Welcome to Litsy!

Two nine yr old girls in Iran meet and become best friends. Separated several times during their lives, these women grow into their personalities. The story takes me to places and into situations where they have to survive. The love shared, respect and emotional connections had me crying more than once. # AuldLandSpine January matchup @peaKnit top read from 2025 has got to be a top 2026 read for me! 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this will stay with me!

Another immersive story of Iran. There are many threads of love and resentment told extraordinarily well- romantic, friendship and for country. The story of two girls' entire lives from 9 years old. A must read, to travel to Iran to gain understanding and empathy of their population fighting for freedom and feminism in patriarchal and extremist religious regimes.

So glad I gave this one a second chance on audio! Enjoyed this story so much and that plot twist was 😮‍💨

Loved the narrator on this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved this story of 2 friends in 1970s Iran. Ellie & Homa bond when they‘re young & reconnect in high school. Their earnest friendship is so relatable. As they grow that friendship remains part of who they are despite the revolution & changes happening around them. The book deals w/big issues: women‘s rights & immigration, but it is so character driven, the issues never feel heavier than their connection. Their story broke my heart & gave me hope.

[It's] Les Misérables, it was taken off the market, I managed to get a few copies before they shredded them...
What's it about?"
"A man who, out of starvation, steals a loaf of bread and is hounded by the police for the rest of his life. SAVAK thinks the book might miror some things in our society."

I put it in my scholbag and headed home....

How strange that in our culture books were considered dangerous...

This is a collaborative book, with one author still living in Iran, risking imprisonment every day and the other living in self-imposed exile and unable to return.

All of the people profiled here, mainly women but also other minorities, are incredibly brave. As well as eye-opening accounts of what is it to live under the Iranian regime there are also discussions of what journalism *should* be.

One of the best books I‘ve read this year.

Current audiobook…Tried reading this on Kindle once and could not get into it. Enjoying the narrator on audio.

And I'm up to date with #FictionalTraveler too! @julieclair

Unfortunately I really didn't like this book. I was expecting a sweet forbidden lesbian romance set in Iran, and instead got a couple of naive selfish drama merchants -[cont in comments]

Also, be aware, though sold as a romance this is NOT A ROMANCE NOVEL.

Bawling. What a wonderful, wonderful book. I wish there weren't so many parallels to our current events dealing with ICE. These friends will live in my head and heart for a very long time.

A beautiful tale of female friendships. I also really appreciated learning more about Iran and the ongoing fight for women‘s rights. There are some cliches in the story, but it was so readable. The audiobook is especially good-highly recommend-so I hear the proper pronunciation of the dialogue. 4.5⭐️
I look forward to discussing this with my RL bookclub!