn it back on? Like vamps do on TVD?
One more charming thing about mark is that he took his dad to a brothel and afterwards he was like I love my mother and she's amazing and all but I feel like I've just done a good friend of mine a solid. Dad was so happy in this brothel how can't I feel good about it?
What?
So yeah, Noel Barber managed to provide us with absolutely horrid characters that can't be loved no matter what. I tried looking for the receipt to return the book to the bookstore cause it's a colossal waste of money but I can't find it. Oh well, can't have it all.
I wanna say that the characters were the only thing horrible about this book but the style of writing wasn't that amazing, to be honest.
That being said, i really wanna bitch-slap all the characters in this book. Every. Single. One.
So it's basically about the lives of two families during the British occupation in Egypt, mainly during the thirties all the way to the early fifties. The Holts and the Sirrys are neighbors and papa Holt and papa Sirry - who are thought to be very open-minded - wanted to honor the old Egyptian tradition of controlling who your child married so they betrothed Serena Sirry to Greg Holt. But Serena and Mark - Greg's older brother and ten years the senior of Serena - are in love, though I've seen no proof of that throughout the 672 pages.
Greg likes Serena as anyone would like the girl next door he grew up with, but he's not in love with her, so he thinks it's fine if he goes to brothels and Serena doesn't really mind. She gets it on with mark a few days before her wedding and they don't feel any guilt. Actually, they don't feel any guilt or remorse throughout their affair. Even when Greg - the hot shot athlete- gets paralyzed and resorts to drinking. Instead of trying to be supportive of her husband and friend, she screws his brother. And then said brother - who I wanna castrate using a dull rusty machete - convinces her to ask for divorce.
Greg dies during an argument between him and Serena when mark interferes and to save her opts to KICK HIS BROTHER'S BROKEN PARALYZED LEGS! Greg falls off the stairs in his wheel chair and breaks his neck. You know what Serena and Mark feel? Nothing.
And then her son - who is actually Mark's but she told everyone is Greg's - dies when she ditches him with strangers in the US to go and shack up with Mark in Portugal. I'm not a very maternal person, but even I know a mother wouldn't leave her kid for something like that.
Oh and then she married an old millionaire right after her kid dies and 7 years later that guy offers to hire Mark for some legal shit and gives his blessing for Mark and Serena to go at it again just as long as they remain discreet. Okay.
Now, I would sort of be able to accept the whole infidelity thing if they had felt bad about it, but to be this oblivious is just...ugh! And Greg wasn't a monster; yeah he slept around and everything but Serena's wasn't really bothered by it. And I didn't feel like Serena and Mark really loved each other. All they cared about was sex, sex, and more sex. There wasn't any emotional scenes between them. None, so I found it pretty hard to believe that their love blinded them enough to betray basically everyone in this book.
Oh yeah and Mark impregnated a girl who lost the baby after child birth and he felt nothing as well. Maybe he switched it off by accident at some point when he was kid and couldn't figure out how to turn it back on? Like vamps do on TVD?
One more charming thing about mark is that he took his dad to a brothel and afterwards he was like I love my mother and she's amazing and all but I feel like I've just done a good friend of mine a solid. Dad was so happy in this brothel how can't I feel good about it?
What?
So yeah, Noel Barber managed to provide us with absolutely horrid characters that can't be loved no matter what. I tried looking for the receipt to return the book to the bookstore cause it's a colossal waste of money but I can't find it. Oh well, can't have it all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2015
I remembered this book from my early twenties and decided to re-read it now, to help with research for a possible novel set in North Africa during World War II. While it was helpful for that purpose regarding street names and locations in pre-war Cairo and reminding me of the main historical events, it was lacking in plot. There was plenty of drama, no doubt about it, but it felt contrived and forced throughout the book. And the characters… I wouldn’t say they were totally flat, as I could imagine and feel for them well enough, but they just didn’t act in a rational way. If they had, they would have led a normal life and avoided all the drama. The narrator is Mark Holt, son of an English Lord who is advisor to the Egyptian king, his brother Greg, and Serena Sirry, the beautiful daughter of a rich Egyptian family. The two families are neighbors, and Mark and Serena fall in love when they are children, but destiny is determined to keep them apart for various reasons throughout the decadent reign of King Farouk, World War II, and the coup by Nasser.
