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sarah984's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.0
The book was more interesting to me due to the fact of its publishing and what the author had to go through than the actual book (though the endnotes in my copy about the real-life people she had based the characters on were fascinating as well).
This is a series of interconnected magical realism short stories about the ways that women are oppressed in Iran (and elsewhere). A woman is fired from her job after refusing advances from her boss. A woman is murdered by her brother because she left the house without his permission. Two women are attacked on the road for the crime of being unaccompanied women who want to explore the world. A woman who had been sold into prostitution as a teenager starts having strange visions. A woman with big dreams accidentally kills her awful husband in what she thinks is self-defence. They are all eventually drawn to the same place where they live together briefly and then all go their separate ways. The ending kind of disappointed me for that reason. I was hoping to see them find a new way together but they couldn't get along.
This is a series of interconnected magical realism short stories about the ways that women are oppressed in Iran (and elsewhere). A woman is fired from her job after refusing advances from her boss. A woman is murdered by her brother because she left the house without his permission. Two women are attacked on the road for the crime of being unaccompanied women who want to explore the world. A woman who had been sold into prostitution as a teenager starts having strange visions. A woman with big dreams accidentally kills her awful husband in what she thinks is self-defence. They are all eventually drawn to the same place where they live together briefly and then all go their separate ways. The ending kind of disappointed me for that reason. I was hoping to see them find a new way together but they couldn't get along.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Trafficking, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Rape and Body shaming
Minor: Eating disorder and Body horror
The eating disorder is only mentioned in the epilogue when the author describes the real people some characters were based on.lizcaruth's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
zarazuck's review against another edition
3.0
This short, magical novel reads more like poetry than prose. Parsipur writes about the limited (and often horrifying) choices of women in modern Iran, and although I didn't love each part of this book equally, there are some gorgeous, haunting lines that made it well worth the read.
jdgcreates's review against another edition
2.0
Translated fiction and I are not good friends. Unfortunately this book proved that rule and I didn't finish it, despite it being an interesting glimpse into lives of Iranian women.
sidrajaved's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This was good. I am not a huge fan of magical realism but this was a surprise. I am not going to comment on the writing because this is a translation. The story follows 5 women & we follow each of their stories through different chapters. Then, their lives intersect later in the book. They all have their separate endings that weren't really satisfying for me. But, yes, I'd definitely recommend this. Also, I don't know about other translations but this one was approved by Shahrnush Parsipur.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
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 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.
gingerrachelle's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting and a bit strange read. I can't quite put my finger on what I want to say about it yet because I don't know if I understood it all. At any rate I enjoyed what I read and the women in the story were LIT!!
ironi's review
4.0
Becoming a tree in order to avoid life problems is definitely a 2020 mood. Review to come!