Book description:
With her first novel, In the Eye of the Sun, Ahdaf Soueif garnered comparisons to Tolstoy, Flaubert, and George Eliot. In her latest novel, which was shortlisted for Britain's prestigious Booker Prize, she combines the romantic skill of the nineteenth-century novelists with a very modern sense of culture and politics--both sexual and international.

At either end of the twentieth century, two women fall in love with men outside their familiar worlds. In 1901, Anna Winterbourne, recently widowed, leaves England for Egypt, an outpost of the Empire roiling with nationalist sentiment. Far from the comfort of the British colony, she finds herself enraptured by the real Egypt and in love with Sharif Pasha al-Baroudi. Nearly a hundred years later, Isabel Parkman, a divorced American journalist and descendant of Anna and Sharif has fallen in love with Omar al-Ghamrawi, a gifted and difficult Egyptian-American conductor with his own passionate politics. In an attempt to understand her conflicting emotions and to discover the truth behind her heritage, Isabel, too, travels to Egypt, and enlists Omar's sister's help in unravelling the story of Anna and Sharif's love.

Joining the romance and intricate storytelling of A.S. Byatt's Possession and Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient, Ahdaf Soueif has once again created a mesmerizing tale of genuine eloquence and lasting importance.

I had this book on my wishlist for some time, wanted to read this book for some time, I didn't buy it though until I saw it on my St. Patty's Day Exchange partner's wishlist.
Because I wanted to read the book myself before I sent it off to my partner, I included a note in her exchange package letting her know that I was planning on sending it to her...

Anyway, I finally had a chance to read this book this weekend. It was lovely. Ahdaf Soueif is able to blend the current day with the past creating a wonderfully intertwined story that keeps readers interested in both plots. The Egypt of the present and the past comes alive in her descriptions. The book is long, but it never become tiresome. Soueif keeps the reader interested, wanting to read more to find out what happens with Anna and Sharif and Isabel and Omar.
While it would seem a bit contrived to have Isabel reconnect with Amal and Omar, her long-lost relatives, it works because Omar himself is sceptical about it, thinking it a fluke.

Since I am an archivist, I thought I should point out one inaccuracy:
in the book the trunk contains Anna's diaries and all of her outgoing correspondence. In reality though, the trunk should contain in incoming correspondence. The outgoing correspondence would still be with the people that she sent the letters to, unless they sent them back to her. Just a little comment :)

I am going to put Soueif's other books on my wishlist.

BTW, I'm counting this book toward my big reading challenge for this year: the 5 Books, 5 Countries, 5 Continents challenge.

I'll be sending this book out to Melinda010100 on Tuesday. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did.

How fun to get another St Patricks Day present on May Day!!! Thanks Morsie, this one looks really good!

I have been reading this one book for well over a month. It is a long book, but life circumstances have gotten in the way of my reading time. Each and every time I was able to pick this book up I was drawn back into it. I enjoyed the view this book gave me into a life that is so very foreign to me. Although I will never have a sound grasp on the politics of the region, this book gave me a lot more insight than I had previously.

The fact of Anna's letters being with her journals and other belongings in the trunk was explained to me by the author when she says "I assume what I have is a copy of the letter she sent to Caroline. Perhaps she is thinking of future publication."

Thanks so much for sending this book my way, Morsie! I throughly enjoyed it.

sending out to teachie in the UK- BSL Stress Relief Swap

Thanks Melinda this arrived today. I have a feeling it will sneak its way to the top of my TBR pile and will be read right after the 2 bookrings I have waiting.

This is being released to celibrate Beckydore's wedding today.

My kind of book. Love historcal novels!

Jane