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leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
bookwitch's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
While not AS heavy as another book I read this same year (that takes place in a similar time/area), it was still so very informative of what it might have been like to live through that history. What I find so interesting is that when you look for books about World History, you would think events like the ones that took place in this book and others, would have been a big chapter, but they are still to this day, whitewashed out of our history. It is devastating, and shameful that western education has excluded cultures like Ellie and Homa's, and the events that took place in the not so distant past.
I did not absolutely love the story as a whole, but that does not take away from how upsetting it was to read about their experiences with a politically tumultuous Iran, and how their wealth/classes effected how they ended up. I very much enjoyed reading about Iran's history, and from female perspectives, though I did not always agree that these particular character's actions were smart or understandable.
Following the friendship of Ellie and Homa through time, and distance, this book explores a lot of interesting themes of friendship and what someone is willing to do for their friends.
Another one I read for book club, that I wouldn't have necessarily picked up for myself, and ended up really enjoying.
I did not absolutely love the story as a whole, but that does not take away from how upsetting it was to read about their experiences with a politically tumultuous Iran, and how their wealth/classes effected how they ended up. I very much enjoyed reading about Iran's history, and from female perspectives, though I did not always agree that these particular character's actions were smart or understandable.
Following the friendship of Ellie and Homa through time, and distance, this book explores a lot of interesting themes of friendship and what someone is willing to do for their friends.
Another one I read for book club, that I wouldn't have necessarily picked up for myself, and ended up really enjoying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, and War
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, and Torture
sarahbsews's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Rape, Torture, Police brutality, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
story_singer_101's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. The prose was beautiful, the characters were realistic and had nuanced, complicated, and understandable relational dynamics, and hard, traumatic topics were discussed with sensitivity without ever being graphic in their depictions. In addition, this book had one of the best depictions of and conversations about feminism that I’ve seen in a while.
There are several common tropes that I’ve seen in stories revolving around feminism that I find horribly annoying and often offensive:
1) A character’s entire personality and arc is reduced to “I am woman, hear me roar.” Women deserve more interesting and nuanced stories than just that one plot! Do men get all the other plots and we are only allowed to have ones that are about us overcoming the limitations placed on us because of our gender? Isn’t that just making the sexism worse by reducing all women to a single story?
2) Women are portrayed as being victims of a world consisting in its entirety of either brutish and predatory men who view the women as objects and never take responsibility for their actions or clueless and naive men who don’t realize how oppressive they’re being all the time and wont listen when told otherwise (one of the tv shows I’m watching right now has a ridiculous number of men that fit into this second category, so I’m extra salty about it right now 😆).
3) Women are provided with only one option for what it means to be a strong woman—normally some kind of career-minded girlboss—and any woman who chooses to be a stay at home wife or mother is viewed as brainwashed and oppressed. Doesn’t supporting women’s rights and choices mean that women have the right to choose to be a stay at home mom just as much as they have the right to choose to pursue a competitive career? Isn’t telling women they have no choice put to pursue a career just as sexist as saying women have no choice but to be a wife and mother?
This book avoids all three tropes. It depicts both men and women as multi-dimensional characters with complex motivations and inherent human dignity. Women are portrayed as men’s equals in their capacity for greatness and their capacity to make horrible, life-altering mistakes. They’re portrayed as regular, normal people. People who deserve to be treated with the respect and care that comes from all people being equal before God. People who deserve justice for the ways those rights and that inherent dignity and equality have been stripped from them by their fellow human beings. People who have hopes and dreams and who are petty, courageous, and loving just like anyone else.
That’s a feminism I can wholeheartedly support.
There are several common tropes that I’ve seen in stories revolving around feminism that I find horribly annoying and often offensive:
1) A character’s entire personality and arc is reduced to “I am woman, hear me roar.” Women deserve more interesting and nuanced stories than just that one plot! Do men get all the other plots and we are only allowed to have ones that are about us overcoming the limitations placed on us because of our gender? Isn’t that just making the sexism worse by reducing all women to a single story?
2) Women are portrayed as being victims of a world consisting in its entirety of either brutish and predatory men who view the women as objects and never take responsibility for their actions or clueless and naive men who don’t realize how oppressive they’re being all the time and wont listen when told otherwise (one of the tv shows I’m watching right now has a ridiculous number of men that fit into this second category, so I’m extra salty about it right now 😆).
3) Women are provided with only one option for what it means to be a strong woman—normally some kind of career-minded girlboss—and any woman who chooses to be a stay at home wife or mother is viewed as brainwashed and oppressed. Doesn’t supporting women’s rights and choices mean that women have the right to choose to be a stay at home mom just as much as they have the right to choose to pursue a competitive career? Isn’t telling women they have no choice put to pursue a career just as sexist as saying women have no choice but to be a wife and mother?
This book avoids all three tropes. It depicts both men and women as multi-dimensional characters with complex motivations and inherent human dignity. Women are portrayed as men’s equals in their capacity for greatness and their capacity to make horrible, life-altering mistakes. They’re portrayed as regular, normal people. People who deserve to be treated with the respect and care that comes from all people being equal before God. People who deserve justice for the ways those rights and that inherent dignity and equality have been stripped from them by their fellow human beings. People who have hopes and dreams and who are petty, courageous, and loving just like anyone else.
That’s a feminism I can wholeheartedly support.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
katy_heath's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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
5.0
Read this book, oh my gosh. I cannot recommend it enough!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Rape and War
Minor: Torture
The author does a good job of not traumatising the reader, but this is a story that spans a coup d’état as well as the revolution in Iran that brought in the religious regime. It also mentions the execution of Mahsa Amini. These themes might be triggering for some readers.j9wan's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Entrancing, informative. I'm glad for this book. Not a strong plot, but it works here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Sexual assault
hannamlindsley's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, and War
Moderate: Infertility, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
bree_of_the_woods's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Violence, and War
Minor: Infidelity
micaelamariem's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a heartbreaking story set in the backdrop of the Iranian revolution and our two friends, one more politically minded than the other but both want reform in their own ways. The book expertly navigates the themes of coming of age, family, friendship, feminism, and even jealousy with the idea of an “evil eye.”
The book had me enraptured. It was well written, descriptive, had compelling characters that caused me to care about them despite their flaws, and taught me more about Iranian history that I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know. And the sad thing is, Iran is still facing the same unfair policies today. If I learned anything from the book, is that we must keep fighting for what’s right, no matter the cost.
The book had me enraptured. It was well written, descriptive, had compelling characters that caused me to care about them despite their flaws, and taught me more about Iranian history that I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know. And the sad thing is, Iran is still facing the same unfair policies today. If I learned anything from the book, is that we must keep fighting for what’s right, no matter the cost.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Classism
cdkm9's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An amazing novel that was hard to put down. The author brings the reader along a rollercoaster of a journey through both the horrible and lighthearted/joyful moments in Ellie and Homa’s lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, and War
Minor: Drug abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Torture, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic