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nunasreads's review
fast-paced
5.0
I loved this book so much, it felt like I was living life alongside Massoum and all if her joys and sorrows were mine as well. Such a heartbreaking story and captivating at the same time.
alexan89's review
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
minaa7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
huffleshoosh's review against another edition
5.0
A glorious read. This book crawled into my heart and refused to leave.
anca_m's review against another edition
4.0
Am citit cartea in cheia devenirii unei mame. Are mai multe teme, feminitate, rolul femeii in societatea din Iran, soarta, implinirea in viata de familie sau datoria politico-sociala, dar latura asta mi-a atras mie atentia cel mai mult.
O vezi pe Massumeh buimacita de tipetele primului copil, nesigura si singura, dar pe parcursul cartii observi cum invata sa isi asculte instinctul de mama. Isi abordeaza copiii in functie de temperamentul lor, le da mereu spatiu sa fie cine sunt, ii citeste si reuseste sa se apropie de fiecare diferit. Totusi, poate tocmai spiritul de sacrificiu si simtul datoriei care a condus-o toata viata e cauza finalului atat de trist. Aratandu-le copiilor ca ei conteaza MEREU mai mult decat ea si dorintele ei, acestia invata sa se raporteze la ea ca la o fiinta care e acolo ca sa le implineasca lor nevoile si nu ca la un om in toata plinatatea, cu nevoi la randul lui. Nu am putut sa nu ma gandesc la final de carte ca Massumeh a ajuns in cele din urma sa traiasca exact cum observase ea ca e viata lui Bibi, batrana bunica a lui Hamid. Iubita declarativ de familia ei, dar in fapt uitata, vazuta ca inutila dupa ce si-a incheiat rolul de sotie si mama si condamnata sa isi astepte moartea in singuratate.
O vezi pe Massumeh buimacita de tipetele primului copil, nesigura si singura, dar pe parcursul cartii observi cum invata sa isi asculte instinctul de mama. Isi abordeaza copiii in functie de temperamentul lor, le da mereu spatiu sa fie cine sunt, ii citeste si reuseste sa se apropie de fiecare diferit. Totusi, poate tocmai spiritul de sacrificiu si simtul datoriei care a condus-o toata viata e cauza finalului atat de trist. Aratandu-le copiilor ca ei conteaza MEREU mai mult decat ea si dorintele ei, acestia invata sa se raporteze la ea ca la o fiinta care e acolo ca sa le implineasca lor nevoile si nu ca la un om in toata plinatatea, cu nevoi la randul lui. Nu am putut sa nu ma gandesc la final de carte ca Massumeh a ajuns in cele din urma sa traiasca exact cum observase ea ca e viata lui Bibi, batrana bunica a lui Hamid. Iubita declarativ de familia ei, dar in fapt uitata, vazuta ca inutila dupa ce si-a incheiat rolul de sotie si mama si condamnata sa isi astepte moartea in singuratate.
lukiut's review against another edition
4.0
O carte care te atinge cu adevarat si iti da extrem de mult de gandit cu privire la rolul femeii si la pozitia ei in societate in general.
gilmoremk's review against another edition
5.0
This book is the most beautifully, poignantly painful book that I have ever read, and I mean that in the best way possible. There isn't much about this book that is happy or comfortable, but it is impossible to put down. It's a brutally honest and open look into 50 years of Iranian society from the point of view of Massoumeh, an average girl growing up in an average family, and it is heartrending to read about the oppression that shapes her every move and the difficulties that she faces. However, her perseverance is admirable, and she's such a real and engaging protagonist to follow that you can't help but be sucked into her life. And the ending! What a masterful way to finish off the book.
While this book is in no way a light read, or even a remotely happy one, I cannot recommend it enough, and I'm sure I'll find myself coming back to it again and again in the years to come.
Spoiler
It fits the rest of the story, and it was right for it to end that way, but man did it suck watching her once again sacrifice herself for someone else's honour and sense of correctness. I wanted so badly for her to have some sort of contented life, finally, but I guess it wasn't in the cards.While this book is in no way a light read, or even a remotely happy one, I cannot recommend it enough, and I'm sure I'll find myself coming back to it again and again in the years to come.
acordulfin's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This books takes us through the life of Massoumeh, a character whose choices and circumstances evoke strong emotions. As I delved into the narrative, I found myself torn between sympathy and resentment for Massoumeh, a sentiment that might not align with popular opinions on the book.
