Veil of Roses

Nov 04, 2007 Mariam rated it 1 of 5 stars

This is not the book to read if you want to learn about Iranian women or Islam. I was not surprised to find that the author's only connection to Iran is that her husband lived there until the age of ten. She is certainly allowed her own opinion of Iran, but is clearly misinformed on many counts. For one thing, "all good Muslim men" do NOT dream of meeting a limitless supply of virgins in heaven. And, although women in Iran do have fewer freedoms than they do in the U.S., they are allowed creativ...more This is not the book to read if you want to learn about Iranian women or Islam. I was not surprised to find that the author's only connection to Iran is that her husband lived there until the age of ten. She is certainly allowed her own opinion of Iran, but is clearly misinformed on many counts. For one thing, "all good Muslim men" do NOT dream of meeting a limitless supply of virgins in heaven. And, although women in Iran do have fewer freedoms than they do in the U.S., they are allowed creative expression. Fitzgerald claims that female artists are not allowed to perform in front of men. I have seen this happen with my own eyes. I have seen female musicians performing with men onstage in Iran. I have seen artwork by female Iranians, and I have seen them acting on Iranian television.
I do not pretend that the Iranian government is not corrupt, because it is in many ways. However, the way they portray Islam is false. At the time of the Prophet Muhammad, when the Muslims of Saudi Arabia were living in Medina, they had a covenant with the Jews who also lived there. The Muslims never forced Islam on the Jews. Also, when Muslims ruled Spain, Jews there had a great life of freedom. Just because Iran made a mistake in interpreting Islam, does not mean that that is what Islam stands for. I am one of so many Muslim women who wear hijab out of choice. I know Iranian women here in America who wear chadors out of choice as well. It is not seen as a restraint. Just because the character of this book feels chained because of the veil, does not mean that the rest of the Muslim women do. We see it as freedom from a world where women are seen as sex icons, and as a way of demonstrating our religion and fear of God. That does not mean that we cannot have fun, as the author of this book claims. On the contrary, women (besides in Iran) who wear hijab are allowed as much freedom as those who don't. Of course, we can't drink alcohol, but then neither can men. There are things that Muslims are not allowed to do, but those restrictions do not include listening to music or talking to men.
What especially angered me about this book was that, while repeatedly trashing wearing a veil or being religious, the author makes a number of Islamic references. There is a moment where Tami says “Inshallah”. What Fitzgerald conveniently failed to do was tell readers what that expression means. It is an expression used by Muslims all over the world that means “God willing”. Tami says that a certain thing will happen if God wills it, which is not something a very non-religious person would say. This is a person who openly hates and refuses Islamic customs such as wearing a hijab or abstaining from drinking. She goes to Las Vegas because it is known as the land of sin. To her, freedom is drinking, wearing revealing clothes, using excessive amounts of makeup, getting boob jobs, and going to clubs and bars. These things do not sound like freedom to me- they sound like things that anyone with an ounce of moral standings would want to stay well away from. Islam, in making those actions unlawful, is not restraining anyone. If people would try to understand Islam instead of condemning it, they would be able to see that there are reasons behind the restrictions- in truth, we are protected from harmful lifestyles. We, in fact, are free.
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Oct 09, 2011 Ðɑηηɑ rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who believes in freedom; women

Recommended to Ðɑηηɑ by: my grandfather

Shelves: cultural, 2011, 2-stars, female-author, usa, hebrew, pub-2000s, female-protagonist, love-story

Veil of Roses Review

Tamila is a young, Iranian woman who lives a life separated into two main periods of time:
First, the freedom.
Freedom
Tamila was a young baby in her first couple of years in the world, when her parents lived in America, or as it otherwise known as "Land of Opportunities". It seems as if she lives in a world of temporary flashback, back to her time in the USA, which she hardly remembers: Sometimes it's the present, and sometimes she sinks into those pleasant memories of her you...more

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May 19, 2010 Dawn Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who likes a good story

Recommended to Dawn Michelle by: Kelly Maister

Shelves: books-read-in-2008, books-i-cant-live-without, books-read-in-2010

WHAT a great story!!!

I think that we forget (even with things on the news) what a great life and what great freedoms we have in America (and in Canada). This book reminded me over and over again.

