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Daughters of the Nile
A bold multi-generational debut novel exploring themes of queerness, revolution and Islamic sisterhood.
Paris, 1940. The course of Fatiha Bin-Khalid’s life is changed forever when she befriends the Muslim feminist Doria Shafik. But after returning to Egypt and dedicating years to the fight for women’s rights, she struggles to reconcile her political ideals with the realities of motherhood.
Cairo, 1966. After being publicly shamed when her relationship with a bisexual boyfriend is revealed, Fatiha’s daughter is faced with an impossible decision. Should Yasminah accept a life she didn’t choose, or will she leave her home and country in pursuit of independence?
Bristol, 2011. British-born Nadia is battling with an identity crisis and a severe case of herpes. Feeling unfulfilled (and after a particularly disastrous one-night stand), she moves in with her old-fashioned Aunt Yasminah and realises that she must discover her purpose in the modern world before it’s too late.
Following the lives of three women from the Bin-Khalid family, Daughters of the Nile is an original and darkly funny novel that examines the enduring strength of female bonds. These women are no strangers to adversity, but they must learn from the past and relearn shame and shamelessness to radically change their futures.
Paris, 1940. The course of Fatiha Bin-Khalid’s life is changed forever when she befriends the Muslim feminist Doria Shafik. But after returning to Egypt and dedicating years to the fight for women’s rights, she struggles to reconcile her political ideals with the realities of motherhood.
Cairo, 1966. After being publicly shamed when her relationship with a bisexual boyfriend is revealed, Fatiha’s daughter is faced with an impossible decision. Should Yasminah accept a life she didn’t choose, or will she leave her home and country in pursuit of independence?
Bristol, 2011. British-born Nadia is battling with an identity crisis and a severe case of herpes. Feeling unfulfilled (and after a particularly disastrous one-night stand), she moves in with her old-fashioned Aunt Yasminah and realises that she must discover her purpose in the modern world before it’s too late.
Following the lives of three women from the Bin-Khalid family, Daughters of the Nile is an original and darkly funny novel that examines the enduring strength of female bonds. These women are no strangers to adversity, but they must learn from the past and relearn shame and shamelessness to radically change their futures.
358 pages, Paperback
Published December 3, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 15, 2024
It's December 15, and I've just found what is probably my favorite read of the year.
I thought I had my personal "Best Books of 24" line-up set, but that was before I read Zahra Barri's Daughters of the Nile. Now I'm either going to have to do some juggling or just expand my list.
This novel tells the story of three Egyptian feminist women, each a different generation within a single family. Fatiha was became deeply involved in the movement to win the vote for Egyptian women. Fatiha's daughter Yasminah is working on a PhD in Islamic Studies, writing about ways passages in the Koran can be reread in a modern context to allow support for same-sex relationships, and has moved to the Shah's Iran with a gay male friend shortly before the revolution. Yasminah's niece Nadia lives in Britain and is hoping to break into the world of TV production, but has only gotten as far as go-fer, delivering coffee, tea, and snacks to men using the editing studio where she's employed.
Being able to see Egypt (and Iran and Saudi Arabia and Britain) over the 1950s-2020s through the eyes of these fierce women who often find themselves at odds with one another is a powerful experience. I started reading this book yesterday, read through the day and into the night, and then got up early this morning to finish it. I didn't want to eat, didn't want to consider anything else that needed doing. I just wanted to stay with Fatiha, Yasminah, and Nadia for as long as they would let me.
Daughters of the Nile is complex in the best of ways, with historical specificity and characters who are fleshed out in great detail. If you have any interest whatsoever in Arab lit, queer lit, post-colonial lit—or just remarkably good literary fiction—track Daughters of the Nile down, stat! It has so much to offer on so many levels. Don't let yourself get frustrated if it takes a bit of time to work out the relationships among the characters. Just keep reading. The pieces will fall into place. The rewards will be significant.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
I thought I had my personal "Best Books of 24" line-up set, but that was before I read Zahra Barri's Daughters of the Nile. Now I'm either going to have to do some juggling or just expand my list.
This novel tells the story of three Egyptian feminist women, each a different generation within a single family. Fatiha was became deeply involved in the movement to win the vote for Egyptian women. Fatiha's daughter Yasminah is working on a PhD in Islamic Studies, writing about ways passages in the Koran can be reread in a modern context to allow support for same-sex relationships, and has moved to the Shah's Iran with a gay male friend shortly before the revolution. Yasminah's niece Nadia lives in Britain and is hoping to break into the world of TV production, but has only gotten as far as go-fer, delivering coffee, tea, and snacks to men using the editing studio where she's employed.
Being able to see Egypt (and Iran and Saudi Arabia and Britain) over the 1950s-2020s through the eyes of these fierce women who often find themselves at odds with one another is a powerful experience. I started reading this book yesterday, read through the day and into the night, and then got up early this morning to finish it. I didn't want to eat, didn't want to consider anything else that needed doing. I just wanted to stay with Fatiha, Yasminah, and Nadia for as long as they would let me.
Daughters of the Nile is complex in the best of ways, with historical specificity and characters who are fleshed out in great detail. If you have any interest whatsoever in Arab lit, queer lit, post-colonial lit—or just remarkably good literary fiction—track Daughters of the Nile down, stat! It has so much to offer on so many levels. Don't let yourself get frustrated if it takes a bit of time to work out the relationships among the characters. Just keep reading. The pieces will fall into place. The rewards will be significant.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
July 8, 2024
As soon as I read the description of this book, I was so excited. I’m Coptic-Egyptian, but really enjoyed learning more about Islamic-Egyptian culture. This is a thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and entirely unique read.
Barri has created an interesting and engaging reflection of the political landscape of Egypt over the last ~70 years. I simultaneously enjoyed this story and learned an incredible amount about Egyptian and Islamic history.
The characters in this book were complex and beautifully written, although I could have benefited from a little family tree diagram for my tired brain. The only issue I had with this book was that there was a section around the middle that I struggled to get through, as it included a lot of political discussion and information that when grouped together became quite overwhelming.
Overall, this book managed to span large concepts and ideologies including Islam, queer identity, race, and gender in a poignant and beautiful manner. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys queer stories, themes of feminism, or historical fiction. Make sure to check TWs before reading. 4.5/5
Barri has created an interesting and engaging reflection of the political landscape of Egypt over the last ~70 years. I simultaneously enjoyed this story and learned an incredible amount about Egyptian and Islamic history.
The characters in this book were complex and beautifully written, although I could have benefited from a little family tree diagram for my tired brain. The only issue I had with this book was that there was a section around the middle that I struggled to get through, as it included a lot of political discussion and information that when grouped together became quite overwhelming.
