Reviews

Uppljómun í Eðalplómutrénu by Shokoofeh Azar

wildc's review against another edition

4.0

Beautifully written. Devastatingly and unremittingly sad.

djspiderman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

atcucchetti's review against another edition

4.0

 

“A moment carrying in its womb the past and future”

Translated from Farsi this beautiful, lyrical story tenderly balanced the brutality of the 1979 Iranian Revolution with family bonds and growing love stories. Threaded with magical realism weaving ghosts and djinn throughout and narrated by the ghost of the daughter killed in a house fire set by the Revolutionary Guard. Steeped in Persian myth and reflective or Zoroastrianism, I appreciated the explanation for everything from musical instruments to political figures provided by a rich collection of footnotes.

A great selection for readers who ordinarily read fantasy but are looking to read more translated works; readers who enjoy rich backstories; magical realism and difficult historical periods delivered with a delicate hand. 

 

kommunistdog's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

2.5

miss_vix_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad

3.0

spiderfelt's review against another edition

The loan on my e-b00k expired before I finished. I know enough to understand the author's writing style. With a long list of books to sample, I won't check it out to finish, but I liked the bit that I read.

emilymdxn's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Violence, and Death

sbogdanich's review against another edition

5.0

I love magical realism, learning about other cultures, and even reading about depressing totalitarian states for some reason so this was right up my alley.

krammedshelf's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

I decide not to leave any rating because I need to read more about Iran history, especially during Islamic Revolution, as this book tackles it. I understand there's nuance and compliance regarding the topic, and I don't think it's my place to talk about it more. 

So I'm going to talk about Shokoofeh Azar's writing because it's amazing. Mixing Iranian's mythology and folklore to further describing the life condition of the characters post-Islamic revolution is a brilliant idea, but reading The Enlightenment of a Greengage Tree feels like a never-ending nightmare. Partly because the book has dreamlike elements, but the story itself is anything but "dreamlike". If you know what I mean?

ariesbookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault and Death