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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Stopped reading the book after suffering from the forced prose, desperate attempts for being exotic,
and preposterous story line for about fifty pages. I was wrong. I should have stopped earlier, when I noted that an author without the slightest ability in writing decent text is trying to remotely evoke the memory of Remedios the Beauty.
And no, rosewater does not smell as sensual as the writer imagines it to be; used in high quantities, it exudes a sickly smell, sometimes reminding you of a garbage heap, about to decompose. Just like Pomegranate Soup.
and preposterous story line for about fifty pages. I was wrong. I should have stopped earlier, when I noted that an author without the slightest ability in writing decent text is trying to remotely evoke the memory of Remedios the Beauty.
And no, rosewater does not smell as sensual as the writer imagines it to be; used in high quantities, it exudes a sickly smell, sometimes reminding you of a garbage heap, about to decompose. Just like Pomegranate Soup.
I would give this 3 1/2 stars. I loved the peek into the townspeople's lives. I especially liked the recipes at the end of every chapter. It reminded me of Maeve Binchy with a little magical realism thrown in.
I was on the waiting list at the library to borrow this book for AGES, weeks and weeks, and when i finally got the chance to read it, i knocked it over in a couple of days. Its a quick, simple read, but i really enjoyed it. Ive recently discovered what is known as 'food fiction', which this book falls under, and i really love the concept.
The story of three Iranian girls who escape the Iranian revolution in the 1970s and move to Ireland to set up a cafe, i loved every second of this book. I wasnt expecting anything too heavy, otherwise i wouldve been disappointed, however there is more to the book than the three sisters just cooking scrumptuous Persian meals and going about life in a quiant Irish village. the girls have a troubled past which I found very interesting. we are told this in small fragments throughout the novel, adding up to the overall reason for their escape from Iran.
I highly recommend this for a light and quick, but interesting read. I've just started the sequel and it's so far, just as good!
The story of three Iranian girls who escape the Iranian revolution in the 1970s and move to Ireland to set up a cafe, i loved every second of this book. I wasnt expecting anything too heavy, otherwise i wouldve been disappointed, however there is more to the book than the three sisters just cooking scrumptuous Persian meals and going about life in a quiant Irish village. the girls have a troubled past which I found very interesting. we are told this in small fragments throughout the novel, adding up to the overall reason for their escape from Iran.
I highly recommend this for a light and quick, but interesting read. I've just started the sequel and it's so far, just as good!
I do feel I'm being a bit harsh here. There was such lot to like about this book - I'm a sucker for a cozy novel about food, initially it seemed a lightweight derivative of "Like water for chocolate" - which is brilliant & of course you can't expect every novel to invent a new genre. There is quite a bit of interesting and quite dark material about fleeing from Iran & then her sometimes insightful & sometimes rather dismissive view of Oirland. However ultimately I found this novel really lacked the cohesion of a more successful work. The character development was poor, the pacing was awful, the story was okay but lacked direction. Incidents & characters just popped up & disappeared. There was a strange mix of fragmented past history (without much insight - neighbour mean, husband was abusive) & then silly jolly asides about leprechauns, naughty local pranksters & ambitions of a disco - which didn't really progress the story or add much dimension to the characters. Comparing to some pretty solid novels that I have awarded with 3 stars, I felt bound to be a bit cruel here.
Je l'ai lu avec la traduction en français donc parfois c'etait pas vraiment pertinent et donc ca bloquait quelques passages qui je pense pourraient me toucher plus si je l'avais lu en anglais.
Autrement, l'histoire est touchante et précise, l'autrice prend le temps de décrire chaque personnage et je trouve ca très cohérent de rajouter les recettes afin de permettre au lecteur une certaine synésthésie. On arrive à comprendre les odeurs que Mehran transmet.
Aussi j'aime beaucoup comment la météo est utilisée : il fait beau quand tout va bien et que les gens sont en bonne santé, mais devient violente quand le moral est distrait et que la maladie gagne
J'AIME LA DA
Autrement, l'histoire est touchante et précise, l'autrice prend le temps de décrire chaque personnage et je trouve ca très cohérent de rajouter les recettes afin de permettre au lecteur une certaine synésthésie. On arrive à comprendre les odeurs que Mehran transmet.
Aussi j'aime beaucoup comment la météo est utilisée : il fait beau quand tout va bien et que les gens sont en bonne santé, mais devient violente quand le moral est distrait et que la maladie gagne
J'AIME LA DA
Great author comments follow below. This book has elements of a "cozy read" though it admittedly has some serious overtones, more than what you might find in a typical cozy read. The lighter side includes the bonds between three sisters, starting up one's own business, making new friends, starting a new school, first love, cooking, etc. The heavier elements are inferred, but include racism, rape, spousal abuse, revolution, and relocation.
From Marsha Mehran (Nov 09): I want to start out by sending all you gals a big 'Hello' from the West of Ireland, where I am currently residing. I moved back last year--can't keep away, it's such a magical place. Certainly it continues to inspire me with stories---I'm happy to say that there is another installment of the Ballinacroagh series in the works. Just love those Aminpours!
You've asked about my bio. I was born in Tehran in 1977. I was two years old when my family left, on the heels of the Islamic Revolution. History has certainly played an interesting role in the Mehran household-- none more so than the event that triggered our move.
Having been accepted to Masters programs in New Mexico, my parents had planned to leave Iran irregardless of the ensuing upheaval. The Revolution still took its toll on things anyway: the day my father chose to lodge his student visa application with the US embassy in Tehran was November 4th, 1979. The same day that revolutionary students took the Embassy hostage. Timing, some say, is everything.
So---life turned. Plans changed. We emigrated to South America, to Argentina, which had a very open immigration policy. Instead of pursuing their academic careers, my parents opened a Middle Eastern Cafe in Buenos Aires as a means of survival--quite de rigeur for an immigrant. It was there that I got the cooking bug.
Another move to Australia, and then at nineteen, I left for New York City. There I met my future husband, an Irishman from County Mayo. We travelled and lived all over, especially in Ireland. Where, of course, inspired by all that had happened in my life to date, I wrote Pomegranate Soup.
So, writing and living are entwined for me. But I think that is a truth for most authors. As far as Iranian women go, and the bond that holds them. It's a pertinent question for me, as I am am about to wrap up my third novel. It's a stand-alone, set in a beauty salon in Los Angeles. An Iranian beauty salon. And the women who frequent it.
There is a special connection in Iranian friendships. Not only between women, but between men as well. Modern times have brought men and women together in friendship, but same-sex bonds are deeper in most cases. There is even a word for the kinds of conversations, the intimacy that occurs between close friends: sohbat. It means mystical conversation, a deep bond. I touch on it in the books. It's a beautiful concept, which is very real and heartfelt as well. Quite deep.
Hope that goes a bit way into explaining things. I have to say that Iranians do have mystery to them. There is certainly a private world and public world, that can be seperated in the Iranian psyche. You might recall how Marjan mentions this to Julian in the pub scene in Rosewater. I hope that my stories, among others that are and will come out, will help to illuminate this notion, if only a little. Still, at the end of the day, we're all the same, yes?
From Marsha Mehran (Nov 09): I want to start out by sending all you gals a big 'Hello' from the West of Ireland, where I am currently residing. I moved back last year--can't keep away, it's such a magical place. Certainly it continues to inspire me with stories---I'm happy to say that there is another installment of the Ballinacroagh series in the works. Just love those Aminpours!
You've asked about my bio. I was born in Tehran in 1977. I was two years old when my family left, on the heels of the Islamic Revolution. History has certainly played an interesting role in the Mehran household-- none more so than the event that triggered our move.
Having been accepted to Masters programs in New Mexico, my parents had planned to leave Iran irregardless of the ensuing upheaval. The Revolution still took its toll on things anyway: the day my father chose to lodge his student visa application with the US embassy in Tehran was November 4th, 1979. The same day that revolutionary students took the Embassy hostage. Timing, some say, is everything.
So---life turned. Plans changed. We emigrated to South America, to Argentina, which had a very open immigration policy. Instead of pursuing their academic careers, my parents opened a Middle Eastern Cafe in Buenos Aires as a means of survival--quite de rigeur for an immigrant. It was there that I got the cooking bug.
Another move to Australia, and then at nineteen, I left for New York City. There I met my future husband, an Irishman from County Mayo. We travelled and lived all over, especially in Ireland. Where, of course, inspired by all that had happened in my life to date, I wrote Pomegranate Soup.
So, writing and living are entwined for me. But I think that is a truth for most authors. As far as Iranian women go, and the bond that holds them. It's a pertinent question for me, as I am am about to wrap up my third novel. It's a stand-alone, set in a beauty salon in Los Angeles. An Iranian beauty salon. And the women who frequent it.
There is a special connection in Iranian friendships. Not only between women, but between men as well. Modern times have brought men and women together in friendship, but same-sex bonds are deeper in most cases. There is even a word for the kinds of conversations, the intimacy that occurs between close friends: sohbat. It means mystical conversation, a deep bond. I touch on it in the books. It's a beautiful concept, which is very real and heartfelt as well. Quite deep.
Hope that goes a bit way into explaining things. I have to say that Iranians do have mystery to them. There is certainly a private world and public world, that can be seperated in the Iranian psyche. You might recall how Marjan mentions this to Julian in the pub scene in Rosewater. I hope that my stories, among others that are and will come out, will help to illuminate this notion, if only a little. Still, at the end of the day, we're all the same, yes?
A good March/springtime story. Three sister from Iran flee the revolution and end up in a small Irish village in 1986 where they open a Persian restaurant. They interfere with the bizarre plans of the local hotshot so he sets out to boycott the restaurant. But the delicious smells prove to be too much for some residents to ignore. The sisters slowly win over the town but are faced with their fair share of prejudice and are haunted by the past they escaped.
Overall, a light story that entertains the senses - recipes and detailed descriptions of Persian delicacies are interwoven through the story. A combination of Jan Karon's gentle village stories and Like Water for Chocolate's sensual food.
Overall, a light story that entertains the senses - recipes and detailed descriptions of Persian delicacies are interwoven through the story. A combination of Jan Karon's gentle village stories and Like Water for Chocolate's sensual food.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I just struggled with this one. I usually enjoy elements of magical realism, but I just couldn't get this one to work for me.
This book was a little slow although very prosaic. It had a smattering of magical realism, which, no matter how hard I try, I cannot fully embrace in my straight-forward fiction.
Well...what a disappointment..and it showed so much promise!
Sometimes i really wish people would stop trying to replicate whatever "book of the moment" is currently making the rounds on table talks and internet forums....half the time they fail horribly, then sometimes like here you feel actually sad, because you see a good story with many right ingredients, but its execution is flawed.
Pomegranate Soup tells the tale of 3 iranian sisters fleeing the revolution that deposed the Shah for safer Europe - Marjan, Laila and Bahar - a dark secret unites them, but so do a set of peculiar gifts that are, yes you guessed it, food related.
Somehow, fleeing a dark secret they left in Iran, they end up in Ireland, in a sleepy little town full of they typical people you will meet in these kinds of places.
Here they open a cafe, Babylon, where Marjan and her magical cooking skills work wonders on the sleepy town...or try anyways...because the story really fails in evoking the feel of "classics" such as chocolat or like water for chocolate, even if so much of these books is in here, along with traces of other "classics" within the genre.
Do i need to say more regarding the story? no i dont, you no doubt have guessed all of it by now and yes you are 85% correct i would say.
Everything is here - sisters, magical realism in the shape of cooking skils, lush green setting in the shape of ireland, fascinating recipes, dark secrets from the past, standard set of characters with "problems"/flaws in need of fixing.
Yet nothing quite delivers towards making this more than just a tolerable read on a hot summer day at the beach...its really a shame, because it shows such promise and has all the right ingredients - i am torn between wondering if the author was "forced" to take a different direction due to some form of pressure from her publishing house, or if she read too much stuff while researching for this and just ended up confusing it all while putting pen to paper.
One thing i am keeping for myself is a copy of all the recipes - and those i really do recommend that the more adventurous reader tries them - i know some from my own previous travelling experiences and they are worth the trouble! delicious!
she meant well, that much i can tell, and for the recipes that are good - this gets 3.5 stars from me, but i dont think i will be reaching for the sequel anytime soon.
Sometimes i really wish people would stop trying to replicate whatever "book of the moment" is currently making the rounds on table talks and internet forums....half the time they fail horribly, then sometimes like here you feel actually sad, because you see a good story with many right ingredients, but its execution is flawed.
Pomegranate Soup tells the tale of 3 iranian sisters fleeing the revolution that deposed the Shah for safer Europe - Marjan, Laila and Bahar - a dark secret unites them, but so do a set of peculiar gifts that are, yes you guessed it, food related.
Somehow, fleeing a dark secret they left in Iran, they end up in Ireland, in a sleepy little town full of they typical people you will meet in these kinds of places.
Here they open a cafe, Babylon, where Marjan and her magical cooking skills work wonders on the sleepy town...or try anyways...because the story really fails in evoking the feel of "classics" such as chocolat or like water for chocolate, even if so much of these books is in here, along with traces of other "classics" within the genre.
Do i need to say more regarding the story? no i dont, you no doubt have guessed all of it by now and yes you are 85% correct i would say.
Everything is here - sisters, magical realism in the shape of cooking skils, lush green setting in the shape of ireland, fascinating recipes, dark secrets from the past, standard set of characters with "problems"/flaws in need of fixing.
Yet nothing quite delivers towards making this more than just a tolerable read on a hot summer day at the beach...its really a shame, because it shows such promise and has all the right ingredients - i am torn between wondering if the author was "forced" to take a different direction due to some form of pressure from her publishing house, or if she read too much stuff while researching for this and just ended up confusing it all while putting pen to paper.
One thing i am keeping for myself is a copy of all the recipes - and those i really do recommend that the more adventurous reader tries them - i know some from my own previous travelling experiences and they are worth the trouble! delicious!
she meant well, that much i can tell, and for the recipes that are good - this gets 3.5 stars from me, but i dont think i will be reaching for the sequel anytime soon.