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Lua de Mel no Irão
Alison Wearing é uma jornalista canadiana e multi-premiada autora de livros de viagens. Visitou o Irão durante um ano e relata-nos essa viagem, dando-nos o retrato das várias pessoas com quem ela e Ian, suposto marido que com ela viajou, já que para uma mulher será praticamente impossível fazer turismo sozinha no país de Kohmeini, se cruzaram ao longo da estadia. Não se pense que Wearing adopta uma postura de quem está acima. Ela limita-se a relatar e retratar pessoas e situações, com ironia, subtileza e humor, e, ao mesmo tempo, a tentar perceber uma sociedade que é bastante diferente da nossa e que poderá mesmo inspirar o medo, tal como acontecia com a jornalista/escritora antes de se decidir visitar o Irão.
" A infinita generosidade que se depreende dos encontros narrados por Wearing alia-se a uma ironia subtil na forma como a autora lida com assuntos mais delicados, nomeadamente o da condição feminina. "Subitamente reparo que todas as mulheres e raparigas usam o 'chadoor' por cima do resto da roupa. (...) que a devastadora diferença dos nossos fatos é a postura que eles proporcionam. Eu tenho o lenço de cabeça apertado, o casaco abotoado, as mão livres; posso estar de cabeça levantada, tenho liberdade de movimentos. A grande dificuldade do 'chadoor' é mantê-lo no sítio. Estar na vertical com as mãos desocupadas implica deixá-lo cair" (pág. 237). O humor está sempre presente."
Ana Cristina Leonardo, Expresso, Cartaz
" A infinita generosidade que se depreende dos encontros narrados por Wearing alia-se a uma ironia subtil na forma como a autora lida com assuntos mais delicados, nomeadamente o da condição feminina. "Subitamente reparo que todas as mulheres e raparigas usam o 'chadoor' por cima do resto da roupa. (...) que a devastadora diferença dos nossos fatos é a postura que eles proporcionam. Eu tenho o lenço de cabeça apertado, o casaco abotoado, as mão livres; posso estar de cabeça levantada, tenho liberdade de movimentos. A grande dificuldade do 'chadoor' é mantê-lo no sítio. Estar na vertical com as mãos desocupadas implica deixá-lo cair" (pág. 237). O humor está sempre presente."
Ana Cristina Leonardo, Expresso, Cartaz
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
31 people are currently reading
1706 people want to read
About the author
Alison Wearing
6 books48 followersAlison Wearing is the author of Honeymoon in Purdah – an Iranian journey and Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter (Alfred A. Knopf).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
February 2, 2016
Yet another book I read that is missing from my shelves. I don't think I reviewed it though as I read it probably in 2008/9. I have the book sitting in front of me. Why wouldn't I have listed it? I wish now I had kept all the .csv files of the bookshelves instead of the newest one replacing the last. However, since I started to notice books missing in June 2014, I've been keeping all the files.
It's really distressing the number of bug affecting the books right now. GR say they can't trace the bug or they are looking into it or something or other but nothing gets done.
These are the problems I have right now:
1. I am 'top reviewer' as I 'reviewed' 941 books last week. I didn't even reshelve that many when I set up a new shelf.
2. All books I reshelve or reviews I correct are sent to my update feed even though I am scrupulous about not having any boxes checked for this
3. Books and sometimes reviews just disappear. I only find out if something like I read someone's review and I know what book they are talking about because I've read it but it isn't on my shelves any longer.
Shelving books and reviewing them are at the heart of my experience on GR but all GR does these days is rush to think up yet more marketing features to place anywhere they can and then have soothing but mostly ineffectual threads on Feedback.
GR has degenerated so much since Amazon bought it out, not just that it has become a selling site where Patrick is intent that authors and their product, especially SPAs as their product costs Amazon nothing, it's all profit for them, will come first and us readers are just fish swimming around in a barrel. It seems to me that the only bugs that get fixed are ones that might affect this marketing. The others like this distressing losing of books and reviews and too many updates, they don't want to devote any money and time to fixing.
Rant over. For now.
It's really distressing the number of bug affecting the books right now. GR say they can't trace the bug or they are looking into it or something or other but nothing gets done.
These are the problems I have right now:
1. I am 'top reviewer' as I 'reviewed' 941 books last week. I didn't even reshelve that many when I set up a new shelf.
2. All books I reshelve or reviews I correct are sent to my update feed even though I am scrupulous about not having any boxes checked for this
3. Books and sometimes reviews just disappear. I only find out if something like I read someone's review and I know what book they are talking about because I've read it but it isn't on my shelves any longer.
Shelving books and reviewing them are at the heart of my experience on GR but all GR does these days is rush to think up yet more marketing features to place anywhere they can and then have soothing but mostly ineffectual threads on Feedback.
GR has degenerated so much since Amazon bought it out, not just that it has become a selling site where Patrick is intent that authors and their product, especially SPAs as their product costs Amazon nothing, it's all profit for them, will come first and us readers are just fish swimming around in a barrel. It seems to me that the only bugs that get fixed are ones that might affect this marketing. The others like this distressing losing of books and reviews and too many updates, they don't want to devote any money and time to fixing.
Rant over. For now.