I wouldn’t label it as a trashy novel as other reviewers have done, as there is enough in it to keep you interested. The description of pre-war life in Cairo, the colonial flair, the introduction of historic figures like Sadat and Nasser, and especially King Farouk, all serve to inform the reader about Egyptian history, so that one definitely comes away with a better (if not well-rounded) understanding of the country. I also read Noel Barber’s similar novel about Singapore, Tanamera, many years ago, and – living in Singapore at the time – loved it, as it gave me a lot of background on the country I lived and breathed for a few years. Although I’ve never lived in Cairo, not counting a brief visit during the Arab Spring, I imagine it’s similar with A Woman of Cairo. It does strike me as fairly well researched, not counting a few historic liberties. It’s just the characters and plots I take issue with. For my research purposes, I might have been just as well served with a few hours spent on Wikipedia.
A Woman of Cairo is one of those novels you might like when you’re just starting out as a reader and don’t know any better, since it’s set in an exotic locale and does move along with a few dramatic twists, and it is full of romance, forbidden love, and steamy sex scenes. But to the seasoned reader who expects depth from the characters, and growth, and good plot, and most of all something that keeps you thinking after you’ve put the book down, it falls far short of a “good read.”
I wouldn’t label it as a trashy novel as other reviewers have done, as there is enough in it to keep you interested. The description of pre-war life in Cairo, the colonial flair, the introduction of historic figures like Sadat and Nasser, and especially King Farouk, all serve to inform the reader about Egyptian history, so that one definitely comes away with a better (if not well-rounded) understanding of the country. I also read Noel Barber’s similar novel about Singapore, Tanamera, many years ago, and – living in Singapore at the time – loved it, as it gave me a lot of background on the country I lived and breathed for a few years. Although I’ve never lived in Cairo, not counting a brief visit during the Arab Spring, I imagine it’s similar with A Woman of Cairo. It does strike me as fairly well researched, not counting a few historic liberties. It’s just the characters and plots I take issue with. For my research purposes, I might have been just as well served with a few hours spent on Wikipedia.
A Woman of Cairo is one of those novels you might like when you’re just starting out as a reader and don’t know any better, since it’s set in an exotic locale and does move along with a few dramatic twists, and it is full of romance, forbidden love, and steamy sex scenes. But to the seasoned reader who expects depth from the characters, and growth, and good plot, and most of all something that keeps you thinking after you’ve put the book down, it falls far short of a “good read.”
November 21, 2025
Mark, the main character, comes across as too perfect — he always succeeds, gets everything he wants, and every woman seems to fall for him. He becomes a soldier, a lawyer, and a hero with little struggle, which makes him feel more like a fantasy than a real person. Other characters, like his brother, are often shown in a negative light just to make Mark look better.
Serena is a strong presence in the story, but her actions often don’t match how she’s described. She’s supposed to be a respectful, traditional Egyptian girl who wants to obey her parents — yet she hides her love, has a child with Mark while married to his brother, later marries a man more than twice her age, and still remains physically involved with Mark. These choices felt confusing and inconsistent with her character.
Also, the relationship between Mark and Serena didn’t feel like real love. There was no romance or emotional connection — just physical attraction and repeated affairs. Their story was more about secret encounters and infidelity than any true bond or growth.
Though the book claims to be a deep romantic love story, it lacks any real emotional intimacy or moments of genuine connection. What it offers instead are scenes of uncontrollable desire. In real love, there is restraint, sacrifice, and emotional commitment — none of which are shown here.
Overall, the book might appeal to readers who enjoy dramatic romance in exotic settings. But if you prefer realistic characters and a story with emotional depth and consistency, this one may not be for you.
Serena is a strong presence in the story, but her actions often don’t match how she’s described. She’s supposed to be a respectful, traditional Egyptian girl who wants to obey her parents — yet she hides her love, has a child with Mark while married to his brother, later marries a man more than twice her age, and still remains physically involved with Mark. These choices felt confusing and inconsistent with her character.
Also, the relationship between Mark and Serena didn’t feel like real love. There was no romance or emotional connection — just physical attraction and repeated affairs. Their story was more about secret encounters and infidelity than any true bond or growth.
Though the book claims to be a deep romantic love story, it lacks any real emotional intimacy or moments of genuine connection. What it offers instead are scenes of uncontrollable desire. In real love, there is restraint, sacrifice, and emotional commitment — none of which are shown here.
Overall, the book might appeal to readers who enjoy dramatic romance in exotic settings. But if you prefer realistic characters and a story with emotional depth and consistency, this one may not be for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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