Tamila (Tami) is from Iran. Her parent's (knowing from personal experience of living once in the US) work to get her a visa to go to America for 3 months. Once there, her goal is to find a husband, so she can stay in America for good.
Her sister and brother-in-law (who married and escaped Iran 15 years...more

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Dec 04, 2007 Lucy rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: sappy at heart

I liked the premise of the book. Iranian woman who has no rights or opportunities in Iran with the current political situation wants to live in America so she can be the type of woman her parents have always encouraged her to be.

It humanizes Iran (something the news rarely does) and exposes the misguided treatment of women within its country.

Unfortunately, those are the best things about this book. You'll have to excuse me, as its been several weeks and I've forgotten most of the characters' nam...more

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Dec 09, 2007 The Book Maven rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: theiranianlegacy, womens_fiction, theimmigrantexperience, chick-lit

So I am a little partial to chick-lit to begin with, and very partial towards books that depict Persian life and culture, so this book was a very pleasing combination of the two and since it told an engaging story to boot, I give it high marks.

Tami is a frustrated, repressed 27-year-old wasting away in the Islamic Republic of Iran. On her birthday, her parents present her with a mixed blessing: a passport, a one-way plane ticket, and the advice to go to America and stay there if she can. The onl...more

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Dec 31, 2008 Kirin rated it 2 of 5 stars

i'm sick of these type of books, i mean really there is a lot of in between wearing a scarf (it doesn't really qualify as a veil) and running around getting drunk and being with guys. but alas the book was handed to me, was a turbo easy read, and i read it. i wouldn't recommend it, but if you have it on your shelf give it a whirl, it will amuse you for the few hours it takes you to read, and then will promptly be forgotten.

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May 03, 2007 Mahina rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Hopeful people

I loved this book – it’s sweet, romantic and though-provoking. The central character, Tamila Saroush, is a 27 year old Persian woman who comes to America to better her life. I enjoyed seeing America through her eyes. She takes nothing for granted and sees every day occurrences -- a girl wearing a mini skirt, two teenagers holding hands -- as little acts of freedom that she captures through her photography. She loves America but in order to stay she must get married. Her sister, determined to kee...more

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Nov 03, 2007 Dee rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in other cultures

For those that know me, I am clearly interested in cross-cultural books regardless of culture. This was a very thought-provoking story about one Iranian woman's adventures in America for the first time. It is a thought-provoking book making one look at just how lucky we are to live in America and makes you really see how much the littlest things can mean to someone who has no freedom. Freedom is explored in so many possible ways that it reminds us what we take for granted and what it truly means...more

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May 21, 2012 Emi rated it 5 of 5 stars

It was beautiful, funny, and sad. I've had the book on my shelf for many years. Just ordered book 2

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Mar 16, 2008 Jodie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Shelves: fiction, chick-lit, inspirational

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 10, 2010 Leabella added it

The veil of rose is a quite enjoyable and thought provoking book. It has followed the old love story writing pattern, but it has the special, smooth and gentle tone that attract me keep reading it. The way she is using the first person to tell the story is slightly heart touching, and we actually see through what has happened with the protagonist. It gives me the real and moving feeling.
I like the way she develop the character, especially the protagonist, Tami. I know this girl since the beginn...more

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Jan 19, 2009 Mari Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book this weekend over the course of about 3 hours. It's a very quick read that almost reads like Young Adult fiction except that the main character is 27. This is sometimes annoying as she acts like she's 16 for some of the book and like she's 46 for the other. Some of this could probably be explained by the fact that she's led such a sheltered life that she is somewhat emotionally stunted.

The book is a very interesting look into what some Iranian immigrants, particularly women, mu...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Nshslibrary rated it 2 of 5 stars

Laura Fitzgerald’s debut novel, a poor attempt at rendering a bona fide account of the immigrant experience is neither introspective nor riveting.

The novel follows the life of Tamila Soroush, a young Iranian woman who leads an insubstantial existence until her twenty fifth birthday, when she receives a lucrative opportunity to escape to America for three months and "wake up her luck”. Tami flies to Tucson, Arizona to stay with her sister Maryam and her husband. But once in America, Tami must rac...more Laura Fitzgerald’s debut novel, a poor attempt at rendering a bona fide account of the immigrant experience is neither introspective nor riveting.

The novel follows the life of Tamila Soroush, a young Iranian woman who leads an insubstantial existence until her twenty fifth birthday, when she receives a lucrative opportunity to escape to America for three months and "wake up her luck”. Tami flies to Tucson, Arizona to stay with her sister Maryam and her husband. But once in America, Tami must race against time to find a suitable Iranian husband and stay back in America forever as she believes that "being married to a stranger is a small price to stay in the land of Opportunity." As the novel progresses, Tami the inklings of first love when she meets an amicable American named Ike, and develops forbidden feelings for the “American” but is quick to brush them aside. She then goes through rejecting her many quirky Iranian suitors and disastrous setups before realizing her unrestrained love for Ike which then jeopardizes her mission of getting hitched to a traditional Iranian with citizenship.However, this novel is plagued with two fatal flaws: first, there are major inconsistencies in the characters and second, the author blatantly exaggerates several details giving the plot an ingenuine feel. Fitzgerald portrayed Iran as the reincarnation of hell or rather Big Brother-esque totalitarian regime, by overplaying restrictions and rules of Iranian society. Meanwhile America was described as heaven brimming with kindness and compassion. This distinction also trickled down to the characters as Iranian men and women in the novel were mostly very controlling, aggressive, or contentious, meanwhile all American characters were described as amiable, compassionate and tender. It was clear from the beginning that the majority of the plot was going to be spent on Iran bashing. The second problem was character inconsistency. Tami is described as a fearful and suppressed Iranian woman for all intended purposes. But when she lands in Arizona, she doesn’t hesitate to wear a “remotely immodest” dress followed by “cake loads” of makeup. She then openly flirts with any Iranian man and behaves nothing like a conservative suppressed woman. Then all of sudden, the reader sees a completely different side of Tami as she begins to cry when one of the suitors initiates a handshake or when she hides under a park bench upon seeing two police officers casually patrolling or her sudden panic attacks upon seeing random men. These bouts of irregular and unexplained behavior either leave the reader thinking that she is bi-polar (which in my case was true) or just weaken Tami’s character and prevent the reader from gaining a deep insight into who Tami really is. ~ Student: Fiza A.

The plot is quite shallow and superficial with no real story and matter behind it. Overall, the book is competent for a cursory glance over on a lazy afternoon but trying if you are trying to extract anything more from it, then you just picked the wrong book.
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Jan 13, 2013 Whatsername rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

a alle leggi del suo Paese.
Vissuta sempre in Iran fino all'età di 27 anni, si ritrova in America, grazie al visto procuratole da suo padre, per poter raggiungere la sua sorella Maryam, sposata con Ardishir.
Tami è fuori di sé dalla gioia ma la sua felicità ha purtroppo una scadenza e, come nelle favole, i suoi sogni rischiano di tramutarsi in zucche vuote. Il suo visto ha la durata di soli tre mesi ed in questi mesi Tami deve combinare un matrimonio con un uomo iraniano che la sposi e che le pe...more a alle leggi del suo Paese.
Vissuta sempre in Iran fino all'età di 27 anni, si ritrova in America, grazie al visto procuratole da suo padre, per poter raggiungere la sua sorella Maryam, sposata con Ardishir.
Tami è fuori di sé dalla gioia ma la sua felicità ha purtroppo una scadenza e, come nelle favole, i suoi sogni rischiano di tramutarsi in zucche vuote. Il suo visto ha la durata di soli tre mesi ed in questi mesi Tami deve combinare un matrimonio con un uomo iraniano che la sposi e che le permetta anche di restare in America come moglie di un americano.
Maryam si impegnerà a farle conoscere gli uomini più disparati anche se purtroppo nessuno sembra essere quello giusto.
E non sempre va tutto come vorremmo no?
“Molti mariti iraniani sono dolci, gentili e premurosi verso le mogli che considerano persone, non soltanto madri dei loro figli. Però non tutti sono così. Si organizzano té in famiglia, scambi di doni e cene, ma capita spesso che una donna non sia mai stata sola con il proprio fidanzato prima del matrimonio”.
I personaggi sono stati resi dall'autrice molto realistici e alla mano.
Il romanzo è raccontato dal punto di vista di Tami e rende il lettore partecipe dei suoi pensieri. Infatti ho apprezzato molto le sue riflessioni sulla vita in Iran, sul paragone con l'America, e sulle sensazioni che provava nel vivere una vita nuova in questo continente ben diversa e lontana da quella vissuta in passato.
"Il tè non era proprio previsto. Magari dopo il corso, tornando a casa, avrei potuto fermarmi a prenderne una tazza mentre aggiornavo il diario. Però mango e kiwi in Iran non esistono, e così decido di provare. [...] Bleah! Non è mica tè. Freddo, sa di frutta, ma è così dolce che sembra ci sia dentro un quintale di zucchero”.
Questo libro mi ha fatto riflettere, e mi ha fatto pensare a come siamo fortunate noi donne occidentali. Ancora oggi, nel 2012, molte donne, pur non per loro scelta, devono sposare uomini che nemmeno conoscono.
Consiglio "Colazione da Starbucks" a chiunque abbia voglia di sognare, di sorridere, e perché no, anche di commuoversi, con una storia piena di passione e dolce, con un lieto fine molto carino, ma che abbia anche qualcosa di attuale, come in questo caso il richiamo alla cultura ed alla vita delle donne persiane.(less)

