The Lion Women Of Tehran- Blog Tour

 

Author: Marjan Kamali

Publisher: Simon &Schuster UK

Publishing Date: 21st November 2024 

Many thanks to Random Things Tours and the publishing team for my phsyical copy of the book and a spot on the tour

Blurb 

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams of a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions for becoming 'lion women.'

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

My Thoughts 

This book was an emotional rollercoaster ride from start to finish. 

The story spans from decades from the 1950's to 2022. The setting of Iran and America is given as the narrative changes between the two girls. 

We  go on this journey with Ellie and Homa who are different and alike in many ways. We get to learn how they change through different live events from personal to their own friendship. Their lives are so intertwined and poetically weave in and out, even at times when you need them to stay.  

We learn about Iranian culture both politically and everyday living.  

Not an easy read in part as you watch them struggle with a variety of issues. The author touches on topics of political activism, women's rights and the revolution. So much love, loss, power, separation, family dynamics, and freedom.  

This was a brilliant read.