Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji

Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji is one of those books I would’ve never heard about had it not been for 5 Minutes for Books and a virtual discussion I had with Jennifer.    I had commented on someone’s blog that I couldn’t stomach The Kite Runner because of the violence, although I did recognize that it is likely a worthwhile story.  Jennifer recommended Rooftops of Tehran as a good alternative; it is a story that is similar in spirit but it has much less violence.  Rooftops of Tehran was named the selection for this month’s 5 Minutes for Books bookclub, and here we are. 

Jennifer was right–Rooftops of Tehran is a story that I won’t soon forget.  It is the story of seventeen year old Pasha, a young Iranian man whose world is torn apart because of political unrest in his homeland.  At the center of the story is his love for his neighbor, Zari, the promised bride of Pasha’s own friend and mentor, a young, intelligent revolutionary called Doctor.  There are two narrative strands through the first half of the story, and to be honest, I found this to be a little off-putting.  However, one tragic turn of events unites the two narratives; it was at this point that I began to truly enjoy the book.  Until this point, I saw this story as primarily a teenage love story, beautifully written and full of the intoxication and angst of first love, albeit set in a lovely-but-repressed country, but little more.

By the time I finished this novel, though, what I had read was a story of the cost of freedom, friendship, a cultural statement about Persian society in the mid-1970s, and yes, the passion of first love. 

Pasha’s friendship with his best friend, Ahmed, a jokester who is loyal to his beliefs and his friend to the point of death, is touching and heartwarming.  I seems to me that this type of friendship is one that is unusual in our Western society, at least in my experience.  The Tehran neighborhood they live in in the 1970s seems to be what we affectionately and nostalgically look back at our own neighborhoods as being in the 1940s and ’50s in America.  (Of course, whether this is all nostalgia, even for the Persians, I cannot say.)  Close friendships seem to be an outgrowth of their society;  their society’s openness to share their heartaches and griefs, of course, nurtures that sort of friendship.  Again, I wonder if this is still the state of affairs in Iran today.  I would love to say that I have these types of friendship in my life, but I don’t.  To achieve such closeness with others would require a major cultural shift, as well as a shift in my own thinking.  

The idea of freedom, of course, is the very fabric of this story.  From Doctor’s own sacrifice to Pasha’s and Ahmed’s own brand of rebellion at their very strict and repressive school to the unspeakable act which in one moment elevates this story from a teenage romance to a story about the terrible cost of freedom that even ordinary citizens must pay, Rooftops of Tehran leaves an indelible impression.

As a caveat, I just have to mention that this story also contains more profanity than any book I’ve ever read.  Although I would expect some profanity in a book about political oppression and those who oppose it, this profanity was often just in everyday conversation.  I got the point that teens in Tehran in the 1970s cursed.  A lot.  I think that perhaps that was Seraji’s point.  If you can stomach some pretty heavy profanity, though, I think this one might be worth it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This book has everything I like in a story:  an intriguing plot, some good history thrown in (of the World War II variety, which is my favorite period to read about), a hint of romance, and charming voices.  I won’t bother to give a synopsis here since they are readily available.  I’m just glad that this month’s Bookclub at 5 Minutes for Books nudged me toward this book, which I normally would’ve avoided given its best-seller status.  Melissa, who contributes to 5 Minutes for Books, posed several interesting questions about this book, but I am so taken by my own ponderings about the story that I share them, instead.  This post might be a little tedious for those of you who aren’t fans of a certain Canadian authoress from the early twentieth century and well-read in her ouevre, so feel free to skip it.  Or, read it and be inspired to delve further into what I consider to be some of the most entertaining and heart-warming writing around.

I was not too far into this charming story before the voices of Juliet Ashton and her pen-pals began to sound comfortingly, enjoyably familiar.  This book just smacks of L.M. Montgomery’s influence!  I have no way of knowing if Mary Ann Shaffer was a fan of L.M. Montgomery, but reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society reminded me so much
several of Montgomery’s books that I wouldn’t wonder if she were.  Several of Montgomery’s books in particular stand out as similar to me:  Anne of Windy Poplars, due to its epistolary format, and post-marriage books about Anne:  Anne’s House of Dreams, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, and Rilla of Ingleside. 

Both Guernsey Society (please, may I abbreviate the title?  One of the few things that bugged me about this book is the title–it’s too long)  and Anne of Windy Poplars are written from the point of view of a young, unmarried woman.  
Juliet is much older and more worldly wise than Anne, and Anne is engaged in her story, but still, the voices and observations are very similar.  I love this!  I love this type of story–full of vignettes that introduce you, the reader, to so many other characters that you would’ve never gotten to know without their social, wry, witty lives and observations.  Granted, if memory serves me well (and it has been a long time since I’ve read it), Windy Poplars is comprised entirely of correspondence between Anne and Gilbert, not other correspondence between a host of people, like Guernsey, but still–it’s the little snapshot into life that we get from reading them that is similar.

Guernsey Literary Society reminds me of the post-marriage Anne books for a couple of reasons.  One of my favorite, favorite, favorite vignettes (really, it’s more than that–it’s a major part of the plot) from one of the latter Anne books (House of Dreams or Anne of Ingleside, I forget which) is the story of Leslie Moore.  Her story is romantic and tragic, and her character is spellbinding.  Her counterpart in Guernsey Society is, of course, Elizabeth McKenna.  Elizabeth’s daughter, Kit, is a war baby, which brings us to Rilla of Ingleside and Rilla’s own war baby.
     The similarities abound, but really, it’s the spirit of the stories that are similar.  Montgomery’s characters, especially Anne, and Shaffer’s characters, especially Juliet, have an effervescence and love for life that is heartwarming and refreshing.  What’s more, they both have a way with words that make their correspondence, thoughts, and dialogue a joy to read. 

I loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society almost as much as I love the Anne series.  That’s saying a lot.  Of course, Guernsey Society has a few too many obligatory nods to modern day sensibilities (i.e. cursing, hom****uality mentioned several times, etc.) for my own personal taste, but I love the story itself too much to not give it a Highly Recommended.  If you love Anne, read Guernsey Society.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Would you like to read more opinions (that actually make sense, unlike mine 😉 ) about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society?  Click over to 5 Minutes for Books!