The Cairo Bridal Shop
Tess Woods
Reviewed by Helen
This one took me a bit to get into at first, but it wasn’t long before I was getting to know the three sisters of The Albi Bridal Boutique set at the base of the pyramids in Cairo, Sarah, Aya and Lola and how their lives would change so drastically, the story is told by Sohiela the woman who has been with firstly their grandmother then mother and then them, come along for a trip to Egypt.
Mariam Albi the mother of three beautiful girls has designed six wedding dresses named for the female pharaoh kings but when she is killed tragically the running of the shop is taken over by Sarah the eldest daughter with the help of seamstress Sohiela, life is not easy for Sarah with her husband and his mother but still the shop keeps going and does well.
Aya is a political journalist and that can be a very dangerous position in Egypt these days but she is writing a story that is sure to make a name for her in the world of journalism but when one of her co-workers the Egyptian born/Australian Gamal is arrested after piece he has written Aya will risk her life to save the man she loves.
Lola is an arts student at university the youngest of the girls who has been keeping a secret and she is trying to find herself and when she start to find that person she also now finds herself in grave danger, will she lose the people she loves the most?
This story is written from the heart of the author who is Egyptian born herself, I don’t understand a lot of the Egyptian ways or language but was pulled into the story and there are some awesome characters in this book that I really felt for that being the girls and Sohiela but there are some not to snice people in this book who show that the world needs to change, I did very much enjoy this story and the emotions that come from the story telling that is so very good. I would recommend this one to anyone who loves a book that digs deep into family and love and loves a bit of history about the pyramids and the pharaohs.
Mariam Albi the mother of three beautiful girls has designed six wedding dresses named for the female pharaoh kings but when she is killed tragically the running of the shop is taken over by Sarah the eldest daughter with the help of seamstress Sohiela, life is not easy for Sarah with her husband and his mother but still the shop keeps going and does well.
Aya is a political journalist and that can be a very dangerous position in Egypt these days but she is writing a story that is sure to make a name for her in the world of journalism but when one of her co-workers the Egyptian born/Australian Gamal is arrested after piece he has written Aya will risk her life to save the man she loves.
Lola is an arts student at university the youngest of the girls who has been keeping a secret and she is trying to find herself and when she start to find that person she also now finds herself in grave danger, will she lose the people she loves the most?
This story is written from the heart of the author who is Egyptian born herself, I don’t understand a lot of the Egyptian ways or language but was pulled into the story and there are some awesome characters in this book that I really felt for that being the girls and Sohiela but there are some not to snice people in this book who show that the world needs to change, I did very much enjoy this story and the emotions that come from the story telling that is so very good. I would recommend this one to anyone who loves a book that digs deep into family and love and loves a bit of history about the pyramids and the pharaohs.
4 stars
September 1, 2026 by Penguin Books Australia
