Reviews

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

gaysian's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

dani_nzd's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

lizzycatslibrary's review

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2.0

I have really mixed feelings about this book. Seeing as it is a best seller you would expect it to be amazing but I have to say that I was not impressed with the writing style at all. It seemed forced and strangely put together... something you would not expect from an author who is so highly educated.

In addition to that the book seemed to be filled with so much propaganda that it was hard for me to ignore it and focus on the authors memoir without feeling that she was trying to push a particular viewpoint on her readers. It gives a false view of the religion of Islam by associating it with the dictatorship that has been formed in Iran. To anyone who reads it who knows nothing about the religion of Islam it could be very misleading.

I do not think that it is coincident that it is as popular as it is at this particular time in the United States. With the politics that are going on it is the perfect blend of propaganda in order to encourage certain political actions.

In conclusion, I wish I had liked the book more. It is always disappointing when you find a book that is highly esteemed to be less than satisfying. I have read far better books and really did not feel this one deserved the amount of praise that it has been getting.

amberacks12's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.75

A very fascinating read. I am glad I chose to listen to the audio as it is narrated by the author. Her beautiful Persian accent and emotion as she read about her life in Tehran along with the books she loved added to the beautiful experience of reading this book. 
It is quite long, but I felt that I could have gone on listening to Nafisi teach about classical literature and how it relates to Iran forever, something I didn’t know I needed to learn about. 

Enjoyment: 4.75
Educational value: 5
Emotional impact: 4.5
=4.75

welllovedspines's review

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

bookph1le's review

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4.0

It took me a while to read this, not because it was bad or I disliked it, but because I was really in the mood for reading for entertainment, and this is a book that needs to read and be digested. It made an impression on me and, as much as it's a book about the lives of a set of women in Iran, it's also a book with some very universal themes, particularly in this country where women are having to face those who would take their rights away. I may or may not write a more complete review later, but I will say that this is a book that begs to be read by those who have their toes right up to the line and are trying to convince themselves that taking that step is not going to carry them over the cliff, that they can straddle the edge with perfect comfort.

utahmomreads's review

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5.0

I loved this book. The writing is eloquent and while I especially enjoyed reading about the women in Iran and the history of the Revolution in Iran, I also devoured the interpretations of the great novels. It took me back to my own English Lit studies in college and I've been inspired to reread "Daisy Miller", "The Great Gatsby" and "Pride and Prejudice".

alsoknownasno's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

4.0

biolexicon's review

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2.0

Though I enjoyed the section where they put books on trial in the classroom, the rest of the novel fell short. Instead of being cutting edge and emotionally gripping, I got the tired emotional "women's novel" feel. The subject matter could have been riveting, instead I felt like I was reading a cliche.

usnebojemesa's review

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4.0

I also know of another "I" that has become naked on the pages of a book: in fictional world, I have become fixed like a Rodin statue.

These are the lines with which this book ends. I liked it, as far as book-memoirs go, but I also felt frustrated at times because it was taking so long to finish it. One would think that with all of this social distancing I would be reading more than ever but I just find it hard to focus on reading right now. Somehow managed to squeeze the last 150 pages in one day and I have to say this was the first time in a long time I've read something so focused & annotating along the way.
What this book did is made me interested to learn more about Iran and the situation. Who would've known that a book I picked in an Oxfam shop in Munchen would to this to me.