Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - The Stationery Shop

This was a very emotional and moving book ranging from the absolute bliss of young love to the devastation of life lost. The audiobook narrator was excellent. I specifically appreciated hearing her correct pronunciations of the delicious meals they ate.

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agiali's review against another edition

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5.0

*:･ﾟ190/ 108

I want to sue Marjan Kamali solely for the cause of my emotional distress.

I did not expect to love this as much as I do. I originally heard of this book years ago but figured it wouldn't be for me as it has a very historical setting. I am so upset at my 16-year-old self for not reading this sooner as I am so incredibly unwell but also so thankful that I got to read this work of art. Not only did this book tick me off but it made me fall in love, want to fight people, and then, as we know, I ✨ cried ✨ <i>The Stationery Shop</i> also shocked me many times with the twists I did not see coming.

This is such a beautiful book, but please check the content warnings because it is FULL of them. This reminded me mildly of the book <i>Alone With You in the Ether</i> by Olivie Blake, but only because it really asked a lot of questions that would ultimately hurt my heart to answer.

I love Bahman and I will not shut up about him and Roya :')

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elliethelibrarian's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.25

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bandysbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A couple months back, I found The Stationery Shop on the shelves of my local used bookstore. The cover was so stunningly beautiful that I picked it up without really knowing what it was about. Lucky for me, it is mostly a historical fiction set in Iran with some romance mixed in. The book follows Roya and Bahman as they witness political protests, attempted coups, and eventually fall in love with each other.

First of all, I really loved the way the author brought Iran to life. The setting is almost a character of its own as it is so present and involved in the plotline. I could fully imagine the stationery shop, the markets, and everything in between. It reminded me a lot of some of my own travels in the Middle East and I absolutely loved that sense of nostalgia from the reading.

Additionally, I loved Roya as a main character. She is clever, opinionated, and knows what she wants. She is a good daughter to her family and a loyal partner to Bahman when they fall in love. I felt a rapport with her immediately and continued to feel it throughout.

I also enjoyed the way the story was split between past and present. Sometimes when there is a split timeline in stories, one timeline is stronger than the other. That is not the case here. I loved both timelines and love the way the two timelines eventually come together.

My only real critique of the book is that the main source of conflict could've been so easily resolved. I won't give details here as I don't want to spoil the book, but suffice it to say, that you can't think about the conflict too deeply or it creates a bit of a hole in the story.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it without reservation to anyone who likes historical fiction and romance.

Content Warnings