"Now one of these women is dead, but Dante cannot cry. He is furious with the glorious sun in the white-blue sky. He does not understand why tragedies always happywm on beautiful sunny days."

Set in Iran, this book looks at the lives of the children of prisoners. It examines the pain and grief experienced in the extreme regime between 1983 and 2011.

This book had so much potential. I felt a connection with Azar in the first chapter as the author seemed to focus on building her up. After that... After that I got a little lost. The book went downhill after the first chapter. There are just too many characters and things happening. Sure, there are some beautiful parts and the writing isn't bad, but overall I just struggled to get into the book as much for the rest. The pain of the characters is there, but I couldn't connect with them in the same way. I don't know, the other characters felt a little flat and underdeveloped. Maybe it's just because if how many there are and how quickly they're introduced though. This might have worked better as a series of short stories. They already are so close to being one, but they are all loosely connected by a fine, very tangled, thread.

I did consider giving this book three stars, but I don't think it's quite there. And looking at comments some others have made, the book dramatically underplayed the conditions in the prison (the part of the story that managed to draw me in and I connected with most as a result). While this is fiction, it disappoints me a bit and convinced me to go with a slightly lower rating (one I was already considering anyway). ( )

Review: Children of the Jacaranda Tree by Sahar Delijani.

The novel was well written and I enjoyed the characters. This book follows a group of children, parents and love relationships, some related by blood and others who united to help one another. The setting is in post-revolutionary Iran through 1983 to 2011. It’s a heartfelt book with generations of men and women inspired by poetry, love, belief in perfection as their goal, chasing dreams of justice and yearning for freedom.

The authenticity of the story was written with realism, fiction, and history. The result of this book brings out a striking portrait of Iranian life that is personal, magical and gripping as the gorgeous Jacaranda tree itself. The author gave examples from her own parents and other family members who were actually imprisoned in the Evin Prison in the 1980’s. It’s not only a prison for criminals but also students, journalists, intellectuals, activists, and Christians. The prison was at the border of Tehran’s city with robust cold walls that could be seen from many homes. The Iranian government security will imprison any one they thought might oppose them.

The children feel their parents pain, so they are also challenged and suffering and in no way happy or normal, however their love for their Country remains strong. ( )

The story of various families in Iran during and after the revolution, with the stories moving back and forth in time (1983-2011) and location (Tehran, Iran, and Turin, Italy). It does get a little confusing at times, but provides insights into what life was like for political activists against the Islamic revolution, and reflects the experiences of the author, Sajar Delijani, and her family. ( )

Set in post revolutionary Iran from 1983 to 2011, this novel packs a huge punch. It says it like it is.It is difficult to remain unaffected after reading this novel. I want to quote what to me sums up what Sahar Delijani is getting at. "There were parallel worlds, one in which nothing was hidden, neither the memories nor the family's contempt for the regime;and the other, in which everything was prohibited, voices were hushed, and children inherited alertness against anything that could put the family in danger, carrying their parents' secrets with them, heavy as a sack of rocks that they could never set down. it became part of the way Neda regarded herself and her family:a family of secrets . of resistance, of defeat." ( )

Nice writing, though the ending was somewhat treacle-y for my tastes. ( )