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Wednesday 18 January 2017

The Gardens of Consolation - Parisa Reza

A novel chronicling the life of a family in a remote area of Iran from the early 20th century to the overthrow of Mossadegh.  I think she creates a rick picture of the changing mentality and world-view as the generations move from the remote village, isolated and hemmed in by mountains, through a generations of migrants to the orbits of the larger cities, to integration of the brightest of the peasant-rooted generation into the universities and political struggles of Tehran at the time of Mossadegh.  Reza has a way with the inner voices and echoes of the characters, from the illiterate mother married at age twelve and her shepherd husband to their university educated son.
A personal tale of various confrontations with the modernization and shifts in Iranian society.  There is longing and respect for each character's inner world, whether that of peasant or educated elite.
An enlightening, thoughtful read.

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