Customer Reviews

In the Walled Gardens: A Novel

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I've read several novels that are set against the backdrop of the Iranian revolution, and typically they're characterized by straightforward good vs. bad mentalities, and in the end, the two protagonists always end up in each others' arms. Not so with this masterpiece by Firouz. Don't be fooled by some of the editorial reviews and book jacket comments...this is not a romance. It's more a story of exile, of what happens when a country's politics end up shutting out an entire generation of people. And that's the book's power and beauty.

Mahastee and Reza are both smart enough to recognize that ultimately they have chosen their fates, and to realize that whatever they might do, by virtue of social class, revolutionary association, etc., their fates are now out of their hands. It's what makes this book profound and tragic, and ultimately, the most realistic book you'll ever read about 1979 Iran.

The book paints a very perceptive picture of pre-revolution Iran through the eyes of a sensitive upper class house-wife and a left wing radical. The love story though poignant is almost incidental.This novel has resonances in many countries of the region both in the Middle East and Asia of that period. The author has done an outstanding job. In the walled garden( or is it pairi daeza?) is a book difficult to put down.

"Exile is its own country," Anahita Firouz write in this, her debut novel. Set in the brewing years of the Iranian revolution, it follows two people's lives, Mahastee and Reza, friends as children, who have now been inextricably tied in to the politics of their land. Warning to all who may have a mistaken view of where this is going: this novel is definitely not a love story! It is much more about the history of a place, and its people, about how much we can and cannot control our own destinies.

Reading this novel you can almost feel the wind rush off the Alborz mountains, feel the sense of impending doom that is about to crash down on these characters and their countryside. While it takes a few chapters to get truly involved in their story, you'll find it hard to put down once you are. And believe me, it's worth it...this book as the most heartbreakingly realistic ending I have ever read.

I found "In the Walled Gardens" to be an intriguing read. I liked the cultural parts, providing readers with a different world to view, the sad parts, and the writing. It's this really clearly written story about Iran and two people living in it.

Why, then, must the publishers try to pass this off as a romance? I wasn't particularly interested in a romance novel, so I was pleasantly surprised to find absolutely no love story in this book, but the back cover makes this book sound as though it's about a forbidden love. Hardly and not at all. It's extraordinarily misleading.

While "In the Walled Gardens" is interesting culturally and is nicely written, I found myself often confused and occasionally bored. Having two different first person narratives that constantly switch every chapter got to be very confusing. I started forgetting mid-chapter who's story I'm reading this time. After putting the book down for a few hours or days (because this book CAN be put down, as it does move somewhat slowly), I couldn't remember which character I'm following now. Parts of the book are also boring and overdone. I felt that the ending was tame and, rather like the mostly same-level book, flat.

On the whole, "In the Walled Gardens" is a pleasant, interesting read. I didn't like some parts while I was utterly entranced by others. It's a very cool cultural read that doesn't condescend or state givens, which is good for readers who aren't too aware. I still find myself wondering at why the back cover is so misleading.

A solid recommendation for those looking to read about Iran and a small hint for any reader.

In the late 1970s in Iran, Mahastee Mosharraf is a member of the mid-echelon of the upper class. Her husband Houshang runs a contracting firm that succeeds by bribing the right people. Houshang and Mahastee provide a civil public face, but have not shared sex in years.

At work, Mahastee finds out that the Shah's secret police arrested the son of a co-worker for rumors of participating in Marxist activity. Unable to ignore it, Mahastee uses her place in society that has given her substantial contacts within the government contacts to learn what happened to the incarcerated man. Mahastee discovers that the state prisoner was part of a Marxist revolutionary group. Her investigation leads to Mahastee meeting childhood friend and Marxist Reza Nirvani. Reza and Mahastee share a hatred of the Shah, which is enough to lead to an affair at the same time that the country's social and political order begins to collapse.

This is an exciting look at a moment just prior to a pivotal event in the twentieth century. The story line provides a deep look at Iran just before the Khomeini revolution. Though readers will feel little empathy or attachment to Mahastee, Reza, or Houshang, fans of late historical tales will enjoy this vivid description of the late 1970s in Iran.

Harriet Klausner

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. The character development and interplay and the attention to detail is incredible. I cannot believe this is Mrs. Firouz's first novel. I was unable to put this book down and it was difficult to part with these characters once I finished the reading. I bought a copy for my aunt, and she loved it too, and told me how much it reminded her of Iran (pre-revolution). I am so proud of the author and her contribution to Iranian writing.