October 24, 2008
This is absolutely one of the most unbiased, open-minded "outsider" views on modern-day Iran that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Alison Wearing went into Iran with an open mind and an open heart, and a double dollop of tenacity and courage. She emerges a person who has viewed the country the news media doesn't want us to see. This is the country of total strangers who invite you to stay and dine at their house; of people who are concerned with whether you find the restrictions of their country pleasant or stifling; and, the story of other ex-patriots who have made their home in this land, and how they view it as outsiders who have become insiders, as much as possible.
There are fascinating stories in this book, including the author's day spent escaping the stifling heat of the city with nomads in the mountains, including a 12-year old girl who is married but unable to consummate the marriage since she hasn't finished puberty. In Shiraz, Wearing meets a British woman who is raising her teenaged daughter with her Iranian husband. She bemoans her nieces in England who are struggling with teenage pregnancies, while her daughter is getting straight A's and planning for college. Not every story is positive, including the incident on the bus to Syria, which raises Wearing's ire. But, people are people no matter where you go. And, the majority of people she meets are a far cry from what anyone would expect.
I highly recommend this book, and have loaned my copy to several people so far. It tells things I experienced as the wife of an Iranian in that country, but is even more interesting because Alison Wearing is truly viewing this world as an observer.
There are fascinating stories in this book, including the author's day spent escaping the stifling heat of the city with nomads in the mountains, including a 12-year old girl who is married but unable to consummate the marriage since she hasn't finished puberty. In Shiraz, Wearing meets a British woman who is raising her teenaged daughter with her Iranian husband. She bemoans her nieces in England who are struggling with teenage pregnancies, while her daughter is getting straight A's and planning for college. Not every story is positive, including the incident on the bus to Syria, which raises Wearing's ire. But, people are people no matter where you go. And, the majority of people she meets are a far cry from what anyone would expect.
I highly recommend this book, and have loaned my copy to several people so far. It tells things I experienced as the wife of an Iranian in that country, but is even more interesting because Alison Wearing is truly viewing this world as an observer.
October 24, 2023
Uma jovem canadiana parte na companhia do marido (que na realidade é um amigo) para uma viagem de vários meses no Irão. Lá irá encontrar ala constante tensão deixada pela revolução islamista, as mulheres veladas que vivem apenas para as suas famílias mas também encontra pessoas comuns.
Ao longo deste relato somos levados por diversos encontros, convites para casa de cada iraniano que a autora encontra e o modo gentil como a recebem oferecendo chá e comida. Revoltam-nos muito contra as medidas do fundamentalismo religioso que destrui a infância das raparigas, ao considerá-la mulheres com 9 anos e por isso são presionadas a casar.
" Lua de mel no Irão" permite-nos entender um pouco melhor, este país repleto de preconceitos contra o ocidente e com uma cultura muito focada na religião.
Ao longo deste relato somos levados por diversos encontros, convites para casa de cada iraniano que a autora encontra e o modo gentil como a recebem oferecendo chá e comida. Revoltam-nos muito contra as medidas do fundamentalismo religioso que destrui a infância das raparigas, ao considerá-la mulheres com 9 anos e por isso são presionadas a casar.
" Lua de mel no Irão" permite-nos entender um pouco melhor, este país repleto de preconceitos contra o ocidente e com uma cultura muito focada na religião.
August 25, 2013
This book was recommended to me by someone who shares similar reading tastes as myself - despite that this book was not very good. (I am surprised, on entering this, at the number of positive entries for this book. I did laugh at it being listed with: Travelogs of people who should get their head examined, since this is what I was thinking the entire time I was reading this book.)
I am not a fan of memoirs (or travelogs) - especially those that try to dress themselves up as something else, as this one does. The entire things felt very disjointed. The book apparently took place over months however the book is written as though it was days or weeks - leaving out huge gaps of information and detail. The writing did not appeal to me at all. It was like she thought up a creative and lovely paragraph and dropped it randomly on the page. If she had the power to sustain that type of writing the book may have been more entertaining. It also felt contrived - like she was hunting down this stuff to write about it - putting herself in potentially dangerous situations (like going off in a car with perfect strangers and not telling anyone she has even left) without a second thought or remorse. Finally, I thought she was absolutely awful to her traveling companion and very unfair to him even in the writing. I think he version of the story would have been far more interesting since he was the best part of the book.
If I had to recommend this book to anyone I would recommend it to someone who liked Three Cups of Tea (which I also really disliked, actually more so) since they feel very similar to me - while maybe he was not nearly as daft as this author and actually did some good.
I am not a fan of memoirs (or travelogs) - especially those that try to dress themselves up as something else, as this one does. The entire things felt very disjointed. The book apparently took place over months however the book is written as though it was days or weeks - leaving out huge gaps of information and detail. The writing did not appeal to me at all. It was like she thought up a creative and lovely paragraph and dropped it randomly on the page. If she had the power to sustain that type of writing the book may have been more entertaining. It also felt contrived - like she was hunting down this stuff to write about it - putting herself in potentially dangerous situations (like going off in a car with perfect strangers and not telling anyone she has even left) without a second thought or remorse. Finally, I thought she was absolutely awful to her traveling companion and very unfair to him even in the writing. I think he version of the story would have been far more interesting since he was the best part of the book.
If I had to recommend this book to anyone I would recommend it to someone who liked Three Cups of Tea (which I also really disliked, actually more so) since they feel very similar to me - while maybe he was not nearly as daft as this author and actually did some good.