Overall, this book managed to span large concepts and ideologies including Islam, queer identity, race, and gender in a poignant and beautiful manner. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys queer stories, themes of feminism, or historical fiction. Make sure to check TWs before reading. 4.5/5
August 1, 2024
A riveting multigenerational read.. Author Zahara Barri starts us with Yasminah, our main protagonist. Struggling with her sexuality, working on her thesis for the betterment of women and homosexuality. Having to flee to London, finding herself through disappointment, heartache, and hope.
But for a mother’s love, Fatiha, mother to Yasminah, Aziz, and Ussman..
A chance meeting in college between Fatiha and Doria Shafik, So forms a sisterhood for the ages, and their fight for women’s rights and empowerment. In a time where women were oppressed and men govern and rule, these two broke boundaries, stood up to change the norm, and dared to lose their families in protest. This helped pave the way for Fathia’s daughter and granddaughter, Nadia- courage, strength, understanding and love.
Written with passion, feeling every challenge, every set back, every triumph. It hits on several “hot” topics that have you engaged from beginning to end. I appreciate every detail and aspect of each character; taking us to Saudi, England, and Egypt. This is a slow read; full of emotion and fervor. I enjoyed this greatly and the ending was PERFECT!
I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Net Galley.
This is my honest review.
But for a mother’s love, Fatiha, mother to Yasminah, Aziz, and Ussman..
A chance meeting in college between Fatiha and Doria Shafik, So forms a sisterhood for the ages, and their fight for women’s rights and empowerment. In a time where women were oppressed and men govern and rule, these two broke boundaries, stood up to change the norm, and dared to lose their families in protest. This helped pave the way for Fathia’s daughter and granddaughter, Nadia- courage, strength, understanding and love.
Written with passion, feeling every challenge, every set back, every triumph. It hits on several “hot” topics that have you engaged from beginning to end. I appreciate every detail and aspect of each character; taking us to Saudi, England, and Egypt. This is a slow read; full of emotion and fervor. I enjoyed this greatly and the ending was PERFECT!
I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Net Galley.
This is my honest review.
May 24, 2024
Daughters of the Nile was a beautiful portrait of family, tradition, religion, sexuality, and women's struggles throughout multiple generations. I loved reading about the rich, but at the same time oppressive, culture of Egypt and other parts of the Middle East throughout the 1950s-1990s. I was so engrossed in the lives of all the Bin-Khalid women, who all fought/advocated for women's rights and the feminist movement in some capacity. Every character in this story was so complex and flawed which made them much more relatable and believable. At times, I felt like certain parts could have been more succinct, but overall, a wonderful read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
June 2, 2024
DNF at 38%
not an irredeemable novel, has a lot of potential to be interesting and unique, but the three perspectives somewhat failed to capture three different discernible storylines, and were too often carouselled, causing them to become too brief and unelaborated upon to be interesting enough to ultimately present a pressure to continue. I can see this novel being quite good for someone, but at this time I have things I would rather be prioritizing over this when I am not enjoying it as much as I should.
not an irredeemable novel, has a lot of potential to be interesting and unique, but the three perspectives somewhat failed to capture three different discernible storylines, and were too often carouselled, causing them to become too brief and unelaborated upon to be interesting enough to ultimately present a pressure to continue. I can see this novel being quite good for someone, but at this time I have things I would rather be prioritizing over this when I am not enjoying it as much as I should.
October 12, 2024
loved loved LOVED! Can’t tell you any more apart from read it! It was so refreshing and enlightening and honestly one of the best books I think I’ve ever read. Could not recommend enough.
April 11, 2026
Really enjoyed it until the last quarter or so. I liked how Barri alternates between 3 generation of women and how they engage with different conceptualizations of feminism.
March 11, 2026
Whilst I wasn't sure at first, this book is seriously clever, sometimes very funny, with a brilliant family of characters.
January 18, 2026
Absolutely beautiful! I love multi-generational family stories especially about families of color. This story taught me so much about Egyptian history and culture, especially feminist and lgbtq+ history. At first the bouncing around feels a bit disjointed but it really picks and is done so beautifully. Every character felt so human and I feel better having had read about them and their experiences.
The humor at times didnt land for me but that’s a slight problem.
Really amazing!! I hope more people read it
The humor at times didnt land for me but that’s a slight problem.
Really amazing!! I hope more people read it
March 11, 2025
Daughters of the Nile, or an alternate title might be, “Egyptian Women: Where are they Today?” I think this is the most fun and ambitious fiction I have seen out of the Arab world (full disclosure: I was an exchange student in Egypt many years back; visited Egypt several times thereafter) since “Frankenstein in Baghdad” (2013). This sprawling work contains many elements and themes, and while it doesn’t deal with them all with equal effectiveness and perceptiveness, the breadth of ground it tries to cover is impressive. Three themes that stand out in this work (and there are more than three, but we don’t have all day--) would be A) What is that state of the battle for women’s rights in Egypt? B) “Who am I?” As asked by the three characters of the book. And C) “Even if I or my family move abroad, am I still Egyptian?” (The characters answer yes.)
The novel follows the lives of three women in the same family: Fatiha fights for women’s rights alongside Doria Shafik (d. 1975), a true-life figure who with her fellow marchers brought women (or at least literate women) the vote in 1956, and directed a well-known women’s magazine, “Daughter of Egypt” (Bint al Nil, 1945-1957). Yasminah, Fatiha’s daughter, a bisexual, struggles with the condemnation of society, and moves to Iran, and later to the UK. Nadia, we have to suppose an alter-ego for the author, living in the UK, has substance abuse problems, is also bisexual, has trouble (to put it mildly) making progress at work, but she finally has some life revelations (including a rapproachment with her aunt Yasminah). At the end of the work, she is doing better.
The title is layered with meaning, since a “daughter of the Nile” is of course an Egyptian woman, thus this is a novel of the modern and post-modern Egyptian woman. “Daughter of the Nile,” was also the name of Doria Shafik’s pioneering women’s magazine. And finally, “Daughters of the Nile” (2018, unclear if Barri is aware of this work) was a non-fiction work celebrating the groundbreaking accomplishments both in Egypt and abroad of 37 Egyptian women who rose to be high executives, professors, and so on. Barri’s characters share some traits with the praised women of the 2018 non-fiction work.
Fatiha, Yasminah, and Nadia are all members of what we might call Egypt’s “pre-1952 elite" families. Their families and friends were members of the pre-revolutionary bureaucracy, petite bourgeoisie, western-leaning, educated—or some combination of these. Fatiha works for women’s rights and later becomes a college professor; Yasminah works on her doctorate—but by the end of the book still hasn’t published it; and Nadia works in the UK in media-related jobs. At no point do any of these women worry about surviving. They have family resources.
