Persian Brides

by Dorit Rabinyan

Book by Rabinyan, Dorit

Genres: Fiction, Iran, Historical Fiction, Womens, Middle East, Jewish, Novels

Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Dorit Rabinyan (Hebrew: דורית רביניאן) is an Israeli writer and screenwriter.
She was born in Kfar Saba to an Iranian Jewish family. She has published three novels, two of which have been widely translated. She has also published a poetry collection and an illustrated children's book. She also writes for television.
She was a close friend of Palestinian artist Hasan Hourani, and wrote a eulogy for him in The Guardian after his death in 2003.
Her 2014 novel Gader Haya (initially known as Borderlife in English, later published as All the Rivers), which tells a love story between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man, has become the center of controversy. The novel was well-received and won the Bernstein Prize. In 2015, a committee of teachers requested Borderlife be added to the recommended curriculum for Hebrew high school literature classes. A committee in the Israeli Ministry of Education found the book inappropriate and declined to add it, on the grounds, according to The Economist, that it promotes intermarriage and assimilation. Dalia Fenig, the leading committee member, argued that the book "could do more harm than good" at this time of heightened tensions, though she noted the book was not banned and could be added next year. The decision led to protests from high school teachers and principals and opposition politician Isaac Herzog. Sales of the book have surged in the aftermath

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel traces the experiences and yearnings of two Jewish Persian girls in turn of the century Iran, and as such is rich, animated, humorous, engaging and sensual.
Flora is 15 and pregnant, waiting for her worthless straying husband to return home. Nazie is eleven and longs to be married and start a family.
A masterpiece of contemporary literature in the tradition of Amy Tan and Shifra Horn. It vividly covers the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of the characters and the culture of Persian Jews. Set over two days, it succeeds in backtracking to cover the experiences of more than one generation.
Richly explores the superstitions, customs and traditions of the Jews of Persia and Persia at the beginning of the Twentieth century.

[Siv30 · Rating 4 out of 5]

סיפורן של פלורה ונזי, בנות דודות וחייהן בכפר פרסי, עומריג'אן. הבנות גדלות בבית יהודי בשכנות למוסלמים. חייהן רדופים שדים, רוחות ואמונות טפלות שמונחלות בעיקר ע"י הנשים המבוגרות.

כל שאיפתן בחייהן היא להינשא, אבל המכשלה היא שהמוסלמים שינו את החוק וניתן להינשא רק מגיל 12 ולאחר שהאישה קיבלה וסת.

פלורה היפה מגיעה לפירקה, שיירת הגברים המבקשים להינשא לה עולה לרגל לביתה. אולם הוריה רוצים במחזר העשיר אך הקרח. פלורה מסרבת להינשא לו ומעליבה אותו ברבים והוא מחליט לא להינשא לה.

משכך, כאשר מגיע שהין, נווד מכונם, בוגדן, שידו שבורה ממלקות שהכה אותו אביה של אחת הבנות, הוריה מתלהבין מהבדים ומשיאים אותו לבתם פלורה.

פלורה שהולכת שבי אחר בעלה ונופלת לפיתויו המיניים נכנסת בליל ליקוי ירח להריון, למרות שאימה מרים חנום מזהיר אותה שגורל התינוק יהיה רע.

לאחר מכן שהין נושט את פלורה וככל שהריונה מתפתח כך געגועיה לבעלה ושגעונה גדלים עד שלילה אחד היא יוצאת לחפש אותו.

בנתיים נזי, המאורסת לבן דודה, לא מקבלת וסת ולכן אינה יכולה להינשא. היא מוטרדת מהעובדה שהוא יעזוב אותה ולמרות שהיא אשת בית מצויינת, דבורה עמלנית ובשלנית היא הולכת ומשתגעת ביאושה עד שבאקט של טירוף, היא פונה לחאג המוסלמי שיתיר את נשואיה.

