Tausendundein Granatapfelkern

by Marjan Kamali, Astrid Finke (Translator)

Kindheit ist mehr als ein fremder Ort


Zu ihrem 25. Geburtstag bekommt Mina von ihrer Mutter Darya ein ganz besonderes Geschenk: den idealen Heiratskandidaten. Doch Mina möchte keine arrangierte Ehe eingehen. Nach einer Kindheit in Teheran und vielen Jahren in New York will sie ihr Leben endlich selbst in die Hand nehmen. Aber wohin gehört sie wirklich? Auf der Suche nach ihren Wurzeln reist sie gemeinsam mit ihrer Mutter in den Iran. Es ist eine Reise, die tief in die Vergangenheit führt und beiden Frauen den Weg in die Zukunft weist …

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Iran, Middle East, Romance, Audiobook, Book Club

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 21, 2013

About the author

Marjan Kamali is the New York Times bestselling author of The Lion Women of Tehran (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster), The Stationery Shop (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster), and Together Tea (EccoBooks/HarperCollins). Kamali’s novels are published in translation in more than 30 languages. he is a 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship. Marjan's essays have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Literary Hub, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Kamali holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from University of California, Berkeley, an MBA from Columbia University, and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from New York University. Born in Turkey to Iranian parents, Kamali spent her childhood in Turkey, Iran, Germany, Kenya, and the U.S. She now lives in the Boston area with her family.

The Lion Women of Tehran:
New York Times best-seller
Instant national best-seller
International best-seller
USA Today best-seller
One of NPR's best books of the year
A Book of the Month Main Selection
Goodreads Choice Nominee for Historical Fiction
An Indie Next Selection
Amazon's Editor's Pick Best Literature & Fiction
Editor's Top Pick from Real Simple magazine
Apple Books Must-Listen pick
Apple Best Book of the Month Pick


The Stationery Shop:
National and international best-seller
Prix Attitude Award in France
Boston Globe best-seller
Publishers Weekly best-seller
Indie Next Pick
Amazon's Editor's Pick Best Literature & Fiction
Amazon Best Book of the Month
Editor's Top Pick from Real Simple magazine Newsweek's 30 Best Summer Books
Solstice Literary Magazine Pushcart Nomination


Together Tea:
Massachusetts Book Award Finalist
NPR WBUR Good Read
Target Emerging Author Selection
Adapted for the stage and performed in California.

Reviews

[~Rajeswari~ Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always through the women that the men express their agenda. Now she has to cover up so they can feel like they are in power.
A marvelous book about family, love, war and togetherness.Dive into Darya and Mina’s journey from war-ridden Iran to the USA.Along with the path,,they find themselves and their love for life.
Why I picked this book up:The title and the cover.Tea is a symbol of togetherness and unspoken emotions in Persian culture.I could easily feel the warmth as a tea-loving Bangladeshi.And the cover is so colorful and exotic.

What compelled me to love this book
•Strong female characters
•Persian culture and the places-The tomb of Hafez and Saadi(Google it and you will be marveled)
•The definition of life through the eyes of war escapees
•Romance-levelheaded soft romance(Why would you go for a moment’s passion when you can have a life filled with soft romance!)
•Togetherness

A little turn off
•The first few pages were a bit mediocre.The same immigrant matchmaking stuff.But the book turned out to be a butterfly
I am delighted after reading this book and I look forward to reading more books from the author💕

[Booktart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great story. The history of Iran before, during, and post Revolution (in this book, immediately after and then years later, in 1996) is fascinating. As the author points out throughout the book, the media here often paints a one-sided picture of Iran due to its government and in doing so, ignores the people actually living there, many of whom have progressive beliefs but are completely silenced by the government. I was glad to get some insight into what daily life is like for Iranian citizens. Kamali also does an excellent job of portraying the mixed emotions of the immigrant experience. The love story aspect of the book was nice but felt a bit cliche at times, as did some of the writing about life, marriage, etc. (hence the three stars). Overall though, I did enjoy this novel!

