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My Synopsis:
In this very slender graphic novel, Marjane Satrapi gives us a peek into the lives of Iranian women. Well, the romantic and sexual aspects of their lives anyway.
My Review:
I felt like I was sitting in this roomful of multi-generational women as they gossiped about themselves, each other, and friends they knew. I think all women have sat in a group like this, when there aren’t any men around, and said just exactly what we really think. It’s not all ladylike and demure. This is the chance to be as ribald as you’d like.
I laughed so hard at some of these stories! They were hilarious!
Others were heartbreaking. I might not be able to relate to tales of arranged marriages, but I think most of us have enough imagination to understand how horrible it could be.
What I mostly took away from this is that, despite some cultural differences, women are women and men are men the world over. We have much more in common than we think.
If you aren’t embarrassed by women talking frankly about sex and love, go ahead and pick this up. It only takes an hour or so to read, but it’s very enjoyable.
Recommended by:
Aths at Reading on a Rainy Day
Similar Books:
If you liked Embroideries, you might also like my reviews of
- Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Mattias Ripa
- Mama Makes Up Her Mind and Other Dangers of Southern Living by Bailey White
- I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb
Reading Challenge:
I read this for the Middle East Reading Challenge at Helen’s Book Blog and the Graphic Novel Challenge hosted by Vasilly.
Purchase:
Buy Embroideries from Malaprop’s Bookstore in beautiful Asheville, NC or
4 Comments
I enjoyed Persepolis and Persepolis 2 and have Embroideries on my TBR list. You've just confirmed that I should move it up higher, thank you for posting to the Middle East Reading Challenge!
I thoroughly enjoyed Persepolis and have been meaning to pick this up for quite some time. Glad you enjoyed it!
"What I mostly took away from this is that, despite some cultural differences, women are women and men are men the world over. We have much more in common than we think." – Even after reading so many books about this subject, I never fail to get surprised by how similar we all really are. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one!
Interesting subject matter for a graphic novel!