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Oct 28, 2012 Marissa Dadgari rated it 3 of 5 stars

Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald is a cute book. There's no mistaking it.

I picked it up as a free book at a Piedmont Halloween Celebration, after hearing glowing reviews from a friend of mine. At first, I was bothered by it. As a self-professed Iranophile, the story didn't ring true of Iran's laws and how an Iranian woman would act. (However, I come from a very liberal family, so maybe not every Iranian woman can make a cashier cry for not counting back change.) Tamila is very naive, as so man...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Ileen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, scrittori-statunitensi

Bello, non bellissimo.
Chiariamo subito una cosa: il libro mi è piaciuto davvero molto, soprattutto per il modo in cui è narrata la vicenda. Tami è fantastica e quello che mi piace in particolare è che dimostra meno anni di quelli che ha in realtà, 27. Mi sento costretta a fare un paragone con questa mia coetanea e a riflettere sulle mille idee descritte nel libro.
Ardishir è un altro personaggio ricco di fascino, come lo stesso Ike (che rimane comunque un personaggio non approfondito).
E allora...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Primadonna rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Read this if you want to enjoy a typical love story that ends well. But not if you are interested in Iran and Muslim women.

It's well written, yes. Yet somehow I feel that some things don't add up.

What is Tamila's religion? Since she said insha Allah and in some cases seemed to be offended with people who do not really appear to understand Iran and her religion, I deduct that she is Muslim. She views hijab as a restriction, a hindrance, and I think she can think whatever she likes, it's a persona...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Anna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, bookcrossing

I'm fascinated by the long history of Persia, and was hoping this book would give some insights to the current women from Iran. The idea of the book was good - a 27-year old Iranian woman comes to the US hoping to find a man to marry and then stay - but the result wasn't as good as I hoped.

What was good includes that hopefully it'll open the eyes of some of the readers for seeing that everything one tends to take granted around one's daily life shouldn't be taken for granted. Going out with your...more I'm fascinated by the long history of Persia, and was hoping this book would give some insights to the current women from Iran. The idea of the book was good - a 27-year old Iranian woman comes to the US hoping to find a man to marry and then stay - but the result wasn't as good as I hoped.

What was good includes that hopefully it'll open the eyes of some of the readers for seeing that everything one tends to take granted around one's daily life shouldn't be taken for granted. Going out with your friends to have a coffee can be a bigger deal if you couldn't do that back at home, and so is wearing sexy sandals and so on.

But there were several small things that seemed wrong or a bit off.
First, it didn't feel like an Iranian voice. I think she'd have been surprised, amazed, and shocked by many other things than the obvious ones mentioned in the book. Tami seemed quite naïve to be 27, and seemed to be seeing the world thru pink glasses, definitely being in the honeymoon stage of her journey/life in the new country.

One of the girls in her English class was introduced being from Czechoslovakia. But Czechoslovakia has ceased to exist in 1993. Since the girl was a much later arrival from the area previously known as that country, she would have been either Czech (statistically 65 % more likely), or Slovakian. Would it have been too hard to look at Wikipedia or the map or the history books to get a bit more background info for the characters? Even if the girl would have left her country before 1993, she'd still know which one she was, unless she had got her US citizenship before Czechoslovakia was divided. In which case why would she still have been in the English class with some newcomers? At least the other characters, if stereotypical, had their countries right: the German girl was from Germany, and not e.g. East Germany (which some people still would actually use, if it helps place their small town in the map easier in relation where it was in the old map), and the pregnant, Russian mail order bride was from Russia, and not Soviet Union. Hey, I guess it was easier to notice that the Germanies joined, and the Soviet Union is for most part Russia now, than to have noticed that there is no Czechoslovakia any more?