[Shoshanah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going into this book I was expected a cute chick lit with a matchmaking mother, and a daughter wanting to find love on her own. That's the type of book I enjoy, and would have been perfect for the beach (which is where I was when reading). Except, I was pleasantly surprised and am happy to say this was so much more than that.

The first part of the novel takes place in 1996 when Darya and her 20-something daughter, Mina, both reach the decision that the need to go back to Iran in order to move forward in their lives. The second section, goes back in time to 1978, the dawn of the Iranian revolution, how it impacted Darya, Mina, and their family and what it was like escaping to America. The final third detailed their trip back to Iran.

I don't think I've ever read anything that takes place in Iran, and was fascinated by all the information here. While I do have some idea of the revolution and what happened, I learned far more from this "chick lit" than anything else in my life so far.

In addition, while I loved the history and culture, Mina's story is what really spoke to me. So much of this book is Mina's journey finding herself and discovering what she wants with her life. (Darya had a similar path, but given the age difference it was harder for me to identify with her.) Part of me wants to classify this as new adult, as in the becoming an adult, but not quite sure how that's supposed to happen (similar to my reaction to Bond Girl), except with out the ridiculously naive girl that seems to be standard in the NA genre.

The novel end came close to bringing me to tears, and probably would have if I wasn't reading it in an elevator full of 20 people. But it was so good, I couldn't put it down. I really, truly loved my experience with this book, and feel like this is one I need to start loaning out so everyone I know can discover it.

Disclosure: I was provided this book through TLC Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Jalilah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wonderful debut novel might be classified as "chick lit", however that does not have to be a bad thing. The feeling is light, but not fluffy. I would suggest this book to people who like Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, as both authors write about relationships between mothers and daughters, as well the immigrant experience. I would also recommend it to people who liked Persepolis.
Being of mixed ancestry, born in one place, living in another, these kind of books resonate with me. There are great details about Persian culture and what it is like to be from Iran and immigrate to the West.
It is definitely a "feel good" book and exactly what I was in the mood for!

[Suraya (thesuraya) · Rating 2 out of 5]

perhaps i'm not too comfortable with the way marjan kamali depicted islam here, so this book leaves quite a bad taste in my mouth. i understand that Iran was (or is it still ongoing? i need to read more on their islamic revolution) ruled and dominated by islamic extremists, and not to mention their shiites idealogy. But here in this book, the author heavily idolised the western way of living and completely misrepresented islam in such a way that put islam in a bad light — further strengthening the claims that islam is a backward and restrictive religion made by westerners. Whatever strict restrictions and rules that the Iranian government implemented in their country was set by a bunch of extremists, and not something that the Prophet (saw) preached — something that was not clearly explained by the author. I figured that such representation is harmful, particularly for those who are not familiar with the true islamic teachings.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The entire time I read this book, I was homesick for Fataneh, a neighbor from years ago with who I bonded. She and her family upgraded our everyday, plain-old neighborhood to something much more exotic. They were from Tehran. A family of mom, dad and girls the same ages as mine, but very shy and covered. Fataneh invited us over and we reciprocated, and worked on canning, jamming and sewing together. She taught us about Ramadan, adding rose water / flavors to just about everything, having halvah for breakfast, and the marathon that is baklava making. I taught her how to quilt, went to the best places to pick strawberries, and made strawberry jam. When they had to return to Tehran she encouraged us to come and live in their compound in Tehran. That's not an invitation that happens every day. . . .

This is a mother-daughter story, with a more general tale of an entire family, who had escaped to America just prior to the overthrow of the Shah. Darya is eager to get her 25-year old daughter, Mina, married and so begins the process of choosing a proper husband for her. Mina has quickly assimilated into American society and wants a love match that she determines, not a parental choice. The family has the opportunity to return to Iran to visit, and all the wheels of the story begin to turn to a predictable ending.

A happy ending, lovely cultural sharing and explaining, as well-drawn situations make clear the differences between the two countries and their societal expectations. Mina's family returns to America to their much freer lives and happy developments occur. I'm not a romance person, but I needed lighter fare with some of the books I've got on deck. So this hit the spot. Not a high spot, but a just-right spot.

