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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.
marbh's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
5.0
hearthwindsing's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.5
rebecca_h33's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
3.0
death2nihilism's review against another edition
3.0
Having read this as well as Sultana’s Dream and Padmarag by Rokeya Hossain, I am now in the mood/market for more stories about women de-centring men and focusing on building community without them :0
agneskkj's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-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? Yes
4.25
ladderetho's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Rape, and Suicide
rayyan3's review against another edition
5.0
Read this as part of a sequence of translated works for a college literature class about a year ago and I still think about it often. A beautifully written book, and the author herself is amazing.