Египтянката

by Soheir Khashoggi, Сухайр Хашуги, Ивайла Божанова (Translator)

Чарлс Остин е от света на привилигированите. Но когато се влюбва безнадеждно в Карима Исмаил, светът му се преобръща. Защото Карима е прислужница и забранената любов с Чарлс завършва трагично.
Но Карима е надарена с великолепен певчески талант. С времето спечелва прозвището Славея и има невероятен успех в Египет. Ала успехът не радва Карима - нейната безценна дъщеричка Надя, единствената й връзка с Чарлс, изчезва. Едва когато успее да разбули тайната на своето минало, може би ще открие щастието, за което копнее.

Сухайр Хашуги е родена в Александрия, Египет. Първият й роман “Чудо” се превръща в бестселър. Има четири дъщери. Живее в Щатите.

Genres: Fiction, Egypt, Historical Fiction, Womens, Middle East

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Soheir Khashoggi is a Saudi Arabian writer. A member of one of Saudi Arabia's most prominent families (her brother is the illustrious millionaire Adnan Khashoggi and her father was the royal physician), she was born in Alexandria, Egypt, attended university in Beirut, Lebanon, and is now living in New York City.
She has published three novels, Mirage, Mosaic, and Nadia's Song.

Reviews

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prepare to be swept away in this epic tale of joy and pain, set against a background spanning from the end of WW2 right up to the 90's. If you have the time, this book can easily be read in a day. So well written, the story flows beautifully and draws you closer with each page. The characters are vibrant, engaging - you just have to keep reading to find out what happens next! I will definitely read this book again, and highly recommend it.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Although it sat on my shelf for a while and I had several false starts, it ended up being one of those reads that you wonder why it took you so long to get into. I think my false starts were do to my assuming it would be about one thing but it actually being another, which was fine. I liked it. I just had to sit and force myself to go past two chapters to really get into it. That being said, this book was truly chock full of story, historical detail, geographical information, mystery, thrill, love, hate and a little espionage.

The story is about a young woman named Nadia aka Gaby who comes to Egypt in 1983 to bury her mother Karima, a famous Egyptian singer/star who is loved by the country. Throngs came to her funeral out of love and respect. So, why did her death seem like foul play? The author takes us back to 1940's Egypt to the beginning of Karima's story and brings us through to the present time to piece together the mystery. Woven throughout the main story are the historical and geographical events of Egypt and other countries throughout the world involved with her, in true historical fiction form. Many characters in Karima's and Nadia/Gaby's lives are explored and the art of this author is that each one had depth. From the evil devil's spawn Omar to the cotton tycoon Henry Pasha to the stoic yet sweet General Hamza , not one of the characters was vague or just a surface character. Even those with small roles showed their depth through their descriptions, actions and involvement taking part in the story. I truly admire this author for her skill in filling each page with such engrossing detail till the very last page. I believe she took what a less skilled author would drag out into over 800 some pages and stuffed it pleasurably to the brim of 360 pages. Which is impressive to this reader who hates fluff. No fluff to be had here. I loved it.

My only gripe would be that the ending last few pages were a little short for me. I would have liked to have read a complete conclusion to what was happening in the last paragraph. I could have read one more page or one more paragraph. The conclusion left one guessing and with such detail given through out, that was my only slight disappointment.

I do recommend this book because it has everything. It is most definitely a sleeper. Don't sleep it. This book was never on any of my to reads lists, I saw it on the shelf at the bookstore and though, eh, why not. I'm glad I did. I've given it 4 stars and I will try other books by this talented and under rated author.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, I thought the most interesting thing about this book was that the author was the aunt of Dodi Al Fayad, yea Princess Di's Dodi. I was recommended to read this book by one of the patrons at the library I work at. Starting to read this book, I wasn't that interested in the characters or the story, not the fault of the author, but because this wouldn't have been a book I picked up on my own. The book is a discussion of the tensions between the British and Egyptians following WW2 and how these tensions influenced family hierachies in Muslim families. There is love, intrigues, death, lost family members, murder all set to the changing background of the Egyptian political climate.

