Customer Reviews

Persian Brides: A Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

At 18, Dorit Rabinyan published a her debut collection of poetry. Not long after her first play was produced. Not long after that her first film turned heads in Israel. Now, her first novel--Persian Brides--after commercial success abroad, is being published for the first time in the U.S. If the trade reviews are any indication, we're witnessing the birth of a new literary star. Set in a fictional Persian village at the turn of the century, two young women fight abandonment and longing, which somehow come to mean the same thing. Flora, 15 years old and pregnant, longs for the return of her husband. Nazie, 11 years old, yearns to be married. In telling their magical tale, Rabinyan traces the history of a country and its quirky legends. Its a masterful blend of fantasy and reality. This vivid tale has a flavor to be savored. Rabinyan will come to the U.S. for the first time this March to celebrate the American publication of Persian Brides, as well as to celebrate Israel's 50th Anniversary.

Dorit Rabinyan has given the world a masterpiece in two respects, a great story and incomperable writing. To begin with, this story is both humorous and quirky. Ms. Rabinyan is a gifted storyteller. The characters are three dimensional in every respect and the reader can identify and visualize every one of them as real, even though magic and superstition play heavily into this book. And of course the story is funny. I laughed out loud at several points at this book. My friend to whom I lent this book also laughed at the descriptions. Only one other Israeli author, the brilliant Orly Castel-Bloom, can really capture humor in the same way, though Ms. Castel-Bloom masterfully utilizes the modern and absurd to form social commentary, whereas Ms. Rabinyan tells a story straightforwardly. No matter how remarkable her ability to tell a story is, Ms. Rabinyan's most amazing achievement is her actual writing. Very rarely is the world gifted with a writer who knows exactly which words fit at the exact right time in the most perfect order. James Joyce, Vladimir Nabokov and William Shakespeare are three classic examples. Their words not only perfect but transcendent. I sincerely hope that Dorit Rabinyan can attain the same kind of immortality, for she deserves it.

This well written fictional story of life in Persia in the early 1900's paints a picture of the squalid life of the inhabitats of a village both gentile and jewish. There are moments of joy and of sorrow for the family that this story revolves around and all are written with great detail that transport you to that time. I enjoyed the book and subject matter, but not nearly as much as other period tales (Red Tent for example). The end of the book leaves you wanting a richer experience. It trails off quickly and the reader doesn't get a sense of closure.

A magical tale of two child brides in the beginning of the century in Iran. Strong images, powerful writing & soulful shrewdness. Hypnotizing & absolutely recommended.

"Persian Brides' is the first novel by Israeli-born Dorit Rabinyan. Rabinyan was only 21 at the time that she wrote the book. The novel won the 1999 JEWISH QUARTERLY Wingate Literary Award.

"Persian Brides" takes the reader to a fictional Persian village in the early 1900's. The story focuses on 15 year old Flora, her 11 year old cousin Nazie, and their family, the Hanoums. Flora, is a headstrong girl, with perhaps a bit too much vanity. She rejects many suitors that come to her family proposing marriage. Nazie, who is treated like a servant by her aunt (Flora's mother), sees all this activity and longs to be married herself. The novel is full of culture and folklore and it was very interesting to read about the traditions and rituals that the family followed. The writing was beautiful and full of great imagery. I feel that the book would have been better with a touch more character and plot development. We read this book in my book group and there were mixed feelings on it. Some people didn't like it at all due to the limited plot and others enjoyed the writing and the magical imagery. I personally, love reading about other cultures and their traditions, folklore, superstitions and beliefs, so I found that aspect of this book very satisfying. One example of an interesting tradition in Flora's village is that mothers shout from the rooftop to let the neighborhood know when their daughter has their first menstruation. Flora's mother also performs nighttime inspections of Flora to be sure that she is still `pure'. Can you imagine?! And you thought your mother was bad! The novel will make you smile at some of the other traditions and superstitions that Flora and her family live by.

I lived in Iran for 2 years. This book captures the graciousness, the cruelty, the harshness and beauty of the country, its culture and people.

Ms Rabinyan can certainly write fresh phrases,and I imagined her sitting at her desk with a dictionary of Iranian/Jewish folklore joyfully churning out page after page of weird and colorful practices. Unfortunately, it overwhelmed the characters, they seemed flat and uninteresting. There was just too much craziness going on. I do appreciate magical realism, but this was way over the top.
In the future, I might like to take a look at her poetry.

This novel traces the experiences and yearnings of two Jewish Persian girls in turn of the century Iran, and as such is rich, animated, humorous, engaging and sensual.

Flora is 15 and pregnant, waiting for her worthless straying husband to return home. Nazie is eleven and longs to be married and start a family.

A masterpiece of contemporary literature in the tradition of Amy Tan and Shifra Horn. It vividly covers the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of the characters and the culture of Persian Jews. Set over two days, it succeeds in backtracking to cover the experiences of more than one generation.

Richly explores the superstitions, customs and traditions of the Jews of Persia and Persia at the beginning of the Twentieth century.

This is a beautifully written and insightful story. It reveals a culture

unknown to most. There are deep Iranian ties here combined with Persian

Jewish heritage and a bit of magical realism.

This is a rare peek into life.

A great novel. I could not put it down from start to finish. Funny, sexy, sharp with images and characters that were painfuly exact. I come from an Iranian Jewish family and lived there until I was three - it simply felt real: full of the all love and all the hate. Just wonderful.