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Butterfly Stitching
Terrifying Iranian secret police. An inspiring forbidden love. And the horrors of war. Butterfly Stitching weaves a stunning tapestry of the lives of Sahar and Samira, daughter and mother. And through the strength, beauty and imagination of these remarkable women, reveals Iran herself.
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2014
7 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
Shermin Kruse
8 books9 followersKruse spent her early childhood in Iran prior to growing up in Canada. Now an American citizen, Kruse became the youngest female minority to partner at her downtown Chicago firm, Barack Ferrazzano, upon obtaining her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan. Her strong passion for global issues and the arts is reflected in many aspects of her life, including regular contributions to scholarly legal articles and a regular advice column for Chicago Lawyer, to the co-founding of Pasfarda Arts and Cultural Organization and her wide range of hobbies, including modeling, dancing, painting and photography.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 30, 2014
Excellent read! This incredibly moving story of the intimate lives of a mother and daughter, separate but entwined, was a well-plotted and well-written book. It is set over multiple time periods and places, mostly in Iran, all vividly depicted, and the author uses great care to artfully weave together their stories. I was especially impressed with the great care with which the author examines the depths of humanity and exhibits her political passions (artfully and largely through art!) in this first novel. In addition to being an engaging read by virtue of the great character development and terrifyingly real situations abroad, it certainly made me reflect on the infinite number of personal freedoms I take for granted as an American woman. I laughed, I cried, and am excited to read more by this author!
November 4, 2018
SO GOOD!!
August 30, 2014
I truly loved reading Butterfly Stitching. Shermin Kruse’s writing is poetic. Her words are just so visual: you can’t help but picture a vivid image when reading her writing. She truly has a talent with words. I found myself reading slowly, so much slower than I usually read. I felt like I just needed more time to absorb everything Kruse was saying.
While Butterfly Stitching is a work of fiction, it was “inspired by the true stories of Iranian women”. While I’m not ignorant of the way women live in other parts of the world, after reading this I feel like I have more of an understanding. I feel like I’ve heard this story from a friend. Like a good friend has shared her family history with me. Sahar and Samira, and their story, is just so real to me now.
I highly recommend reading Butterfly Stitching. Truly.
While Butterfly Stitching is a work of fiction, it was “inspired by the true stories of Iranian women”. While I’m not ignorant of the way women live in other parts of the world, after reading this I feel like I have more of an understanding. I feel like I’ve heard this story from a friend. Like a good friend has shared her family history with me. Sahar and Samira, and their story, is just so real to me now.
I highly recommend reading Butterfly Stitching. Truly.
November 8, 2014
Two things about this book make it an excellent read: it shares Iranian culture while telling an exceptionally interesting story and it is thought-provoking. In particular, if you like women's issues, you will love this book which considers two very special women's lives against a backdrop of two very different times in Iran's history.
June 13, 2018
Heard Sher Kruse read from her beautiful book at an event at the American Writers Museum last week. Threads of her personal story infused into a remarkable first fictional novel, I hope she continues to share her gift of character development and storytelling.
January 8, 2019
Beautiful story of a young girl's escape from Iran with her family.
March 2, 2021
Knowing the author as I do, I can tell you that truth lies in these pages and it’s told as only she can. Great read.
November 30, 2014
I almost gave this book 5 stars, but I was left with a number of questions that I wish had been further explored... of course, some of those questions have me thinking about it still, and in a way have added to the impact of the book- but overall, I wish things like the father's writing had been delved into a bit more. I also felt like the ending felt a bit rushed, and while some of the things from the end were actually at the beginning- I felt like so much had happened that I could have used a bit of a reminder. But as a whole, this is a time and place that I knew very little of and that I really enjoyed reading about. I liked the style and format, and loved the perspective.
November 10, 2014
Great read!
It was interesting reading about growing up and living in Iran from a woman's viewpoint, in a culture so different from ours.
The characters were very well developed and likable so that you care what happens to them.
It was interesting reading about growing up and living in Iran from a woman's viewpoint, in a culture so different from ours.
The characters were very well developed and likable so that you care what happens to them.
February 29, 2016
Great !!
July 12, 2015
Interesting book and very hard to put down. Love story that takes place during the turmoil of the 80's. It was important to me to learn and refresh my knowledge of Iran.
February 25, 2016
Powerful, captivating story
A wonderful book that more people shod be reading. Not only is the story well written, but the way in which it's told really enhances the story.
A wonderful book that more people shod be reading. Not only is the story well written, but the way in which it's told really enhances the story.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews