A Caravan of Brides: A Novel of Saudi Arabia - Softcover

Campbell, Kay Hardy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 099907430X ISBN 13: 9780999074305

Publisher: Loon Cove Press, 2017

Synopsis

After attending college in Lebanon, Fawzia returns home to Jeddah and takes up secretly with her forbidden college sweetheart. When her reckless behavior leads to family tragedy, she is drawn into an unlikely friendship with a mysterious old storyteller, the niece of a legendary tribal chief.Narrated by Fawzia and the storyteller Salma, A CARAVAN OF BRIDES celebrates the dangerous melody that love sings in each generation, as it brings the world of Saudi women, past and present, into focus with a tender touch. Travel with memorable characters across Arabia, from the ancient cities of Jeddah and Mecca, to a peaceful mountain valley, forbidding northern deserts, and a storied oasis town once known for tolerance and open-mindedness.

About this title

About the Author:

Kay Hardy Campbell was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Massachusetts and Minnesota. She developed a lifelong fascination for the Arabian Peninsula and earned a BA in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s Degree from Harvard in Middle Eastern Studies. She lived in Saudi Arabia for several years with her American husband, a fellow student of Arabic. While living in the kingdom, she wrote cultural features for the English language dailies, Arab News and Saudi Gazette. Since returning to the U.S., she has traveled back to Saudi Arabia three times on assignment for AramcoWorld Magazine to write about Saudi culture. Her short fiction has appeared in the Aroostook Review, her features and essays in Chamber Music America, Down East, and Cabin Life, and her poetry in the literary journal Mizna. She also researches and writes about Arabic music as well as the folk music and folk dances of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Kay plays Arabic music and is the co-founder and administrative director of the Arabic Music Retreat. She and her husband live in Maine.

Review:

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2018.

"Campbell's masterful debut novel delivers a story that matches up flawlessly with real-life aspects of Middle Eastern culture, geography, and history. The characters are deeply developed, and their stories intertwine with true events that readers may be unaware of, such as the 1918 flu epidemic and the 1979 Grand Mosque siege. The storytelling transports the audience to a foreign place and time with vivid details and timeless themes. As the well-paced plot moves forward, readers may nearly forget about its destination because they're so wrapped up in the journey. A mesmerizing Middle Eastern tale to be savored from beginning to end." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A Caravan of Brides is a stunning debut for Kay Hardy Campbell. Richly layered and imbued with the fresh spirit of Arabia, the language is lyrical and authentic, and the suspense intense. The pages flew as I read. It's a great choice for those interested in world literature." - Jean Grant, author of Flight: A Novel of Beirut and the French Countryside

"Kay Hardy Campbell takes full advantage of her experiences as an Arabic-speaking journalist in Jiddah in the late 1970's and early '80s to tell a prescient story within a story about evolving Saudi society." - AramcoWorld Magazine

"Kay Hardy Campbell draws on her deep knowledge of Saudi Arabian society to demonstrate that women's lives in Saudi Arabia may be in thrall to honor, but they arealsomagical and protected by earlier traditions. This tale of a free spirit, her love and her grandmother of the heart will enchant you." -Sherifa Zuhur, author of Saudi Arabia (ABC-Clio) and Saudi Arabia: Islamic Threat, Political Reform and the Global War on Terror.

About this edition

• Publisher: Loon Cove Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 099907430X
• ISBN 13: 9780999074305
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288