The View from Garden City

A Novel

Carolyn Baugh

Forge Books

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Author Carolyn Baugh tells the moving story of a young American student living in the Garden City district of Cairo. Although she came to study Arabic, she learns far more from the Egyptian women, young and old, that she meets within the swirl and tumult of Garden City. Living, loving, and flourishing amid the fierce inflexibility of tradition, these women reveal a fascinating world of arranged marriages, secret romances, and the often turbulent bonds between four generations of Arab mothers and daughters.

Meet the women of Garden City:

Huda, who waited desperately for the man she loved until she could wait no longer
Karima, who found her future husband amid the madness of war
Afkar, who paid a dreadful price for her freedom
Selwa, who suffered through the deaths of her children
Yusriyya, who left her native village for a new life in the city
Samira, who loved a man who was not hers

Rich with the sights and sounds of modern Egypt, The View from Garden City explores the stunning inner strength of women torn between their dreams for the future and the sometimes harsh realities of the past and present.

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Book Excerpts

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Chapter One

Sharif was nothing to look at. He was far too thin and too tall for his frame. His wire-rimmed glasses were always crooked, the lenses so filthy that he was constantly pulling them off in order to see better. Tight curls crowned his head, and in order to subdue them, he cut his own hair. Tiny barbs of hair stuck out every which way, and he was given to patting at his head in order to smooth them down. Dark half-moons underscored black, restless eyes.

She watched him ambling across the campus and toward their bench.

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Reviews

Praise for The View from Garden City

“Baugh magically peels away the layers of their complicated world as each crosses into forbidden territory, creating a masterpiece of intensely felt details that will seem at once strange, but familiar.”--Jean Sasson, author of Princess

“A striking testament to the amazing spirit of the unseen and unheard Arab woman living in Cairo.”--Diana Abu-Jaber, author of Crescent

“Baugh weaves a rich tapestry of women’s lives through their stories. This timely, important, readable book should be in most libraries.”--Library Journal

Reviews from Goodreads

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Lucrecia  rated it  
Dec 12, 2009
This book is very well written. I really enjoyed the way the author intertwined the stories as she introduced different characters in the book. ...more
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Andrea  rated it  
Dec 12, 2009
A wonderful read! It was an amazing book for discussion, as the women's stories were profound and the characters, complex and memorable. ...more
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Heather  rated it  
Aug 27, 2009
I read this book in one day. I literally could not put it down. It is a truly captivating tale of six women and their relationship to Islam. ...more
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About the Author

Carolyn Baugh

CAROLYN BAUGH studied Arabic and Arab literature at Duke University. She has a a Master’s Degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Baugh is currently engaged in writing her doctoral dissertation on gender issues in early Islamic law.

Carolyn Baugh

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Available Formats and Book Details

The View from Garden City
A Novel
Carolyn Baugh

Trade Paperback

Trade Paperback
Tom Doherty Associates
Forge Books
March 2011
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780765321831
ISBN10: 0765321831
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 336 pages
$14.99
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Hardcover

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Hardcover
Tom Doherty Associates
Forge Books
August 2008
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780765316578
ISBN10: 0765316579
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 336 pages
$24.95

e-Book Agency

Learn more about this edition
e-Book Agency
Tom Doherty Associates
Forge Books
March 2011
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9781429984195
ISBN10: 1429984198
336 pages
$9.99
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