December 21, 2018
Apparently in post revolutionary Iran it is possible to rely on the kindness of strangers. Posing as husband and wife on their honeymoon, Alison Wearing and her unrelated male companion explored modern day Iran. They had only a few words of Farsi and she was weighted down with feminine garments designed to conceal her hair and her body from the male gaze. Ordinary people who they encountered on the street offered food, companionship, and lodging. The travelers were overwhelmed with kindness, interspersed with a couple of fearful moments. Lesson learned: never take a photo of a funeral procession comprised of wild-eyed religious mourners. But anyone with a smidgeon of cultural sensitivity would never do that. I was prepared to dislike these travelers but in the end I admired their gritty sense of adventure.
June 26, 2008
Knowing very little essential about Iranian culture prior to this travel account, for me this was a compelling and informative read. I love that Wearing spends most of her writing painting pictures of the lives of those she encountered rather than blathering on about herself. My chief objection to 'The Songlines' is that I never get past the first chapter of what I've been told is a very good read, because Chatwin won't just shut up already about the exact make of his pen, and how his leather-bound journal is just-so, and how he manfully strides his way through the tough, forbidding land of Australia because he is such an amazing guy - blech. Not so with Alison Wearing's travel writing. She wisely realizes that we're not reading all about how cool Alison is traveling through Iran; we want to know what she saw, and who she talked to, and, sure, what she thought about such things, but not in a self-absorbed and egotistical manner.
Because much of this book lulls you into a feeling of "Wow! Iran is bursting with kind-hearted, generous people who just want to share tea and stories with you!", the ending is particularly effective for its cold-water reality shock. The one sudden instance of violence goes much farther in reminding the reader that there are reasons why western societies often feel so at odds with the Iranian culture than a whole diatribe of vitriolic writing cataloging injustices both done to and by the Iranian people.
Because much of this book lulls you into a feeling of "Wow! Iran is bursting with kind-hearted, generous people who just want to share tea and stories with you!", the ending is particularly effective for its cold-water reality shock. The one sudden instance of violence goes much farther in reminding the reader that there are reasons why western societies often feel so at odds with the Iranian culture than a whole diatribe of vitriolic writing cataloging injustices both done to and by the Iranian people.
April 6, 2014
Hey, let's pretend to be married, so we can go to Iran! This is not a thought I've ever had, but apparently this lady did. And I'm glad she did, it was a worthwhile read. I had read another woman-in-Iran book about a decade ago, but it was a journalist, and she didn't have a fake-husband, and it was way harder. (Aha! After about half an hour of googling I think it's Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran. I remember liking it.)
The weird part is that she kept getting invited to people's houses (driven for hours, staying there for ages) without her "husband"; apparently having one was enough, the people usually didn't need to see him.
It's not 100% clear to me when she did this, but the book was published in 2000 and the Iranians kept referring to "Not Without My Daughter", which wikipedia tells me came out in 1991. (Man, this review is requiring a lot of research.) In any case, the Iranians depicted in the book are mostly generous and friendly. It almost makes me want to go visit. (And it definitely made me want pistachios and cherries.) Fun and interesting and strange.
The weird part is that she kept getting invited to people's houses (driven for hours, staying there for ages) without her "husband"; apparently having one was enough, the people usually didn't need to see him.
It's not 100% clear to me when she did this, but the book was published in 2000 and the Iranians kept referring to "Not Without My Daughter", which wikipedia tells me came out in 1991. (Man, this review is requiring a lot of research.) In any case, the Iranians depicted in the book are mostly generous and friendly. It almost makes me want to go visit. (And it definitely made me want pistachios and cherries.) Fun and interesting and strange.
May 16, 2011
Excellent book. Shows all the beautiful, wonderful people of Iran that we don't otherwise get to see.
June 16, 2022
3 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Dit reisverhaal trok mij door de foto op de cover. En een land waarin ik geen eigen reis ervaringen heb. Ik heb veel van de wereld gezien maar dat deel nog niet. Wie weet komt het er ooit nog eens van.
Net zoals ik mij altijd heb aangepast aan de gebruiken van een land, doet Alison dit ook door een Hijab te dragen. Dat moet voor een westerse vrouw een worsteling zijn. Daar het een losse lap stof is. Zij beschrijft dit ook in haar verhaal. Het is een prachtig palet wat wordt geschilderd.
Helaas heeft het verhaal mij niet echt gepakt. De zinnen zijn vaak lang en er wordt alleen vanuit haar gesproken. Ik mis de interactie met andere mensen. Het wordt alleen maar beschreven wat het met haar doet. Ook de gevoelens en gedachten van haar man komen zelden ter sprake terwijl zij samen deze reis maken. Ook nog hun huwelijksreis. Ik kon het verhaal zeker niet in een keer lezen.
Op huwelijksreis door Iran. Een halfjaar lang reist Alison Wearing met haar man door Iran. Naar een totaal andere wereld, waar een reis van 12 uur, drie dagen wordt. Bijvoorbeeld door buspech.
- Elk mankement dreef de mannen de bus uit, waarna ze zich met een hand onder de kin en een verbijsterende blik rond de motor verzamelde. -
Bij toeval komt ze Jamal bij de grensovergang tegen. Daar zij ook uit Montreal komt vraagt hij of ze zijn broer kent. Nog meer toeval, het is het exvriendje van haar vroeger kamergenootje.