Barri’s novel has male characters, but they are uniformly disappointing, or at best ornamental, perhaps good for a laugh. Yasminah’s first lover Ommi is an Iranian who assures her the shah’s Iran will be a model for liberal values and toleration; that prediction of course comes crashing down in flames. Her brother Aziz has a nightclub in Cairo which “was frequented occasionally by Naguib Mahfouz,” the Nobel-winning writer. Aziz has no other achievements. Nadia’s father is later a somewhat successful comedian in the UK, but his estranged wife observes that he has sold out. The reader probably agrees.
Barri has her fingers securely on the pulse of current affairs and cause celebres in Egypt: when one professor argues that the Quran can be interpreted figuratively and not only literally, he is declared a heretic and told to divorce his wife (because a non-Muslim cannot be married to a Muslim woman); Fatiha speaks up for the accused. Similarly, upon taking the “heretic’s” place at Cairo University, Fatiha is given a student whose thesis concerns Ibn Taymiyya (jurist, d. 1328; a major figure in Islam, regarding that person, see for example https://www.academia.edu/115932911/A_... ) and the Wahhabists (i.e. the dominant sect in Saudi Arabia). Being given such a student is like being handed a live bomb: if she condemns Ibn Taymiyya, she risks running afoul of the religious authorities; if she praises the thesis, she betrays those who argue contemporary radicals get Ibn Taymiyya wrong. How to reconcile Islam with modern life is a question Barri’s characters wrestle with repeatedly.
There are scenes in this work that disappoint, but there is so much in this book. It is bold.
Enjoy.
The novel follows the lives of three women in the same family: Fatiha fights for women’s rights alongside Doria Shafik (d. 1975), a true-life figure who with her fellow marchers brought women (or at least literate women) the vote in 1956, and directed a well-known women’s magazine, “Daughter of Egypt” (Bint al Nil, 1945-1957). Yasminah, Fatiha’s daughter, a bisexual, struggles with the condemnation of society, and moves to Iran, and later to the UK. Nadia, we have to suppose an alter-ego for the author, living in the UK, has substance abuse problems, is also bisexual, has trouble (to put it mildly) making progress at work, but she finally has some life revelations (including a rapproachment with her aunt Yasminah). At the end of the work, she is doing better.
The title is layered with meaning, since a “daughter of the Nile” is of course an Egyptian woman, thus this is a novel of the modern and post-modern Egyptian woman. “Daughter of the Nile,” was also the name of Doria Shafik’s pioneering women’s magazine. And finally, “Daughters of the Nile” (2018, unclear if Barri is aware of this work) was a non-fiction work celebrating the groundbreaking accomplishments both in Egypt and abroad of 37 Egyptian women who rose to be high executives, professors, and so on. Barri’s characters share some traits with the praised women of the 2018 non-fiction work.
Fatiha, Yasminah, and Nadia are all members of what we might call Egypt’s “pre-1952 elite" families. Their families and friends were members of the pre-revolutionary bureaucracy, petite bourgeoisie, western-leaning, educated—or some combination of these. Fatiha works for women’s rights and later becomes a college professor; Yasminah works on her doctorate—but by the end of the book still hasn’t published it; and Nadia works in the UK in media-related jobs. At no point do any of these women worry about surviving. They have family resources.
Barri’s novel has male characters, but they are uniformly disappointing, or at best ornamental, perhaps good for a laugh. Yasminah’s first lover Ommi is an Iranian who assures her the shah’s Iran will be a model for liberal values and toleration; that prediction of course comes crashing down in flames. Her brother Aziz has a nightclub in Cairo which “was frequented occasionally by Naguib Mahfouz,” the Nobel-winning writer. Aziz has no other achievements. Nadia’s father is later a somewhat successful comedian in the UK, but his estranged wife observes that he has sold out. The reader probably agrees.
Barri has her fingers securely on the pulse of current affairs and cause celebres in Egypt: when one professor argues that the Quran can be interpreted figuratively and not only literally, he is declared a heretic and told to divorce his wife (because a non-Muslim cannot be married to a Muslim woman); Fatiha speaks up for the accused. Similarly, upon taking the “heretic’s” place at Cairo University, Fatiha is given a student whose thesis concerns Ibn Taymiyya (jurist, d. 1328; a major figure in Islam, regarding that person, see for example https://www.academia.edu/115932911/A_... ) and the Wahhabists (i.e. the dominant sect in Saudi Arabia). Being given such a student is like being handed a live bomb: if she condemns Ibn Taymiyya, she risks running afoul of the religious authorities; if she praises the thesis, she betrays those who argue contemporary radicals get Ibn Taymiyya wrong. How to reconcile Islam with modern life is a question Barri’s characters wrestle with repeatedly.
There are scenes in this work that disappoint, but there is so much in this book. It is bold.
Enjoy.
June 13, 2024
Daughters of the Nile, by Zahra Barri, hops across space and time to tell the stories of three bold and complex women: Nadia, her aunt Yasminah, and Nadia’s grandmother/Yasminah’s mother, Fatiha.
Both Fatiha and Yasminah fought the patriarchy in their own ways back in the day. The former wrote for the feminist magazine Bint Al Nil (from which the novel takes its title) and was a key campaigner for women’s rights in Egypt in the 1940s and 1950s. The latter defied sexual strictures at home, then was part of the LGBTQ+ scene that briefly flourished in Iran before the 1979 Revolution.
Working as a runner in a TV studio, frequently over-indulging in drink, and transmitting herpes to ‘half of Bristol’, Nadia is unfulfilled and yet to find her true voice or calling in life. She solves half of the mystery by realising that what she wants most is to write, but the first step towards this involves an internship at a lads’ mag edited by a complete gammon, and moving in with Yasminah – whom Nadia mistakenly believes is repressed and homophobic.
Will she finally connect with her aunt and find a way to publish words that align with her own values?
Daughters of the Nile is an absolute triumph. I adored getting to know this trio of distinctive, multilayered women who fight for different things in different times and situations, but nonetheless have a lot more in common with one another than they initially think.
I loved how the author drew out the parallels between the characters’ stories and personalities by showing them acting in similar ways and/or being in similar situations, usually in consecutive chapters, but also at longer intervals across the book.
A particular trait all three women share is that they’re all deep thinkers who bring fresh perspectives to established narratives. While we only get a hint of Nadia’s future contribution to cultural discourse, both Fatiha (in Bint Al Nal) and Yasminah (in an abandoned PhD thesis) respectively make cases, based on semantics and the historical context in which it was written, that the Quran doesn’t necessarily oppose women’s or gay rights.
As a lapsed humanities scholar and enthusiast for the written word and the power it can have, reading about their work – and learning lots of new things about history – naturally made my heart sing and gave me warm feelings towards the characters! But I was also drawn to their individual narrative voices (each speaks in the first person).
