The Lion Women of Tehran- Book Review

Quick Review:- a strong emotional novel about the friendship between two women set between 1950’s and 1980’s Iran.

Rating:- 5 stars

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams for a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions of becoming “lion women.”

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

In 1950, Elaheh known as Ellie moves into a neighborhood when her father suddenly dies. Ellie befriends a vivacious girl named Homa and the two girls quickly becomes friends. The story basically talks about their up and downs in their friendship, particularly when Ellie’s mother remarries and moves to a wealthy neighborhood, set during the political upheaval time in Iran.

With the current political situation and the war in Iran, this story tells a lot about the history of Iran in general, from coup d’état in 1953 which overthrew the Prime Minister to the Iranian Revolution in 1979 which overthrew the Shah and setting up of an Islamic Regime with Ayatollah Khomeini to the war between in Iran and Iraq in 1982. I only know very briefly about the Iranian Revolution Ellie and Homa comes from two different backgrounds–Ellie’s family are rich and supportive of the Shah while Homa’s family are communist, with Homa fighting for women’s rights. Homa and Ellie both lead different lifestyles–Ellie moves to the United States with her husband before the Iranian Revolution while Homa with her daughter Bahar experiences the effects of the Iranian Revolution and living in Iran under the new Islamic Regime.

The story is beautifully written and almost poetic. There were some Persian/Farsi words with the translation next to those words. The story is realistic, emotional, relatable and reflective. The story is predominantly told in Ellie’s POV although there are Homa’s POV where she details about her life and friendship with Ellie as well. I like how women’s rights in Iran are the main point in the book.

Overall, this is a provocative, emotional, and an immersive story that inspires about women’s courage, empathy, forgiveness, redemption, healing and acceptance and about friendship. I felt connected to all the characters and I highly recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read it yet.

Overall five stars.

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