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Caspian Rain
by
Gina Nahai
From the best-selling author of Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith, a stirring, lyrical tale that offers American readers unique insight into the inner workings of Iranian society.
In the decade before the Islamic Revolution, Iran is a country on the brink of explosion. Twelve-year-old Yaas is born into an already divided family: Her father is the son of wealthy Iranian Jews ...more
In the decade before the Islamic Revolution, Iran is a country on the brink of explosion. Twelve-year-old Yaas is born into an already divided family: Her father is the son of wealthy Iranian Jews ...more
Hardcover, 250 pages
Published
October 16th 2007
by MacAdam Cage
(first published January 1st 2007)
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Gina B. Nahai finally seems to be finding an American audience for her work; perhaps our esteemed president's war on terrorism (or his seeming declaration of war on most of the rest of the world which doesn't appreciate his cowboy politics) has awakened us to what was a number of years ago "of little interest." Caspian Rain provides us with a portrait of Yaas's parents' rather unhappy marriage and her own upbringing within it.
Yaas's mother, Bahar, grew up with her seamstress-wann...more
Yaas's mother, Bahar, grew up with her seamstress-wann...more
I chose this book because it is about a deaf child. When I first started reading the book, I assumed that a whole chunk would be about the struggles of the deaf child especially in Iran, but the book chose to talk about the affair the most. I feel there wasn’t much depth to the characters in the book, and the overarching theme of loss was very unrealistic. I felt that each character made its own deep hole and wanted to blame someone else. The young girl, named Yaaz wasn’t born deaf. Her...more
I am definetly the minority here, but I did not enjoy this book much at all. I was expecting a novel about a deaf girl growing up in revolitionary Iran and knowing first hand what it is like being deaf in America, of course I jumped for excitement upon finding this book. Readers looking for a "deaf culture" type story, do not be mislead. Only the very last quarter of the book addresses Yaas's hearing impairment. The entire first half is about her parents and their marital discord. She ...more
Bookmarks Magazine
added it
Gina Nahai, who left Iran as an adolescent, offers a rare glimpse into one family's inner sanctum prior to Iran's Islamic Revolution. A tragic story told in memoir form, Caspian Rain reveals the limitations of their lives against the class struggles and conflict between tradition and modernism that defined pre-Revolution Iran. Engaging characters (particularly the 12-year-old Yaas), some beautiful writing (with a little magical realism thrown in, including the existence of Ghost Brother), and a
...more
My wife picked this book off the shelf at the local library without knowing anything about it. As I read it I was drawn into the sorrowful lives of Bahar and Yaas to a degree I had not expected. I think that living overseas in a culture similar to that which she describes made me particularly sympathetic for the constraints and burdens that these women must live with, that so profoundly shape their lives. I have seen their fates reflected in the lives of other woman and my heart grieves for them...more
Good God this book is bleak. Occasionally it picks up with some plot, and I'm captivated because I think, 'Maybe things are about to change for these poor characters,' but Ha Ha, joke's on me, things change but they only get worse.
Don't get me wrong, the writing is beautiful. I learned a bit about Iran, where the story is set. It's got some interesting perspectives on the nature of life, and experience, and loyalty, and family. So much fiction is called "luminous" these da...more
Don't get me wrong, the writing is beautiful. I learned a bit about Iran, where the story is set. It's got some interesting perspectives on the nature of life, and experience, and loyalty, and family. So much fiction is called "luminous" these da...more
Caspian Rain is a rather sad story. Bahar is a young school girl when her future husband sets eyes on her. Eager to live life, she accepts the proposal only to be shunned by his family and friends. Born into a family of secrets she cannot escape the fact that her husband does not love her and is carrying on an affair openly. Bahar has so much hope and faith that I wanted her to be strong and rise above her circumstances. But she never does. The book chronicles her life and the disappointme...more
Unlike a few recent books that fell short of expectations, this one was better than I thought it would be. I was expecting that dull class of lukewarm 'ethnic' fiction, with technicolor descriptions of foods and spices, and lots of deep poetic talk about mothers and daughters.
Definitely it was about mothers and daughters. But there was very little food. Instead Nazis, ghost brothers on bicycles, and sweaty lodgers who go to door-to-door selling the hair of the dead. Chamedooni is a gre...more
Definitely it was about mothers and daughters. But there was very little food. Instead Nazis, ghost brothers on bicycles, and sweaty lodgers who go to door-to-door selling the hair of the dead. Chamedooni is a gre...more
Bizarre, fascinating with a tragic ending, but the story kept drawing me back in. Now that I've had time to allow the story to digest, I think I really liked it. It was so different from anything I'd ever read.
