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In a powerful debut novel that moves between the crowded streets of London and the desolate mountains of Iran, Yasmin Crowther paints a stirring portrait of a family shaken by events from decades ago and worlds away. On a rainy day in London the dark secrets and troubled past of Maryam Mazar surface violently, with tragic consequences for her daughter, Sara, and her newly orphaned nephew. Maryam leaves her English husband and family and returns to the remote Iranian village where her story began. In a quest to piece their life back together, Sara follows her mother and finally learns the terrible price Maryam once had to pay for her freedom, and of the love she left behind. Set against the breathtaking beauty of two very different places, this stunning family drama transcends culture and is, at its core, a rich and haunting narrative about mothers and daughters.
Crowther's debut novel paints a vivid double portrait of a spirited mother-daughter pair, first- and second-generation immigrants to England from Iran whose relationship grows turbulent when shadows from the mother's past begin to overwhelm her. This beautifully produced reading starts with the bright voice of Ariana Fraval as Sara, the daughter, but it is soon overtaken by the darker, melodically accented tones of Mehr Mansuri as Maryam, Sara's mother. Maryam returns to the tiny village where she grew up to come to terms with her past, especially with the ghost of her father and with her first love, Ali, who has been waiting for her return. As Maryam journeys through Iran and back into her memories, and then induces Sara to come too, Mansuri's voice takes on myriad emotional shades, from wonder and delight to sharp regret and painful uncertainty. Intervals of Persian-inflected music helps set an exotic yet contemplative mood. Fraval and Mansuri's authentic pronunciation of the occasional foreign words allows listeners to be swept up by Crowther's lovely, haunting story even more easily than when reading it for themselves. Simultaneous release with the Viking hardcover. (Reviews, Oct. 2). (Jan.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information More Reviews and RecommendationsYasmin Crowther was born to an Iranian mother and British father. This is her first novel.
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February 27, 2009: This beautiful book uses poetry to tell it's sad story of the life
of an Iranian woman married to an Englishman. We learn that throughthe poem Dover Beach she decides to come to England and marry andtry to forget her tragic past. She can never quite forget it as welearn in Auden's poem. Her daughter and husband suffer because Maryam suffers but ultimatelyfind peace and a way to happiness as Maryam does. I recommend this book and it reminds me of The Namesake and alsoThe Space Between Us.Reader Rating:
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September 23, 2007: This is a beautiful and touching story. The description 'lyrical prose' was never more true. The literary emphasis is on setting and characters. May this amazing writer give us many more novels.