- Zijn bus toetert. Hij zit volgepropt met mensen en hun spullen, de bagage is op het dak gebonden waardoor de bus nog eens half zo hoog wordt. Jamal legt een hand op zijn borst, buigt zijn hoofd en rent naar de bus. Hij draait zich om in de deuropening en zwaait, en hij laat een veegje wit in de lucht achter op de plek waar hij me een laatste glimlach toewierp. -
Waarom hebben Alison en haar man voor Iran gekozen. Een vrij gesloten land waar we weinig van weten.
- Ik ben naar dit land gekomen omdat het de wereld angst aanjaagt. En omdat ik niet geloof in angst. Er zo'n macht aan toekennen. Ik ben beeldhouwer. Ik loop een steen af en ga ernaast zitten. -
Iran is een land waar niets zeker is. Het westen is slecht, ruzie tussen Mr. Jeltsin en Mr. Clinton maakt dat de valuta devalueert.
- We moeten naar de bazaar, alsjeblieft. Vanmorgen is de dollar 7.200 riyal, maar de taxichauffeur zegt nu 6.000 riyal .
Dit reisverhaal trok mij door de foto op de cover. En een land waarin ik geen eigen reis ervaringen heb. Ik heb veel van de wereld gezien maar dat deel nog niet. Wie weet komt het er ooit nog eens van.
Net zoals ik mij altijd heb aangepast aan de gebruiken van een land, doet Alison dit ook door een Hijab te dragen. Dat moet voor een westerse vrouw een worsteling zijn. Daar het een losse lap stof is. Zij beschrijft dit ook in haar verhaal. Het is een prachtig palet wat wordt geschilderd.
Helaas heeft het verhaal mij niet echt gepakt. De zinnen zijn vaak lang en er wordt alleen vanuit haar gesproken. Ik mis de interactie met andere mensen. Het wordt alleen maar beschreven wat het met haar doet. Ook de gevoelens en gedachten van haar man komen zelden ter sprake terwijl zij samen deze reis maken. Ook nog hun huwelijksreis. Ik kon het verhaal zeker niet in een keer lezen.
Op huwelijksreis door Iran. Een halfjaar lang reist Alison Wearing met haar man door Iran. Naar een totaal andere wereld, waar een reis van 12 uur, drie dagen wordt. Bijvoorbeeld door buspech.
- Elk mankement dreef de mannen de bus uit, waarna ze zich met een hand onder de kin en een verbijsterende blik rond de motor verzamelde. -
Bij toeval komt ze Jamal bij de grensovergang tegen. Daar zij ook uit Montreal komt vraagt hij of ze zijn broer kent. Nog meer toeval, het is het exvriendje van haar vroeger kamergenootje.
- Zijn bus toetert. Hij zit volgepropt met mensen en hun spullen, de bagage is op het dak gebonden waardoor de bus nog eens half zo hoog wordt. Jamal legt een hand op zijn borst, buigt zijn hoofd en rent naar de bus. Hij draait zich om in de deuropening en zwaait, en hij laat een veegje wit in de lucht achter op de plek waar hij me een laatste glimlach toewierp. -
Waarom hebben Alison en haar man voor Iran gekozen. Een vrij gesloten land waar we weinig van weten.
- Ik ben naar dit land gekomen omdat het de wereld angst aanjaagt. En omdat ik niet geloof in angst. Er zo'n macht aan toekennen. Ik ben beeldhouwer. Ik loop een steen af en ga ernaast zitten. -
Iran is een land waar niets zeker is. Het westen is slecht, ruzie tussen Mr. Jeltsin en Mr. Clinton maakt dat de valuta devalueert.
- We moeten naar de bazaar, alsjeblieft. Vanmorgen is de dollar 7.200 riyal, maar de taxichauffeur zegt nu 6.000 riyal .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2019
A autora oferece-nos um olhar sobre o Irão, enquanto viajante de mochila às costas. Viaja em companhia de um amigo - Ian - a quem faz passar por marido, mas o leitor não tem acesso ao ponto de vista deste.
Alguns pontos são bastante interessantes, nomeadamente o não haver consenso à volta da revolução. Uns apoiam o novo regime, outros sentem saudades de um Irão mais ocidentalizado. Todos estes diferentes pontos de vista são apresentados pela autora de um modo relativamente imparcial, o que é interessante, e até mesmo a condição da mulher neste país é mais mostrada por episódios do dia-a-dia (alguns com bastante humor, como o caso das viagens partilhadas de táxi) do que por juízos de valor da autora (uma curiosidade: apenas os iranianos lhe perguntam se é complicado usar o hijab e o chaador, as iranianas não lhe colocam esta questão).
Acredito que seja um país muito bonito de se visitar, com pessoas bastante generosas, mas cujas liberdades individuais são fortemente reprimidas em nome de uma orientação religiosa levada ao extremo.
Uma nota final: o livro aproxima-se mais de uma colectânea de histórias do que da narrativa de viagens.
Alguns pontos são bastante interessantes, nomeadamente o não haver consenso à volta da revolução. Uns apoiam o novo regime, outros sentem saudades de um Irão mais ocidentalizado. Todos estes diferentes pontos de vista são apresentados pela autora de um modo relativamente imparcial, o que é interessante, e até mesmo a condição da mulher neste país é mais mostrada por episódios do dia-a-dia (alguns com bastante humor, como o caso das viagens partilhadas de táxi) do que por juízos de valor da autora (uma curiosidade: apenas os iranianos lhe perguntam se é complicado usar o hijab e o chaador, as iranianas não lhe colocam esta questão).