Fatiha’s voice is pragmatic; Yasminah’s starts out impulsive and irresponsible, but acquires a more serious tone as events weigh her down; and Nadia’s is quirky and off-beat – but all three are absolute queens of observational and dark humour.
This, as well as the sitcom-like scenes that frequently transpire in Nadia’s presence (especially when members of her Egyptian/Irish/British family convene), had me laughing a lot over the course of the book. At the same time, there are things that happen that are sad or terrible, and by allowing these to just be dark without humour, the author heightens their impact.
The characters’ engaging voices and capacity for reflection and change also mitigate their less likeable traits. For example, at first, by knowingly spreading herpes and describing her symptoms in eye-watering detail, Nadia doesn’t come across as a very nice person at all, but I found her so funny that I just had to read on (plus, I suspected she might be dealing with trauma).
Also, I could very much relate to her experience as a young woman in the 2000s/early 2010s – there was such a toxic, misogynistic culture at that time – as well as her preoccupation with Advantage Card points.
Similarly, despite her own campaign work, Fatiha is mortified by Yasminah’s promiscuity and support for gay rights. While this detracted from my sympathy towards her, it raised interesting questions about how far her vision for women’s liberation actually went, and how compatible it was with her expectations for her own daughter, and she remained entertaining to read about.
Other themes I enjoyed reading about in this book were the compromises and adjustments various characters made, and new interests they took on, to assimilate and enjoy themselves as first- and second-generation Egyptian Muslim immigrants to the UK; and the importance of supportive, enriching long-term female friendships across the main characters’ lives.
Daughters of the Nile is a mesmerising, multilayered, and darkly humorous novel.
Both Fatiha and Yasminah fought the patriarchy in their own ways back in the day. The former wrote for the feminist magazine Bint Al Nil (from which the novel takes its title) and was a key campaigner for women’s rights in Egypt in the 1940s and 1950s. The latter defied sexual strictures at home, then was part of the LGBTQ+ scene that briefly flourished in Iran before the 1979 Revolution.
Working as a runner in a TV studio, frequently over-indulging in drink, and transmitting herpes to ‘half of Bristol’, Nadia is unfulfilled and yet to find her true voice or calling in life. She solves half of the mystery by realising that what she wants most is to write, but the first step towards this involves an internship at a lads’ mag edited by a complete gammon, and moving in with Yasminah – whom Nadia mistakenly believes is repressed and homophobic.
Will she finally connect with her aunt and find a way to publish words that align with her own values?
Daughters of the Nile is an absolute triumph. I adored getting to know this trio of distinctive, multilayered women who fight for different things in different times and situations, but nonetheless have a lot more in common with one another than they initially think.
I loved how the author drew out the parallels between the characters’ stories and personalities by showing them acting in similar ways and/or being in similar situations, usually in consecutive chapters, but also at longer intervals across the book.
A particular trait all three women share is that they’re all deep thinkers who bring fresh perspectives to established narratives. While we only get a hint of Nadia’s future contribution to cultural discourse, both Fatiha (in Bint Al Nal) and Yasminah (in an abandoned PhD thesis) respectively make cases, based on semantics and the historical context in which it was written, that the Quran doesn’t necessarily oppose women’s or gay rights.
As a lapsed humanities scholar and enthusiast for the written word and the power it can have, reading about their work – and learning lots of new things about history – naturally made my heart sing and gave me warm feelings towards the characters! But I was also drawn to their individual narrative voices (each speaks in the first person).
Fatiha’s voice is pragmatic; Yasminah’s starts out impulsive and irresponsible, but acquires a more serious tone as events weigh her down; and Nadia’s is quirky and off-beat – but all three are absolute queens of observational and dark humour.
This, as well as the sitcom-like scenes that frequently transpire in Nadia’s presence (especially when members of her Egyptian/Irish/British family convene), had me laughing a lot over the course of the book. At the same time, there are things that happen that are sad or terrible, and by allowing these to just be dark without humour, the author heightens their impact.
The characters’ engaging voices and capacity for reflection and change also mitigate their less likeable traits. For example, at first, by knowingly spreading herpes and describing her symptoms in eye-watering detail, Nadia doesn’t come across as a very nice person at all, but I found her so funny that I just had to read on (plus, I suspected she might be dealing with trauma).
Also, I could very much relate to her experience as a young woman in the 2000s/early 2010s – there was such a toxic, misogynistic culture at that time – as well as her preoccupation with Advantage Card points.
Similarly, despite her own campaign work, Fatiha is mortified by Yasminah’s promiscuity and support for gay rights. While this detracted from my sympathy towards her, it raised interesting questions about how far her vision for women’s liberation actually went, and how compatible it was with her expectations for her own daughter, and she remained entertaining to read about.
Other themes I enjoyed reading about in this book were the compromises and adjustments various characters made, and new interests they took on, to assimilate and enjoy themselves as first- and second-generation Egyptian Muslim immigrants to the UK; and the importance of supportive, enriching long-term female friendships across the main characters’ lives.
Daughters of the Nile is a mesmerising, multilayered, and darkly humorous novel.
December 21, 2024
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: A bold multi-generational debut novel exploring themes of queerness, revolution and Islamic sisterhood.
Paris, 1940. The course of Fatiha Bin-Khalid’s life is changed forever when she befriends the Muslim feminist Doria Shafik. But after returning to Egypt and dedicating years to the fight for women’s rights, she struggles to reconcile her political ideals with the realities of motherhood.
Cairo, 1966. After being publicly shamed when her relationship with a bisexual boyfriend is revealed, Fatiha’s daughter is faced with an impossible decision. Should Yasminah accept a life she didn’t choose, or will she leave her home and country in pursuit of independence?
Bristol, 2011. British-born Nadia is battling with an identity crisis and a severe case of herpes. Feeling unfulfilled (and after a particularly disastrous one-night stand), she moves in with her old-fashioned Aunt Yasminah and realises that she must discover her purpose in the modern world before it’s too late.
Following the lives of three women from the Bin-Khalid family, Daughters of the Nile is an original and darkly funny novel that examines the enduring strength of female bonds. These women are no strangers to adversity, but they must learn from the past and relearn shame and shamelessness to radically change their futures.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: A powerfully imagined story of how very lucky we are to be alive at this moment in world history, when even sixty lousy years ago...within my lifetime!...options for women, for gay men, and for overall independence from patriarchy were as unimaginable as escape from the divine right of kings were three hundred years ago. While this story of a family's women moving from tradition to liberation is a carefully thought-out demonstration of hurdles failed, hurdles overcome, and hurdles only now hoving into view, it has a structural weakness. Most multiple-timeline stories have this same weakness: As we move from timeframe to timeframe, focusing a different woman in each, we lose forward momentum. It takes reading time to recover the investment made within each timeframe. Yasminah is indeed a constant, though not always foregrounded, presence; this helps with, but doesn't overcome my issue.
