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heylook's review
4.0
Surprised at how good this was - the synopsis on the back makes it sound like a romance novel, but it's really a novel about a young Iranian-American woman coming to terms with what it means to be a hyphenated-American, culture clash, etc. etc. A couple of dips into romance territory verge on the cheesy, but only temporarily, and this is more than made up for by the genuine pathos felt throughout, something all too rare in novels these days. The middle bit, about life in Iran in the early days of the revolution, is particularly good, though it could have done with a liiiiitle bit more background.
neekim's review
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
r_reads2winnie's review
2.75
Together Tea is the story of an Iranian American family. It focuses on the family’s Mother, Darya, and her daughter, Mina. The family came to the US during the Iranian Revolution in the 1970s. Many years later, Mom and her daughter return to Iran to see their relatives and immerse themselves in the country they left. It is the story of the immigrants’ experience - wanting to belong but longing for the homeland. It is also about the mother’s love and sacrifice as well as the daughter’s coming-of-age and finding identity between the two cultures. The story concludes nicely, but it is cliched and predictable.
I like books set in Iran and have read many. Although I didn’t hate this book, it ranks at the bottom of all other books set in Iran I have read. The author touches upon many topics such as the Iranian Revolution, immigrant experiences, going back to the home country, mother-daughter relationships, and finding identity, but nothing is fully developed. Everything felt mediocre, and her writing was average at best.
almaanvar's review
4.0
On the outside, the book seems like the story of a mother who is eager to find the perfect match for her daughter which is quite common in the East. But in the underlying layers, you experience the war Saddam waged on Iran- where loved ones were lost to death from the constant bombing, the subsequent takeover of Iran by the Islamic Republic- where people lost their freedom, especially the women of Iran. You get a glimpse of what living under such conditions was like.
Many families fled to countries like America while they still could. In Together Tea, we follow this timeline of a family's struggle to stay together while they flee from Iran to America. Only the very fortunate ones could even afford to move out of Iran at that time and you needed concrete reasons to do so as well. Then there is that feeling that follows, of not belonging to either of the countries. That you would be an outsider in both. This quote from the book sums up that feeling :
“She knew how to swing her legs on that hyphen that defined and denied who she was: Iranian-American. Neither the first word nor the second really belonged to her. Her place was on the hyphen and on the hyphen she would stay, carrying memories of the one place from which she had come and the other place in which she must succeed. The hyphen was hers-- a space small, and potentially precarious. On the hyphen she would sit, and on the hyphen she would stand, and soon, like a seasoned acrobat, she would balance there perfectly, never falling, never choosing either side over the other, content with walking that thin line."
This book is a historical fiction and it's about the joy of togetherness and the pain of being apart experienced by people who survive calamities as such. If you enjoyed Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi then you would most likely enjoy this book.
Many families fled to countries like America while they still could. In Together Tea, we follow this timeline of a family's struggle to stay together while they flee from Iran to America. Only the very fortunate ones could even afford to move out of Iran at that time and you needed concrete reasons to do so as well. Then there is that feeling that follows, of not belonging to either of the countries. That you would be an outsider in both. This quote from the book sums up that feeling :
“She knew how to swing her legs on that hyphen that defined and denied who she was: Iranian-American. Neither the first word nor the second really belonged to her. Her place was on the hyphen and on the hyphen she would stay, carrying memories of the one place from which she had come and the other place in which she must succeed. The hyphen was hers-- a space small, and potentially precarious. On the hyphen she would sit, and on the hyphen she would stand, and soon, like a seasoned acrobat, she would balance there perfectly, never falling, never choosing either side over the other, content with walking that thin line."
This book is a historical fiction and it's about the joy of togetherness and the pain of being apart experienced by people who survive calamities as such. If you enjoyed Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi then you would most likely enjoy this book.
