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friedachopsticks's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
michellechien930's review against another edition
4.0
"The Stationery Shop" is wrongfully marketed as a romance novel, but is really a historical fiction, with plenty of political intrigue, Islamic culture, immigration, American assimilation and trauma. Its plot is incredibly straightforward and reminiscent to the famous Taiwanese play "Secret Love for the Peach Blossom Spring", where young lovers are separated by political dispute, later to be reunited in old age and untangling the years of yearning of lost love. It's an entry point to Iranian culture, and paints a wonderfully colorful picture of Tehran and the beauty in their people, food and of course, Stationery shops. The young love is too idealistic, too surface-level to really warrant much of a romance story, but I loved the parts about Roya's immigration to America and her new life there as an Islamic woman studying science in the 1960s. I didn't like the meddling mother and the way they had wonderful lives with caring and supportive spouses but in their hearts were not content and wanted to relive these three months of their lives, a bare fraction of what they had with their families (maybe 60 years vs. 3 months). On paper it is romantic, but in reality it seems more frivolous than loving.
niaamore's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
| Favorite Quote | The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.
| My Review | I love a good love story, even if it ends in tragedy (I’m looking at you, Song of Achilles). This book is pitched as a story about two lovers torn by war, who then reconnect again as elders. It’s poetic, tragic, and full of yearning. Yet, under all of the flowery writing, it’s also a story about miscommunication planned by an evil mother-in-law. If you know me, you know how much I hate miscommunication. Especially when it’s one that could have been solved by a simple conversation.
I finished the story with only one lingering thought: Poor Walter. He lived his whole life loving a woman who treated him like a rebound. I can’t help but pity him. Roya’s relationship with Bahman, although sweet and impactful, was very short. I would even argue that they barely even knew each other. It wasn’t enough to warrant sorrow that lasted a lifetime. Maybe I’m too cynical to enjoy this story, and for that, I’m sorry.
The writing is beautiful, and the right audience will come to love this book. For me, though, I think I’ll pass.
| My Review | I love a good love story, even if it ends in tragedy (I’m looking at you, Song of Achilles). This book is pitched as a story about two lovers torn by war, who then reconnect again as elders. It’s poetic, tragic, and full of yearning. Yet, under all of the flowery writing, it’s also a story about miscommunication planned by an evil mother-in-law. If you know me, you know how much I hate miscommunication. Especially when it’s one that could have been solved by a simple conversation.
I finished the story with only one lingering thought: Poor Walter. He lived his whole life loving a woman who treated him like a rebound. I can’t help but pity him. Roya’s relationship with Bahman, although sweet and impactful, was very short. I would even argue that they barely even knew each other. It wasn’t enough to warrant sorrow that lasted a lifetime. Maybe I’m too cynical to enjoy this story, and for that, I’m sorry.
The writing is beautiful, and the right audience will come to love this book. For me, though, I think I’ll pass.
kimmetjuh23's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
4.0
amandalees's review
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
emmacharlotte96's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
stbecker's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
I really enjoyed the love story and issues Roya and Bahman in Tehran. Once she moved to California, I felt it lost a bit of a “forbidden love” concept. The ending tied it up well.
Not something I’d normally read but it was really well written.
Not something I’d normally read but it was really well written.
duckieeereads's review against another edition
5.0
it filled my heart with grief, wonder, and love. what a great read!!!
bookish_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
5.0
📖 The Stationary Shop Of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
This beautiful book makes you crave the love that you wish you had. I started annotating the book but at some point, I was so invested in the characters and the turmoil of their lives I forgot to mark it. I am awestruck by the way Bahman and Roya's story moves along at its own pace. I still couldn't stop wondering if by some chance everything was a bed of gold and roses.
The way Marjan wrote about the delicacies was impeccable. Description of the stationary shop where they both met, writing letters, explanations about fountain pens, ink bottles, papers, translated books she left nothing aside. The moments when they spent time together in the stationary shop, going to the cafe together, or being at soirees have my heart. Everything was expressed in a way one could dream while having a beautiful sleep. Each character had something special that made every intricate detail about them beautify the book in a way nothing else ever could.
—Love S
This beautiful book makes you crave the love that you wish you had. I started annotating the book but at some point, I was so invested in the characters and the turmoil of their lives I forgot to mark it. I am awestruck by the way Bahman and Roya's story moves along at its own pace. I still couldn't stop wondering if by some chance everything was a bed of gold and roses.
The way Marjan wrote about the delicacies was impeccable. Description of the stationary shop where they both met, writing letters, explanations about fountain pens, ink bottles, papers, translated books she left nothing aside. The moments when they spent time together in the stationary shop, going to the cafe together, or being at soirees have my heart. Everything was expressed in a way one could dream while having a beautiful sleep. Each character had something special that made every intricate detail about them beautify the book in a way nothing else ever could.
—Love S
shelbsies's review against another edition
will return to this at a later date, just needed to clear my currently reading