It mattered to me because the locations should have felt different in really evocative ways...Paris, Cairo, Bristol might as well be on different planets!...but I had to refocus my emotional temperature to a new main character. I'm not trying to be unkind or dissuasive; I really enjoyed this journey through the world's astonishingly rapid growth, and equally disheartening failure to learn lessons from past failures.
It's a very inexpensive Kindlebook. I'd tell any of my women readers, especially the sapphic ones, to get this all loaded up for solidarity's sake. Your family "Togetherness" will be that much easier to bear if you read about an earlier generation's struggles. We all need to know we're not alone, and part of that is knowing we're not the first either.
It is a fine piece of writing, and of story-telling; it *just* fails at greatness for this old man reader.
The Publisher Says: A bold multi-generational debut novel exploring themes of queerness, revolution and Islamic sisterhood.
Paris, 1940. The course of Fatiha Bin-Khalid’s life is changed forever when she befriends the Muslim feminist Doria Shafik. But after returning to Egypt and dedicating years to the fight for women’s rights, she struggles to reconcile her political ideals with the realities of motherhood.
Cairo, 1966. After being publicly shamed when her relationship with a bisexual boyfriend is revealed, Fatiha’s daughter is faced with an impossible decision. Should Yasminah accept a life she didn’t choose, or will she leave her home and country in pursuit of independence?
Bristol, 2011. British-born Nadia is battling with an identity crisis and a severe case of herpes. Feeling unfulfilled (and after a particularly disastrous one-night stand), she moves in with her old-fashioned Aunt Yasminah and realises that she must discover her purpose in the modern world before it’s too late.
Following the lives of three women from the Bin-Khalid family, Daughters of the Nile is an original and darkly funny novel that examines the enduring strength of female bonds. These women are no strangers to adversity, but they must learn from the past and relearn shame and shamelessness to radically change their futures.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: A powerfully imagined story of how very lucky we are to be alive at this moment in world history, when even sixty lousy years ago...within my lifetime!...options for women, for gay men, and for overall independence from patriarchy were as unimaginable as escape from the divine right of kings were three hundred years ago. While this story of a family's women moving from tradition to liberation is a carefully thought-out demonstration of hurdles failed, hurdles overcome, and hurdles only now hoving into view, it has a structural weakness. Most multiple-timeline stories have this same weakness: As we move from timeframe to timeframe, focusing a different woman in each, we lose forward momentum. It takes reading time to recover the investment made within each timeframe. Yasminah is indeed a constant, though not always foregrounded, presence; this helps with, but doesn't overcome my issue.
It mattered to me because the locations should have felt different in really evocative ways...Paris, Cairo, Bristol might as well be on different planets!...but I had to refocus my emotional temperature to a new main character. I'm not trying to be unkind or dissuasive; I really enjoyed this journey through the world's astonishingly rapid growth, and equally disheartening failure to learn lessons from past failures.
It's a very inexpensive Kindlebook. I'd tell any of my women readers, especially the sapphic ones, to get this all loaded up for solidarity's sake. Your family "Togetherness" will be that much easier to bear if you read about an earlier generation's struggles. We all need to know we're not alone, and part of that is knowing we're not the first either.
It is a fine piece of writing, and of story-telling; it *just* fails at greatness for this old man reader.
April 5, 2024
"Daughters of the Nile" by Zahra Barri is a tapestry of contemporary fiction that transports readers through time weaving together the lives of three Bin-Khalid women against the backdrop of a society in flux delving into the complexities of power, identity, religion/culture, and sexuality.
One of the novel's greatest strengths lies in its richly drawn characters, each imbued with depth, complexity, and agency. Barri masterfully navigates the intricacies of their relationships, highlighting the struggles that transcend time and how women navigate and subvert the constraints placed upon them.
Moreover, Barri's meticulous attention to historical detail is evident throughout the novel, immersing readers in Egyptian history, and Muslim families' sights, sounds, and customs. With its compelling narrative, richly drawn characters, and immersive setting, Zahra Barri's novel is a must-read for anyone interested in feminist literature, or simply a captivating story well told.
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My favorite quote from Nadia:
y
***ARC REVIEW***
One of the novel's greatest strengths lies in its richly drawn characters, each imbued with depth, complexity, and agency. Barri masterfully navigates the intricacies of their relationships, highlighting the struggles that transcend time and how women navigate and subvert the constraints placed upon them.
Moreover, Barri's meticulous attention to historical detail is evident throughout the novel, immersing readers in Egyptian history, and Muslim families' sights, sounds, and customs. With its compelling narrative, richly drawn characters, and immersive setting, Zahra Barri's novel is a must-read for anyone interested in feminist literature, or simply a captivating story well told.
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My favorite quote from Nadia:
“Oh, to sit down all day, with internet access at a desk where my screen could not be seen by either my boss or my colleagues! Then I would finally be free.”Ironic that being tethered to a computer would make her feel “free.” I found this personally comical, as I work from home tethered to my computer and feel anything but free.
y
***ARC REVIEW***
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2024
I was super excited to read this book and I have to say I have really mixed feelings about it.
You can tell there is so much heart in this book, such love and admiration.
I love reading multiple povs, but unfortunately the going back and forth at times was just very confusing. Some chapters I felt were unnecessary and didn’t bring the story forward at all.
The book follows three characters from the same family. We have Fatiha who is a feminist activist and advocate for female rights in Egypt, in Paris 1940 she meets her best friend Doria Shafik (real person). We then in 1966 get to follow her daughter Yasminah as she navigates her life in Cairo. And then Yasminah's niece Nadia in Bristol 2011.
Now we jump through many years of the characters' lives and not in a chronological order. The best parts are about Fatihas life in Cairo when she talks about her fight for women's rights and also being a mother and wife, how she feels one betrays the other sometimes.
I didn’t really like Nadias parts, but that's because they are very descriptive of her life with Herpes, and I’m a germaphobe and really scared of all illnesses, but I still think it's good they are included.
Now this is Barri’s debut novel which I personally think is good, but maybe not the ideal book for me? The parts about living in diaspora and the love one has for your home country hit especially hard. But somehow it didn’t do it for me, as I kept pendling from I love this book to why am I reading this?
I’m also looking forward to see what more books will come from Zahra Barri!
In its efforts to paint Islam in different colors it just gave off the totally wrong thing. For me a girl living in Europe a white mans country, I never feel that we need more bad press as muslims. More misconceptions and wrongs. It takes a huge understanding and knowledge of both Islam and the conflicts and happenings in Egypt and the countries surrounding it, to understand this book. It’s truly a book you need to pause to look up certain historical happenings. And for that I am very grateful, I’ve learned a lot of history. Also wanna say that if a reader is unable to understand the sarcasm in the book, many wrong opinions will be formed.
