Tarfumes.com - The Septembers of Shiraz: A Novel (P.S.)

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Manufacturer: Harper Perennial

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780061130410
ISBN: 0061130419
Label: Harper Perennial
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 368
Publication Date: 2008-05-01
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: 2008-04-29
Studio: Harper Perennial

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Editorial Reviews:

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.

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Well worth reading
Comment: This was a touching and tragic story of a man who has worked his way into privilege and wealth from humble beginnings only to lose it all when the winds of government change directions. Touching because we see the bonds of family strengthened. Tragic because we are witness to the suffering and death of innocent people.

Not only do we experience the sufferings of Isaac and the prisoners but also that of Isaac's family.

His wife Farnaz, who at one point wonders how she had married such a man, realizes how much she misses Isaac and has taken him for granted.

Son Parviz is safe in America going to college but he is drifting through his life unable to focus because he has lost the anchor that is his family.

Daughter Shirin is just nine years old but risks her life and her family's safety in an impulsive act to help people she doesn't know.

I though the author did a good job of showing the grief, shame and injustice of what the entire family felt at going from positions of prestige and authority to losing everything and fleeing for their life. The book also dealt with complex issues such as mortality, family ties, loyalty, and faith. This was a very worthwhile read.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Well done
Comment: The Septembers of Shiraz was well written. I enjoyed every page.
Looking forward to more books by Dalia Sofer.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Interesting and very informative
Comment: When I first started this book, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to read it. It has some pretty graphic torture. Since I was reading it for my book group, I stuck with it, and am very glad I did. It is a sensitive and very moving story. I recommend reading Persepolis with it.The Complete Persepolis

Customer Rating:

Summary: Exquisite
Comment: This story seemed too perfect to be made up. Either this writer is a prodigy, or the book autobiographical. Either way, you will not find a more incisively written, detail oriented depiction of what life was like in Iran after the Shah left.
The details of prison life were painful to read, and enabled one to vividly imagine the fate so many innocent people suffered.
The author escaped Iran when she was ten years old, the age of the daughter of the protagonist. How lucky we all are that she survived.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Couldn't connect with the characters
Comment: I feel like I was reading a different book than the rest of the reviewers. To me, the characters were all distant and hard to connect with, which made it hard for me to feel an investment in their evolutions or futures. The most compelling character and the story I was most interested in was the subplot about the daughter and the files. She was the only character that felt real to me. I would have liked to read more about her, but the rest of the family I could take or leave. Had I not been on a plane when reading it, I probably wouldn't have finished the book, and I finish everything.

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