dingo765's review
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
mg_in_md_'s review
4.0
Will rate/review closer to February's book club meeting
Split into three parts, the story centers around the relationship between a mother (Darya) and daughter (Mina) living in New York in the 1990s and how each of them have adopted to living in a country they were not born in. Each woman faces struggles as they navigate living in their adopted homeland -- the family fled Iran following the Revolution and fall of the Shah and end up in NYC in 1982. When the book begins, Darya is intent on finding a suitable husband for her 25-year old daughter and attempts to use her mathematical skills to find an ideal catch. Mina is decidedly frustrated by and dead set against this matchmaking effort, and finds herself struggling to find her passion, which does not appear to be to continue on her current path in business school. When Mina decides she wants to go back to Iran for a visit, her mother not only supports her plan but decides to go with her, much to the chagrin of Mina's father. The story goes back in time to the family's life in Tehran in the late 1970s and moves up to the present when the women return to the country they left behind more than a decade prior. I found the portion of the story set in Iran most interesting (both before the family's departure for the US and during Darya's and Mina's visit in the 1990s) since it brought in an historical fiction aspect and also provided a glimpse into life in a country I know little about. Interpersonal relationships/dynamics factor heavily into the plot and bring a realistic dimension to the story. At first, the story seemed like it might be heading into chick-lit territory with the mother-daughter tension and Darya striking up a friendship with a man in an evening class on the wonderful world of spreadsheets. However, the trip to Iran and the journey back in time brought another layer to the plot and made for an enjoyable read.
Split into three parts, the story centers around the relationship between a mother (Darya) and daughter (Mina) living in New York in the 1990s and how each of them have adopted to living in a country they were not born in. Each woman faces struggles as they navigate living in their adopted homeland -- the family fled Iran following the Revolution and fall of the Shah and end up in NYC in 1982. When the book begins, Darya is intent on finding a suitable husband for her 25-year old daughter and attempts to use her mathematical skills to find an ideal catch. Mina is decidedly frustrated by and dead set against this matchmaking effort, and finds herself struggling to find her passion, which does not appear to be to continue on her current path in business school. When Mina decides she wants to go back to Iran for a visit, her mother not only supports her plan but decides to go with her, much to the chagrin of Mina's father. The story goes back in time to the family's life in Tehran in the late 1970s and moves up to the present when the women return to the country they left behind more than a decade prior. I found the portion of the story set in Iran most interesting (both before the family's departure for the US and during Darya's and Mina's visit in the 1990s) since it brought in an historical fiction aspect and also provided a glimpse into life in a country I know little about. Interpersonal relationships/dynamics factor heavily into the plot and bring a realistic dimension to the story. At first, the story seemed like it might be heading into chick-lit territory with the mother-daughter tension and Darya striking up a friendship with a man in an evening class on the wonderful world of spreadsheets. However, the trip to Iran and the journey back in time brought another layer to the plot and made for an enjoyable read.
kate_olsen's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
jreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
fatsss's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lauraxbakker's review against another edition
4.0
Parviz en Darya vluchten uit Iran met hun twee zonen en dochter Mina naar de Verenigde Staten. Vijftien jaar later heeft Darya haar droom om wiskundige te worden opgegeven en zet ze haar talent voor cijfers in om aan de hand van spreadsheets de perfecte Iraans-Amerikaanse echtgenoot te vinden voor de inmiddels vijfentwintigjarige Mina.
Dit botst met Mina haar verlangen. Maar wat verlangt zij eigenlijk? De Amerikaanse cultuur waarin zij leeft, of de Iraanse cultuur waar zij is geboren? Ze besluit terug te reizen naar Iran; en haar moeder besluit met haar mee te gaan.
Sneeuwvlokken in Teheran beschrijft de ervaringen rondom vluchten uit Iran en de wederopbouw van een leven in Amerika, vanuit twee vrouwelijke generaties. Dat van Mina en dat van Darya. Beide verhalen maakte het dan ook tot een geheel, het vult elkaar aan.
Iran en haar cultuur intrigeren mij, dus van mij had de reis van Mina en Darya naar Iran nog wel veel langer mogen duren!
Dit botst met Mina haar verlangen. Maar wat verlangt zij eigenlijk? De Amerikaanse cultuur waarin zij leeft, of de Iraanse cultuur waar zij is geboren? Ze besluit terug te reizen naar Iran; en haar moeder besluit met haar mee te gaan.
Sneeuwvlokken in Teheran beschrijft de ervaringen rondom vluchten uit Iran en de wederopbouw van een leven in Amerika, vanuit twee vrouwelijke generaties. Dat van Mina en dat van Darya. Beide verhalen maakte het dan ook tot een geheel, het vult elkaar aan.
Iran en haar cultuur intrigeren mij, dus van mij had de reis van Mina en Darya naar Iran nog wel veel langer mogen duren!