The book is the narrative of a Jewish Iranian girl growing up in pre-revolutionary Tehran describing the dissolution of her parents marriage. Not exactly light stuff, but the characters were strong, colorful and at times darkly humorous as is befitting Iran in the late 1970s. ...more
The book is the narrative of a Jewish Iranian girl growing up in pre-revolutionary Tehran describing the dissolution of her parents marriage. Not exactly light stuff, but the characters were strong, colorful and at times darkly humorous as is befitting Iran in the late 1970s. ...more
This is the story of a Jewish-Iranian family's experiences in Iran in the years leading up to the Revolution. The story is told from the perspective of a young girl as she relates her mother's life story. It's not so much a religiously-charged book as I had initially expected, thinking it would be a Jews vs. Muslims tale. But religion does play a part in that it focuses on the large disparity between the rich and poor Jews in Iran during that era.
I really enjoyed the book for the...more
I really enjoyed the book for the...more
In the years before the Islamic Revolution, the son of a wealthy Iranian Jewish family, assimilated into the country’s mostly Muslim, upper-class, marries a young Jewish woman raised in the slums of South Tehran, near the old Jewish ghetto. Conflict immediately arises since each partner has totally different expectations of their marriage. A controlling husband wants a traditional subservient role for his wife who had hoped to benefit from a rise in status and start a career.
This book is well written and covers a number of unusual territories--the first is Jews living in Iran (the era is under the Shah, so it is not a book of religious oppression) and the other is a child growing up deaf in a family that refuses to accept it--not all that uncommon. The writing style is unusual and very good--the author has a neat voice that moves at a quickyet leisurely pace that I found quite wonderful.
This was an interesting book, but I was expecting more on Iranian women, more on deafness, more on growing up Jewish in that culture. The potential for exploring and enhancing the story with details of Iran during that era just wasn't developed. If I hadn't read other books about Iran, many of the references would have gone right over my head. Still, an well written story with some incredible characters!
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This is a beautifully written book about life in pre-revolution Iran, that depicts the lives of two Jewish families from very different backgrounds. The story describes the Iranian society during the Shah's regime, with all its cultural and social intricacies. The prose is simple, straightforward and, at the same time, very insightful.
this was an excellent story of iran in the 1960s. one womans journey without love under the jewish cultural limitations and her daughters unhappy journey . I couldn't stop reading this...characters well defined and courageous. kept hoping for a happy ending.....
Just met the author at our Literacy fundraiser, wonderful personality, obviously intelligent, with a rich family history. Can't wait to get started!
(finished book) I enjoyed this book despite some lukewarm reviews out there on it. I found the imagery rich and writing descriptive and flowing. It is not a happy book - it is a book that overlays what is all too common (an unhappy marriage, childhood illness) onto the face of a changing country. Apparently there were some complaints from r...more
(finished book) I enjoyed this book despite some lukewarm reviews out there on it. I found the imagery rich and writing descriptive and flowing. It is not a happy book - it is a book that overlays what is all too common (an unhappy marriage, childhood illness) onto the face of a changing country. Apparently there were some complaints from r...more
Caspian Rain is a dark novel, with the final wisdom doing little to uplift the overall tone. The characters seemed remote from each other, and from the reader. Is this about fate and our inability to escape it?
Carolyn
marked it as to-read
A girl grows up in Isfahan, before the Iranian Revolution. The story feels like a memoir - lots of detail about religious (mostly Jewish) and cultural practices. It is mostly tragic, so don't bother waiting for the happy part to start.
Dboul
added it
At a time when we all need to learn more about Iran, Gina Nahai once again offers keen insight into Persian society that helps explain its mysteries. This is a dreamy tale and Gina is a captivating author.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I couldn't put this book down. I loved the sadness of it, as well as the beautiful writing. Really good book. Will pass it on to someone else, I want to share the goodness.
This book was amazing. In this book there were mixed emotions. I was really angry at many thing and was happy at some. But the book is really good.
This is one of the best books I have ever read - but it is heartbreakingly sad. Highly recommend.
A vivid look into the brutal class societies of Iran. A beautiful, but sad and lonely book.
This book was almost relentlessly heartbreaking, but I couldn't put it down. A beautiful, haunting story.
beautiful turns of phrase throughout, but many loose threads left unfinished. still the author's style of writing made it a worthwhile read.
URG! What started out so promisingly became turgid and overly dramatic and just flat out disappointing.
Sad.
Sad.
Iran, from a Jewish -Middle Eastern perspective..fascinating.
Fantastic book. Great imagery and thought-provoking story.
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Gina B. Nahai is a best-selling author, and a professor of Creative Writing at USC. Her novels have been translated into 18 languages, and have been selected as “One of the Best Books of the Year” by the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. They have been finalists for the Orange Award, the IMPAC Award, and the Harold J. Ribalow Award. She is the winner of the Los Angeles Arts Council Award...more
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