In The Walled Gardens

by Anahita Firouz

A stunning debut and a fascinating love story ... Romeo and Juliet in tehran. this beautiful first novel conjures up a world that is now gone - an exotic, seductive place just before the revolution in Iran. Mahastee and Reza loved each other as children, when Reza's family worked for Mahastee's in a more noble time now long past. they have not seen each other since they were sixteen, and now chance has reunited them. Mahastee is now married to a man who is well-established and well-connected politically, a man she has grown to despise. Reza has grown up to become a revolutionary, leading underground meetings and living at the edge of fear. their encounters are a portrait not only of an ill-fated love, but a country at odds with itself moving ever-closer to a doomed collision.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Iran, Middle East, Romance

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about Iran before the Iran Revolution of 1979. Well developed characters and great insight regarding the culture, gender roles and class stratification. Plot was good (not great) and the ending was not as strong as the exposition or denouement, however, it is a wonderful read. I read it when I could during my distance commutes on the Metro. Recommend it to anyone interested in Eastern literature.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at Ceiba Tops, a great destination in the Peruvian Amazon jungle. Somehow reading about Iran while visiting Peru was perfect. I couldn't stop reading about these two people who, because of class differences, would never become lovers. Perhaps it was too plotted but I felt so moved. I had a similar but stronger reaction to The God of Small Things.

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot.A beautifully written story,with very elegant prose,with the events of the Iranian revolution as the backdrop.

[Greet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mooi boek. Het verhaal is niet bijzonder, maar de achtergrond waartegen het zich afspeelt is interessant. Westen, oosten, links, rechts, alles tussenin, opstand, macht, onmacht, zelfbehoud, jong, oud, verleden en toekomst. Alles wordt even aangeraakt. De eeuwige strijd.

[Jaclynn (JackieReadsAlot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful read. The ending brought tears to my eyes. Subtle, yet powerful.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exquisitely written book about life in pre-revolution Iran. It follows the lives of Mahastee, daughter of a wealthy, aristocratic family and Reza, a lower class intellectual Leftist reactionary. Her life illustrates the beauty of her childhood and the customs of an older generation of Persia, in stark contrast to her husband and his wealthy, hedonistic contemporaries, whose lives weave between ostentatious parties, affairs and business deals. Her life seems empty but busy until her whole belief system is shocked and challenged by the incarceration and torture of the son of a colleague. The book weaves together the story of Reza & Mahastee's idyllic childhood together and then their meeting as adults twenty years later. It painted a picture for me of the beauty and strength of Persian culture but also the danger and political intrigue of the times, a time when politics might indeed mean life or death, as SAVAK, the secret police, had the power to pull dissidents off the street, interrogate, torture and ultimately kill them. I found myself inspired by the passionate Reza and his commitment to his belief in pacifist revolution. An interesting book but which somehow left me looking for something. Maybe a deeper connection to the characters, a greater understanding of the political background or even a sharper ending?

[Pamela Pickering · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book rec'd stellar reviews on another site. I wish I could agree. I was looking forward to an exploration of pre-revolution Iranian culture and emotion but both the writing and the story (in my opinion) were incredibly choppy and I've just had to put it down. The story is also told from the two main characters' perspectives and I had a hard time trying to figure out which character was speaking. A nice touch would have been to title each chapter with the character's name who was speaking--it would have made it much easier when picking up the book after not reading for a while. Eventually, I found myself skimming a third to a half of it. After 150 pages, I lost interest and abandoned it.

One last thing, from other reviewers who have finished it: it is advertised as a romance but apparently it is not so if you're looking for something in that genre this may not be for you.

[Danial Tanvir · Rating 2 out of 5]

this novel was nothing great and thats why i gave it two stars.
the start was good but then it was horrible.
mahastee grew up in the inner circles of tehrans aristocracy.
rezas father worked for the mahastee family.
mahastee and reza meet for the first time in 20 years at a musical concert at bagh ferdaus in tehran,iran.
this novel is based in tehran,iran.
reza became a marxist and a revolutionary.
his full name is reza nirvani.
he is basically a tutor who teaches.
he wants to bring a revolution in iran.
the secret police is after him.
the whole novel revolves around iran and iranian politics and about the relationship between reza and mahastee.
in the end mahastee goes to london with her husband and children and then eventually reza also goes to london.
this novel could have been much better.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a love story set in Iran before the revolution. The story weaves back and forth from two perspectives (his and hers) and takes you on a cultural tour of Persian life. The ending is lacking, well, an ending. Otherwise a beautiful telling of a complex story with heavy political overtones.

[Kalika · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book could have been more interesting if it was better written. I found the writing style stilted and boring even though I was interested in the plot.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is written in such a disjointed style that it had me wondering throughout how much an editor was involved. And yet the story itself was compelling enough to pull me through to the end. I know little enough about the Iranian Revolution as it is, let alone what life in Tehran was like before it, so I appreciated this serving as a bit of a jumping off point for me to learn more about the time and place. All in all, though I have many qualms with the writing, I think I’m taking a lot away from this story.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story. Unfortunately, the characters didn’t have strong voices. It was confusing to read as the narrator changes at various times. Both genders thoughts and dialogues followed the same patterns. Also, the many names in the book were difficult for me to follow.
Caveat: I was very busy when I read this book causing me to put it down frequently. It might have been a beautiful read if I could have taken my time with it.

[Rachelle Seymore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, as it explains what happens in countries when changes in regimes are inevitable. It is harsh and it destroys that which had been. Unfortunately it very seldom replaces what has been destroyed with anything better and it usually results in chaos and death.

A good read that I can really recommend.

