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destinylmw's review against another edition
3.0
I liked parts of this but I still really struggle with magical realism because it's just so weird to me.
katieellenf's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
daphned's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
pocketfullofjosie's review against another edition
2.0
Moving novel, well written. I read this for my Women’s Literature class. I just think the magical realism elements threw me off when I wasn’t expecting it.
cookie_khumalo's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Murder and Rape
lindseysparks's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this, but don't really feel like I understood it fully. It's an Iranian novel about five women coming in to their own and realizing a life that isn't defined by men. At the same time, it doesn't bash all men and there is one man in particular who is quite wonderful. There was quite a bit of magical realism, which I don't usually like. It didn't bother me here so much but at the same time I felt like I wasn't quite getting the point.
kiyahisfiyah's review against another edition
3.0
i read this for my language class and i surprisingly really liked it. whenever i’m forced to read something it kinda makes me lose interest but this i was reading head off the class and stuff because i was interested in these women’s stories. the essay i wrote on the character Munis is like my favorite thing i’ve written this year so far
rhiannonc91's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
pearloz's review against another edition
4.0
4.5. Great book about a group of disparate women pushed too far. I loved the elements of magical realism, seeds of which are planted throughout but don’t really blossom until a certain double resurrection. The women coming together in the house/garden was deeply satisfying but all too short-lived. Their individual post-scripts really rushed the ending for me; I wanted more! I can’t wait to see the movie (trailer here: https://youtu.be/rB95i9Ro6-s), and I just found another book by this author trans into English but is around 350 pages—hopefully all the more to enjoy!
alundeberg's review against another edition
4.0
Intense, but powerful novella that weaves in magical realism to reveal the complexities of modern Iran and its repressive regime against women. By focusing on the lives of five different women, Parsipur shows how women's lives are skewed by a lack of agency, education, rights over their body, and good marriages. It turns women against each other as they place the blame that should be on men rather than on other women. Much of the book is metaphorical as the women struggle to find a way of life that suits them and gives them what they need. It's a very sad novel as even though the women are taken out of bad situations, their resolutions are not easy, nor satisfying. I think Parsipur is trying to show how much women are damaged by such a regime and healing is not a straightforward outcome.