Embroideries

Embroideries takes us through an afternoon of gossip about life, love, men and marriage. It may seem a pretty insubstantial subject, but there is a lot to like about the book. Apart from anything else, it's pretty remarkable to be able to make an entertaining graphic novel about something which is essentially a group of women sitting round drinking tea. But Satrapi achieves this - often through her ability to convey vivid gestures and facial expressions in only a few lines.

The ribald gossip of the women is lots of fun. Some of the problems they come up with are pretty specific to Iran, but the tone is so familiar that you feel as if you could be sitting there, with any of your friends, joining in the same conversation.

Friend: "It's show more true that I had four kids. Four!! But I still have never seen the male organ. He came into the bedroom, he turned off the light, and then Bam! Bam! Bam! And voilà, I was pregnant! What is more, I was granted four girls. So I've never seen penises!"

Grandmother (waves hand dismissively): "Quite honestly, you haven't missed anything." show less

This books makes me wish I had a group of women to sit around with drinking tea and gossiping. Many perspectives from a group of Iranian women, some divorced, some widowed with varying reasons for marrying (or not). It's filled with humor and authenticity and subversive ideas in 1990s Iran.

Reminds me of sitting around the kitchen table listening to my Southern family gossip about church folks and family.

A group of ladies has gathered for an afternoon tea. The conversation slowly turns to their married lives, and sex, and love, and the common factor across these three points: men.

My opinion: Hilarious and hard-hitting at the same time, Embroideries will make you feel like you are sitting with your lady friends and gossiping away. Not recommended for men.

This was my first graphic novel in quite a while. The art style was very simple, like it had been drawn with black Sharpie, yet amazingly expressive. The framework is of a group of women (the author and her relatives) sharing tales of past relationships. Some of them are funny, some are sad, but all are memorable. It's also a very quick read; I finished it in a single sitting. I'm not sure so sure it needed to be a graphic novel - most of the drawings are just of women's faces speaking - but it worked well in this format all the same. I'll be on the lookout for Satrapi's more famous work, Persepolis.

A much more chatty account than Persepolis but one full of warmth, humour and a group of fascinating women sharing their wisdom. Through the eyes of a 21st century British feminist, the women's ideas of empowerment and control in relationships are a little tough to swallow, but there's something undeniably powerful in the way these stories are told to us: no mincing of words, just the truth, with all the sadness and humour contained within.

An enlightening look at the sex lives of Iranian women told in a graphic novel format. Marjane Satrapi, author of the bestselling graphic novel Persepolis, writes and illustrates her first graphic novel for adults and it is as intriguing as promised. Embroideries is told through Marjane's grandmother, neighbors, aunts, mother, and friends as they drink tea and set their sights on gossiping as soon as the men leave the room. Stories of heartbreak, laughter, injustice, and hopes are shared in this quick read. Secrets are discussed, lurid tales laughed at, and marriages analyzed. A quick wonderful read from a fantastic author.

Funny, funny, funny. This is a great book, told in the same style as Persepolis. Satrapi examines the sex lives of Iranian women, including those who are wives, mistresses, divorcees, widows, and those that have yet to be married. It covers serious topics, such as the exploitation of women for the money and/or jewels, and the practice of arranged marriage and the marrying of young girls, but is done in such a humourous way that you'll be racing through the pages to see what story is going to be told next.

Also, a complete different idea of what embroidery is all about... ;)