Thank you Unbound and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
June 20, 2024
Multi-generational story about radical activism, feminism, religion, self-identity and queerness? Yes yes and yes again!!
The book follows three women in different generations of the same family. For most of the book, Nadia – the youngest of the three – felt quite separate from the stories of her aunt and her grandmother, and as the story went on it became clear why that was. Both Fatiha and Yasminah are activists, campaigning for women’s rights and gay rights respectively in the Middle East. They each came up against their own struggles, both in their personal and their public lives, as they put themselves in increasingly vulnerable positions to fight for equality.
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I will admit that, for the first half of the book, I was getting increasingly frustrated by Nadia’s storyline. She comes from this line of strong-willed, tenacious feminists, and it felt at the start like she took her own position in the world for granted as she drifted through life. I’m glad I stuck with it though because it made her growth in the second half of the book all the better! I was cheering her on as she made her first major steps in fixing the wrongs she saw in the world, and my heart went out to her as she confronted her own trauma.
In the end, she starts to reframe how she sees the people around her, reassessing the assumptions she had made about her family and making discoveries about herself she never anticipated. There was a one-year-on epilogue which was the perfect way to show how far Nadia especially had come, and bring together the threads of the different characters.
The story constantly jumps between different times and places, and while this is something that I often find frustrating, in this book it felt like being given the different pieces of the puzzle out of order. By the end everything started to fall into place, as we got a very full picture of these characters’ lives.
As much as I knew I would enjoy this book, it went way beyond what I expected. Zahra Barri is a writer to watch, and I hope this book gets all the flowers it deserves!
I received a free copy for an honest review.
The book follows three women in different generations of the same family. For most of the book, Nadia – the youngest of the three – felt quite separate from the stories of her aunt and her grandmother, and as the story went on it became clear why that was. Both Fatiha and Yasminah are activists, campaigning for women’s rights and gay rights respectively in the Middle East. They each came up against their own struggles, both in their personal and their public lives, as they put themselves in increasingly vulnerable positions to fight for equality.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
I will admit that, for the first half of the book, I was getting increasingly frustrated by Nadia’s storyline. She comes from this line of strong-willed, tenacious feminists, and it felt at the start like she took her own position in the world for granted as she drifted through life. I’m glad I stuck with it though because it made her growth in the second half of the book all the better! I was cheering her on as she made her first major steps in fixing the wrongs she saw in the world, and my heart went out to her as she confronted her own trauma.
In the end, she starts to reframe how she sees the people around her, reassessing the assumptions she had made about her family and making discoveries about herself she never anticipated. There was a one-year-on epilogue which was the perfect way to show how far Nadia especially had come, and bring together the threads of the different characters.
The story constantly jumps between different times and places, and while this is something that I often find frustrating, in this book it felt like being given the different pieces of the puzzle out of order. By the end everything started to fall into place, as we got a very full picture of these characters’ lives.
As much as I knew I would enjoy this book, it went way beyond what I expected. Zahra Barri is a writer to watch, and I hope this book gets all the flowers it deserves!
I received a free copy for an honest review.
December 27, 2024
I “read” this book twice in, I think, less than 10 days. Once as an audiobook and once as a physical book. Both times, I managed to finish Daughters of the Nile in one day. I’ve been waiting for almost a year to get my hands on this book ever since I became aware of it, and, honestly, not only did it live up to my hype but it also exceeded my expectations.
As an Egyptian myself, I found myself instantly drawn into the deeply rooted and authentic cultural elements throughout the novel with the twist that I have been exposed to the modern Egyptian history and culture I know so well from a feminist perspective that shows in an incredible way what it means to be an Egyptian woman in the 20th and 21st century. This new experience mixed with the powerful themes of faith, identity, and the fight for gender equality is why I love this book so much.
Daughters of the Nile introduces us to three generations of the Bin-Khalid family—women with different hopes, backgrounds, and ways of expressing themselves. Their stories move between Cairo, Paris, Tehran, and London and cover events from the mid-20th century all the way to the 2010s. Each woman’s narrative is distinct, but together, they form a striking mosaic of familial ties and individual struggles. At times, Zahra Barri even allowed me to catch glimpses of how the past shapes the present and how the changes one generation fights for can lead to new battles—or breakthroughs—for the next generation.
One of the most striking aspects of Daughters of the Nile is how deeply each character’s faith and cultural upbringing influence her life choices. They don’t all practice or interpret religion the same way, and that’s exactly what makes their journeys feel so authentic. But despite their differences, these women share a strong will to stand up for themselves and find their unique voices. Whether they are marching for equal rights, facing everyday discrimination, or reinventing themselves in unfamiliar cities, they reveal a range of experiences that many readers, especially those from Egyptian backgrounds, can connect with.
What sets Daughters of the Nile apart from other multi-generational family sagas is Barri’s skillful mix of solemn moments and humorous touches. Even when the story dives into heavy issues like loss, betrayal, or societal pressures, Barri always finds a way to lighten the mood. The occasional comedic relief felt so natural because it felt so Egyptian. Meanwhile, the vivid details of daily life—food, fashion, Egyptian traditions—give the book a sense of immediacy that makes you feel like you’re stepping into each scene.
Overall, Zahra Barri’s is a must-read if you enjoy thought-provoking stories that blend cultural history, deep characterization, family bonds, personal faith, and heartfelt passion for social justice. I can’t wait to see what Zahra Barri writes next!
As an Egyptian myself, I found myself instantly drawn into the deeply rooted and authentic cultural elements throughout the novel with the twist that I have been exposed to the modern Egyptian history and culture I know so well from a feminist perspective that shows in an incredible way what it means to be an Egyptian woman in the 20th and 21st century. This new experience mixed with the powerful themes of faith, identity, and the fight for gender equality is why I love this book so much.
Daughters of the Nile introduces us to three generations of the Bin-Khalid family—women with different hopes, backgrounds, and ways of expressing themselves. Their stories move between Cairo, Paris, Tehran, and London and cover events from the mid-20th century all the way to the 2010s. Each woman’s narrative is distinct, but together, they form a striking mosaic of familial ties and individual struggles. At times, Zahra Barri even allowed me to catch glimpses of how the past shapes the present and how the changes one generation fights for can lead to new battles—or breakthroughs—for the next generation.
One of the most striking aspects of Daughters of the Nile is how deeply each character’s faith and cultural upbringing influence her life choices. They don’t all practice or interpret religion the same way, and that’s exactly what makes their journeys feel so authentic. But despite their differences, these women share a strong will to stand up for themselves and find their unique voices. Whether they are marching for equal rights, facing everyday discrimination, or reinventing themselves in unfamiliar cities, they reveal a range of experiences that many readers, especially those from Egyptian backgrounds, can connect with.
