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Loading... September in Shiraz (2007)by Dalia Sofer
Work InformationThe Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer (2007)
Middle East Fiction (59) KayStJ's to-read list (827) Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I have read a number of books about Iran after the Revolution lately. The Septembers of Shiraz is one of the better ones. I am amazed that this is a debut novel. The writing is well balanced, it says only what is needs to say. The characters of Isaac, Farnaz, Shirin and Parviz are well drawn. I also like that this time it is a Jewish family. All the other books I read about Iran were about Moslem people. I admired that Sofer gave us glimpses of what goes on in an Iranian prison, even though I imagine that it is much worse than we know from the book. ( ) A tragic and haunting novel about Isaac Amin who is a wealthy gem merchant in post revolutionary Iran. He is not particularily religious or political but the Revolutionary guards arrest him and throw him in prison. His son, who they sent to NYC is trying to find his way but struggles with who he is as he lives amongst Hassidic jews who have befriended him . Can this religion be his future he thinks as he looks at Zalman's daughter Rachel. With Parviz we learn how the emigrant form Iran must adapt once they lose their country. Isaac wife and daughter must learn how to adapt to a life where wealth and priviledge is not an asset and where 9 year old Shirin asks questions of her life which noone can answer. Isaac does get out of prison and then the family must escape to Turkey and then they hope to Switzerland where Isaac's sister is and then join their son in NYC. This novel tells it like it is inpost revolutionary Iran as people lose hope of a normal life in their country, The Septembers of Shiraz never quite engaged me, despite my interest in Iran and novels about political repression. Though Sofer's story felt sincere and genuine -- she and her family left Iran when she was 10 -- her characters, with the exception of Shirin, a young girl, didn't bring the book alive for me. I wrote a little about The Septembers of Shiraz on my blog here. no reviews | add a review
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HTML: Soon to be a major motion picture starring Adrien Brody and Salma Hayek In the aftermath of the Iranian revolution, rare-gem dealer Isaac Amin is arrested, wrongly accused of being a spy. Terrified by his disappearance, his family must reconcile a new world of cruelty and chaos with the collapse of everything they have known. As Isaac navigates the terrors of prison, and his wife feverishly searches for him, his children struggle with the realization that their family may soon be forced to embark on a journey of incalculable danger. .No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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