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esessa's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this. Nayeri is extremely talented at developing characters and immersively (is that a word?) depicting locations. I felt I understood each of the characters, especially the main character, pretty deeply, which is no small feat considering how totally different my world is from theirs. Niloo escaped Iran as a child and grew up a refugee, while her father remained behind. The novel recounts each of their subsequent meetings, in different places around the world, as well as keeping pace with Niloo's current life over a period of a few weeks to months in Amsterdam, where she now lives. Her inner life and conflicts over her identity, connections to her family and husband, and to Iran and her adopted community of refugees, were so deeply explored that I found myself empathizing really strongly with her even while wishing she would behave differently in some situations. She is a fully realized tragic heroine. Each place visited over the course of the story was also gorgeously described, especially scents and foods (which are often tightly intertwined), and you could picture clearly each place the novel brings you to observe Niloo and her various family members, down to the sounds and smells. An expertly crafted story in all its elements.
ajkhn's review against another edition
4.0
Generally a really sweet and interesting story of international family and what it is to be upper-class and not-quite-white in that upper-crust, jet-setting world. That's a lot of hyphens!
The Hamidi family is very fun to hang around with and well-written (except for Kian, who seems to mostly exist as someone for Niloo to hang out with on family vacations, and an excuse to talk about Persian food. Unfortunately, the overwrought kitchen metaphors are probably the least fun and least well-written parts of the book).
The counterpoint between Bahman and his family, and the way Bahman's life is described in Isfahan, is wonderful. The story of how Niloofar becomes who she is, and continues to become even in her 30s, is also great to read. The descriptions of Isfahan, Amsterdam, and many of the other cities are recognizable and great to walk through. Nayeri has a great sense of scene and plot.
The critiques I have mostly surround the ~point~ of the plot: things get overwrought quickly and much of the metaphors around refugee life seem thickly spackled over in order to avoid specifics. The stuff the book loves: characters, family, food, are a great read. The stuff trying to link it to Today's Political Climate seem like they're added on in a way that could be done without.
The Hamidi family is very fun to hang around with and well-written (except for Kian, who seems to mostly exist as someone for Niloo to hang out with on family vacations, and an excuse to talk about Persian food. Unfortunately, the overwrought kitchen metaphors are probably the least fun and least well-written parts of the book).
The counterpoint between Bahman and his family, and the way Bahman's life is described in Isfahan, is wonderful. The story of how Niloofar becomes who she is, and continues to become even in her 30s, is also great to read. The descriptions of Isfahan, Amsterdam, and many of the other cities are recognizable and great to walk through. Nayeri has a great sense of scene and plot.
The critiques I have mostly surround the ~point~ of the plot: things get overwrought quickly and much of the metaphors around refugee life seem thickly spackled over in order to avoid specifics. The stuff the book loves: characters, family, food, are a great read. The stuff trying to link it to Today's Political Climate seem like they're added on in a way that could be done without.
tkelley23's review against another edition
5.0
I’d say a 4.5 starts because the plot wasn’t as deep as I wanted it to be but at the same time how the author caught my attention solely because her writing style is comparative to that of Backman and Hossini is quality. It was a tender feeling type book that made me both angry at the “villain” but also feel for them all at once. Overall would def recommend if you want some small paragraphs that make you reflect back at everything.
lisamariachili's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
theheebs's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
allieeveryday's review against another edition
3.0
This was definitely one I wanted to read based on that beautiful cover - something so appealing to me about it. Told from two perspectives, Niloo and her father, Bahman, about their perspectives on leaving Iran during the 1990s/early aughts and the immigrant experience in the U.S. (for Niloo as a child and young adult) and Europe (where Niloo lives as an adult, and across which Bahman visits his two grown children on four occasions).
This book, by nature of its subject matter, does include a good amount of the luck and frustration involved when attempting to emigrate (perhaps especially as this story is mostly set in a post-9/11 world), but moreso, this is a novel about a family, and its separation, and the ways that each of the characters attempts to find security, safety and happiness as they grow older.
With the two perspectives, you get this roundness of these characters over three decades. It's like, Bahman sees himself as this successful Iranian dentist who is comfortable being a big fish in a little pond, and Niloo sees him as someone she is embarrassed by and can't trust, an opium addict who can't get or stay sober, who abandoned her when she was a child by not following them to the U.S. like he had said he would.
There are a lot of beautiful things about Persian culture, finding your place among strangers, and accepting the things you can't change, like your family. A good family story. I enjoyed the audiobook, both the Bahman and Niloo narrators were good.
This book, by nature of its subject matter, does include a good amount of the luck and frustration involved when attempting to emigrate (perhaps especially as this story is mostly set in a post-9/11 world), but moreso, this is a novel about a family, and its separation, and the ways that each of the characters attempts to find security, safety and happiness as they grow older.
With the two perspectives, you get this roundness of these characters over three decades. It's like, Bahman sees himself as this successful Iranian dentist who is comfortable being a big fish in a little pond, and Niloo sees him as someone she is embarrassed by and can't trust, an opium addict who can't get or stay sober, who abandoned her when she was a child by not following them to the U.S. like he had said he would.
There are a lot of beautiful things about Persian culture, finding your place among strangers, and accepting the things you can't change, like your family. A good family story. I enjoyed the audiobook, both the Bahman and Niloo narrators were good.
bizbarnes's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
ktcarlston's review against another edition
3.0
The whole time with this book I kept wanting it to be over. I would look and realize - oh junk - I still have SO MUCH MORE. When will it end? And it didn't. Until it did end and I realized that I actually, didn't mind it and found parts of it quite comforting and sweet and I felt like maybe I had a little bit more inkling into the life of a refugee. Just a little bit. But no - I will not be reading this again. But I most definitely am remembering this book much more than some of my "beach reads" that I've been reading this summer.
Probably 2.5 stars but I'm rounding up
Probably 2.5 stars but I'm rounding up