What sets Daughters of the Nile apart from other multi-generational family sagas is Barri’s skillful mix of solemn moments and humorous touches. Even when the story dives into heavy issues like loss, betrayal, or societal pressures, Barri always finds a way to lighten the mood. The occasional comedic relief felt so natural because it felt so Egyptian. Meanwhile, the vivid details of daily life—food, fashion, Egyptian traditions—give the book a sense of immediacy that makes you feel like you’re stepping into each scene.
Overall, Zahra Barri’s is a must-read if you enjoy thought-provoking stories that blend cultural history, deep characterization, family bonds, personal faith, and heartfelt passion for social justice. I can’t wait to see what Zahra Barri writes next!
May 21, 2024
Thank you to Unbound Firsts Publishing and Zahra Barri (via NetGalley) for this Advanced Reading Copy of Daughters of the Nile in exchange for an honest review.
Spanning 70 years across Paris, Tehran, Cairo and London, this story follows three generations of women from the Bin-Khalid family, who all play a role in contributing to gender and identity politics of their time, whilst navigating the Islamic faith in which they were raised.
This story is beautifully woven, and often confronting in detail. The characters are complex and flawed, wrestling with their identities whilst bravely advocating for understanding and change.
What I loved the most about this story was the contrast in the identity expressions of Fatiha, Yasminah and Nadia, and how these lead to misunderstandings between each of the women, when in fact, they are all broadly advocating for the same thing; equal rights for women and marginalized people.
Navigation and interpretation of faith was also a central theme in this book, and I enjoyed how this was expressed by each of the women, particularly Yasminah, who whilst arguably lives the most alternative lifestyle of the three women, also displays the deepest connection and commitment to her faith.
Overall Zahra Barri has created an enjoyable and insightful novel, and I would recommend this to readers who are interested in feminist and identity politics and the intersection of these themes with faith. I look forward to reading more from Zahra Barri in the future.
Spanning 70 years across Paris, Tehran, Cairo and London, this story follows three generations of women from the Bin-Khalid family, who all play a role in contributing to gender and identity politics of their time, whilst navigating the Islamic faith in which they were raised.
This story is beautifully woven, and often confronting in detail. The characters are complex and flawed, wrestling with their identities whilst bravely advocating for understanding and change.
What I loved the most about this story was the contrast in the identity expressions of Fatiha, Yasminah and Nadia, and how these lead to misunderstandings between each of the women, when in fact, they are all broadly advocating for the same thing; equal rights for women and marginalized people.
Navigation and interpretation of faith was also a central theme in this book, and I enjoyed how this was expressed by each of the women, particularly Yasminah, who whilst arguably lives the most alternative lifestyle of the three women, also displays the deepest connection and commitment to her faith.
Overall Zahra Barri has created an enjoyable and insightful novel, and I would recommend this to readers who are interested in feminist and identity politics and the intersection of these themes with faith. I look forward to reading more from Zahra Barri in the future.
July 1, 2024
In this complex triple perspective novel, readers follow three women from the same family -- Fatiha, in 1940 Paris, her daughter Yasminah in Cairo in 1966, and Fatiha’s granddaughter Nadia in 2011 Bristol -- as they grow up and come to terms with the realities of education, queerness, social revolution, and female friendships in challenging times. With radically different lives, each woman feels isolated and limited by the rules of their family and their society. Dealing with the hopes and realities of womanhood and queerness in Islamic culture in the late twentieth century, this book is a fascinating perspective into the changing social and cultural norms for women like Fatiha, Yasminah, and Nadia. As they change their lives through their experiences of the world, readers also see how sexuality and women’s rights interact within this intense and complex world through the individual lens and case studies of the Bin-Khalid women. The characters are absolutely the star of this novel, and Barri has made them so completely different from each other that readers can clearly identify the chapter transitions, yet the similarities between the three women are only apparent to the readers, not the characters themselves. A deep and complex novel, this book is absolutely compelling and oddly satirical, and readers are sure to think hard about this book.
Thanks to NetGalley, Unbound, and Unbound Firsts for the advance copy.
Thanks to NetGalley, Unbound, and Unbound Firsts for the advance copy.
November 24, 2024
A well crafted novel chronicling the lives of three generations of Egyptian women in the Bin-Khalid family, each grappling with personal and societal changes tied to feminism, religion, and cultural expectations.
The story begins in 1950s Egypt with Fatiha, a fierce advocate for women's rights who struggles to reconcile her political ideals with the demands of motherhood. Her dedication to the feminist cause sets the foundation for the family's journey, even as she faces deeply personal sacrifices.
In the 1970s, her daughter Yasminah finds herself at odds with societal norms. Exiled to Tehran due to her relationship with a bisexual man, she wrestles with her sexuality, love, and the shame imposed by both culture and family.
Finally, in the 2010s, British-born Nadia must navigate the world of modern dating while grappling with her relationship with her Egyptian roots. Her story brings a fresh perspective, shedding light on the diasporic experience and the challenges of connecting with heritage.
What sets this novel apart is its nuanced exploration of Islam through the lens of queer women, tackling themes of identity and belonging with sensitivity and depth. The three protagonists are flawed but deeply authentic, their lives interwoven with the broader historical and political revolutions of their times.
While the ending could have taken bolder strides, it's a strong debut novel and I look forward to hearing more from this author.
The story begins in 1950s Egypt with Fatiha, a fierce advocate for women's rights who struggles to reconcile her political ideals with the demands of motherhood. Her dedication to the feminist cause sets the foundation for the family's journey, even as she faces deeply personal sacrifices.
In the 1970s, her daughter Yasminah finds herself at odds with societal norms. Exiled to Tehran due to her relationship with a bisexual man, she wrestles with her sexuality, love, and the shame imposed by both culture and family.
Finally, in the 2010s, British-born Nadia must navigate the world of modern dating while grappling with her relationship with her Egyptian roots. Her story brings a fresh perspective, shedding light on the diasporic experience and the challenges of connecting with heritage.
What sets this novel apart is its nuanced exploration of Islam through the lens of queer women, tackling themes of identity and belonging with sensitivity and depth. The three protagonists are flawed but deeply authentic, their lives interwoven with the broader historical and political revolutions of their times.
While the ending could have taken bolder strides, it's a strong debut novel and I look forward to hearing more from this author.
May 24, 2024
Like Bridget Jones meets The Museum of Innocence by way of The Colour Purple, and taking no prisoners along the way.
Narrated by three generations of women in an Egyptian/British-Egyptian family, each of the women must wear masks, no matter where they are, who they’re with, and anyway, do we really know each other as well as we think we do? And behind the masks are souls of steel that fight for what they believe in, even when those around them are trying to erode their spirits, their moral compasses, their desires.
