i was a little hesitant going into this because i tend to be very very picky when it comes to my historical fiction. the history of iran is not something that i'm unfamiliar with—my parents are from south asia, and our histories have been intertwined for many centuries. ***it must be said that by saying this, i am not claiming to understand in any way the suffering that people (especially women) in iran have had to endure and continue to endure, simply that i've been aware of and familiar with the history for possibly my entire life, and is something i care about quite deeply.

i thought that this was a beautiful tale of girlhood (evolved into womanhood), of friendship and betrayal, and of feminism, all wrapped in the context of living in an oppressive context. i loved how kamali wove in commentary and history into the narrative without making it feel forced or artificial. i enjoyed how we were able to see the different stratas of iranian society and what status and activism meant to women from all walks of life. kamali also did a fantastic job of weaving together all sorts of emotions—heartbreak, joy, anger, desperation, guilt, grief, and loneliness. i thought that the main characters we follow (ellie and homa) were beautifully written, and i was very very invested in their stories.

it took me a minute to get into the book. i had a hard time feeling captured or intrigued during the first part of the book (when the focus was on ellie's and homa's childhoods), though i don't think that was a failing necessarily on the book's part. i absolutely blasted through the second half of the book though!

Incredibly touching and gut-wrenching all in the same breath, The Lion Women of Tehran tells the story of the most meaningful of bonds between women. It centers on what begins as a childhood friendship between two girls from different social classes in Tehran that persists across decades, various political regimes, and two countries set oceans apart. Spanning the various cultural and political upheavals in recent Iranian history, it highlights the strength and bravery of Iranian women - the shir zan, or lion women - forced to reckon with repressive governments, still fighting to obtain basic rights and freedoms even today.

I haven’t cried like that while reading a book in a long time, made into a blubbering mess by the time I finished the epilogue. It felt especially poignant in this current day and age and made my heart break for all the women across the world who do not have the same privileges I do to choose a future for themselves, regardless of what that future might be. This book’s ties into actual historical events felt both informative and emotionally moving, portraying the effect things like revolution and war can have on those forced to live through them. It’s one thing to read about these moments in a history textbook, isolated and far removed from them, and another to witness them through the eyes of women, even fictional ones.

While they may only be fictional characters, Ellie and Homa felt particularly real, particularly human - their characterization phenomenally well done. I grew so attached to them, their families, their hopes, their dreams, and especially the friendship between them (no matter how tumultuous it may have been at times - though that only served to further how very real it all felt). Their differences work well together, striking a very delicate balance as they lose contact at various points and yet still find their way back to each other. They aren’t one dimensional or stereotypical by any means, and through Marjan Kamali’s masterful writing, we get to witness them grow from young girls navigating the world to determined, resilient, and unwavering women, bearing the brunt of so much hardship and suffering. Despite all the difficulties that they are made to experience in the time we spend in their lives, this is ultimately a story about love and its ability to endure.

This was my favorite of the summer readalong books. It is something I can see myself returning to later and loving for a very long time.