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Aria
Jasmine is a cancer specialist and single mother in Seattle, long estranged from her Iranian parents and heritage. When faced with the sudden accidental death of Aria, her five-year-old daughter, she finds little solace in the healing advice she’s prescribed to her patients and their families. Lacking spiritual scaffolding or comforting rituals to cope, Jasmine buys a one-way ticket around the world. Along the way she writes to her three greatest loves, all now dead, and to her devoted friends who encourage her to return home. This deeply spiritual novel is the record of Jasmine’s journey inward and a moving celebration of the fundamental elements of of planting maize in Guatemala, of silent meditation in the mountains of Tibet, and of the rituals of grieving in Iran. It is only when Jasmine, this modern American woman, connects with her ancient heritage that she can finally heal.
258 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2007
2 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 17, 2020
I wouldn’t have read it if I didn’t have any family relations with the author 🙃. That’s how zealous I am 🤦🏻♀️😂
N.B: Don’t be zealous. No one is worth your attention other than you yourself 😌
N.B: Don’t be zealous. No one is worth your attention other than you yourself 😌
May 22, 2022
this novel is about a women called jasmine.
she is a cancer specialist living in seattle.
he is actually from iran and she is of irani blood.
she has been living in america for a long time.
she has a five year old daughter called aria.
she was born on may 10nth 1991 and her full name is aria talahi avery.
she loves her daughter very much.
on the february 17nth 1997 she dies in a motor vehicle accident.
as i said she dies in an accident and the man who accidentally killed her is stephanie elias.
he did this by mistake and is very ashamed and regrets what he has done although it was a mistake.
he blames himself for the death and says that he can do any thing to bring her back.
jasmine has a friend called dot whom she calls dottie.
she is an archaelogist specialization in dwarfs and her partner alexander who is a retired war correspondant.
jasmine then goes to guatamala
and then to tibet to heal from the death of her daughter.
she then goes back to the country which is iran where she is reunited with her family.
she is a cancer specialist living in seattle.
he is actually from iran and she is of irani blood.
she has been living in america for a long time.
she has a five year old daughter called aria.
she was born on may 10nth 1991 and her full name is aria talahi avery.
she loves her daughter very much.
on the february 17nth 1997 she dies in a motor vehicle accident.
as i said she dies in an accident and the man who accidentally killed her is stephanie elias.
he did this by mistake and is very ashamed and regrets what he has done although it was a mistake.
he blames himself for the death and says that he can do any thing to bring her back.
jasmine has a friend called dot whom she calls dottie.
she is an archaelogist specialization in dwarfs and her partner alexander who is a retired war correspondant.
jasmine then goes to guatamala
and then to tibet to heal from the death of her daughter.
she then goes back to the country which is iran where she is reunited with her family.
January 2, 2019
I wasn't amazed,
November 18, 2023
I lived this book. I highly recommend it.
July 24, 2025
Não aprecio este tipo de escrita. Infelizmente, este livro não me cativou.
November 25, 2022
Original way of introducing the storyline by written letters to the people of importance surrounding the story of the main character. Set the emotional scène straight from the beginning
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2011
This is perhaps the first adult epistolary novels that I have read, which is to say it's the first good enough that I will remember it! At first I was afriad the letter format would become monotonous, but Assefi mixes it up a bit in creative ways. And let's be honest - as soon as I found out the main character's BFF is a dwarf, I was hooked!
Speaking with some of my friends about this book, I realized it may not be a book mother's of small children could handle. That is to say, it is about a woman who's child dies (not giving anything away here, it's on the jacket), and I think that is too scary an idea for most parents.
I have been fond of reading memoirs by Iranian women for a while, so this was interesting in that the main character is American and has shunned much of her Iranian roots without having ever been there - sort of a shift from the other books I've read.
I think this book would be good for you if you like female voices, traveling books, or books where families are brought together.
p.s. this book came to me by way of my mother who got it from a relative who was given it as a gift by someone who had never met him... word to the wise: If you have yet to meet someone in person, but wish to send them a good book to read, perhaps choose something that doesn't involve the death of a child. I mean, you have no idea what this person has been through or anything right? I feel like a biography of George Washington or something would be less likely to offend, don't you think?
Speaking with some of my friends about this book, I realized it may not be a book mother's of small children could handle. That is to say, it is about a woman who's child dies (not giving anything away here, it's on the jacket), and I think that is too scary an idea for most parents.
I have been fond of reading memoirs by Iranian women for a while, so this was interesting in that the main character is American and has shunned much of her Iranian roots without having ever been there - sort of a shift from the other books I've read.