Acredito que seja um país muito bonito de se visitar, com pessoas bastante generosas, mas cujas liberdades individuais são fortemente reprimidas em nome de uma orientação religiosa levada ao extremo.
Uma nota final: o livro aproxima-se mais de uma colectânea de histórias do que da narrativa de viagens.
Read
October 7, 2020Alison Wearing is a remarkable narrator,
someone who “looks for Saints where
there are said to be demons” in this
travelogue through Iran. Aware of the
difficulties of solo travel in Iran as a single
woman, she teams up with her gay
roommate, Ian, to pose as a married
couple. Wearing is always perceptive,
often humorous, and most importantly
never loses sight of her humanism.
someone who “looks for Saints where
there are said to be demons” in this
travelogue through Iran. Aware of the
difficulties of solo travel in Iran as a single
woman, she teams up with her gay
roommate, Ian, to pose as a married
couple. Wearing is always perceptive,
often humorous, and most importantly
never loses sight of her humanism.
April 14, 2020
This book is for those who are interested in Iran and a woman's can-do attitude and curiousity. Alison tells the story of the people she meets. Everyone has something different to share - how they came to Iran, why they are there, and their own notions. Amazing and humanizing!
July 1, 2021
I didn’t love her writing style, but the amount of information about the Iranian culture was just what I was craving. Completely worth the read.
June 3, 2025
Enorm leuk geschreven boek over een huwelijksreis in Iran. Je wordt meegenomen in de rijke Iraanse cultuur die ondanks alle religieuze beperkingen als erg warm en gastvrij wordt ervaren.
September 11, 2019
Un libro que al final resulta ser un encuentro con la hospitalidad de diferentes grupos de personas de Irán. Hay también referencias a la historia política del país, con el Shá y Jomeini como los puntos de inflexión. La autora viaja con un amigo, fingiendo ser una pareja de casados. Está bien escrito y es agradable de leer, aunque quizá se echan en falta más referencias a la historia del país.
April 2, 2024
Quando comecei a leitura estava a amar tudo. Somos mesmo enviados para dentro daquele mundo, dos seus costumes, das suas vidas e perspectivas.
Infelizmente, tornou-se muito repetitivo e sinto que poderia ter sido um livro excelente. A autora terminou a viagem com uma sensação de alívio, que foi exatamente o que senti ao terminar o livro.
Infelizmente, tornou-se muito repetitivo e sinto que poderia ter sido um livro excelente. A autora terminou a viagem com uma sensação de alívio, que foi exatamente o que senti ao terminar o livro.
August 10, 2016
Drie sterren. Recensie kan SPOILERS bevatten
Dit reisverhaal trok mij door de foto op de cover. En een land waarin ik geen eigen reis ervaringen heb. Ik heb veel van de wereld gezien maar dat deel nog niet. Wie weet komt het er ooit nog eens van. Net zoals ik mij altijd heb aangepast aan de gebruiken van een land, doet Alison dit ook door een Hijab te dragen. Dat moet voor een westerse vrouw een worsteling zijn. Daar het een losse lap stof is. Zij beschrijft dit ook in haar verhaal. Het is een prachtig palet wat wordt geschilderd. Helaas heeft het verhaal mij niet echt gepakt. De zinnen zijn vaak lang en er wordt alleen vanuit haar gesproken. Ik mis de interactie met andere mensen. Het wordt alleen maar beschreven wat het met haar doet. Ook de gevoelens en gedachten van haar man komen zelden ter sprake terwijl zij samen deze reis maken. Ook nog hun huwelijksreis. Ik kon het verhaal zeker niet in een keer lezen.
Op huwelijksreis door Iran. Een halfjaar lang reist Alison Wearing met haar man door Iran. Naar een totaal andere wereld, waar een reis van 12 uur, drie dagen wordt. Bijvoorbeeld door buspech.
- Elk mankement dreef de mannen de bus uit, waarna ze zich met een hand onder de kin en een verbijsterende blik rond de motor verzamelde. -
Bij toeval komt ze Jamal bij de grensovergang tegen. Daar zij ook uit Montreal komt vraagt hij of ze zijn broer kent. Nog meer toeval, het is het exvriendje van haar vroeger kamergenootje.
- Zijn bus toetert. Hij zit volgepropt met mensen en hun spullen, de bagage is op het dak gebonden waardoor de bus nog eens half zo hoog wordt. Jamal legt een hand op zijn borst, buigt zijn hoofd en rent naar de bus. Hij draait zich om in de deuropening en zwaait, en hij laat een veegje wit in de lucht achter op de plek waar hij me een laatste glimlach toewierp. -
Waarom hebben Alison en haar man voor Iran gekozen. Een vrij gesloten land waar we weinig van weten.
- Ik ben naar dit land gekomen omdat het de wereld angst aanjaagt. En omdat ik niet geloof in angst. Er zo'n macht aan toekennen. Ik ben beeldhouwer. Ik loop een steen af en ga ernaast zitten. -
Iran is een land waar niets zeker is. Het westen is slecht, ruzie tussen Mr. Jeltsin en Mr. Clinton maakt dat de valuta devalueert.