3 stars!

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story! It begins in America, where Darya, a caring mom, tells her 25 year old daughter, Mina, that she found a wonderful man she wanted her to meet. He was one out of dozens that Mina had to meet with her mom and dad present...

Darya grew up in Iran, where her own mother arranged her marriage to Parviz, a kind, generous man, a doctor. Darya and Parviz married and had three children, two boys and Mina. Life was good for the family until Sadaam started bombing Iran, and war was upon them. Revolutionary guards began making demands upon the people of Iran: no dancing, no western clothes, women must cover their heads and their bodies, etc. When one of Sadaam's bombs killed Darya's mother on her way to buy a special pomegranate for her granddaughter, Parviz arranged for his family to move to America. Mina lived a life between Iran and America. Her dad had to work making pizzas until he could pass all of his tests to become a doctor once again. Her mom worked in a dry cleaner, sewing for the New York populace until Parviz could support the family once again...

Mina was going to business school, instead of art school, which was her parents' wishes. When Mina decides to quit business school and take a vacation in Iran to find herself, her mom decides to join Mina to rejoin their family. It is in Iran, among family and friends, that mother and daughter begin to understand each other. It is also where Mina finds the love of her life, totally unexpectedly.

This story has humor and sadness interwoven among the pages. I will repeat, this is a wonderful story!

[Lily · Rating 1 out of 5]

(I hope Marjan Kamali, who was very sweet and well spoken and signed a nice note in my copy of this book at the Boston Book Festival, never reads this review!)

This was...poorly written. Characters were completely 2 dimensional, heavy handed, unnuanced, and noninteresting. I mean Mina saves her friend in Iran from being arrested after taking off her hijab by literally roundhouse kicking the guard. The worst offender was Parviz, Mina's father who is a Tony Robbins motto repeater, always seizing the day, and has not a lick of realism in his entire character.

At its core, it didn't really know whether it was an immigrant story, trapped between two worlds, or a mother daughter story with arranged marriage undertones. I mean it could have easily melded the two, but those two threads didn't really feel all that connected. Though she did love to hit you over the head with those two story lines. Mina's love interest literally spells out why he feels connected to her. Because we come from two worlds!! And don't feel at home in either!!

Let's just say, it was no Persepolis.

[Laura V. لاورا · Rating 4 out of 5]

Together tea

A dispetto del titolo che evoca frivolezze, questo romanzo svela ben presto un contenuto tutt’altro che leggero e non certo di genere rosa. Il titolo originale, Together Tea, nella propria laconica semplicità, è di gran lunga preferibile a quello, maldestramente rivisto e ampliato, che campeggia quasi con un po’ di malizia (e forse la viva speranza di vendere più copie) sulla copertina dell’edizione in lingua italiana; infatti, malgrado la discutibile scelta presumibilmente da parte di chi ha curato la versione nostrana e della casa editrice che l’ha pubblicata nel 2013, il tè in questione non è soltanto quello che si offre in famiglia per conoscere un potenziale fidanzato...

La mia recensione al romanzo sulla rivista "L'Ottavo":
https://www.lottavo.it/2021/07/12670/...

😊📚📚

[📚Linda Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing I liked most about this book was learning about Iranian culture and how it humanized the Iranian people. The romance plot line was weak. The description of food was almost obsessive.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Marjan Kamali is a writing friend. I loved this book from page one to the end because the characters were so engaging - and real. Some might call this a light summer read, but I believe it's a witty, humorous book with incredible poignancy and depth.

Marjan, who is an Iranian American, gives readers a sense of what it was like during the Iranian revolution in the 1970s. She also takes us into the modern lives of Iranians both in Iran and in America.

It's a story about a mother-daughter relationship, but it's also as much a story about immigrants in America. I highly recommend this book, not just because the author is a dear friend. It is an absolutely dear book.