One of the girls in Tami's class had no accent for the first half of the book, then the way her talks are written makes me scream. If she had to have an accent, wouldn't it have made sense to keep it for all the book, or to have it decrease towards the end, not to just emerge and worsen?

Hijab was also constantly spelled - typoed - hejab.

And the biggest thing that would not have happened if this had been on a real life scenario: Tami arrived with a 90-days tourist visa with a one-way ticket. Even if she would have been from a visa waiver country, she would not have been allowed to enter the US without a return ticket and proof of funds to sustain her 90-days stay. The chances of an Iranian woman having been allowed to enter the country with a tourist visa without a return ticket long after 2001 are practically zero.

All those small things would have been easy to correct without changing the book. She could have had the return ticket but not want to use it (it would have made her journey much more believable); the other girl could have been Czech or Slovak, hijab's spelling could have been checked in a dictionary...
I can be a silly romantic so I'm not going to say anything about the rest of the story ;)

I think the book can still be enjoyable, but it'd probably best be enjoyed by those from the US cultures, who have never been or lived anywhere else, and who can easier take the small things for granted. (less)

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Aug 02, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I feel this book can best be described in an exerpt: "My eyes get big. I cannot help it. Divorced, twice! She must be the black sheep of her family, to have behaved so badly that not one but two men divorced her. This is why she is so chatty. This is why she talks to strangers on airplanes. Everyone else probably shuns her."

Although this book is fictional, I feel it is very true to life. The author did an excellent job of capturing the essence of American life. I can't even begin to imagine wha...more

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Aug 07, 2010 Annie Laurie (WI) rated it 2 of 5 stars

2-3 stars. Easy, quick read.

I enjoyed the book on two levels: both as a "chick book" (romance novel), and as an "inside" perspective as to what it might be like for a woman to move to the U.S. after living in a place like Iran. The typical, predictable pattern of a romance novel did not impress me (although I found Eva's character hilarious!). However, the "inside" perspective into the main character's thoughts/feelings about the United States was very interesting to me.

One thing that nagged at...more

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Mar 04, 2010 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. An eyeopening book about the bondage that faced Iranian woman and the simple freedoms of life that we take for granded in American.Be forewarned there is a lot of language in this book. At first I took offense, but as I got to know the character the author portrayed it fit her and it also helped to strengthen the innocence of the Iranian girl,Tami, because as she comes to American she learns another freedom through Eva...that of speech. Tami has gotten the dream of her heart...the chance at free...more An eyeopening book about the bondage that faced Iranian woman and the simple freedoms of life that we take for granded in American.Be forewarned there is a lot of language in this book. At first I took offense, but as I got to know the character the author portrayed it fit her and it also helped to strengthen the innocence of the Iranian girl,Tami, because as she comes to American she learns another freedom through Eva...that of speech. Tami has gotten the dream of her heart...the chance at freedom to go to America, but this is like a Cinderella wish. She only has a 3 month visa in which to find an american to marry and get her green card or she must return to Iran and loose herself in the chains of being a woman. Her sister Maryam has been so lucky and she has been in America for 15 years married to a kind and loving Iranian man. She is ready with a persian suiter the minute she walks off the plane as desperate as her sister to have her stay in the freedom of america. Maryam is controling in her pursuit to find Tami a husband and Tami finds that she wants to have a say in her husband although limited they may be. She finds joy in walking to her english class, where in Iran she must be covered from head to toe, she enjoys the fresh, clean air and the sun on her skin. She enjoys the colors of choice, open laughter of boys and girls on the playground, the teasing, the fun of being free to date openly, show affection openly instead of being garbed in black and hidden from view like woman are in Iran. She documents all these simple freedoms that most americans take for granted. When she finds an American man, Ike, that her sister would not approve of, she secretly visits him at the cafe on her way home from work. He ends up seeing her for what she has been through and accepts that she still wants to experience the freedoms she was denied in Iran, but is willing to marry her and still allow her these freedoms so she can stay in america and experience all her dreams too. This is only after Tami turns down two engagements. The first from a man that has mental tendancies, which she was willing to overlook until a better candidate came who had a propostion. He was gay and wanted to please his parents by marrying, but with the propostion that looked good came a contract that if they divorced she would have to leave her children behind as if she were in Iran and the husband has superiority. She faced the dread of going home rather than being in America and still not having her rights and freedoms. That's when Ike steps in and tells of his love and desire to marry her even if their marriage is only in name for a while.(less)

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Oct 24, 2009 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sara by: Gwen

Shelves: 2009, adult-fiction, chick-lit

Although this book is fiction, I learned a lot about women's lives in Iran, and I think the author did an excellent job bringing some of this hopelessness and timidity to life on the pages.

