Pomegranate Soup

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1401396.html

I really wanted to love this novel about three Iranian sisters setting up a Persian cafe in a town in County Mayo in 1986, but I couldn't quite bring myself to. The bits about Iran during the revolution, and indeed about cookery, are heartfelt and well-written; the Irish scene-setting, which makes up the bulk of the book, is much less convincing (a town whose high street is called 'Main Mall'???) and descends into Oirishry at various points. Ireland in 1986 was about to enter a truly convulsive period of its history, but there is almost no trace of that here. The unsubtle characterisation is another problem - we know that the pub owner is a bully, because he is described with that word at almost show more every appearance. Half a dozen recipes are provided, but all in American measurements and nomenclature ('eggplants', 'ground lamb') despite this being the British / European edition. show less

Not everyone in Marsha Mehran’s "Pomegranate Soup" is sweet-tempered, but the story itself bursts with the sweetness of family, charity, and excellent food. Capturing the harrowing history of three Iranian sisters who just manage to escape the country during the revolution of 1979, the narrative finds them, seven years on, in what seems like their last chance at refuge, on the west coast of Ireland.

The citizens of this town fit into some fairly straightforward types: the town magnate/bully; an old gossip-monger, bitter and incontinent; the friendly, nonconforming hairdresser. But these props serve the story of the more nuanced sisters, who struggle with haunting memories and the pressures of establishing a café. Dramatic tension show more builds as the pushy entrepreneur does everything he can to run them out of town, and his dull, pushy son nearly succeeds when he assaults the youngest sister, only 15 years old.

Characters sometimes act from motivation that strains credulity: the middle sister runs off without a note or a call on fairly flimsy grounds. A dim and hopeless shopkeeper believes in leprechauns because of miscreant teenagers, and the attempted aggression against the young girl honestly seems a bolt from the blue. But: this is a generous story about healing; each chapter opens with a recipe for a traditional Iranian dish; the parish priest writes a ribald and very funny play; the café’s grandmotherly landlady looks after the girls with sage advice and minestrone.

This is a lovely confection on balance. Take it up, and follow a small interlude in the lives of these young lovelies, one that promises that the best is yet to come.

http://bassoprofundo1.blogspot.com/2014/12/pomegranate-soup-by-marsha-mehran.htm... show less

I thoroughly enjoyed how the book is organized. It definitely makes a cooking enthusiast to try one of those recipes out. Also, Mehran really knows how to sell food; the way the Iranian cuisine is described is sure to make you feel like you are missing out.
The plot of the book is nice. I enjoyed the story and the characters. However, there's a lot about the description of the characters seemed immature to me, especially Lyla and Malachy. Mehran also provides extensive details of things that I consider highly irrelevant. I skimmed through most of these details.
The book gives a great insight into the Iranian revolution and I adore the book for that reason.

What a beautiful magical book I want a restaurant like the Babylon Café in my town! I want to smell the baklava and the elephant ears and even the abgust, and it made me curious to taste pomegranate soup. I don’t think I’d ever find the ingredients but the recipes sound so good.

This book is set in the 80’s and is about 3 sisters who escaped Iran right before the revolution. They have been through much on their journey but have hopefully finally found “home” in Ballinacroagh Ireland where they have opened up the Babylon Café serving Iranian delicacies, not everyone in town is happy about the café but they soon have a core group of customers who will eventually become friends and family.

There are some interesting characters show more in this book I love Mrs. Delmonico and hated Thomas McGuire who is the self-imposed “king” of Ballinacroagh he is egotistical and a racist and is bound and determined to shut down the café.

I really enjoyed this book it is beautiful and lyrical and a great story. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys magical realism & foodie fiction. If you liked Garden Spells you will enjoy this book show less

It has been seven years since Marjan Aminpour fled Iran with her younger sisters Bahar and Layla at the beginning of the Islamic Revolution. They've made their way (via London) to start a new life for themselves in the sleepy, close-minded Irish village of Ballinacroagh. They open the Babylon Cafe and in no time the smell of traditional Persian cooking is wafting through the village. Eventually in works its own magic on many of the locals. However, they've made an enemy of Thomas McGuire, the man who owns most of Ballinacroagh and is not used to being denied anything he wants. What he has always wanted is to open a disco in the shop that now houses the Babylon Cafe. Thomas sets out to ruin the girls and close the restaurant. Plus, show more echoes from the past will return to haunt one of the sisters.

Each chapter begins with a recipe that is carefully woven into the story:
-dolmeh
-red lentil soup
-baklava
-dugh yogurt drink
-abgusht
-elephant ears
-lavish bread
-torshi
-chelow
-fesenjoon
-migraine headache remedy
-pomegranate soup
-after dinner lavender-mint tea

This was a charming and delightful book and it was fun to see how the three sisters try to make a new life for themselves despite the unwillingness of many townspeople to let that happen. I found the characters compelling and the atmosphere of Ireland was realistically portrayed. There is a sequel, called Rosewater and Soda Bread that takes place about a year later than Pomegranate Soup which I may pick up. I did read that the 36 year old author died of unknown causes earlier this year. show less

Three sisters flee Tehran for a small town in Ireland. When Marjan, Behar and Layla take over the former Papa’s Pastries to open Ballinacroagh’s first “foreign” restaurant, they are met with curious gazes and even hostility. Tom McGuire, their next-door neighbor, is furious that his big plans have been thwarted by these “Arabs” and he is determined to bully everyone in town until they girls are run off. But he doesn’t count on the magical powers of the Marjan’s exotic recipes, and the intoxicating smell of rosewater and cinnamon emanating from Layla’s very pores.

I really wanted to like this book. Just reading the description made me think of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Mistress of Spices (a book I loved). But this show more novel failed to deliver the magic it promised. Perhaps this was because of the flashbacks to the sisters’ lives in Tehran; perhaps it was the bully McGuire (and his eldest son, who was equally unsavory), or town gossip Dervla Quigley and her vicious rumor-spreading. Whatever the cause, I just didn’t “feel the magic.” Still, Mehran kept the story moving forward, with suitable tension and a believable outcome. So, I rate it a moderate 3; it was adequate, but I didn’t love it. show less

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.

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 show more 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. show less