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zoenosis 's review for:
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
by Azar Nafisi
I primarily enjoyed reading this for her perspective on life in Iran, especially as a woman. I know this is just one woman's account, but I found it nonetheless fascinating to be immersed in life in Iran during such an interesting period. I hear so little about what life is actually like in Iran that it was very refreshing to see this country fleshed out and given life.
I also enjoyed her musing on the novels she taught, as I had read several of them before (though not James - she makes me want to read Daisy Miller ASAP). Her perspective on the way fiction and creativity are linked to the enjoyment of democratic rights was really interesting to see fleshed out, and at times it felt like I was in her class too. It was a nice touch, though possibly alienating for some readers (e.g. I was fine in hearing her talk 'spoilers' about books I haven't read, but I know this is a dealbreaker for many).
My main problem with the book was that I found most of the characters/people in Dr. Nafisi's life difficult to distinguish from each other (except Yassi), which is presumably a result of attempts to obscure personal details. Instead, it just meant I couldn't visualise these people as individuals in my mind, which made parts of the novel difficult to understand at times. Even within one sitting I would forget whose husband was named what and which person did what. It was also a bit hard to get through at times - if I hadn't been reading other books simultaneously I wouldn't have gotten on with this as well as I did.
While this book was a bit overwrought for my taste, it had flashes of brilliance and many moments that I really enjoyed, as well as a fantastic story to tell.
I also enjoyed her musing on the novels she taught, as I had read several of them before (though not James - she makes me want to read Daisy Miller ASAP). Her perspective on the way fiction and creativity are linked to the enjoyment of democratic rights was really interesting to see fleshed out, and at times it felt like I was in her class too. It was a nice touch, though possibly alienating for some readers (e.g. I was fine in hearing her talk 'spoilers' about books I haven't read, but I know this is a dealbreaker for many).
My main problem with the book was that I found most of the characters/people in Dr. Nafisi's life difficult to distinguish from each other (except Yassi), which is presumably a result of attempts to obscure personal details. Instead, it just meant I couldn't visualise these people as individuals in my mind, which made parts of the novel difficult to understand at times. Even within one sitting I would forget whose husband was named what and which person did what. It was also a bit hard to get through at times - if I hadn't been reading other books simultaneously I wouldn't have gotten on with this as well as I did.
While this book was a bit overwrought for my taste, it had flashes of brilliance and many moments that I really enjoyed, as well as a fantastic story to tell.