The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

The Lion Women of Tehran

Author: Marjan Kamali

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Publish Date: July 2024

Read: June 2025 (DNF)

Favorite Quote: My baba says the only society worth living in is one where everyone has access to food, shelter, clean water, and health services.

Story Synopsis: Ellie, now living in New York City, grew up in Tehran during the overthrow of democracy in the mid-twentieth century. When her former best friend, whom she betrayed, writes to her and begs her to call, Ellie must relive her past and make amends with her wrongs to alleviate her guilt and shame.

Why does this book beguile? I heard many, many people love this book and say that it was emotional and beautiful. Sadly, it was a no for me. I got about halfway through before I officially called it quits on The Lion Women of Tehran. The book was beautifully written, but the characters were shallow and predictable. As soon as communuism was mentioned, I figured out exactly what would happen for the characters and got bored.

The saving grace of this book was the incredible description of the Persian food throughout. That alone kept me reading way longer than I ordinarily would have.

Bookshop.Org Link*: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

Amazon.com Link*: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

If you’re interested in this, read*: The Women by Kristin Hannah - Bookshop.Org / Amazon.com