- We moeten naar de bazaar, alsjeblieft. Vanmorgen is de dollar 7.200 riyal, maar de taxichauffeur zegt nu 6.000 riyal. Loop onverwijld, alsjeblieft. -
Dit reisverhaal trok mij door de foto op de cover. En een land waarin ik geen eigen reis ervaringen heb. Ik heb veel van de wereld gezien maar dat deel nog niet. Wie weet komt het er ooit nog eens van. Net zoals ik mij altijd heb aangepast aan de gebruiken van een land, doet Alison dit ook door een Hijab te dragen. Dat moet voor een westerse vrouw een worsteling zijn. Daar het een losse lap stof is. Zij beschrijft dit ook in haar verhaal. Het is een prachtig palet wat wordt geschilderd. Helaas heeft het verhaal mij niet echt gepakt. De zinnen zijn vaak lang en er wordt alleen vanuit haar gesproken. Ik mis de interactie met andere mensen. Het wordt alleen maar beschreven wat het met haar doet. Ook de gevoelens en gedachten van haar man komen zelden ter sprake terwijl zij samen deze reis maken. Ook nog hun huwelijksreis. Ik kon het verhaal zeker niet in een keer lezen.
Op huwelijksreis door Iran. Een halfjaar lang reist Alison Wearing met haar man door Iran. Naar een totaal andere wereld, waar een reis van 12 uur, drie dagen wordt. Bijvoorbeeld door buspech.
- Elk mankement dreef de mannen de bus uit, waarna ze zich met een hand onder de kin en een verbijsterende blik rond de motor verzamelde. -
Bij toeval komt ze Jamal bij de grensovergang tegen. Daar zij ook uit Montreal komt vraagt hij of ze zijn broer kent. Nog meer toeval, het is het exvriendje van haar vroeger kamergenootje.
- Zijn bus toetert. Hij zit volgepropt met mensen en hun spullen, de bagage is op het dak gebonden waardoor de bus nog eens half zo hoog wordt. Jamal legt een hand op zijn borst, buigt zijn hoofd en rent naar de bus. Hij draait zich om in de deuropening en zwaait, en hij laat een veegje wit in de lucht achter op de plek waar hij me een laatste glimlach toewierp. -
Waarom hebben Alison en haar man voor Iran gekozen. Een vrij gesloten land waar we weinig van weten.
- Ik ben naar dit land gekomen omdat het de wereld angst aanjaagt. En omdat ik niet geloof in angst. Er zo'n macht aan toekennen. Ik ben beeldhouwer. Ik loop een steen af en ga ernaast zitten. -
Iran is een land waar niets zeker is. Het westen is slecht, ruzie tussen Mr. Jeltsin en Mr. Clinton maakt dat de valuta devalueert.
- We moeten naar de bazaar, alsjeblieft. Vanmorgen is de dollar 7.200 riyal, maar de taxichauffeur zegt nu 6.000 riyal. Loop onverwijld, alsjeblieft. -
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July 14, 2010u wouldn't realize that she's totally insane until about 2/3 of the way into her tale -- clarity is overrated! She pulls you in w/o even trying.
I for one, would like to hear what her travel companion has to say about all this. I wouldn't mind, for example, to share a strong cup of tea to get the dirt!
---
On an unrelated note (2012 mar):
A movie "My Tehran for Sale (2009)" presented the modern cityscape of Tehran, visually and acoustically. It's a story loosely based on real events & i think I heard characters saying "merci" in their everyday conversation. There was good local music in the last 1/2 hr, incl the "Iranian Bob Dylan"? At least some of that good music was "underground", they say.
i tried to find out about poss French influence in Tehran but yielded nothin' except for its hand in Tehran Metro in the 70's - 80's.
There were 2 scenes that impressed me in the movie: women's gossip in the waiting rm of a clinic reflecting their views on abortion, premarital pregnancies, may-september marriages and child brides .. (~0:56); and the scene of a six (?) year old neighbour girl comforting our protagonist after a boyfriend struck her just once. It stuck me that the young girl has seen this sort of domestic scenes before. I'm sure it's just me -- but the girl covered the woman with her tiny body, holding the older woman to provide comfort in a nurturing role. It begs the question: what happened? What has she seen before this?
There were a part that hint to a professor's (presumably monetary) offer in exchange for (presumably) sex, and then there was the storyline when our protagonist smuggled herself out of Iran across the border so that she could seek political asylum from Australia. The film didn't say which country she fled to.
I found this, but didn't answer my question:
http://www.asiapacificfilms.net/persi...
Overall, the struggles & endurance of our protagonist was lyrically laid out rather than documented. It was an ode to her friendship with her lady friend, and an ode to the struggles of a woman bravely living true to her heart in this city that mesmerizes foreigners. I did not find the movie very satisfying b/c it asked more questions than answered them. But I'm glad it gave me something to think about.
I for one, would like to hear what her travel companion has to say about all this. I wouldn't mind, for example, to share a strong cup of tea to get the dirt!
---
On an unrelated note (2012 mar):
A movie "My Tehran for Sale (2009)" presented the modern cityscape of Tehran, visually and acoustically. It's a story loosely based on real events & i think I heard characters saying "merci" in their everyday conversation. There was good local music in the last 1/2 hr, incl the "Iranian Bob Dylan"? At least some of that good music was "underground", they say.
i tried to find out about poss French influence in Tehran but yielded nothin' except for its hand in Tehran Metro in the 70's - 80's.
There were 2 scenes that impressed me in the movie: women's gossip in the waiting rm of a clinic reflecting their views on abortion, premarital pregnancies, may-september marriages and child brides .. (~0:56); and the scene of a six (?) year old neighbour girl comforting our protagonist after a boyfriend struck her just once. It stuck me that the young girl has seen this sort of domestic scenes before. I'm sure it's just me -- but the girl covered the woman with her tiny body, holding the older woman to provide comfort in a nurturing role. It begs the question: what happened? What has she seen before this?
