| Reviews of The
Cairo House
"An enchanting novel-as-memoir... what strengthens Ms Serageldin's
book is Gigi's own personal story." [read
full review here]
--The Economist July 15, 2004
"An intimate, authentic tone...provides an
interesting prism through which to observe the shifting status
of a complex nation."
--Scotland Sunday Herald
"An intriguing snapshot of contemporary
Egypt...Serageldin writes well about the customs and the rituals
of her time."
--Sunday Business Post
“Wonderfully evocative and grounded in a
strong sense of place.”
-- Lee Smith, author of The Last Girls.
"The postwar history of Egypt is skillfully
woven into this evocative first novel’s portrayal of a wealthy
Cairo family’s susceptibility to the winds of political
change...Serageldin's richly observed study of a family and culture
in transition and crisis succeeds both as ironical Proustian reminiscence
and as a telling exploration of the ambiguities of status, loyalty,
and belonging."
--Kirkus Reviews, 9/15/2000
“Serageldin sets this beautifully crafted
novel in Anwar Sadat’s Egypt...Serageldin focuses on Gigi,
who is born in a country with rapidly changing culture and ideals,
moves to London and the US, but never feels that any of these
places is home. The novel is a great find...for any reader interested
in Egyptian culture, flawlessly rendered prose, or just a good
read.”
-- Choice, 4/2001
"This novel is more about the personal changes--births,
growing up, growing old, deaths--that make exiles of us all. Serageldin
does a wonderful job of evoking Gigi's Cairo milieu."
-- Booklist, 8/2000
"Using a beautiful prose style, Serageldin
makes Gigi's problems vivid and real. This semi-autobiographical
novel . . . is fascinating and highly entertaining."
-- Library Journal, 10/1/2000
“Serageldin’s perceptive insights
into the women who “have more than one skin” enrich
this narrative of displaced and out-of-place women- expatriate
intellectuals both spiritually and physically.”
-- The Middle East Journal, Summer 2001
“Beautifully written, haunting and evocative...a
bittersweet reflection on the ability to feel comfortable in many
cultures but at home in none. Serageldin’s command of the
cultural and linguistic layers of her narrative is masterful.”
-- Topics Tip World, 12/1/2000
The Cairo House Print Details
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"The Cairo House is now available
in a Harper Perennial paperback with an added P.S. section
that is a very valuable resource for course adoption or book
groups: it includes a biography of the author, an interview,
an essay by the author on writing, favorite places to visit
in Cairo and Alexandria based on the novel, and much more."
Click here for more.... |
- Paperback: 320 pages;
Publisher: Haper
Perennial
(June 2005)
ISBN: 0-00718218-X
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- Hardcover: 320 pages;
British Edition
Publisher: Fourth
Estate
(June 2004)
ISBN: 0-0071-8216-3
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