Customer Reviews

The Fortune Catcher

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE FORTUNE CATCHER is a love story set during the Iranian revolution, with all the requisite elements -- romance, danger, separation, suspense, some really vicious villains, some wonderful good guys -- in other words, a real page-turner. But the best part is author Susanne Pari's handling of the cultural material -- the holidays and customs, religious conflicts, history, politics, and the place of women within each culture. A "fire-jumping" celebration at a traditional Persian New Year's party in the opening scene becomes a metaphor for all that the Iranian/American heroine, Layla, must endure as this nerve-rattling story unfolds. Pari compares and contrasts Muslim, American, Farsi, and Israeli characters of every stripe, revealing their complex backgrounds and motivations with an incredibly deft hand and clear eye. The novel is beautifully balanced, deeply informative, and so vivid, you can see the varying landscapes, smell the air, and taste the food. If you love books that pay attention to cuisine, you'll find THE FORTUNE CATCHER an especially delicious read. Page-turner that it is, I found myself frequently pausing to re-read a particularly sensuous description. This book is one to savor!

I opened Suzanne Pari's novel "The Fortune Catcher" and immidiately found myself back in Iran. Smells and noises, colors, the trembling hot air on my cheeks, a bubbling samovar, the beauty of the saffron mountains, they all appeared in front of me, surrounding me with the one and only atmosphere, the "ab-o-hava" of Iran. Ms. Pari created wonderful characters, such as that of Maman Bozorg, a cunning and manipulative family matriarch, who in her urge to control her loved-ones will not stop at anything. The book is beautifully written, so we forgive certain discrepancies, deftly concealed by the voil of the author's imagination and her profound knowledge of the country and its people. The touching story of Layla and Dariush follows in footsteps of traditional Persian literature with its romantic love poems and epics.

When I first saw this book at my cousin's house, I wasn't particularily interested, but since I was bored I read it and after the first sentence I was hooked. This book is a tangled web of stories and people; colorful and dark characters. I loved the book once I was through, despite the exaggeration in it. (One character is tortured like political prisoners are, for commiting a crime that no one could be arrested for, according to my mother)I also learned a lot of Farsi, which was fun. I definitely recommend this book!

I could not put it down. I stayed up all night reading it! Pari does a great job of developing the characters; you feel like you know them personally! Anyone who went through the Iranian Revolution of 1979 will easily identify with this story. Pari also does a great job of developing wonderful and intricate relationships between people of various cultures. After reading this book, I believe that there is hope for peace in the Middle East after all!! When is the next one coming out?

Susanne Pari's novel takes the reader into the hearts of Iranians shortly after the revolution. Her people are highly credible, all of them. What I most liked was the portrayal of the villain, conniving Maman Bozorg, perhaps the most terrifying grandmother of contemporary fiction. In a country that was changing at lightning speed, Pari shows why people behaved in the strange ways they did. There's lot of emotional stuff in the novel--prisoner abuse, true love, betrayal--and Pari's deft touch makes it credible.

Although this book is technically fiction, it has many factual elements within it. Not only is it a fast paced love story, drama/thriller filled book that keeps the reader's attention, but it also incorporates integral facts about the Iranian culture as a whole while giving it's reader's cultural understanding through it's well thought out characters. I am an avid reader this is a good one!

A wonderful book from beginning to end! Although there were some slow sections, I found myself looking forward to reading more. I have never heard very much about Iranian culture and found this to be a refreshing change to the current books out there. I was caught up with the psychology of all the main characters and Susanne Pari does a great job in creating so many diverse personalities. I look forward to more novels like these.

Major edge-of-your seat story. Couldn't put it down. Also learned alot about what happened during the Iranian revolution and the hostage crisis. Great summer read.

Having lived in Iran for 5 years pre-revolution and fiver years post-revolution, I must say this book does a fantastic job of depicting the dramatic cultural changes that took over the coutnry. Fascinating read, great story line, very gripping.

This book reads like a Sidney Sheldon novel set in Iran. I loved the character sketches of the wacky Mossad agent and the fundamentalist granny. The hero and heroine struck me as "too perfect", I wish they were given some more depth. Overall, a highly entertaining read--I can't wait till the author comes out with another book!