[Queralt✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story following an Iranian woman and her daughter (born in the US). It explores the reality of being an Iranian migrant in the US (i.e., first gen migrants being expected to have impressive degrees, marry within the community, call themselves Persian and not Iranian cuz POLITICS) and then, in the second half of the book, they both go to Iran for a trip.

The book focuses on the struggles of having a dual existence and having a divided ‘home’ (US/Iran). It also includes the years after the revolution in Iran focusing on the restrictions women face and their small rebellions.

In not really into books exploring mother-daughter relationships but this was cute, I enjoyed reading it.

[meadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

s t u n n i n g

[Melissa Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The domestic fiction/women's fiction novel, "Together Tea," by Marjan Kamali, published in 2013, is an absolutely wonderful book. Warm, heartfelt, and delightful. I really enjoyed it.

"Together Tea" centers on the bond between a mother and daughter named Mina and Darya. In 1981 (about a year after the start of the Iran-Iraq War), their immediate family leaves Tehran, Iran and moves to New York City, where they eventually become permanent U.S. residents. In 1996, Mina and Darya journey back to Tehran to see their friends and family again.

The novel gives just enough information about 1970s Iran, and a brief mention in dialogue of the Iran hostage crisis (1979-1981), to provide cultural and historical context to an American (and assumed non-Iranian) reader. "Together Tea" is a book about the challenges of leaving one's homeland and finding a new place in the world. As highly educated, affluent Iranians and affluent Iranian-Americans, the two main characters and their families harbor no ill will toward the U.S. The dark, frightening realities of life in Iran that led to the 1979 Revolution are glossed over or completely unmentioned. "Together Tea" is a feel-good book, not a history lesson. It's certainly not a book that examines U.S. foreign policy or the CIA.

And I'm perfectly fine with that. I'm already highly aware of that history, and this novel does an excellent job of humanizing Iranians and Iranian-Americans. This is a domestic novel, not a political diatribe. "Together Tea" certainly doesn't read like nonfiction at all. The story is sweet and endearing. It's a book that made me smile a lot and feel good.

A lot of the themes in "Together Tea" are similar to those found in "Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America," a 2003 memoir by Iranian American author Firoozeh Dumas. Dumas penned a sequel memoir, "Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of an Iranian American, at Home and Abroad" (2008), which is also delightful. Kamali's novel isn't as laugh-out-loud hilarious as Dumas's heartwarming two books, but Kamali and Dumas definitely share similar purposes in writing for a largely non-Iranian American audience.

Kamali's "Together Tea" is nowhere near as dark as Marjane Satrapi's illustrated memoir, "Persepolis" (2000, 2004). But if you enjoyed the infusion of humor, warmth, and humanity found in "Persepolis," then you would absolutely enjoy "Together Tea."

And if you are a reader who knows absolutely nothing about Iran or Iranians, and you enjoy domestic, contemporary fiction, then "Together Tea" would be a great introduction to the nation and its people. The characters in this book are incredibly lovable, and the author has a highly engaging prose style. I read every word of this novel, and it's a rare book that doesn't force me to skim or skip pages. "Together Tea" held me captive, with prose that is concise and evocative, and a story that kept me smiling.

Five full stars. Highly recommended. "Together Tea" made me wish I could enjoy every novel I pick up as much as I enjoyed this one.

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had my hopes up after reading and loving The Stationery Shop; unfortunately, this book by the same author did not measure up. I enjoyed the humor in some of the characters, and the way the author moved through time. But I found the writing and story simplistic and predictable. I’d leave this one on the shelf, but take The Stationery Shop down to be read and shared! 4.5/10.

[Ke* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully told audio book. 🎧
I loved it !

[Karyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am just so glad I picked this book..
It just warms the heart.
It gives you a peek into a culture and traditions.