Tami is an Iranian woman sent to America by her parents in the hope that she will find a husband, get married, and not have to return to Iran. Tami's sister and her husband live in America, and they try to help by bringing lots of potential suitors over to their house for Tami to screen. In her spare time, Ta...more

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May 30, 2009 Heather Palmer added it

This compelling debut follows one spirited young woman from the confines of Iran to the intoxicating freedom of America—where she discovers not only an enticing new country but the roots of her own independence. . . .

Tamila Soroush wanted it all. But in the Islamic Republic of Iran, dreams are a dangerous thing for a girl. Knowing they can never come true, Tami abandons them. . . . Until her twenty-fifth birthday, when her parents give her a one-way ticket to America, hoping she will “go and wa...more

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Mar 28, 2010 Michelle Robinson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: compelling-topic, contemporary-fiction, stinking-great-fiction, immigrant-fiction

Tamilah Soroush, an Iranian, flies to America to visit her sister. Her family hopes that while she is here on a 3-month Visa she will meet someone suitable and marry so that she does not have to return to her home country.

When Tamila arrives, she is understandably a little timid aboutthe new found freedoms she has here. She slowly begins to explore her surrondings and her new sense of self. Her sister is very protective of her and tries to aid her in finding an appropriate mate for her.

This book...more

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Jan 07, 2010 Krista Ashe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-110-of-2010-books

I really liked this book. It came to me by way of one of my students, and I originally didn't think it was my kind of book to read. But I decided to. It really hooked me from the beginning when Tami, the MC, is watching little girls on the playground in America and commenting on the huge difference between little girls in Iran verses America.

I didn't realize all the little things I, as a single, independent woman, took for granted. It really makes you appreciate America and your freedoms. It's...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Jayme Swallow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: america, iran, islam, religion

I really thought I hadn't read Veil of Roses before, but as I started reading it, it felt rather familiar, and by the almost end, I was positive I had read it before. Regardless, I think Laura Fitzgerald's Veil of Roses is a good, and important read.

Veil of Roses introduces us to Tamila from Iran. Her parents have sent her to America. And if she can find a husband, she can stay. No more veil. No more oppression. She can finally be free.

I liked Veil of Roses because Fitzgerald keeps it light, b...more

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Jan 04, 2013 thelifepursuit rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: international, fiction

A quick and simplistic read about a Persian girl and her quest to find a husband in her 3 months in America. The plot was a decent chick lit one, with visits to Victoria's Secret, meeting men and wading through strange prospective husbands. The cast of characters was okay, but felt one dimensional - oversexed but faithful wife, abused pregnant wife, blonde blue-eyed hunk, overprotective sister, freakishly hygenic guy - few of them had multiple facets.

My main complaint is (view spoiler)...more

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May 10, 2012 Ape rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-east

I am fascinated by Iran, so I tend to put any books about Iran that I come across onto my reading wishlist. Which is how this book ended up on my list. And to be honest, now Ive read it, I dont think its really my cup of tea. Its kind of ethnic mills and boon for teenagers, or fluffy chick lit. If you take it for what it is, then its a nice enough fluffy story, although slightly naive and teenagerish - but when you want something light to read thats fine, and its not the longest book in the worl...more

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Aug 04, 2010 Shannon rated it 5 of 5 stars

This will most likely be the best book I have read all summer. 27-year old Tamila Souresh's parents are able to obtain a visitor's visa for her -- out of Iran and to the U.S. to visit her sister and brother-in-law. The 3-month visiting time is sucked up with all of them trying to find a Persian-decent American citizen for Tami to marry so she will not have to return to oppressive Iran. Each man they find has a flaw. Meanwhile, Tami is also signed up for an ESL class with students from Germany, R...more

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Dec 28, 2008 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would have given this book a 3.5 stars, if it was available. :) I'm surprised that this book doesn't have more "buzz" around it because it is highly readable; no forcing yourself to get through the text to get to better parts and/or resolution.

I am struggling whether to classify this book as "chick lit". On one hand, it certainly is an easy read with lots of laughs and commentary about the female experience and some of the more absurd aspects of American culture. Unlike other beach reads, how...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235953.Veil_of_Roses?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320506909l/235953.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235953.Veil_of_Roses?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald[/url]

Veil of Roses

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