Not having a big background in Middle Eastern history, it was very interesting to see a fictional account of how Ghadafi and Mubarak came to power with the knowledge I have now how these rulers have been deposed.

This book is definitely something that I could easily recommend for someone who likes more modern historical fiction, Arabic fiction, or generally interested in the Middle East. It was just not exactly my cup of tea.

[Arrial · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book.I picked this book up at a used book store. It sat on my shelf for a year while I read alot of new releases. What a fool I was. When I started it I was captured. This book is rich in Egyptian history yet it does not overpower the actual story. A young Egyptian girl and a British boy grow up together, fall in love..Because of culture differences and other obstacles (spoilers) their lives take different turns.She becomes a famous singer, dealing with many
obstacles that ocurr in her life. With out giving any spoilers I want to reccomend this highly, to any lover of historical fiction..

[Eliane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of the book is slow, so it was hard getting into it. However, it soon picked up pace. A very well written book. I highly enjoyed the description of the overwhelming feelings of the main character, Nadia. I recommend this book to those who enjoy reading fictional books, that deal with social issues as well.

[Kathleen (itpdx) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A moderately interesting historical fiction novel set in Egypt from 1940 to the mid 80's. The novel follows a peasant girl who becomes a famous singer and her daughter. The language is somewhat hackneyed and most of the characters are one-dimensional.
It is interesting to see the modern history of Egypt from a slightly different view than we usually get here in the US.

[Sadaf Hassan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A powerful story of tragedy and triumph and the forbidden love. The beginning was great and then the story just began to fray. I liked the way Soheir Khashoggi started some of the chapters with what I considered an “update” on Egyptian events.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible tragedy that will entertain you all the way through. It captures the turmoil of the Middle East and juxtaposes it with the inner turmoil of the soul confronted with modernity. It's a very compelling read.

[Cary Yanny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book I was completely caught up in it

[Fata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Egypt and it's culture

[Isabela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love, loved it!! Great love stories, wonderful descriptions....a perfect specimen of historical fiction!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Factual history backs the story which I always enjoy. A very light read that captured my heart with the story of a Woman in Egypt.

[Patri]

Soheir Khashoggi

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned from this book the life of women and men and how they struggle to survive and love. The child , Nadia, is the daughter of Karima, a Muslim women who fell in love with a English man named Charels, but Charels was killed in a car acciedent. The book speaks of what lenghts people are wiling to go for family. My only complaint about this book is the way they portray the Egyptian women. They show them as, yes, strong, but at the same time powerless. However, it shows the Arab world in a diffrent light than most books, and you get in to the culture more and understand it more. For example, some books state that the women wear the hijab. This book states how, why, the history behind it, and when you put it down, you are able to say "Thats why!"
There are some lines in the book that can not be forgotten, such as when Charles is killed, there is a line in which states how "food tastes like ash" to the mother. Lines like those are the ones you think of when you are upset or doing things with another thought. I feel that this book was incredible to read, however the plot goes from the mothers life to the childs, which can be confusing. To generalize, I did enjoy reading this book, and while I was reading it, the main thought I had was "This can actually happen"

[Sandy Champagne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the storyline, and the characters I was supposed to enjoy. The themes of female entrapment by patriarchal society was something could appreciate as a feminist. I wanted a happy ending for all protagonistic parties and appreciated the realism that not everyone gets a happy ending even if they deserve one. I was glad the antagonist (main) got his comeuppance. All of that being said, the narrative - while mostly well-written - became bogged down in too many details. I generally enjoy some detail in my stories. I like well fleshed out plots. But there's a delicate balance that a writer needs to assume - just enough detail to whet the reader's palate but not enough to discourage the reader's imagination. There were times I thought this book would have been served better as a series. Still, I appreciated the emotional journey, multicultural ambience and historical anecdotes.