The story starts with her family strongly opposing continuing her education past the 8th grade. She has to beg them to continue and the only person supporting her is her father who was shamed by a doctor for caring only about his boys when she was little. Her own mother treats her horribly, always hurling insults at her and keeps repeating at nauseam she should not be in school but getting married. Even more jarring, her brothers treat her like a diseased plague, always threatening her and her parents just allow it.
When she's beaten towards an inch of her life by her brothers when she's found out to have exchanged some glances and a few letters which a young pharmacist's apprentice who is studying medicine, her parents don't intervene. Nobody believes her she didn't do anything other than that, including her father, he turns his back on her. One of her brother tries to murder the young man she fell in love with and the emotional distress combined with the physical abuse she received makes her almost slip into permanent sleep. She does eventually recover and continues to be sequestered in the house while the young man and her best friend from school along with her family are blamed for having influenced her with their progressive views and chased out of the neighborhood.
Then they almost marry her off to a brute of a man, a butcher who is known to be an uneducated heavy drinker and a violent man. Her neighbor, a woman who cares for her more than her own family, convinces them to marry her instead with the son of an intellectual family. She meets him only on her wedding day. She refuses to marry, dragged by mom by her hair out and goes through it only with threats. She even tries and fails to take her own life on her wedding night.
She is shocked to find out her husband did not want to marry her either, he was forced to by his family who are using this marriage to control him and force him away from his group of friends who are revolutionaries trying to fight the current regime. He tells her he won't force a traditional wife role on her and he has no intentions of being father and husband because his entire life's purpose is his group.
Do you think she accepts the freedom she gets out of this and fulfills her dream of getting an education and building her own life? No. She starts going back to school but decides it's more important to listen to her mother in law that encourages her to start dropping babies so her son would be forced to take care of them, instead of always disappearing with his group.
Despite his unwillingness to assume the role of a traditional husband, she does a 180 and goes from wanting to die because she's forced to marry a stranger, to inviting said stranger to bed with her and refusing to take a contraceptive pill and getting pregnant a few month's into her marriage. She's still on her own as he continues to be away most of the time, he's a completely absent husband and father apart from when they are pretending in front of his family. So she tries again with a second child. Does he change his ways and start to be more involved? You guessed it, nope.
Even after he is arrested and kept in a prison for years as a political prisoner, when he is released baby number 3 quickly appears. Nothing changes and he is back to his revolutionary ways, except this time, one of her brothers, a religious fanatic uses his non-religious brother in law to weasel his way into the revolution and when the current regime is usurped and hijacked by religious extremists, he turns on the man he was praising a few weeks before and rejoices when said man is captured and executed.
The hardships continue further for her, she has to continue her studies while working as she is now the only provider for her children and hopes to get better opportunities in terms of jobs. She's not able to finish them however as she and her children are blacklisted for being the family of a dissident. With never ending sacrifices she raises them and all three are married.
After 35 years she meets again the man who she feel in love with as a teenager and it's as if nothing changed, their fondness for each other is fully reignited. But her children are completely opposed to her remarrying because 'what will people say, this will bring us shame' and the story ends with her reject his marriage proposal for the sake of her adult children and she's left heartbroken and alone.
It makes sense her last chance of happiness would be ruined by her selfish children. She conceived them with a man she didn't love or shared values with, who did not love her back and who didn't want to be a father. She resented and opposed his dedication to his cause and beliefs while still continuing to bring more of his children into the world.
He encouraged her to continue her education and follow her dreams as he did not want to be a husband or a father but she decided to stubbornly cling to him and relinquish this almost unheard of opportunity in a country like Iran in favor of being a mother because she was lonely and depressed and needed children to give her life meaning.
She lived all her life in martyrdom and instead of raising her children with better values, so at least they could have better lives and be better people, she chose to raise them with the same beliefs and values that made her life the poster child for abuse, trauma and suffering.
It becomes unsurprising that her children, having imbibed these values, would assert ownership over her life, obstructing her pursuit of peace and love. This resistance persists even as they have their own lives, driven by a misplaced sense of shame. She doesn't resist their selfish request and that's to be expected given the influence of religious indoctrination and her family's deep-seated hatred and disrespect of women she grew up in.
In conclusion, "Book of Fate" weaves a complex tale of choices, consequences, and the intricacies of familial relationships on the back-drop of the Iranian Revolution. It's a sad book considering another 30 years have passed and a religious extremist government is still ruling Iran and women like Mahsa Amini still end up dead over not wearing a headscarf in public.
