Veil of Roses [Paperback]

Laura Fitzgerald (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 26, 2006

This compelling debut follows one spirited young woman from the confines of Iran to the intoxicating freedom of America—where she discovers not only an enticing new country but the roots of her own independence. . . .

Tamila Soroush wanted it all. But in the Islamic Republic of Iran, dreams are a dangerous thing for a girl. Knowing they can never come true, Tami abandons them. . . . Until her twenty-fifth birthday, when her parents give her a one-way ticket to America, hoping she will “go and wake up her luck.” If they have their way, Tami will never return to Iran . . . which means she has three months to find a husband in America. Three months before she’s sent back for good.

From her first Victoria’s Secret bra to her first ride on a motor scooter to her first country line-dance, Tami drinks in the freedom of an American girl. Inspired to pursue her passion for photography, she even captures her adventures on film. But looming over her is the fact that she must find an Iranian-born husband before her visa expires. To complicate matters, her friendship with Ike, a young American man, has grown stronger. And it is becoming harder for Tami to ignore the forbidden feelings she has for him.

It’s in her English as a second language classes that Tami finds a support system. With the encouragement of headstrong Eva, loyal Nadia, and Agata and Josef, who are carving out a love story of their own, perhaps Tami can keep dreaming—and find a way to stay in America.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this pat but sweet attempt at FOB (fresh off the boat) chick lit, Tamila Soroush, a 27-year-old Iranian woman, flies to Tucson, Ariz., to stay with her older sister, Maryam (whom she hasn't seen in 15 years), and Maryam's orthopedic surgeon husband, Ardishir. Tami is there for a three-month stay, courtesy of a visa arranged by her loving parents, who want her to marry an Iranian with American citizenship and stay in the States. Tami concurs with this plan: "being married is a small price to pay if I can stay in the land of Opportunity." But on her way to her ESL class, Tami meets Ike, an affable American working at Starbucks while he raises money to open his own chain of coffee shops. Potential Iranian fiancé setups move forward while Tami and Ike's mutual feelings deepen. As she nears the end of her visa, Tami faces some tough choices. The plot is disposable and the agenda transparent, but watching Tami find her voice through such small comforts as being able to sit alone in a house, walk to school unescorted or buy lingerie with her sister will leave readers rooting for her. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Fitzgerald's unique take on the increasingly popular immigrant saga juxtaposes an introspective look into the repressive lifestyle experienced by Tamila Soroush, 27, in Iran with the nearly unreal freedom she finds while in Tucson on a three-month visa. Sent by her parents in the hope that she can "wake up her luck" and stay in America like her older sister, Tami has three months to find a husband and avoid returning to Iran. One of the Iranian suitors her sister and brother-in-law have lined up turns out to be obsessive-compulsive; the second is a gay control freak. Beyond these awkward matchmaking scenes, Tami forges her own strong friendships with the students in her ESL class, including Nadia, a Russian refugee abused by her bigoted husband, and the outrageously provocative Eva, who introduces Tami to country line dancing. Tami also captures the heart of Ike, a Starbucks server who encourages her pursuit of photography and sends her flowers, despite her sister's objections. A fun, romantic, and thought-provoking debut novel from a promising author. Deborah Donovan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; 9th ptg thus edition (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553383884
• ISBN-13: 978-0553383881
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insight! February 12, 2007

By L. Bentley

Format:Paperback

This author has a genuine voice that helps her characters be felt and understood. It takes a real talent for an author to allow her characters to be deep and fully formed. I appreciated reading a book with depth! The romance was an unexpected and fun twist. The details on the lifestyle and thinking of an Iranian woman was very enlightening to me as an American woman. I read this book quickly as it captured my attention and I needed to know what was going to happen with the characters. :)

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a must read! December 28, 2006

By Elizabeth Coonan

Format:Paperback

I bought this book because it looked interesting. I had no idea what a powerful read it would be. I bought it and finished it in one day. It makes us as women really look at all the freedoms we have and how easy it is to take it all for granted. It is written in a way that just grabs you and wraps you into the story, you can feel Tami's emotions her terror, her excitement and her sadness. I would recomend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of a cultrue that most americans know nothing about. It sheds light on some traditions that we would find horrible and opressive and helps us better understand why these women deal with them and how. This book was great!

21 of 27 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars poor understanding of persian / iranian culture May 21, 2007

By N. -. Rasson

Format:Paperback

This book may be an interesting read if you have little or no knowledge about iranian culture, but if you know the culture well you can easily see that the author has no understanding of the culture and it's people. For startes the book is full of inaccuracies. For startes in one part of the book Tami (the main character) talks about how women in iran do not see male doctors. That is completely innacurate. Iran is not afghanistan. I think the author mixed up the Taliban regime with Iran. Though I am no fan of the iranian government, I don't think you need to portray Iran as a third world country either. Women in iran do go to male doctors!! The book also portrays Iranian as people that get married after a few dates. Though this may be true in some traditional and religious families in iran, again this is not the case with many. Even with the religious government and all it's restrictions many iranians have boyfriends and girlfriends, and people often date (though not publically) before getting married. All the iranians that I know here in America date before they get married. Overall, I think the author only has a limited knowledge of the culture, and it comes through and through in the book. If you want a more authentic understanding of the culture read wedding song, or funny in farsi.