[Nomanisan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful read. Kashoggi writes well (with a few recurrent grammatical problems that probably no one would notice but a picky English teacher) with well-developed characters and riveting scenes. There's a slimy, vicious villain whom you will desperately want to receive his just deserts, and an extremely sympathetic Egyptian girl/woman whose life gives an eerie insight on Islamic thought. The fact that this book was published in 1999 gives it even more value.
I was absolutely amazed, I have to say, at how much Kashoggi packed into the last 40-50 pages. I honestly was at that point in my reading and was wondering how in the world she was going to resolve the teaser from the first of the book...but she did it.

[Amos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found in SHB's pile when we installed the Readers Stand 8/5/2010
volumn appears un read. I believe I read this before but still good entertainment. restarted 8/8/2010 Having lived through much of the timeline of the story. The History was familiar. The Wealthy Egyptian point of view was not unfamiliar this time the betrayal and deceit, corruption and Royal misbehavior mearly detailing what I had learned in history, and side comments from my earlier reading. Still a good book with proper references to womens "liberation" in Egypt. While better than Afganistan with its Taliban reprobates still very repressive. and the potential for abuse definately noted.

[nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading Mosaic by same author, I really looked forward to another of her books. BUT this was very disappointing to me... didn't catch my attention, had to do major skimmming,and finally read the last section to end the agony. This book had a lot of flashbacks, historical inserts, and a bit of a plot for the main characters. It spanned a lot of years and felt very disjointed.

What will the next Khashoggi book be like?

















a

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost stopped about fifty pages from the end, if that gives you any idea of how much I didn't like this book. The multi-generational element is always a turn off, as is inserting bits of straight history lesson that will only involve our characters peripherally. But the real problem with this book is that I don't trust the author's historical fiction to be more history than fiction. I suspect she was pushing her own agenda (women's lib in the Middle East) which turned many of the characters into caricatures.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is what I like about historical fiction with a stong historical background but within a fictional story. It covers the era between the 1940's to the 90's. An era of Egyptian history that I knew so little about. Somehow today in Egypy history seems to be repeating itself. The story is well written and it's interesting to follow the life and trials of Kirima and her daughter Nadia/Gabby. I had this on my shelf for a while before reading. Glad I finally picked it up for a well worth read.(less)

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romantic sing-songy ballad of a novel. The highs and lows of life...tragedies and joys...love, birth and death. Mostly set in Egypt but also in Paris and New York City. It is truly Nadia/Gabby's life song focusing on her mothers and fathers, with some other family members. Loved all the historical background of modern Egypt.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed it in a drug store before I got on a plane home from Florida thinking I just needed something to pass the time. Again, I ended up liking it more than I expected. It's a sad, lost-love story, but it's not a typical one which made it more interesting.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Egypt, starting in the 1940's and follows Karima, a native with an amazing voice. This is the story of her life and her daughter's. Interesting story, but the backdrop of Egypt during and after WWII is the most interesting. Written by Dodi Fayed's aunt.

[George]

I learned that the society hasnt really changed that much especially where gender roles are concerned.. But also that a true spirited fight wins in the end..Trials, temptations, betrayals, murder and tears... I cried..

[Wendy Brown-Baez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a personal story of a singer who experiences tragedy and triumph, incredible loss and survival and joy and pours them into her music. The sweep of history from the World War II until the Gulf war in Eygpt is fascinating.

[Hanan Kato · Rating 1 out of 5]

For people unfamiliar with the Middle East culture, this could be interesting. But for those who are, this is a cliché story by all means. The author is wealthy enough and well connected to get herself published, though...
A book not worth reading as far as I'm concerned.

[Dyastri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was sublime, personally. I read it after such a long hiatus from reading any book at all. The story was quite gripping and I really root for Ms Karima. Don't really know what to feel about Nadia's own story though. A good book.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story about mothers and daughters:-)

[Abeeha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book!!!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the lives of Middle Eastern women. It's not scholarly literature, but is a captivating read.