The story starts with her family strongly opposing continuing her education past the 8th grade. She has to beg them to continue and the only person supporting her is her father who was shamed by a doctor for caring only about his boys when she was little. Her own mother treats her horribly, always hurling insults at her and keeps repeating at nauseam she should not be in school but getting married. Even more jarring, her brothers treat her like a diseased plague, always threatening her and her parents just allow it.
When she's beaten towards an inch of her life by her brothers when she's found out to have exchanged some glances and a few letters which a young pharmacist's apprentice who is studying medicine, her parents don't intervene. Nobody believes her she didn't do anything other than that, including her father, he turns his back on her. One of her brother tries to murder the young man she fell in love with and the emotional distress combined with the physical abuse she received makes her almost slip into permanent sleep. She does eventually recover and continues to be sequestered in the house while the young man and her best friend from school along with her family are blamed for having influenced her with their progressive views and chased out of the neighborhood.
Then they almost marry her off to a brute of a man, a butcher who is known to be an uneducated heavy drinker and a violent man. Her neighbor, a woman who cares for her more than her own family, convinces them to marry her instead with the son of an intellectual family. She meets him only on her wedding day. She refuses to marry, dragged by mom by her hair out and goes through it only with threats. She even tries and fails to take her own life on her wedding night.
She is shocked to find out her husband did not want to marry her either, he was forced to by his family who are using this marriage to control him and force him away from his group of friends who are revolutionaries trying to fight the current regime. He tells her he won't force a traditional wife role on her and he has no intentions of being father and husband because his entire life's purpose is his group.
Do you think she accepts the freedom she gets out of this and fulfills her dream of getting an education and building her own life? No. She starts going back to school but decides it's more important to listen to her mother in law that encourages her to start dropping babies so her son would be forced to take care of them, instead of always disappearing with his group.
Despite his unwillingness to assume the role of a traditional husband, she does a 180 and goes from wanting to die because she's forced to marry a stranger, to inviting said stranger to bed with her and refusing to take a contraceptive pill and getting pregnant a few month's into her marriage. She's still on her own as he continues to be away most of the time, he's a completely absent husband and father apart from when they are pretending in front of his family. So she tries again with a second child. Does he change his ways and start to be more involved? You guessed it, nope.
Even after he is arrested and kept in a prison for years as a political prisoner, when he is released baby number 3 quickly appears. Nothing changes and he is back to his revolutionary ways, except this time, one of her brothers, a religious fanatic uses his non-religious brother in law to weasel his way into the revolution and when the current regime is usurped and hijacked by religious extremists, he turns on the man he was praising a few weeks before and rejoices when said man is captured and executed.
The hardships continue further for her, she has to continue her studies while working as she is now the only provider for her children and hopes to get better opportunities in terms of jobs. She's not able to finish them however as she and her children are blacklisted for being the family of a dissident. With never ending sacrifices she raises them and all three are married.
After 35 years she meets again the man who she feel in love with as a teenager and it's as if nothing changed, their fondness for each other is fully reignited. But her children are completely opposed to her remarrying because 'what will people say, this will bring us shame' and the story ends with her reject his marriage proposal for the sake of her adult children and she's left heartbroken and alone.
It makes sense her last chance of happiness would be ruined by her selfish children. She conceived them with a man she didn't love or shared values with, who did not love her back and who didn't want to be a father. She resented and opposed his dedication to his cause and beliefs while still continuing to bring more of his children into the world.
He encouraged her to continue her education and follow her dreams as he did not want to be a husband or a father but she decided to stubbornly cling to him and relinquish this almost unheard of opportunity in a country like Iran in favor of being a mother because she was lonely and depressed and needed children to give her life meaning.
She lived all her life in martyrdom and instead of raising her children with better values, so at least they could have better lives and be better people, she chose to raise them with the same beliefs and values that made her life the poster child for abuse, trauma and suffering.
It becomes unsurprising that her children, having imbibed these values, would assert ownership over her life, obstructing her pursuit of peace and love. This resistance persists even as they have their own lives, driven by a misplaced sense of shame. She doesn't resist their selfish request and that's to be expected given the influence of religious indoctrination and her family's deep-seated hatred and disrespect of women she grew up in.
In conclusion, "Book of Fate" weaves a complex tale of choices, consequences, and the intricacies of familial relationships on the back-drop of the Iranian Revolution. It's a sad book considering another 30 years have passed and a religious extremist government is still ruling Iran and women like Mahsa Amini still end up dead over not wearing a headscarf in public.
artbynaveenchandra's review against another edition
5.0
Such a wonderful heart wrenching story. More people should read this book. I highly recommend this book. 5/5.
nonabgo's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, War, and Misogyny