[Ena u zemlji knjiga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Radnja prvog romana Marjan Kamali "Zajednička čajanka" smještena je dijelom u Ameriku, a dijelom u Iran. Prati porodicu Rezaji koja se nakon zaoštravanja sukoba između Irana i Iraka iz Teherana preselila u New York. Kao i za svakoga, taj novi početak je i za njih bio težak, no na kraju su postigli sve ono čemu su težili, ili barem većinu toga - ostalo je još da ožene kćerku Minu. Majka Darja to shvata kao ozbiljan zadatak pa vrijedno prikuplja podatke o svim dostupnim iransko-američkim neženjama. Nakon jednog neuspjelog pokušaja "uparivanja", majka i kćerka kreću na put u Teheran. Da li će napokon pronaći zajednički jezik i da li će uspjeti naći razumijevanje za životne odluke one druge?

Usuđujem se reći meni lično mnogo bolji od njenog drugog romana "Knjižara u Teheranu" koji mi se također veoma dopao. Ovaj je prožet finim humorom, bavi se veoma ozbiljnom temom imigracije i prilagođavanja potpuno novom mjestu i kulturi, te pronalasku mjesta kojem istinski pripadamo. Radujem se što će uskoro izaći u izdanju Buybooka.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been a five-star read had I read it before the later two books of Kamali's that were most certainly deserving of all the stars (The Lion Women of Tehran and The Stationery Shop). This author has gotten even better over the years!

Together Tea is a story about family, friends old and new, and romance; it also explores the oppression of women in Iran. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but it seemed a little more predictable and contrived after reading Kamali's later books first, thus I knocked off one star. The ending wasn't as strong as her other novels to me; it was as I expected, a foregone conclusion.

[Vidya]

If you want to read something heartwarming then this is the book for you. Endearing characters, believable storyline and beautiful writing is what makes Together Tea such a delightful read.

The protagonists Darya and her daughter Mina are trying to navigate between their Iranian heritage and American dreams. The author brings to life this tussle in the dialogues between the two characters. Sometimes in trying not to lose or forget your roots, sometimes you forget to experience your current. In some sense, Mina does just that.

In reading their story one sees the similarities between the Iranian and India culture - the pressing need that parents have to find a suitable match for their children and see them settle. The story begins with Darya setting up a meeting for her 25-year-old unmarried daughter. The stress of it all that both Darya and Mina feel comes through in the writing.

Both the protagonists take a trip back to Iran and while Mina remembers it as it was when she left as a young girl, what she sees surprises her. This also brings out the inner conflict that Mina jostles with. A love story that brews in Iran will leave you smiling.

Mina is not just looking for a partner but the story is also about her own journey to find herself. What are her own aspirations, beliefs and ideals. At times we live by rules others set for us and do not venture into looking within to find ourselves - this story is a reminder to make that journey.

If you are looking for a good read that will gently push you into thinking and at the same time is entertaining, then Marjan Kamali's Together Tea is for you.

Together Tea

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy and quick read that caught me by surprise and with a few tears also. This is the story of an Iranian family that immigrated to America in order for their children to have freedom and to live without fear. I loved Mina (the daughter), Darya (the mom), and Parviz (the dad). I found myself easily sucked into turning the pages and the world around me disappeared as I read to find out what was going to happen next. My heart was touched both when the family left Iran and when Mina and Darya returned. I could not imagine leaving my close family for so long with no knowledge of when we would meet again. The author did a great job of introducing Iranian culture and showing the beauty and color of Iran.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, which focuses on the lives of Mina and her mom Darya, immigrants from Iran. The book begins with Darya setting up Mina with a potential husband, but the story becomes much more than that as they talk about their experiences in Iran when the Iraq/Iran war broke out, and their experiences in America when they first arrived. I love the books exploration of immigrants not feeling part of one culture or the other, where they feel like they are part of the hyphen between the two worlds. It resonated with me, although I am first generation born Taiwanese. To me, this book is ultimately a story about love, family, culture, identity, and finding your place in this world.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect novel. The characters are so well drawn yet the writing is very tight; not a word wasted. Under the guise of a light, almost romantic comedy, this book examines some serious themes: the plight of the immigrant (in this case Iranian-Americans but really all immigrants anywhere) and the lives of modern Iranians. It has all the elements of a classic novel including the ending (which I of course won’t reveal here). Highly recommend to all.

