The Temporary Bride, Jennifer Klinec
The Temporary Bride, Jennifer Klinec
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The Temporary Bride
A Memoir of Love and Food in Iran

Author: Jennifer Klinec

Narrator: Laurence Bouvard

Unabridged: 7 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 02/14/2017

Synopsis

For fans of Reading Lolita in Tehran, a true story of forbidden love set against the rich cultural and political backdrop of modern-day Iran.

Jennifer Klinec is fearless. In her thirties, she abandons her bland corporate job to launch a cooking school from her London apartment and travel the world in search of delicious recipes and obscure culinary traditions. Her journey takes her to Iran, where she seeks out a local woman to learn the secrets of Persian cuisine.

Vahid is suspicious of the strange foreigner who turns up in his mother's kitchen. Unused to such a bold and independent woman, he is frustrated to find himself, the prized only son of the house, largely ignored for the first time. But when the two are thrown together on an unexpected adventure, they discover a mutual attraction that draws them irresistibly toward each other--but also pits them against harsh Iranian laws and customs, which soon threaten to tear the unlikely lovers apart.

Getting under the skin of one of the most complex and fascinating nations on earth, The Temporary Bride is a soaring, intricately woven story of being loved, being fed, and struggling to belong.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Esil on January 11, 2017

I’m struggling to figure out what bothered me about The Temporary Bride. It is a brief memoir written by the Canadian born author who travels to Iran for the purpose of learning about Iranian cooking but ends up in a forbidden love type of relationship. While learning to cook in the home of an Irani......more

Goodreads review by Marie on December 23, 2016

This is an interesting little memoir about a young woman who grew up in Ontario and had happy memories of her mother cooking her native food from Yugoslavia. Her mother stopped cooking elaborate meals when their business took off, but Jen forever afterwards sought out interesting foods and cultural......more

Quotes

"Danger and intrigue seem more the ingredients of a novel than a memoir; Klinec's book has both, though, and combined with the smells and tastes of Middle Eastern cooking, this is an addictive and romantic read."—Booklist

"By turns unsentimental and tender, Klinec's book offers insight into the delicious world of Persian cuisine as well as the surprising twists and turns of the human heart. An unexpectedly moving memoir."—Kirkus Reviews

"A cross-cultural romance with a backdrop of Middle Eastern cuisine. Conveys the fear and excitement experienced by a couple trying to get to know each other in a strictly controlled society."—The Herald, Scotland

"THE TEMPORARY BRIDE is a beautifully written window into a world few of us have ever entered: contemporary Iran in all its complexity.
Its sprawling cities and street-side eateries come to life, but most vivid is the portrait of ordinary Iranians: cooking, sharing, living, in a world where Westerners are unwelcome. A book for travellers - of the world and the senses."—The Irish Examiner

"This is amour sans frontiers. An adventure in a globalised world. Love laughs at rigorously controlled borders."—The Times

"The writing is vivid and sensual, the city of Yazd where she stays comes alive - the people, the streets, the scents, and her description of, among other things, a slaughterhouse is powerful. I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a film."—Sydney Morning Herald

"A moving memoir about love against the odds."—Good Housekeeping's "10 best books to read this October"

"Klinec offers an insightful take on the status of Iranian women in a complex culture. She fills the pages with the tastes and scents of Iran. Most of all, Klinec illustrates that what we eat is about more than what we put into our mouths - it's a window into history and culture."—Chatelaine

"Easy-to-read, enjoyable and down to earth, THE TEMPORARY BRIDE: A memoir of love and food in Iran gives an inside look into the harsh laws of Iran and interlaces it with fantastic imagery of food, culture and love."—Glamour, South Africa

"Her descriptions of food are remarkable. She has a wonderful eye for domestic detail. They develop an intimacy against the odds. A forbidden love affair. They pursue this relationship in this really oppressive environment. The atmosphere is brooding. There is a lot of tension. I was really worried for them but there is a twist at the end. I think you'll have a very happy time reading this book."—Radio New Zealand, Nine to Noon Book Review

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