[Pramod Ghuge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took me quite a few years to manage to finally finish reading it. Not the most exciting of books even though the plot was good. I could not enjoy the writing style which simply was not engaging enough.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me so much information and points to think about when considering another country and their revolutions. How easy it is to judge from afar what is happening within a country we know so little of and each person’s struggle to live through daily life and then a revolution itself.

[Devilish · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at two perspectives of Iran just before the revolution, the rich elite and the idealistic revolutionaries. The portrait painted of the rich elite is particularly fascinating.

[Mirella Ducasteele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matig boek over de tijd vlak voor de revolutie. Elk boek belicht toch wel weer nieuwe aspecten en daarom het lezen waard.

[Ione Ishii · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it is the translation?

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Insight to a different time and place.

[Laurie Cybulski · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is somewhat outside of my normal reading pattern. It was ok. The best part was that the book avoided the romantic tropes that the dust jacket advertised.

[Kat Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didnt finish this, it was way too political. I'm never in a political mood.

[Bindu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its been a man's world and this book is another reminder of women in a man's world - subtly yet powerfully!

[Albemarle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t expect too much, but was interested in Iran, pre-Khomeini. And yes, it was a good read. Somehow, I
expected more of the love affair, but that never really materialized, remained under the cover, no more. As a metaphor.

[Sam Thurman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this novel three stars because I'm not usually big on fiction, but it is interesting and well researched. The social and political situation of a pre-revolutionary Iran centers around the love story of the two protagonists, Mahastee and Reza. The chapters vacillate between the perspectives of Mahastee, an aristocrat semi-oblivious to the sociopolitical reality she is sheltered from, and Reza, and intellectually prudent Leftist/activist whose Marxist ideology opposes the oppressive regime, while at the same time repudiating the calls to violence of his more radical Marxist fellows.

**SPOILER ALERT**

Mahastee and Reza are united after twenty years of distance. While they shared a young-love connection as adolescents, they soon learn how different they really are. The struggles of Muhastee seem to pale in comparison to that Reza encounters. While hers include dealing with her husband's infidelity and the pretentiousness, rigidity, and egoistic mindsets of her fellow aristocrats, Reza wrestles with a plurality of facets that include survival, the dangers of being imprisoned and interrogated, and the threats of betrayal from within his socialist groups. The differences of their characters become more and more apparent as the novel progresses and the love connection is ultimately doomed due to both their differences and the revolution that witnesses the replacement of one oligarchy for another.

Dark, yes. Fundamentalism wins, yes. But that's history, the past is not rewritten here, it is retold through the unique perspective of the fictitious characters. All in all, a decently written novel, especially considering it is the author's first one.

[JoAnne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with Allie (who gave this book three stars) in that it was interesting to read about Iran during the time of the revolution. Historically, it was really fascinating, and dispelled some of the preconceived ideas I had of the place. This is why I gave this book two stars instead of one.

As far as storyline goes, it was one of those books where I read and read and really wanted some resolution at the end of the book...only to find that there is almost no resolution. My anticipation built up so much, and then...oh.

The main character, in my opinion, really disappoints.

Then I got angry that I spent so much time and energy on a book that was so unsatisfying.

But maybe Allie makes a good point that the author may just be trying to demonstrate the loose ends that people in that society were left with.

[Melea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that captivated me from the beginning. A tale of pre-revolutionary Iran told in dual first person voice. The first voice is Reza, a middle-class intellectual Marxist man. The second is Mahastee, a wealthy intelligent woman. Their lives were enmeshed in childhood, and now their lives become enmeshed again as adults. As the forces of revolution captivate the country, personal forces also reach out to capture the main characters. This book is not my typical "happily ever after" story, but much more likely.
As I read this book, I thought often of my childhood babysitter, who was in Iran during this time. It frightens me all over again to think what she must have endured on a daily basis, especially during and after the revolution, although before must not have been a piece of cake, either. Thankfully, she and her husband were able to move to the US.

[Vinay Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover page has a quote review from the Daily Mail: “Elegant, aphoristic, and wise… A kaleidoscope of memory… The novel holds the reader steadily.” . I agree. This is Anahita’s first novel, and she succeeds in conjuring images of Iran before the revolution very well. She also manages to paint good character sketches and relations, like a high class person’s lack of respect for the lower class, the warnings of the lower class family not to expect anything out of a relationship with an upper class family, the extra-marital affairs and sucking up to higher authority people to get your way etc. It does hold the reader steadily. However, the characters seem emotionally out of it, and after a while, the reader starts to feel the same. This is the drawback that is the buzzkill to me.

From the review on my blog: http://bit.ly/Uyr2cL

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so dark! Still, I'm going to keep reading, because in spite of the high-drama life of the female lead character, I like her and want to see things turn out well for her. I hope they do.

Again, I return to say it's just too dark. I can't wait to get done with this book, and I hope there's something refreshing by the end.

Now that I'm done, I feel better about the book. Never in my life have I had to live through what the people who inspired the book's characters have had to live through, which is why I don't fully understand the bitterness, but I've seen enough now that I can't complain about it with any conviction.

[Anne Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a first novel set just before the Iranian Islamic revolution. It is a story of two parallel characters, an upper class married woman who is deceived and betrayed by her corrupt husband and leftist teacher who is deceived and betrayed by his revolutionary comrades. The novel seems a little jumbled up, but the time and place must have seemed just that way, too. Not the smoothest writing, and I thought of not finishing the book several times.

[Katie Koso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot was slow, but I was okay with that because it seemed realistically slow. The characters were waiting for weeks in agonizing anticipation for certain things, so it was fitting that the reader do some waiting of their own to empathize.

The ending was also realistic and pertinent to me at this point in my life: Not everything works out how we want it, but life goes on and that's okay. (I hope that was vague enough to not be a spoiler).