In 1950s Tehran, a lonely girl who has lost her father and her comfortable home meets a best friend at school. Marjan Kamali's novel follows the two through three decades of upheaval in Iran.
Readical Key Points
- A New York Times bestseller, according to the publisher
- Historical fiction set in Tehran from the 1950s through three decades of political change
- Subjects include female friendship, social class, betrayal and women's activism
- Reviewed in Booklist, Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly (in the hardcover edition)
- Paperback, 352 pages, Gallery Books, 2025
Ellie is seven when her father's death moves her and her mother from wealth to a small home downtown. At school she meets Homa, and the girls fill their days with games, cooking in Homa's family kitchen and wandering the Grand Bazaar, sharing a hope of growing up to be "lion women." When Ellie's family regains its old standing, the friendship fades, until Homa reappears in Ellie's new life. As unrest builds in Iran, one betrayal carries serious consequences.
This paperback follows the hardcover edition. Readers of historical fiction set in Iran, of novels about friendship between women, and book clubs looking for a story that spans decades will find all three here. The friendship starts over games in a kitchen and plays out against a country's turmoil.
About the Author
Marjan Kamali was born in Turkey to Iranian parents. She is also the author of The Stationery Shop and Together Tea, received a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Award, and has seen her books translated into more than thirty languages, according to her publisher.
Condition: Brand New and Readical Ready.
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