Nadia’s Song

“You will have great sorrow in your life, and loss,” the old woman foretold. “But you will also have great triumph and joy. And only Allah knows in what measure.”

Alexandria, Egypt. Born a humble servant girl on a cotton plantation owned by a wealthy British family, Karima Ismail never imagined how far her dreams would take her—nor the heartache and passion in store. Although her doomed love for her employer’s handsome son ends in tragedy, their brief romance leaves her with a beautiful daughter who is the joy of her life.

In time, Karima’s heavenly voice brings her stardom as she becomes one of the most admired and successful singers of her generation, the world-famous “Nightingale” of Egypt. But all her success counts for nothing when, in one terrible night of flame and revolution, little Nadia suddenly disappears, leaving Karima bereft.

Given a new name and identity, Karima’s lost daughter grows up thousands of miles away. It is only when an unexpected chain of events leads “Gaby” back to Egypt that she can begin to unravel the mystery of her past—and discover the happiness she longs for.

Set against five decades of turbulent Middle Eastern history, from World War II to the first Gulf War, Nadia’s Song is a moving saga of mothers and daughters and the unbreakable bond between them.