Like a sucker punch to my awareness, this novel thrust me into a world so unfamiliar that it was like staring into a parallel universe. From Paris in the Forties and Cairo in the Sixties to Bristol and London in the Teenies, this novel has everything: death and despair, dad jokes and romance, politics and dad jokes, sensuous descriptions of food and laugh-out-loud gross-out comedy.
And I loved it. Not because it was challenging but because it was a whole new spectrum of sensations and references and language that I had never experienced before. I said it was like BJ meets tMoI but really it’s a whole thing of itself, the voices of the three generations clearly delineated and defined, their lives full of moment and the consequences of history, but above all joyous and fun and entertaining.
A resounding five stars.
Narrated by three generations of women in an Egyptian/British-Egyptian family, each of the women must wear masks, no matter where they are, who they’re with, and anyway, do we really know each other as well as we think we do? And behind the masks are souls of steel that fight for what they believe in, even when those around them are trying to erode their spirits, their moral compasses, their desires.
Like a sucker punch to my awareness, this novel thrust me into a world so unfamiliar that it was like staring into a parallel universe. From Paris in the Forties and Cairo in the Sixties to Bristol and London in the Teenies, this novel has everything: death and despair, dad jokes and romance, politics and dad jokes, sensuous descriptions of food and laugh-out-loud gross-out comedy.
And I loved it. Not because it was challenging but because it was a whole new spectrum of sensations and references and language that I had never experienced before. I said it was like BJ meets tMoI but really it’s a whole thing of itself, the voices of the three generations clearly delineated and defined, their lives full of moment and the consequences of history, but above all joyous and fun and entertaining.
A resounding five stars.
December 31, 2024
Daughters of the Nile is a novel which describes the path of three Egyptian women through lives which try to balance Islam, feminism and sexuality. Fatiha meets Doria Shafik in 1940 and spends her life working for feminism in Egypt. Shafik who was shamefully unknown to me was a woman who led a number of causes to get women the vote and to get women advanced in society in Egypt in the 1950's. Yasminah is Fatiha's daughter who has a male gay friend and who moves to Tehran in 1966 to escape from homophobia, only to encounter the 'cultural' revolution in 1979 after which she is forced to flee, eventually to London. Nadia is her gay niece, born in Britain, who has to work within the sexist and homophobic world of Britain in the 21st Century.
The novel moves back and forth between 1940 and 2012 to illustrate how each of the women is forced to make a similar difficult path through life. To achieve this complex structure and remain coherent and engaging is a great achievement by Ms. Barri.
I recommend it to anyone interested in feminism or LGBT+ issues, and particularly anyone who is interested how Muslim women can function in the world of turmoil that we are faced with.
The novel moves back and forth between 1940 and 2012 to illustrate how each of the women is forced to make a similar difficult path through life. To achieve this complex structure and remain coherent and engaging is a great achievement by Ms. Barri.
I recommend it to anyone interested in feminism or LGBT+ issues, and particularly anyone who is interested how Muslim women can function in the world of turmoil that we are faced with.
June 14, 2024
This is an interesting and informative deep dive into the lives of 3 generations of Egyptian/ British Egyptian women from the same family, told across the decades from 1940-2011. Women who have all thought deeply and/ or challenged gender stereotypes and sexuality, stereotypes that have been set in place by family/ culture/ religion/ community. I loved the different perspectives, and I loved how each POV had its own voice.
The writing is comedic and considered in equal measure, and there are lots of moments where were I an annotator I would have had the highlighter & biro out! This book was as educational about Islamic and feminist values, as it was about self empowerment and challenging the status quo, all of which contributed to opening my mind to a world I have seldom explored through literature.
Thank you to Unbound & Random Things for the blog tour spot, I very much enjoyed reading this in order to review for the book tour.
The writing is comedic and considered in equal measure, and there are lots of moments where were I an annotator I would have had the highlighter & biro out! This book was as educational about Islamic and feminist values, as it was about self empowerment and challenging the status quo, all of which contributed to opening my mind to a world I have seldom explored through literature.
Thank you to Unbound & Random Things for the blog tour spot, I very much enjoyed reading this in order to review for the book tour.
May 8, 2025
Picture a group of women—friends, sisters, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, nieces, and cousins—sitting around a fire, sharing their stories about what it means to be women in their generation and fighting to have their voices heard. That's the heart of Daughters of the Nile. This book weaves together their stories and thoughts from each woman's perspective, giving us insight into how these Egyptian women fought for the rights that younger generations enjoy today while tackling their struggles in their own unique ways. It's easy to judge them for their missteps, but listening to their experiences helps us understand the complicated journey each generation of women has gone through—it took years of growth to get where we are now.
April 22, 2024
The are three generations of women from the Bin-Khalid family, Yasminah, Nadia, and Fatiha followed throughout the story. It takes place from the 1940s to 2013 in several countries in the Middle East, Africa, London and Paris. It discusses stories of struggles, triumphs, loves and losses. Their lives are intertwined throughout the book. The character development is very engaging. The author's fastidious attention to the historical details throughout the story was fascinating. Although these are three different women during different times, their stories aren't so different. Self empowerment was a strong theme present in the storyline. I highly recommend this book.
June 16, 2024
I only finished this book because I received a free advance reader copy from NetGalley. Well, I also WANTED it to get better. It was confusing from the beginning and while I did like the plot points I could follow, this tale of a family of Egyptian feminists had too many narrators in too many points of time. A given thread might only last a page or two before switching, and I couldn’t keep track. It’s a shame because I haven’t read much about Arab feminism and I really wanted to learn more. I would not recommend this one, though.
January 24, 2025
This book ticked all the boxes for me. Set in Egypt, Paris, Bristol, London, Iran and Saudi Arabia, it tells of 3 women from different generations and how they navigate, feminism, culture and religion. It deals with Egyptian women, led by Doria Shafik and the fight for the right to vote. It addresses social issues, gayness, history and family life. A family saga of generations, and namely 3 women from different eras who make their voices heard. Funny, sarcastic, emotional, heart warming.... My sort of read!
October 14, 2024
Hooked me from the get-go. I love interweaving multi generational narratives, and Daughters of the Nile was enthralling, captivating, and in the author's own words: "dark as f**k".
January 24, 2025
Absolutely loved this book from start to finish. It has such a unique (and often comedic) perspective on Arabic-Egyptian feminism. I honestly couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend this book!
October 26, 2025
3.5*
Funny, entertaining but also courageous and extremely timely, given where the world is going today.
Funny, entertaining but also courageous and extremely timely, given where the world is going today.
December 16, 2025
Such a great read, I enjoyed following the story of each „daughter“.
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