There were a part that hint to a professor's (presumably monetary) offer in exchange for (presumably) sex, and then there was the storyline when our protagonist smuggled herself out of Iran across the border so that she could seek political asylum from Australia. The film didn't say which country she fled to.
I found this, but didn't answer my question:
http://www.asiapacificfilms.net/persi...
Overall, the struggles & endurance of our protagonist was lyrically laid out rather than documented. It was an ode to her friendship with her lady friend, and an ode to the struggles of a woman bravely living true to her heart in this city that mesmerizes foreigners. I did not find the movie very satisfying b/c it asked more questions than answered them. But I'm glad it gave me something to think about.
June 19, 2017
This book coupled with a few others I have read about Iran has really whetted my appetite to travel in this beautiful country but the likelihood of that ever happening is pretty slim. Although I only live one thousand miles away my country of Israel is seen as an enemy at least by the pariah government that continues to exist there.
This particular book was published in 2000 so the travel was a year\s before that date and a lot has developed since then mostly negative from what I can see.
This book contained one particular dialogue with an imam that was so moving, at least for me I copied the pages and carry them in my pocket…I don’t normally do that [pages 95-97].
Another important insight this author shared that has been backed up by other travel writers who have recorded their journeys is the fact that many Iranians despise what their country has become. The religious hold a death grip on the minority and many seem to want to escape, who can blame them? But this gets me thinking about horrible regimes that get’s the masses to comply with such wickedness such as the Nazis or the Ayatollah. Why don’t they rise up rather than becoming tools for their wickedness?
There’s one thing that this book is that I can’t forgive and that is the deceit. Had I known it from the out start I wouldn’t have read it of course those three wonderful pages I mentioned would never have crossed my eyes but principles have to be adhered to if they truly are principles. One third into the book she reveals that her “husband” is actually a gay friend posing as her husband with forged papers. This is so selfish and wrong I don’t know what else to say. She portrays so many people in this book as being kind and gracious and yet she deceives them. Would they have welcomed them into their homes if they knew the truth? We’ll never know because they were not afforded that right. This behavior sums up this rising generation and their ways, they want to experience culture but they want it under their terms so did she really get to see Iran? She pretended to be someone who she was not – a married woman on her honeymoon and she received great hospitality for being a liar.
It has many thought provoking topics in the book like the one I just shared and it is deserving of a read, I hope the author gets to see my comment and think about what she did .
This particular book was published in 2000 so the travel was a year\s before that date and a lot has developed since then mostly negative from what I can see.
This book contained one particular dialogue with an imam that was so moving, at least for me I copied the pages and carry them in my pocket…I don’t normally do that [pages 95-97].
Another important insight this author shared that has been backed up by other travel writers who have recorded their journeys is the fact that many Iranians despise what their country has become. The religious hold a death grip on the minority and many seem to want to escape, who can blame them? But this gets me thinking about horrible regimes that get’s the masses to comply with such wickedness such as the Nazis or the Ayatollah. Why don’t they rise up rather than becoming tools for their wickedness?
There’s one thing that this book is that I can’t forgive and that is the deceit. Had I known it from the out start I wouldn’t have read it of course those three wonderful pages I mentioned would never have crossed my eyes but principles have to be adhered to if they truly are principles. One third into the book she reveals that her “husband” is actually a gay friend posing as her husband with forged papers. This is so selfish and wrong I don’t know what else to say. She portrays so many people in this book as being kind and gracious and yet she deceives them. Would they have welcomed them into their homes if they knew the truth? We’ll never know because they were not afforded that right. This behavior sums up this rising generation and their ways, they want to experience culture but they want it under their terms so did she really get to see Iran? She pretended to be someone who she was not – a married woman on her honeymoon and she received great hospitality for being a liar.
It has many thought provoking topics in the book like the one I just shared and it is deserving of a read, I hope the author gets to see my comment and think about what she did .
July 24, 2009
Posing as newlyweds on their honeymoon, Canadian Alison Wearing and a male friend make a five-month clockwise tour of Iran. Wearing's travelogue describes her experiences wearing the hijab and chador, but mostly her encounters with the Iranian people, recorded in their English. What I enjoyed most about the book was the vicarious experience of meeting such kind, excited, generous people, many of them random strangers inviting the foreign couple to their homes, showing them around town, or offering handfuls of food -- practicing the Persian custom of ta'arouf.
However, I couldn't help but be annoyed by the author-narrator. She admittedly lost a travel companion on a previous trip because she was too absorbed in a book. She and her "husband" don't get along on the trip. It seems like she did little to no research about Iran beforehand. Thus at times I couldn't help but feel they were a couple of Westerners mooching off the generosity of strangers, who would not reciprocate the hospitality back home. Wearing also has a tendency to give her impressions in sentence fragments, a stylistic choice which doesn't suit me.
But this book is still great as vicarious travel. It's not like I would be going on a honeymoon to Purdah anytime soon.
However, I couldn't help but be annoyed by the author-narrator. She admittedly lost a travel companion on a previous trip because she was too absorbed in a book. She and her "husband" don't get along on the trip. It seems like she did little to no research about Iran beforehand. Thus at times I couldn't help but feel they were a couple of Westerners mooching off the generosity of strangers, who would not reciprocate the hospitality back home. Wearing also has a tendency to give her impressions in sentence fragments, a stylistic choice which doesn't suit me.
