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abigaelf's review
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism
clairebartholomew549's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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
4.0
This is a really striking story about generational change, what it means to fight for justice in your own way, lifelong friendships, and making peace or making waves. I felt deeply for both Homa and Ellie, and I learned so much about Iran. This book also had vivid descriptions of food that had my mouth watering, and it told a beautiful story of how food connects us and has so many memories and significance. The love story between Homa and Eleah really starts and ends with food, and it was a really meaningful throughline. It also made me very hungry, lol!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Classism
itssailors's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
ivi_reads_books's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
This novel presents 20th-century Iranian history through the perspectives of two girls, and later women, who respond very differently to the political upheavals that shape their country. I found their complex friendship fascinating, and I learned a great deal about Iran’s history along the way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Blood
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.bendercath's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
Oh my, this book swept me away and held me tightly! Truly one of the best books I have ever read. I laughed and cried and could not put it down.
I will not listen to news about Iran the same way ever again. Like the very best historical fiction, this book illuminated a whole culture and time period in a captivating and unforgettable way. I found Homa and Ellie to be so real and flawed yet so inspirational. I cannot recall being so drawn into a story like this.
I listened to the audiobook which was beautifully done.
I will not listen to news about Iran the same way ever again. Like the very best historical fiction, this book illuminated a whole culture and time period in a captivating and unforgettable way. I found Homa and Ellie to be so real and flawed yet so inspirational. I cannot recall being so drawn into a story like this.
I listened to the audiobook which was beautifully done.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
serendipitysbooks's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
An engagingly told coming of age story that explores the complexities of female friendship, mother-daughter relationships, women's rights, emigration, and self-sacrifice, which is set primarily in Iran in the 1950s -1980s, primarily in Iran but also the United States. Elaheh and Homa really came to life, particularly Homa's idealism and Ellie's guilt at what she had unknowingly done. The changing political landscape was well-integrated into the story, but it never dominated. Enough background and context were included to keep the reader anchored, but it never felt like an information dump. I loved the many references to Iranian culture, customs, and food, which contributed to an immersive reading experience. The concept of shir zan, or lion women, strong women who strive to survive and make better lives for themselves and others is always one that I enjoy reading about, and one that sadly is as pertinent as ever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Rape and Death of parent
Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage
the_kristin_amber's review
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
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