The Lion Women of Tehran, Marjan Kamali
The Lion Women of Tehran, Marjan Kamali
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

The Lion Women of Tehran

Author: Marjan Kamali

Narrator: Mozhan Navabi, Nikki Massoud

Unabridged: 10 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/02/2024


Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

An “evocative read and a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism” (People) set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran—from nationally bestselling author Marjan Kamali.

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 for a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind 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 of 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.

“Reminiscent of The Kite Runner and My Brilliant Friend, The Lion Women of Tehran is a mesmerizing tale” (BookPage) of love and courage, and a sweeping exploration of how profoundly we are shaped by those we meet when we are young.

About Marjan Kamali

Marjan Kamali, born in Turkey to Iranian parents, spent her childhood in Kenya, Germany, Turkey, Iran, and the United States. She holds degrees from UC Berkeley, Columbia University, and New York University. She is the 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Award. She is the author of The Lion Women of TehranThe Stationery Shop, and Together Tea. Marjan lives with her husband in the Boston area. They have two children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Canadian Jen on July 27, 2024

I am woman, hear me roar. 2 girls become unlikely friends in Iran: one from the slums, the other from the upper class. A country on the verge of a revolution in 1979. Homa wants to be a judge. Fight for people who can’t fight for themselves. Ellie, privileged, has the goal of marrying and having a l......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on July 04, 2024

This was another compelling, insightful, and very interesting read by Marjan Kamali. After reading (and loving), The Stationery Shop by this author, I could not wait to read this book. Once again, she did not disappoint. “Shir zan. The Persian phrase that translates to ‘lion women’”. In this story w......more

Goodreads review by emilybookedup on August 08, 2024

i’m between 4-4.5 stars - i devoured this book!!!! finished in 24 hours bc i couldn’t stop thinking about these two women and their story + friendship. highly recommend the audiobook too—i’ve listened to both her novels on audio and they’re so well done! this is much different than THE STATIONERY SHO......more

Goodreads review by Meagan✨ on November 03, 2024

Definitely one of my favorites reads this year. 😭 Fine-tuning the review I’m so ready for this. Hoping this will break my heart and put it back together ❤️‍🩹......more

Goodreads review by Meagan on August 29, 2024

Did I read the same book as everyone else???? I’m so confused after reading some 5 star reviews. This story was unfortunately flat and lacking any depth of emotion or real plot. I kept hoping the story would engage me, but every single chapter left me wondering why I was still listening. It also doe......more


Quotes

"Mozhan Navabi performs this audiobook with the right tone and tempo. She narrates crisply and captures the guilt-ridden Ellie, who is tormented by her past. Ellie’s best friend, political activist Homa, is voiced with a younger sound and tone (by Nikki Massoud). Her voice is fitting for the youthful Iranian revolutionary who champions women’s rights and democracy and is jailed and abused for her beliefs."