But this book is still great as vicarious travel. It's not like I would be going on a honeymoon to Purdah anytime soon.
July 15, 2007
Easy one-day read, and while I question her motives in writing it - and her ability to get into the Iranian culture in depth in any way as a result - it was interesting. It's just that I have a problem with someone who decides to write an expose by doing the "hijab undercover" thing, thinking she is going to tell us something truly hidden, special or significant about any society. Meh. Interesting, but only as far as it goes. AMENDING MY REVIEW: When you refer to a group Iranian women in hijab as reminding you of a bunch of laundry... well... that really rankles, and I am amending my review downward. Way downward. On further reflection, this isn't a book I would recommend to anyone interested in Iranian culture. Meh. It has its good points, but I am overwhemed by the negative aspects of the end of the book. Sorry.
April 28, 2014
I LOVED this book. Alison Wearing was able to bring humour to her travels around Iran. Through her narration we were introduced to kind, lovely people who opened their homes to these honeymooners and who through their stories brought a humanity and beauty to a country that often gets the short end of the stick. I particularly enjoyed the fact that this book, unlike to many other travel memoirs, was more about the people met, rather than the traveler. It wasn't about Alison's reaction to meeting these people - it was about what happened, how they acted and normally, the hilarious outcomes. A great read for anyone who enjoys memoirs.
September 3, 2016
Set in the early 2000s, before 9/11 and the wars in Afganistan and Iraq, this book tells of how a woman travels through Iran and the people she meets. Even though this book is categorized as a travel book, she doesn't tell you much, hardly anything about the places she sees in Iran. This is a story-- a series of stories actually -- about people. How we are the same and how we are different. Extremely engaging and well done.
December 20, 2008
One of the most wonderful books on Persian culture. It took my breath away and gave me a different view into Iran. It was recommended to me by the most beautiful man who used to run a persian restaurant in Kensington Market. He said it would "show me his country through the eyes of one who loves it." And he was right.
February 24, 2019
GREAT book and a very brave woman! I was surprised at the warmth of the Iranian people towards her - constant invites into homes and unfailing hospitality, again and again. Of course, it was a great compliment to have a foreigner as a visitor, it seemed.
April 19, 2008
Set of travelogues about author's travels through Iran disguised as a honeymooning couple with her gay friend.
July 20, 2008
I read this ages ago but just discovered Alison Wearing has a new book out. This travel memoir was one of my favorites-- not just travel books--but books.
March 24, 2009
Interesting story, but I would´ve liked to hear more from her "husband" Ian on his observations of the country, from the point of view of a gay male.
May 21, 2020
This is Alison Wearing's first book, but not the first book of hers I read. (I read her other two books first, and am now in a writing workshop with her, so this book helped me to get to know the author a little bit more. If I read this book before meeting her, I would think she is a fearless adventurer and maybe a little bit crazy... but well, I still think that). She has an unsinkable faith in the human spirit and in the inherent good in people, and this faith is returned to her many times over in Iran. The stories of people feeding her, welcoming her into their homes, going out of their way to make her experiences as positive as possible, are amazing. She was with a travelling companion and they were on their honeymoon - at least that was the story they told (not wanting to give too much of a spoiler here). This book made me think of Annahid Dashtgard's book Breaking the Ocean which I read recently, in which Dashtgard writes of the trauma of being forced to leave behind her idyllic childhood in Iran after Ayatollah Khomeini led the Revolution of 1979. Alison Wearing's stories of the people in modern Iran give a window into the generous, beautiful people living behind the veil and all of the other restrictions in their lives.
August 24, 2025
this was a brilliant memoir and was only 322 pages long .
and that's why I read it.
it was short and to the point.
it is basically is about the country Iran and every thing to do with it.
it is about and by a women called Alison wearing who is I believe or think from Canada and she goes to Iran for some odd reason or some thing like that and she talks about her experiences and her life over there.
she has a husband and some other people.
its about how the life changed in Iran after the Islamic revolution which happened in Iran,
and about how people were free to do things as they wanted but then things changed after the Islamic revolution.
it is about how she went to do honey moon in Iran and that can be made out by the title of the book which is called honey moon in purdah an Iranian journey by author Alison wearing.
she talks about various things here and there and then talks about Iran and the revolution and about how she lives etc.
it is about Iran and the people who live over there and about the revolution and about how things changed after that.
it was short , to the point and interesting to read.
the whole book is about Iran and how peoples lives changes after the revolution and what all happens after that!.
and that's why I read it.
it was short and to the point.
it is basically is about the country Iran and every thing to do with it.
it is about and by a women called Alison wearing who is I believe or think from Canada and she goes to Iran for some odd reason or some thing like that and she talks about her experiences and her life over there.
she has a husband and some other people.
its about how the life changed in Iran after the Islamic revolution which happened in Iran,
and about how people were free to do things as they wanted but then things changed after the Islamic revolution.
it is about how she went to do honey moon in Iran and that can be made out by the title of the book which is called honey moon in purdah an Iranian journey by author Alison wearing.
she talks about various things here and there and then talks about Iran and the revolution and about how she lives etc.
it is about Iran and the people who live over there and about the revolution and about how things changed after that.
it was short , to the point and interesting to read.
the whole book is about Iran and how peoples lives changes after the revolution and what all happens after that!.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews