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Liked It “A story of a young Iranian girl's life in the 17th century told from her perspective. I love historical fiction which gives insight into another culture and I am particularly interested in the middle east so I found this book to be fascinating.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “It was ok, sometimes a bit too much of a romance novel, an interesting store of a girl and her role in society in Iran in the 1600s, I think that is the time frame” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“A story of a young Iranian girl's life in the 17th century told from her perspective. I love historical fiction which gives insight into another culture and I am particularly interested in the middle east so I found this book to be fascinating.”
Beth D wrote this review 11 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I really enjoyed this fascinating look into the culture of 17th century Persia, especially from the perspective of women of all social classes. Particularly fascinating was the detailed look at the art of rugmaking and the traditional folk stories told by the narrator and the narrator's mother. I also liked that the narrator was headstrong and willful, but in a realistic way that often ended in tragedy for her. I thought such a narrator made the story accessible for both a modern and a Western audience as it made me realize how brash American thinking and actions can have implications one can not predict nor even imagine when interacting with another society--particularly those in the Middle East. While the story seems to often be headed in the traditional "happily ever after" direction, it doesn't--a few plot lines that I thought were going to be trite and predictable actually surprised me by not ending up where I thought they would (trying not to give away any spoilers here, but suffice it to say that I found the ending to be very appropriate). ”
Amanda B wrote this review 13 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Very good book. Enjoyed reading to the page end.”
Jeyne Sarritzu wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“It was ok, sometimes a bit too much of a romance novel, an interesting store of a girl and her role in society in Iran in the 1600s, I think that is the time frame”
ML wrote this review Sunday, December 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I like books like this - historical fiction and set in another culture. I learned a lot about 17th century Persia. Something was missing ... maybe more depth .. then I could have given it 4-stars.”
Diane L wrote this review Friday, November 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A combination of coming-of-age and one young woman's survival in the constraints of Persian culture. It is that rare book that actually transports you to another time and place. ”
Cindy R wrote this review Wednesday, November 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This was a great book set in 1600's in Iran. It is the story of a young woman and her mother after the death of the father and their struggle for survival. Everything is set against the backdrop of rugmaking. This is a wonderful historical fiction novel that I would highly recommend.”
Rosemary C wrote this review Wednesday, November 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“wow ! i have rarely travelled so much and so intensly reading a book :D i loved it ! the starting is a bit slow like in many books actually but then you reach a page turning speek quickly and in the end you feel like the book was too short :D
Reza F wrote this review Sunday, October 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The characters, the description of life under Shah Abbas, the whole environment of Esfahan, the colors, the fragrances ... everything's in the book !
I really feel like reading it again in a few week ! great reading ! can only recommend it !”
“Oh so good, Set in Iran when girlds could be 'married' temporarily for men's pleasure, no better than prostituting. Learning to weave carpets normally a man and boy's role, leads the girl to break free from tyranny.”
Sylvia Tearle wrote this review Saturday, October 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
