The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

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The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

I am broken and yet I am whole again. I am in tears, but they are tears of feeling deep love and affection for fictional people. I refuse to believe that Marjan Kamali has blown life into imaginary characters. How can characters be so life-like? How can they elicit such deep emotions in readers?

This is a beautiful story of two friends - Elaheh [Eli] and Huma who met as 7 year olds and stayed friends till they lost count of the years. This touching story spans through the 70s and 80s, of these young ones growing up in picturesque Tehran. You will be able to see a little bit of yourselves in these two girls. Their childishness, their naivety, their innocence. Their families were different. They upbringing different. But, their friendship - thicker than blood.

Marjan Kamali has touched upon many important themes in the story. Friendship, toxic parent, class, feminism and many things, which seamlessly flow into the story line. None of it sounding preachy.

Eli grows apart from Huma and she joins college. All pretty and wanting to fit in, when Huma reappears into Eli’s life many years later, nobody would know what storm, rain and rainbow tagged along. Eli has grown up into this pretty girl who only probably wants to be married to a wonderful man, have children and be a great mother. What’s wrong with that kind of ambition? Huma always wanted to be a lady judge. She wanted to change the world around her. The world that belonged to Eli and herself.

But, the world has wicked ways to change the strong and determined. Does Huma become the judge she wanted to be? Does the friendship between Eli and Huma last the test of time? Does the world break down the Lion Women of Tehran? To know all of this, you would have to read or listen to the book.

Beautiful words and beautiful story line. Many a times, I choked on the audio and gulped air to stop the tears from gathering in my eyes. There was one scene, which I think I listened to at least thrice. It was sweet and touching and heart melting. The narrators Mozhan Navabi and Nikki Massoud have done such an excellent job. You will not regret this book one bit. I had gushed over The Stationery Shop for months. Here’s a favourite that will rule my heart for a long, long time.

My favourite quote:

“It was books. I read and read. Went to the library as much as I could. And to the bookstores. Lost myself in books. Did you know that books can heal you? They helped restore me.”

My favourite scenes:

One where Eli gets proposed and the other when Eli and Huma have run away from school to go the Grand Bazaar to buy ice cream.
❤️❤️❤️❤️ 

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