Customer Reviews

The Heart's Desire

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I would have expected a lot more from an Iranian writer. I feel that Americans in general have such a wrong view of Iran that we do not need books such as this to prove every negetive sterotype correct. Although I do belive that any of these events could have happened in the course of someone's life time, I really find it hard to belive that they could happen to someone in one single trip. It feels to me as if Nahid Rachlin knows what the American Press wants to hear, and writes exactly that. It helps her get published, but it certainly does not paint a true image of Iran.

It seems like anything that could possibly go wrong for this woman did go wrong. In the few months that this chracter lived in Iran she confronted all those things that people always hear about happening to someone else somewhere in Iran, but never actually witness. I lived in Iran for four years during the most "terrible times." I did not see any woman's hair being cut in public, nor was I hit by a stray Iraqi missile. Further, for whatever personal reasons, it seems like the author has an extreme dislike for Iranian men. In short, I would not recommend this book for the simple reason that it does not reflect

I don't know why this book was written. The accounts in this book are grossly exaggerated, the narrative is uncoherent, the language is mostly flat, the description is unexiting and altogether I give it thumbs down. I am sorry that even we see ourselves thru the eyes of outsiders. I've lived thru the revolution and the war in Iran and never have seen any woman's hair be cut by pasdars. We have a lot of traditional older women in Iran and I've met a lot of them myself but what Karym's mother does is unheard of. Uncle Jamshid is another big flaw. Very few people go prostitude hunting with their uncles. The relationships between a father or an uncle with son or nephew are very formal and distant. Altogether I can say I expected a lot more from Ms. Rachlin than this worthless piece of work that is more expected from some outsider with a blinding bias.

Just finished this book as part of a Middle Eastern fiction period I'm going through. I expected this to be a clone of Not Without My Daughter (although that is nonfiction) but I was quite wrong. The author, an Iranian woman who lives and teaches in New York, was able to show all characters with compassion and respect for their points of view. She was able to point out bad things that happened both in the U.S. and Iran without condemning either country or culture. She let the characters tell the story, and left them with hope at the end. I do remember the hostage crisis in the late 1970s, and many Iranians in the U.S. were retaliated against for something they had nothing to do with. The author, through some of the characters, is able to make readers feel the unfairness of this treatment. While I may not agree with every point of view in a different culture, it is helpful to begin to understand them.

Was very disappointed to see a Persian writer write such things... Americans already have a bad view of us and Iran.. Why make it worse?

The author is an Iranian woman living in New York and this book is an attempt to help Americans understand Iran and its people. The story is of an American woman, married to an Iranian who travel to Iran with their small son. A few years ago I saw a movie called "Not Without My Daughter" with Sally Fields about the same theme. I remember how much I identified with the American woman as I did in this book.

The book is short and not well written. The story has been told before. I was impatient throughout, but yet fascinated by the descriptions of Iran, and the thinking of the people. The book needed editing. There are basic writing flaws. Too much use of the phrases like "he obviously felt" instead of just describing how the character felt. And while I did understand more about Iran, it was all on the surface and the characters were stereotyped and never came across as particular individuals.

I couldn't seem to put the book down but I attribute that more to my thirst for knowledge than the skill of the author. I think it would be a good "young adult" book for those interested in learning more about Iran. Otherwise, I can't recommend it.

I just finished this book in 2 sittings. I guess at this point in time we all have mixed opinions of how we feel about the middle east and the peoples that live there. However I found this book giving me a some what inside view of day to day life in Iran. This book was written before the US's troubles with Iran so I know things have changed. But after reading this book I thought what it would be like to visit there. We don't see the day to day culture much on TV just the stereotypical images we've all gotten to know so well lately. To me was a nice slice of life novel and would recommend it.

Another disappointing work by Ms. Rachlin. I am not even going to waste my time reviewing her shallow and incoherent writing style and her biased and superficial portrayal of Iran and Iranians. And it breaks my heart to see an Iranian doing this. If I could talk or write to Ms. Rachlin, I would only say: Ms. Rachlin, please do everybody a favor, do not waste paper and ink anymore, and stop writing.
I just need to make an observation here: as an Iranian, I feel proud and elated to see so many non-Iranians showing interest in my culture and my country. However, the fact that these readers are the only ones praising Ms. Rachlin's work and "buying" her distorted depiction of Iran and Iranians speaks volumes. Dear non-Iranian readers, you are believing and accepting what you want to believe. Please do your curiosity and your literary taste a favor and stop reading books like Ms. Rachlin's. Instead, pick up a book like Honeymoon in Purdah: An Iranian Journey by Alison Wearing and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. You will see that these books are certainly not glorifying Iran and Iranians, but illustrating a "true and just" picture. And in these days of turmoil, craziness and lies in our world, what we need more than anything else is TRUTH and FAIRNESS.

Considering all the brainwash we get about Iran of the Ayattolahs, Rahlin account of a trip made by an American-Iranian couple from the States to Iran is refreshing. This is not your general stereotype and Iranian's society is described from an objective angle, neither good nor bad. The system is described partly as lacking corruption and on the other side "connections are everything". Both the American woman, Jennifer, and the Iranian husband, Jamshid, go through an out-of-marriage affair, that shows them how far they are from each other, and in many ways these affairs get them closer. This is also the story of Karim the immigrant, and his encounter with American society and its prejudices, as well as his feelings of being a strangers in America, in spite of having a good job at the university and an American wife and son. The style is very simple and clear. I found this book very innformative on Iranian society in the last half century, from the Shah to the Ayatollas, a very different description than the one that goes in the press.

In this time of growing mistrust of Americans by Muslims and Muslims by Americans, it is most helpful to read something by someone who has seen both sides. Ms. Rachlin seems to know what is good and bad in both cultures. She pulls no punches in uncovering the corruption and negative aspects of both. Yet, at the same time she celebrates what is good in each and you are left with a feeling that as far apart as the extremes of both sides would like you to believe you are, the simple fact is: people are the same all over. Their viewpoints might differ and they may feel comfortable in different social climates, but basically everyone is looking for the same things: health, comfort, love. Arguing that members of other societies are evil, primitive, selfish, or ignorant does a disservice to all peoples of the world and is not helping to allay the progressively more combative atmosphere we are presently finding ourselves in. We need more communication such as is found in this book.