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Liked It “Quite moving!” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “In a way it's quite interesting but in many other ways it's quite similar to other books that I have read in the sense of the book's main concept.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Isabelle S said: 3 stars
Play Book Tag Shelf wrote this review Wednesday, November 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This is the story of three Iranian sisters who left Iran just before the Shah was deposed and fled first to England, then to Ireland. They end up in the little village of Ballinacroagh, where they rent what had been a bakery, abandoned since the death of its owner. They quickly set up the village's first cafe and call it Babylon. The exotic smells wafting from the cafe doors draw many of the villagers in to try dolmeh, lentil soup, abgusht and lavish bread. (Very) reminiscent of Like Water for Chocolate and Chocolat, the flavors and smells have magical properties that play on the emotions of the cafe's guests and neighbors.
One particular neighbor, Tom McGuire, already owns many of the town's businesses and had been planning to buy the old bakery and turn it into a disco. Being thwarted in business, particularly by a trio of "dark-skinned" women, has McGuire incensed - a situation not helped by the fact that one of his sons has fallen hard for Layla, the youngest sister.
Actually usable recipes begin each chapter, and the backstory of Iran as revolution was brewing is interesting. The priest is a good guy, but otherwise similarities to Chocolat are distractingly strong.
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“Seems Good”
Vijaya P wrote this review Saturday, October 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Quite moving!”
Serap Boyali wrote this review Thursday, October 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran is an infectious, witty, humane story of magic realism. Set in a quaint Irish village called Ballinacroagh, it revolves around three sisters who have escaped the revolution in Iran - Bahar, Layla, and Marjan. Haunted by a violent past, the three foreigners treat Ballinacroagh as the refuge they long for in their life - with a restaurant called Babylon cafe that serves exotic Persian food.
bunnychip9 wrote this review Saturday, September 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
There is nothing thought-provoking about Pomegranate Soup. The writing is fluid, and moves the narrative without taxing your brain. The characters are all clear set - the good, the bad, and the ugly are told to you almost from the beginning. You know the ending of the book even as you begin reading the book. Yet, I liked Pomegranate Soup. It left a pleasant taste on a Sunday evening - the feeling of having spent a few hours lost in another world, yet not feeling like you have lost those hours. It is a delectable journey into Persian cooking, Irish living, and small-town sentiments and traditions.
Critics have pointed out the novel's astounding similarity to Chocolat. I haven't read that book, although I did see the movie but I can imagine how it might be similar. In both, the foreigners are treated with suspicion by the locals in a small town, and the magic of food, heady aromas and kindness of common people contrives to create an entirely pleasant effect. I cannot justify the criticism completely having not read Chocolat, but aye, let me be shameless here - if it was copied, I enjoyed the copy. :-).
Oh well, Pomegranate Soup was not a literary triumph, but it was fun to read. Utterly delicious.”
“Loved it! Great story, great location, and it is a quirky story...”
Jules D wrote this review Monday, August 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“well worth reading”
lesley b wrote this review Monday, August 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“In a way it's quite interesting but in many other ways it's quite similar to other books that I have read in the sense of the book's main concept.”
yix n wrote this review Tuesday, August 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“highly enjoyable! the characters in this little irish village were delightful!”
kathleen a wrote this review Thursday, July 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Quick read. Interesting little book with recipes at the beginning of each chapter. I could almost smell the food cooking. ”
Cheryl K wrote this review Wednesday, June 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“My mom lent me this book. We were both fascinated by the recipes which began each chapter. The Food-Emotions-Memories connection is almost always a rewarding theme. In this book, a trio of sisters escapes the reprecussions of the Iranian revolution and find themselves opening an Iranian restaurant in a tiny Irish town to the joy of some and dismay of other locals. In general, I enjoyed the book, because it combined Iranian history and culture with food (and included recipes for some of my favorite dishes). In particular, I did not enjoy the writing style. The writing style was "immature," meaning it demonstrated the talents of an earnest but undeveloped writer. Often times the book was full of anecdotes obviously taken from the personal experiences and impressions of the author rather than demonstrating creativity. The tone was also uneven. The Irish characters had implausible, fairy-tale like or allegorical stories. The Iranian characters more realistic and grounded stories. There change of tone between the different types of characters was disjointed. Good book to read if you like food and fiction. Also short, with a couple good recipes.”
TakYak wrote this review Wednesday, June 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