[Elisa Waingort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I have good Iranian friends and based on conversations with them, the historical aspect of this novel rang true to me.
The conflicts experienced by immigrants are personally familiar to me, as well.
I could easily connect to Mina, the main character.
Highly recommended

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was her first book, and it’s just so good.

[Arielle Masters · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was mostly a light romance - well, a book about a young woman seeking romance and about her loving mother's different views on what she should look for in a life partner - and a story about being true to your interests and your personal needs, not just to what you *need* to do in life to be successful. It also contrasted life in semi-contemporary New York City with life in pre-revolutionary, early revolutionary, and 1990s post-revolutionary Iran.

I liked that the family was basically happy and got along pretty well - this isn't a crazy, dysfunctional crowd with creepy, weird secrets. Thankfully. A lot of books these days seem to feel you have to have twisted relatives to make the story worth reading. I'm sick of those stories. These parents had an arranged marriage, more or less, and made it work. They love each other. They communicate with one another. They each have their quirks and give each other space to have those quirks. They love their kids. They wear handmade items from relatives. They work hard. The dad tries to fix things around the apartment and is there for his kids. They're temped by attractive outsiders a little, maybe - but they love each other and want to stay together. The siblings don't all agree and are scattered with their own families but they support one another for the most part. Quite a solid family, really.

I found the first part of the book, the 1990s set-up, to be the most awkward. The second part was a flashback to the time they lived in Iran before and during their escape when the Iranian revolution took place. The second part flowed well other than the very last page or so - when the author brings things back to the 1990s a bit too abruptly - and I thought it was the best written section. The third part was back to the 1990s and wrapped things up, but added some melodramatic bits - a wild party; a surprising and overdone confrontation - that didn't seem to mesh with the tone of the rest of the book. It was a pleasant enough read for a day but wasn't amazing.

I didn't like how the author had the mom make fun of an overweight suitor by calling him "fatty" several times (not to his face, thankfully). That seemed rather out of character for the mother, given that the father wasn't overweight but was pretty awkward and the mother loved him a lot; I wondered if it was the author's feelings intruding.

The mom's math club seemed bizarre. I took a lot of math in college and thought about majoring in it, but it seems very odd, to say the least, that the mom in this book would just happen to become instant friends with two other (very diverse, somewhat stereotyped) moms in her kid's kindergarten class and that all three would joyously get together to solve math problems every weekend. Seriously? Not that it's impossible that people might have a math club; just that I've never heard of anyone doing this, least of all moms who happen to meet in a non-math-related situation. Seems oddly invented for the book.

I did enjoy getting a feel for the range of opinions when the revolution happened and afterward. I've read other books about people either staying in Iran after the revolution - and sometimes teaching there - or escaping Iran, but most had single or dual (and very polarized) viewpoints. I think this is the first that had a lot of subtlety and took into account teen rebellion being sometimes temporary. I don't know whether Bita's minor in-school rebellion was realistically handled or not, as I don't recall anything like that being covered in that way in other books I've read.

So - a good beach read; a good read if you'd like a little insight into the Iranian revolution from the point of view of a moderate, close-knit family; a good read for a book club that likes to discuss women's situations around the world and in different time periods; a good read if you want a little romance but nothing too heavy-handed. Kind of light otherwise.

[Kanchana Bandara-Coore · Rating 5 out of 5]

