Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, ..., Shokoofeh Azar
Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, ..., Shokoofeh Azar
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Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, The

Author: Shokoofeh Azar

Narrator: Priya Ayyar

Unabridged: 8 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/10/2020

Synopsis

Set in Iran in the decade following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, this moving, richly imagined novel is narrated by the ghost of Bahar, a thirteen-year-old girl, whose family is compelled to flee their home in Tehran for a new life in a small village, hoping in this way to preserve both their intellectual freedom and their lives. But they soon find themselves caught up in the post-revolutionary chaos that sweeps across their ancient land. Bahars mother, after a tragic loss, embarks on a long, eventful journey in search of meaning in a world swept up in the post-revolutionary madness. Told from the wise yet innocent gaze of a young girl, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree speaks of the power of imagination when confronted with cruelty and of our human need to make sense of trauma through the ritual of storytelling itself. Through her unforgettable characters, Azar weaves a timely and timeless story that juxtaposes the beauty of an ancient, vibrant culture with the brutality of an oppressive political regime.

About Shokoofeh Azar

Shokoofeh Azar is an author of essays, articles, children's books, and novels as well as the first Iranian woman to hitchhike the entire length of the Silk Road. Her first novel, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, was shortlisted for Australia's Stella Prize for Fiction and is her first novel to be translated into English. She moved to Australia as a political refugee in 2011.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Paul on December 27, 2020

The more she read old books such as The Darab Nama, One Thousand and One Nights, Khayyam’s Nowruz Nama, Hossein Kord Shabestari, The Shahnama, Eskandar Nama, Malek Jamshid, Jame al-Olum, Ajayeb Nama, and Aja’ib va Ghara’ib, the deeper she delved into the magnificent expanse of ocean that was the Ira......more

Goodreads review by Settare (on hiatus) on May 10, 2022

I really wanted to like this book, but it didn't let me. I have a little bit of praise but also many problems with it. It's a sentimental story that brings to life many forgotten local Iranian folk tales, but it's so poorly written and its message is a bit distorted and exaggerated that I can't rate......more

Goodreads review by Jola on May 18, 2020

Have you ever tried to pour an ocean into a thimble? If yes, you know exactly what I am feeling, trying to write a review of Shokoofeh Azar's novel which I finished tonight. Words fail me. I wish I had a garden - then I would plant a greengage tree instead. It would always remind me of Roza, Hushang......more

Goodreads review by Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer on December 13, 2020

Dad wrote everything again. This time he cut out all the parts he had realized were incomprehensible to their stale minds, and embellished here and there to make it thoroughly believable. This time he wrote nothing about the black snow or my ghost, or Aunt Turan joining the jinns, or Beeta and Is......more

Goodreads review by Katia on April 02, 2020

Literally when I was typing this, the book was shortlisted for International Booker Prize 2020. In one sentence, if you are a fan of the classic magic realism a-la One Hundred Years of Solitude , you will probably like this book. And it is a harder call, if you like me are not armoured with this work......more

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