Persian Girls: A Memoir
by Nahid Rachlin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nahid RachlinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2007-12-27
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 293
Publisher: Tarcher
Book Reviews of Persian Girls: A Memoir
Book Review: Compellingly beautiful memoir, a must-read
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a huge fan of Nahid Rachlin's fiction and in fact, even traveled across the country to take a writing workshop with her several years ago because I was so impressed by her work. Now I am thrilled to congratulate her once again on such a beautiful book. Nahid's true gift of story telling has enabled her to move beyond fiction to capture her own personal tale that far surpasses anything else I have ever read. All of the drama inherent in her family relationships and in her native country are told in such beautifully and truthfully observed details that they resonated to me and made me ache for her as I read her carefully selected words. She never over-wrote or drew on people's sympathy. The truth is powerful enough in its own bareness and every word builds toward the end. As a result, I couldn't put the book down until I was through.
Amazingly to me, as narrator, Nahid never seems self-pitying or hopeless about her situation. The inner strength of her character, and her belief in the ultimate goodness in people and in herself, allows her to overcome large obstacles so that she can be here in the United States, able tell the book through her younger (but very astute) eyes in a way that allows readers to be transported into her world for a few hours, and able to make their own observations.
Several reviewers have mentioned that they wished that the book could have had a happy ending. While I, too, wish so deeply that life had turned out differently for Pari, Nahid's beloved sister, I do believe that ultimately the story did still have a happy ending in its own way, since Nahid is able to capture her love for her sister in such a deep and moving way. Ultimately, while Pari did not have the chance to live out her dream to become an actress on a Hollywood-style stage, her talented sister Nahid has been able to bring her to life in all her beauty to shine on the book's pages. I am sure Pari would be honored by this striking tribute, and the chance for the world to have the gift of knowing her in such a unique and touching way.
I think there's no greater success for a writer than to move his or her readers to care so deeply about the story, particularly when it's such a personal one. In fact, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this family since I finished the last page. Therefore, I want to thank Nahid for her generosity in letting me, and her other readers, share her most intimate experiences through this devastatingly lovely memoir. It truly should be a must-read for everyone.
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