"She [Mina] knew how to swing her legs on that hyphen that defined and denied who she was: Iranian-American. Neither the first word nor the second really belonged to her. Her place was on the hyphen, and on the hyphen she would stay, carrying memories of the one place from which she had come and the other place in which she must succeed."
As a child immigrant myself, these words resonated deeply with me, as I too know the feeling of living on the hyphen, and especially one like Mina's which separates two very different cultures. On the surface, this is a story about a mother and daughter, and finding love. I was drawn to the title because tea with my daughters is a ritual I too engage in , enjoy and look forward to. As I got into the story and the many themes and perspectives it explored, I found myself identifying with the characters' emotions (both from my perspective as a mother of a daughter, and as a daughter myself), and also having many "I never thought of it that way, but that is so true" moments.
I was deeply moved, but beyond that, I gained a deeper insight into how my mother must have felt leaving the safety and security of extended family and familiar customs, and accompany her husband to provide a better life for her children. I better appreciated how we can make wrong assumptions about people and why they do what they do when we do not stop to imagine what things might be like from their perspective. Mina, the daughter, is the character who lives on the hyphen. She is taunted at school as a youngster by Americans who call her a terrorist because she is Iranian. When she returns to Iran, her grandfather accuses her and her mother of betraying her people and her country and running to America which supported Iraq in a war which killed Iranians.
She is transported to memories of the happiest times of her childhood with doting grandparents by the sights and scents of Iran when she returns as an adult. At the same time, she misses the freedom of walking with the sun on her hair in public, which is possible for her in America but not in Iran. She wishes she could have both, yet feels she has to renounce one in order to have the other....and so she lives on the hyphen...caught in between.
There was another reason this book moved me so much. It was the first book I read on returning home after settling my older daughter into college in another country. I was simultaneously excited about the all the incredible growth experiences that awaited my daughter's new stage in life, and struggling to accept life without my daughter at arm's reach. I gained some much appreciated insight into coming to terms with my own current relationship transition in these words from the final chapters of the novel:
"As she watched Mina go up the steps, Darya suddenly felt the impulse to rush up, grab her, and whisper , 'Mina Joon, you don't have to get married...Just continue to be my little girl, always'
But instead she heard her own voice tell Mina to hurry up and get ready because the guests would be arriving soon."
Later as Darya sees Mina sitting on her bed dressed in her wedding dress..." For a fleeting second, Darya had an image of having tea with her married daughter. She realised then that it wasn't the end. She and Mina would still have each other. When Mina got back from her honeymoon, Darya and Mina could go out for 'together tea' and talk about Mina's work plans, and where to buy the best moisturizer. It was a huge relief to realise that her daughter would still be hers"
The mark of a really good book for me is one that leaves me feeling changed from the person I was before I read the book. "Together Tea" did that for me.

[Tanaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marjan Kamli can write medical prescriptions and I would still read them! Her writing is beautiful and she conveys feelings of love, hope and sorrow in this one. She writes of longing for something unattainable for the characters and yet ends it on a positive note, making our hearts heavy but jubilant.

[Hodove · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has the book been successful in conveying Iranian culture and traditions? Yes.
Has it managed to portray the duality of life in Iran and the longing of immigrants? Yes.
But are these enough to write a book? No.
A book needs a story, character development, a climax, and a plot twist. You can’t build a narrative solely on nostalgia. The ending of the book felt just like those TV series—someone gets married, everyone’s happy, and it wraps up with a “thank you to mom and dad.”



آیا کتاب تو رسوندن فرهنگ و اداب و رسوم ایرانی موفق بوده؟ بله. آیا کتاب تونسته دوگانگی زندگی مردم تو ایران و حسرت مهاجران رو به تصویر بکشه بله.
آیا اینا برای نوشتن یه کتاب کافیه؟ خیر!
کتاب قصه میخواد شخصیت سازی میخواد نقطه اوج میخواد گره داستانی میخواد. فقط روی نوستالژی نمیشه قصه نوشت. پایان کتاب هم دقیقا عین سریال های ماه رمضون عروسی همه شاد با تشکر از پدر ومادر تموم شد.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Kamali's The Stationery Shop and decided to indulge in her backlist. Together Tea has many similarities to Kamali's better-known novel, but takes a very different angle on the Iranian-American experience. I didn't feel like I got to know the two narrators of Together Tea as I did the single protagonist of The Stationery Shop. Kamali's gorgeous descriptions of Iran's beauty and food were equally lovely in both books. For me, it's a question of characters and which ones leap off the page. Even if that wasn't as good, the plot was relaxing and there were some interesting elements that made it feel unique. I am feeling a tug to re-read The Stationery Shop, and of course look forward to more by Kamali.