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Title details for The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji - Wait list

The Persians

by Sanam Mahloudji
Donia Bijan
Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 8 weeks
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0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 8 weeks
Shortlisted for The Women's Prize • Named a most anticipated book by Electric Literature, Publishers Weekly, The BBC, Daily Mail (London), and more

A darkly funny, life-affirming debut novel following five women from a once illustrious Iranian family as they grapple with revolutions personal and political.
Meet the Valiat family. In Iran, they were somebodies. In America, they're nobodies.

First there is Elizabeth, the regal matriarch with the famously large nose, who remained in Tehran despite the revolution. She lives alone but is sometimes visited by Niaz, her Islamic-law-breaking granddaughter, who takes her partying with a side of purpose and yet manages to survive. Elizabeth's daughters wound up in America: Shirin, a charismatic and flamboyantly high-flying event planner in Houston, who considers herself the family's future, and Seema, a dreamy idealist turned housewife languishing in the chaparral-filled hills of Los Angeles. And then there's the other granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student in New York City trying to find deeper meaning by quietly giving away her belongings.

When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up in jail, the family's upper-class veneer is cracked open. Shirin embarks upon a quest to restore the family name to its former glory, but what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered? Can they bring their old inheritance into a new tomorrow?

By turns satirical and philosophical, spanning from 1940s Iran to a splintered 2000s, The Persians upends the reader's expectations while exploring questions about love, family, money, art, and how to find yourself and each other when your country is lost. Wry and witty, brazen and absurd, The Persians is a deeply moving reinvention of the American family saga.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 4, 2025

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781797188522
      • File size: 379856 KB
      • Duration: 13:11:20

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The narrators of this audiobook--Donia Bijan, Lanna Joffrey, Nikki Massoud, and Mozhan Navabi--bring the vibrant, multifaceted Valiat family to life with skillful and dynamic performances. This multigenerational family saga spans decades and continents as the story moves from Iran to the U.S. Each narrator captures the nuances of their character with precision--from Bijan's authoritative Elizabeth, whose regal presence and complex emotions are conveyed beautifully, to Joffrey's spirited portrayal of Seema, who evokes both vulnerability and longing. Massoud gives Shirin a spirited, bold energy that mirrors her ambition, while Navabi's portrayal of Bita offers an introspective tone. The contrast between each narrator helps convey the tension between the old and new worlds, making this a compelling listening experience. M.R. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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