The Cliffs of Cairo by Elsa Marston (1981 /1998)
Read: February 2012
I strumbled upon this in Volume 1, the bookstore at the end of our road in Maadi. It is a small paperback and has the shape and feel of a self-published book. It's actually published by Hoopoe books - which is interesting as I'm currently tracking down some other Hoopoe publications for my I Spy Egypt side-project.
The book is about Tabby who is an expat teenager living in Cairo but who enjoys exploring the Old Cairo that the rest of her family aren't too fussed with. It's very well observed in terms of conveying the life of an expat in Cairo as well as of the people of Cairo in general. I kept having to turn to the front of the book to confirm when it was written because, apart from the prices mentioned, it sounded like the Cairo I know. What I enjoyed about the book also was recognising the places mentioned (where she lived, describing the old antiques shops and the boats on the Corniche as well as the hills of Moqattam) as well as the people she met (the friendly bowab, the surley tourist policeman).
It was only small parts of the book didn't chime true to me, but maybe things have changed since it was written. She mentions taking the public bus and I don't think I've seen a single westerner in Cairo on a public bus, let alone a teenage girl. Other elements were added to give suspense, such as being followed and intimidated by those after her ikon.
The story itself was somewhat lacking. I found that there were realy two stories and the author couldn't seem to decide which to give the lead to. Firstly there was the ikon that Tabby found and then found herself being followed for as the antiques dealer tried to reclaim it. Then there was her fascination with the mosque on top of the Moqattam hills that she visited and wanted to explore again. Whilst the author tried to weave these together I felt that it might have been better to simply focus on one, or the other.
Read: February 2012
I strumbled upon this in Volume 1, the bookstore at the end of our road in Maadi. It is a small paperback and has the shape and feel of a self-published book. It's actually published by Hoopoe books - which is interesting as I'm currently tracking down some other Hoopoe publications for my I Spy Egypt side-project.
The book is about Tabby who is an expat teenager living in Cairo but who enjoys exploring the Old Cairo that the rest of her family aren't too fussed with. It's very well observed in terms of conveying the life of an expat in Cairo as well as of the people of Cairo in general. I kept having to turn to the front of the book to confirm when it was written because, apart from the prices mentioned, it sounded like the Cairo I know. What I enjoyed about the book also was recognising the places mentioned (where she lived, describing the old antiques shops and the boats on the Corniche as well as the hills of Moqattam) as well as the people she met (the friendly bowab, the surley tourist policeman).
It was only small parts of the book didn't chime true to me, but maybe things have changed since it was written. She mentions taking the public bus and I don't think I've seen a single westerner in Cairo on a public bus, let alone a teenage girl. Other elements were added to give suspense, such as being followed and intimidated by those after her ikon.
The story itself was somewhat lacking. I found that there were realy two stories and the author couldn't seem to decide which to give the lead to. Firstly there was the ikon that Tabby found and then found herself being followed for as the antiques dealer tried to reclaim it. Then there was her fascination with the mosque on top of the Moqattam hills that she visited and wanted to explore again. Whilst the author tried to weave these together I felt that it might have been better to simply focus on one, or the other.
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