I think this book would be good for you if you like female voices, traveling books, or books where families are brought together.
p.s. this book came to me by way of my mother who got it from a relative who was given it as a gift by someone who had never met him... word to the wise: If you have yet to meet someone in person, but wish to send them a good book to read, perhaps choose something that doesn't involve the death of a child. I mean, you have no idea what this person has been through or anything right? I feel like a biography of George Washington or something would be less likely to offend, don't you think?
December 8, 2012
Este é um daqueles livros que foram para mim uma completa surpresa. Ao ler a sinopse imediatamente pensei "a história deve ser muito gira". Ao começar a ler o livro vejo que todo ele é constituído por cartas, escritas pela protagonista às pessoas de quem mais gosta e as respectivas cartas e mails de resposta - aí o meu pensamento foi "isto vai ser uma seca"!
Felizmente prevaleceu o primeiro pensamento: a história é muito gira e o facto de o livro ser escrito em formato de cartas enviadas e recebidas não o torna maçador nem confuso, consegue-se seguir perfeitamente o rumo da narrativa.
Algumas coisas prevalecem:
* não é fácil (diria que é de todo impossível) superar a morte de um filho
* só nas nossas raízes e "remexendo" na nossa história conseguimos encontrar sentido para alguns factos da nossa vida
* ter fé é algo que nos ajuda a ultrapassar os momentos mais difíceis...
Felizmente prevaleceu o primeiro pensamento: a história é muito gira e o facto de o livro ser escrito em formato de cartas enviadas e recebidas não o torna maçador nem confuso, consegue-se seguir perfeitamente o rumo da narrativa.
Algumas coisas prevalecem:
* não é fácil (diria que é de todo impossível) superar a morte de um filho
* só nas nossas raízes e "remexendo" na nossa história conseguimos encontrar sentido para alguns factos da nossa vida
* ter fé é algo que nos ajuda a ultrapassar os momentos mais difíceis...
January 2, 2008
another book that i wanted to like - since i'm an incredibly morbid atheist, estranged from my ethnic heritage, i thought it would be right up my alley. the epistolary format didn't work for me, though - the letters were so stilted and formal that i couldn't believe they were written by real people, which made it hard to get emotionally involved in the story. the flashback sequences were especially distracting in an "Oh, I See What You're Doing There" way.
mo movie measure report card: PASS.
mo movie measure report card: PASS.
October 28, 2013
This was a sweet work, written very well from the perspective of a bereaved mother, her best friend, and her boyfriend. I thought the emotion was very real, and loved how it was written as a series of letters and emails to each other. I felt the loss of Aria with Jasmine, Dottie and Alexander, and I cried with Stephanie and Jasmine. It was very involving. Good book! :)
August 12, 2020
Het is even wennen, want deze roman hangt aaneen aan de hand van brieven, gedichten, krantenartikels en telegramteksten. Het duurde even voor ik er in mee gezogen werd maar wauw... Het was het waard. De verschillende standpunten, de rauwe emoties die over het papier rollen... Prachtig. Je reist mee naar China, gaat mee mediteren in Tibet en proeft bijna de zoete thee in Iran. Heerlijk!
Read
November 6, 2007I love the epistolary form. Nassim is a delightful writer as well as a delightful person. I enjoyed reading so much that I recognized about life in Central America, Iran, and my (adopted) hometown of Seattle.
October 6, 2012
This book was better than I expected. I liked the letters format. It was tough to read at times since it is about a child who is involved in a tragic accident. I really liked the characters. I also was glad to see Jasmine get to a better place after all her travels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2007
A sad and lovely story, and a too-brief look at how some other cultures deal with grief.
March 26, 2008
too depressing
January 15, 2009
couldn't believe this was her first novel. beautiful.
February 13, 2009
This was a bookclub choice.
Really, people write letters like that? On a more serious note, this was a sad story overall.
Really, people write letters like that? On a more serious note, this was a sad story overall.
January 17, 2010
A novel written in the form of "letters" between its main characters. Distances the read from them and the story a bit as a result. Still a moving, smart, and educational read nonetheless.
April 4, 2011
A beautiful, painful story that ends on a note of hope.
June 7, 2013
in some parts, felt the same!!
Read
March 6, 2013Great Story of an iranian woman who is complex of both western and iranian culture. I enjoy it very much and moreover I made it MP3 file for a librarary of Tehran. It was a fantastic experience!
April 13, 2014
Hauntingly beautiful.
December 22, 2014
Well-penned, memorable story of human grief and discovery. Stays with me even years later.
March 5, 2010
Wellesley author
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews