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tlaynejones's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, War, Sexism, Mental illness, Grief, Misogyny, and Death
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
3.75
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is a unique look at the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. It was a special read, but also a challenging read - at least for me. The story follows a fairly ordinary family of five and is narrated by the ghost of 13 year old Bahar who dies when revolutionaries set fire to her family home in Tehran. The remaining family members then move to the isolated small village of Rezan in an effort to avoid the worst of the revolutionary excesses, but eventually the revolution and the subsequent Iran-Iraq war make their way to the village. There is obviously plenty of dark and hard subject matter in this book but there is also a lot of beauty including a love of literature and the arts which the family nurtures and is nurtured by, the love between family members and the wider Razan community, Azar’s gorgeous prose, and the rich Persian and Arabic folklore and mythology which is intricately woven into the novel. This folklore lends a strong element of fantasy, some would say magical realism, to the novel, giving it an ethereal quality which I struggled with a little. That’s totally down to me as a reader. But I also loved this element of the book. It added real richness and depth to the story. Highlighting the cultural beauty which was lost exacerbated the impact of the oppression and brutality. Unique and impactful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Torture, Violence, Child death, and Death
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars
I'm emotionally destroyed.
The contrast between the beautiful writing with its heavy magical realism elements and the brutal realities of living through the Islamic Revolution of Iran was striking.
While ostensibly about one family's experiences from 1979 through to modern day (though time is a little weird and it's hard to gauge exactly where in history events are occurring), it much more about the village, the people, and Iranian society at large.
So much of this book is a metaphor and/or meditation on art and culture, grief and death, revolution and change, family, healing and harm, nature and spirituality.
At times it's meandering, as we will expand out beyond our main characters and narrator, to other residents of the village or events far in the past that inform the present. So much of the book is talking about the loss of history and culture when revolution (any upheaval really) denies a society's past and deems it worth destruction. Similar things can be send for the inevitability of progress and the modern world's need to expand and encroach into traditional ways of life and natural environments.
In manner ways modernity is the antithesis of magical realism - modernity and the drive for capitalism, religious orthodoxy, tyranny, autocracy, and control destroys centuries-old traditions, mythologies, and non-human inhabitants of our world (whether they be animals, or ghosts and jinns).
I teared up towards the end - the senseless destruction of personal property, family history, and culture in the name of a regime, religion, or other purpose is awful and heartbreaking and all too real. I also found the last assault against two of the characters to be really hard to handle. In part because I'd been reading a lot of heavy things recently and my threshold as almost breached, but also because it reflects reality.
The titular enlightenment, I found, to be both a blessing and a curse. To attain a higher understanding of the world, only to be uprooted and destroyed. And yet, after all the family's suffering, they were finally brought together through enlightenment of the greengage tree in death.
Overall, I really loved this book. I'm sad I didn't pick it up two years ago when I bought it, but it was worth the wait. The writing was so, so beautiful (I tabbed so many sections) and the musings on art and culture were wonderful. If you're interested in this time period of Iranian history, I really recommend picking it up. The author is a political refugee, and I think it's strongly reflected in her characters' and their experiences/perspectives of living through the Revolution.
CW: sexual assault, death, torture, imprisonment, religiously-justified tyranny, death by fire, child death
I'm emotionally destroyed.
The contrast between the beautiful writing with its heavy magical realism elements and the brutal realities of living through the Islamic Revolution of Iran was striking.
While ostensibly about one family's experiences from 1979 through to modern day (though time is a little weird and it's hard to gauge exactly where in history events are occurring), it much more about the village, the people, and Iranian society at large.
So much of this book is a metaphor and/or meditation on art and culture, grief and death, revolution and change, family, healing and harm, nature and spirituality.
At times it's meandering, as we will expand out beyond our main characters and narrator, to other residents of the village or events far in the past that inform the present. So much of the book is talking about the loss of history and culture when revolution (any upheaval really) denies a society's past and deems it worth destruction. Similar things can be send for the inevitability of progress and the modern world's need to expand and encroach into traditional ways of life and natural environments.
In manner ways modernity is the antithesis of magical realism - modernity and the drive for capitalism, religious orthodoxy, tyranny, autocracy, and control destroys centuries-old traditions, mythologies, and non-human inhabitants of our world (whether they be animals, or ghosts and jinns).
I teared up towards the end - the senseless destruction of personal property, family history, and culture in the name of a regime, religion, or other purpose is awful and heartbreaking and all too real. I also found the last assault against two of the characters to be really hard to handle. In part because I'd been reading a lot of heavy things recently and my threshold as almost breached, but also because it reflects reality.
Overall, I really loved this book. I'm sad I didn't pick it up two years ago when I bought it, but it was worth the wait. The writing was so, so beautiful (I tabbed so many sections) and the musings on art and culture were wonderful. If you're interested in this time period of Iranian history, I really recommend picking it up. The author is a political refugee, and I think it's strongly reflected in her characters' and their experiences/perspectives of living through the Revolution.
CW: sexual assault, death, torture, imprisonment, religiously-justified tyranny, death by fire, child death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Torture, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Sexual assault
Minor: Animal death, Blood, and Pregnancy
sincitylibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
Brillant, magical realism set in a brutal time period in Iran. The book explores the tragedy through a fantastic cast of characters, living and dead, real/imagined/mythical and while some detours into the myths are long, the book sticks together as a whole if you have patience through to the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, War, Torture, and Grief
jessamynb's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child death, Violence, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Infertility, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Death of parent, Death, and Confinement
literaturenut's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
One part historical fiction one part modern fairy tale, this book is lyrical and haunting. Ms. Azar gives a voice to those who have been silenced while telling stories that feel like they’ve been told and retold for generations. Truth, steeped with magic and lore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Rape, and Death
hardcoverhearts's review
The torture and political violence was too much. And I suspect that it will loop throughout the story. So I doubt I can skip it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Police brutality, Physical abuse, and Murder
ohlhauc's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
This book follows a family who retreat into the mountains of Iran following the 1979 Iran Revolution, trying to escape the social and political changes that were happening. It's told in a non-linear perspective following different characters, although all narrated by the same person. While there are several stories shared from secondary characters, this novel focuses on four: Bahar, the narrator who's a ghost and youngest daughter of the family; Beeta, her older sister; Reza, her mother; and Hushang, her father. She also has a brother, Sohrab but he's not much in the story.
I absolutely loved this story! The writing was poetic yet straightforward, dark but hopeful. The magic realism was also done exceptionally well and imbued the characters' stories with an enchanting quality that helped to recover from the dark scenes. And there were dark scenes as this novel touches on several violent moments in Iranian history as well as heartbreaking reactions of characters to trauma.
While perspectives of multiple characters were shared, which is usually a narrative style I don't love, it worked here. Each characters' "chapter" felt complete in and of themselves so there weren't any loose ends, while still giving enough depth to feel a connection to the characters and feel the stakes at hand.
That said, there were a few things that weren't perfect for me. One is that there were a few moments that were totally random, just as one characterturning into a mermaid that might have pushed the magic realism just a bit too far. I also wished that there was more of an exploration of the historical forces and how they were changing the society at large and the characters themselves. While this was touched upon, most of that action happened off page and I would have liked to see direct action.
Even though it wasn't perfect, this is a story that I will think about for years. It hooked me from page one and gave me the same feelings I had whilst reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which is one of my favourite books of all time. In fact, the latter is mentioned a few times in this novel and there are quite a few similarities (although enough differences to prevent a direct comparison).
I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone.
I absolutely loved this story! The writing was poetic yet straightforward, dark but hopeful. The magic realism was also done exceptionally well and imbued the characters' stories with an enchanting quality that helped to recover from the dark scenes. And there were dark scenes as this novel touches on several violent moments in Iranian history as well as heartbreaking reactions of characters to trauma.
While perspectives of multiple characters were shared, which is usually a narrative style I don't love, it worked here. Each characters' "chapter" felt complete in and of themselves so there weren't any loose ends, while still giving enough depth to feel a connection to the characters and feel the stakes at hand.
That said, there were a few things that weren't perfect for me. One is that there were a few moments that were totally random, just as one character
Even though it wasn't perfect, this is a story that I will think about for years. It hooked me from page one and gave me the same feelings I had whilst reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which is one of my favourite books of all time. In fact, the latter is mentioned a few times in this novel and there are quite a few similarities (although enough differences to prevent a direct comparison).
I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Religious bigotry, and Torture
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Excrement, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
steelfern's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I can't sing enough praises for all of the beauty in this book. Every moment of pain is worth making it to the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Torture, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Grief, and Confinement
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