The Last Days of Cafe Leila, Donia Bijan
The Last Days of Cafe Leila, Donia Bijan
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The Last Days of Café Leila
A Novel

Author: Donia Bijan

Narrator: Deepti Gupta

Unabridged: 10 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/08/2017

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of Iran's rich, turbulent history, this exquisite debut novel is a powerful story of food, family, and a bittersweet homecoming. When we first meet Noor, she is living in San Francisco, missing her beloved father, Zod, in Iran. Now, dragging her stubborn teenage daughter, Lily, with her, she returns to Tehran and to Café Leila, the restaurant her family has been running for three generations. Iran may have changed, but Café Leila, still run by Zod, has stayed blessedly the same—it is a refuge of laughter and solace for its makeshift family of staff and regulars.

As Noor revisits her Persian childhood, she must rethink who she is—a mother, a daughter, a woman estranged from her marriage and from her life in California. And together, she and Lily get swept up in the beauty and brutality of Tehran.

About Donia Bijan

Donia Bijan is a Bay Area author and chef. After graduating from UC Berkeley, she attended the Cordon Bleu and ran her acclaimed restaurant, L'Amie Donia, in Palo Alto, for ten years. Her memoir, Maman's Homesick Pie, was published in 2011. Her novel, The Last Days of Cafe Leila, an Amazon Editor's Pick, was published in 2017. Her books have been translated into German and Italian. She is currently working on a novel set in Iran.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Suzanne on June 04, 2017

Noor’s life has hit a speedbump. She works in a hospital as a nurse while raising her teenage daughter, Lily. Years of marriage are in question after becoming aware of her husband's infidelities. Noor decides to take some time to evaluate her life by taking her daughter to Tehran to visit her father......more

Goodreads review by Cindy on April 09, 2017

4.5 stars WOW is the best word I can use to describe The Last Days of Café Leila. I absolutely loved the book all the way up until the end. The ending made me very sad and while I am not sure how it could have ended differently, I wish it had. I cannot say anymore without spoiling it so I will leave......more

Goodreads review by Dana on May 23, 2017

3.5 stars I was originally drawn to this book by its cover and found inside a beautiful story of family, love, food, and Iranian culture (which I was, for the most part, unfamiliar with).......more

Goodreads review by Doreen on April 18, 2017

I enjoy books which illuminate other cultures so I really looked forward to reading this book. Though it does indeed provide details about Iranian culture, it does so in a narrative that I can only describe as awkward and unsophisticated. Noor, recently divorced, returns to Iran after a 30-year abse......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on March 16, 2017

This is a complex and beautifully written novel. It centers on family and home. It is crafted around three generations from America to Tehran. Her descriptions,especially about food, are unparalleled. Tis will be one of my favorites for a long time to come.......more

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