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Rosewater and Soda Bread: A Novel [Paperback]

Marsha Mehran (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 13, 2008
“Mehran’s novel delights the senses on every page. The story pulses with life as three Iranian sisters struggle to make sense of matters of the heart and the spirit.”
–Elizabeth Cox, author of The Slow Moon

More than a year has passed since Marjan, Bahar, and Layla, the beautiful Iranian Aminpour sisters, sought refuge in the quaint Irish town of Ballinacroagh. Opening the beguiling Babylon Café, they charmed the locals with their warm hearts and delectable Persian cuisine, bringing a saffron-scented spice to the once-sleepy village.

But when a young woman with a dark secret literally washes up on Clew Bay Beach, the sisters’ world is once again turned upside down. With pale skin and webbed hands, the girl is otherworldly, but her wounds tell a more earthly (and graver) story–one that sends the strict Catholic town into an uproar. The Aminpours rally around the newcomer, but each sister must also contend with her own transformation–Marjan tests her feelings for love with a dashing writer, Bahar takes on a new spiritual commitment with the help of Father Mahoney, and Layla matures into a young woman when she and her boyfriend, Malachy, step up their hot and heavy relationship.

Filled with mouthwatering recipes and enchanting details of life in Ireland, Rosewater and Soda Bread is infused with a lyrical warmth that radiates from the Aminpour family and their big-hearted Italian landlady, Estelle, to the whole of Ballinacroagh–and the world beyond.


Praise for Marsha Mehran’s Pomegranate Soup

“A mouthwatering tale with flavors of Chocolat and Under the Tuscan Sun . . . sinfully sweet and satisfying.”
–Orlando Sentinel

“Glorious, daring, and delightful, filled with humor, hope, and possibility.”
–Adriana Trigiani, author of the Big Stone Gap novels

“An enchanting tale of love, family, and renewal.”
–Firoozeh Dumas, author of Laughing Without an Accent

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mehran's second novel (after Pomegranate Soup) resumes the story of three Iranian sisters making their lives anew in smalltown Ireland. Beautiful and creative Marjan Aminpour cares for her younger sisters, Bahar and Layla; together the three run Babylon Cafe, and few locals can resist its charms or the amiability of its proprietresses. Although Marjan rules the roost, her sisters have secrets of their own, and their growing independence forces Marjan to allow them their freedom and confront her own needs—especially after she meets handsome Julian Winthrop Muir. As Marjan gives her sisters more space, the suspicious and xenophobic local busybody Dervla Quigley remains determined to uncover whatever foul play the foreign women have up their sleeves. And when Marjan's friend Estelle reveals that she has rescued and helped a drowning girl, Marjan becomes involved in a secret that soon has Dervla plotting their downfall. Gourmands will savor the foodie passages (recipes, of course, are included), while the sisters' exploits will win over readers into lighter fare about making a new home and growing up. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Mehran resumes the tale of the Aminpour sisters so vividly portrayed in Pomegranate Soup (2006). The three refugee Iranian young women have now become fixtures in the Irish hamlet of Ballinacroagh, where they run a popular café serving fine Persian food to plain-eating Celtic townsfolk. Thanks to articles written by a local newspaperman, their little eatery has garnered national notice. The women’s quotidian contentment gets upended when a rural widow reports finding a girl bleeding and wounded on the beach. This waif’s odd webbed fingers make her seem a virtual mermaid. Mehran offers insights into the nascent nation of Asian and South European immigrants seeking futures in the Emerald Isle. As these outlanders gain recognition, the native population reacts ambivalently. For all their robust living, Mehran’s Irish are a familiar and universal mix of libido and repression, piety and profanity, xenophobia and generosity. --Mark Knoblauch

Product Details

  • Paperback: 292 pages
  • Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (May 13, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 081297249X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0812972498
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #485,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Tehran, Iran, Marsha Mehran escaped the Revolution with her family. She has since lived in such diverse places as Buenos Aires, The United States, Australia and Ireland.

Her first novel, Pomegranate Soup, was published in 2005, to great acclaim, gaining international bestseller status. It's sequel, Rosewater and Soda Bread, was published in 2008. She is busy at work spinning more tales.

 

Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A tasty appetizer for it lacks the sustenance of an entree, May 13, 2008
This review is from: Rosewater and Soda Bread: A Novel (Paperback)
After a very promising start, the book fizzled a bit because the author didn't resolve many of the storylines. As the title says, this is a novel about three sisters (Marjan, Bahar, and Layla), two countries (Ireland and Iran), and the language of food.

The author pulled off the language of food (including restorative and medicinal properties), and there are 8 tasty sounding recipes from Ireland or Iran at the end of the book. The portraits of Ireland and Iran while slightly incomplete were well painted. The three sisters are realistically presented, each with their own backstory, personality, and dreams.

The problem is that many of the secondary characters drawn into the story simply disappear. I'm not sure if Ms. Mehran didn't know how to end it, became bored a little over half way through, was told by her publisher that she was out of pages, or intends to write a sequel, but for whatever reason it all kind of just ended. You know how you're never supposed to resolve a problem by having the character wake up? Well, the resolution to this story's problem stopped just one step shy of this. The girl left (I don't want to give anything away so I'll leave this rather vague statement at that), and all of the people inconvenienced, jeopordized, or in trouble with the law are left hanging out there with the reader left to guess whether they're still in trouble or everything was miraculously resolved.

Is it worth reading? Well, I enjoyed it up until the end and it whet my appetite for more facts about Ireland, Iran, Ireland's merrow or Iran's Baraka, and especially Iranian food, but the reader should beware getting caught up in the side stories for they will probably be left with more questions than answers.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy Sequel, September 1, 2008
This review is from: Rosewater and Soda Bread: A Novel (Paperback)
Mehran has again given us a delicious story about the clash of cultures that would seem to never blend. Somehow, Mehran's Aminpour sisters overcome small town prejudices and ethnic distrust. And why not? Speaking through the universal language of food, the sisters blend into the fabric of Irish life while enriching it. While not my usual read, I was curious to see how the sisters adapted after Pomegranate Soup. I'm pleased to say, this was a worthy sequel and still left room for more.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Warm and Sunny, May 15, 2008
This review is from: Rosewater and Soda Bread: A Novel (Paperback)
The book is like hot tea, you have to sip it slowly and not gulp it down at one go. One of those books which, if you just look at the content, is not anything special but leaves a "feel good" aftertaste. I read her first book "Pomegranate Soup and enjoyed it and now after reading this one I am a fan
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
marsha mehran, chickpea cookies, gormeh sabzi, plum stew, bergamot tea, soda bread
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Father Mahoney, Main Mall, Julian Winthrop Muir, Padraig Carey, Dervla Quigley, Clew Bay, Estelle Delmonico, Wilton Inn, Marie Brennan, Croagh Patrick, Fiona Athey, Peter Donnelly, Danny Fadden, Evie Watson, Mayo General, Antonia Nolan, Dominions of Clay, Shear Delight, Muir Hall, Reek Relics, Clare Island, Marjan Aminpour, Hossein Jaferi, Father Fergal Mahoney, Sophia Loren
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