Nadia's Song [Paperback]

Soheir Khashoggi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2000

A powerful story of tragedy and triumph and the forbidden love affair between a wealthy young man who is heir to his father's cotton plantation in Alexandria and a beautiful young servant girl.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Khashoggi's third novel blends romance, class conflict, and familial betrayal, all set in the context of half a century of Egyptian history. Before his tragic death, the son of an English plantation owner in Alexandria fathers a child with the beautiful Karima, a family servant who aspires to a singing career. Their daughter, Nadia, is born after Karima's arranged marriage to Munir Ahmad, who raises Nadia as his own. Karima's singing career blossoms, and life seems idyllic until July 1953, when riots break out where the family is touring, and two-year-old Nadia disappears. She is found by a childless Parisian couple who raise her as their own, and Karima's life is once again engulfed in sadness. Khashoggi then turns to Nadia's story. Now called Gabrielle, she grows up unaware of her heritage until she returns from college in America. By intertwining a family's fate with Egypt's involvement in the Suez crisis and the 1973 war over the Sinai, Khashoggi creates a story far richer than a typical romantic saga. Deborah Donovan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Engrossing. . . . Deft, fast-paced storytelling and sympathetic characters. A winner."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A fascinating love story of divided loyalties, forbidden love, and tender camaraderie."--Jean Sasson, bestselling author of Desert Royal on Nadia's Song

"A compelling tale of great glamour rooted in Egypt. . . . An exhilarating and passionate novel."--Stanley Pottinger, bestselling author of The Fourth Procedure on Nadia's Song

"Utterly enthralling. . . . Khashoggi grips the imagination."--Daily Mail (UK) on Nadia's Song

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (March 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055381186X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553811865
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,190,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great........, July 20, 2005

By 

Miao Miao - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nadia's Song (Hardcover)

A wonderful read... could not put it down - finished it in one night. The book has a great storyline - the characters are well developed and the historical facts about Egypt were very educational and opened my eys to a new world. Have now read all 3 books by this author and can't wait for the next book.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, February 22, 2006

By 

Butterflyvalerie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nadia's Song (Hardcover)

This book was a disappointment comparing to "Mosaic". The beginning of the book was great, I loved the Mid-Eastern setting and Egyptian history mixed with the romance and touching details of family's everyday life. But towards the middle it felt too much like the cheap paperback love-novel with cookie-cutter characters: 100% evil uncle, 100% mysterious and adventurous hunk who appears and disappears, a girl who earns 6-figure with hardly any efforts but cannot find a man to date....*yawn*. Characters got so shallow and black-and-white I was struggling to get to the end of the book.
The reason I am giving it 3 stars and not 1 is because first of all the beginning of the book is great, plus there is interesting Egyptian historical background to the story. My advice - don't waste your money and rent this book from the library. If you want to buy a great book that is nicely written, has awesome plot twists and Mid-Eastern setting, then buy "Mosaic" by Soheir Khashoggi instead

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story of War, Love, and Tragedy, February 11, 2007

By 

J. Kirkman "book jen" (St. Petersburg, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nadia's Song (Paperback)

This story takes place in Egypt during the decades of World War II. It is centered around Karima, who in the beginning of the story has died. Her long lost daughter Gaby who got to meet her mother before she died is attending the funeral that day. After this point, the story rolls back in time when Karima was young, and a talented vocalist with much potential.

Karima Ismail, growing up a child of wealthy parents, has fallen head over heels with Charles, the son of their servants. Though their love was forbidden, they carried on behind their parents back, and Karima becomes pregnant. Charles dies in a terrible car accident, before he even realizes that Karima is carrying his child. Karima cannot tell her father this, as she is filled with shame. When her wicked brother Omar finds out, there is hell to pay for Karima, as he despises her. Once Omar discovers this, then he fixes Karima up with a husband so and moves her oaway from their lives so as not to disgrace the family. Shortly after Karima marries Munir, Nadia is born and is the bright spot in Karima's life, along with Munir who loves her as his own.

When Nadia was 2, a horrible fire breaks out in Cairo, and everyone in the building has to run for their lives. Nadia ran off by herself, and stayed on a pile of rubble before being discovered by Tarik and Celine. They mean to rescue the child, and they do. But they don't bother to return her-and instead they want a child so badly of their own, that they adopt Nadia, and she becomes officially their daughter. She is named Gabrille, and is never told what really happened with her.

In the meantime, Karima is heartbroken. She is lost without her little daughter like any mother would be; yet she manages to continue on in fame and fortune with her vocal career. She wll not find Nadia for years to come until Nadia uncovers the truth, and by that time Nadia has almost grown up, losing her other mother, Celine, to cancer. After her death, Tarik tells her the truth, and it is at that point that Nadia seeks out her birthplace and finds Karima.

The two become good friends and travel back and forth to visit each other often. Tragedy comes into the story when Omar sets up someone to kill his sister. But he doesn't get by with it when Nadia, the perceptive person that she is, uncovers the details as to what really happened in her mother's death.