זה, מנסה לשכנע אותה שלא לרוץ ולמכור את ילדותה לשיער אפור בכזו מהירות, להביט בקברי הילדות שנפטרו בלידתן ולהמתין. אבל נזי נחושה בדעתה.

הספר הולך ומתכנס לשני פרקיו האחרונים שהם שיאה של הטרגדיה של נזי ופלורה.

בשפה רווית צבע ועשירה בביטויים ומילים מרנינות מספרת דורית רביניאן את סיפורן של הנשים בכפר. האווירה הולכת ונהיית סוריאליסטית, והעלילה הזויה ומטרידה. הסלחנות כלפי הגברים, התנהגותם ומגרעותיהם, הנוקשות כנגד הנשים ולא עי גברים אלא עי נשים אחרות שלא מאפשרות שום חריגה מהכלל, הופכות את הספר הזה למצויין.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book. In fact, I was happy when I got to the last page and was finally done with it. Given that the book touches on so many subjects that I like to read about, including Jewish history, women's lives, and foreign cultures, I thought I would enjoy this book about Jewish women in a small Persian town in the early 20th century. But the writing is very heavy handed. While I can believe that small towns are not easy places to live, there was barely a single instance of two people interacting in a positive way. It's all yelling, cursing, and hitting each other, with no redeeming features to life. The characters are not drawn in a believable way; they are all flat caricatures. And worse, Rabinyan is very heavy on unpleasant physical details and descriptions. I am not particularly squeamish, but there were many parts that were very off-putting. I didn't love her other novel, Our Weddings (which was written after this), and I think I can safely say that I'm through reading Rabinyan.

[Oriyah N · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initially the book was hard to follow - I was unsure whether I wasn't paying sufficient attention or whether the book wasn't sufficiently captivating. Either way I had to re-read the beginning and put in more effort than I particularly wanted to. The cultural aspects were almost interesting but more disturbing and seemed characterized, as if the author was trying to convey some big shameful cultural secret and wanted to make sure the reader got it.

The story itself became decently captivating but felt like it had no point. For a first novel from a young author this was a decent, but not particularly sparkling, attempt.

[Yaara · Rating 4 out of 5]

שוב בחירה לא מוצלחת באודיו. ספר מקסים וכתוב היטב, אבל איכשהו באודיו קשה לי לעקוב אחרי עלילות פתלתלות שהולכות אחורה וקדימה בזמן. מה שכן, המקריאה היתה טובה. אין מצב שהייתי מצליחה לשמוע את כל הפרסית כמו שצריך בטקסט.

[Jessica Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Persian Brides' is the first novel by Israeli-born Dorit Rabinyan. Rabinyan was only 21 at the time that she wrote the book. The novel won the 1999 JEWISH QUARTERLY Wingate Literary Award.
"Persian Brides" takes the reader to a fictional Persian village in the early 1900's. The story focuses on 15 year old Flora, her 11 year old cousin Nazie, and their family, the Hanoums. Flora, is a headstrong girl, with perhaps a bit too much vanity. She rejects many suitors that come to her family proposing marriage. Nazie, who is treated like a servant by her aunt (Flora's mother), sees all this activity and longs to be married herself. The novel is full of culture and folklore and it was very interesting to read about the traditions and rituals that the family followed. The writing was beautiful and full of great imagery. I feel that the book would have been better with a touch more character and plot development. We read this book in my book group and there were mixed feelings on it. Some people didn't like it at all due to the limited plot and others enjoyed the writing and the magical imagery. I personally, love reading about other cultures and their traditions, folklore, superstitions and beliefs, so I found that aspect of this book very satisfying. One example of an interesting tradition in Flora's village is that mothers shout from the rooftop to let the neighborhood know when their daughter has their first menstruation. Flora's mother also performs nighttime inspections of Flora to be sure that she is still `pure'. Can you imagine?! And you thought your mother was bad! The novel will make you smile at some of the other traditions and superstitions that Flora and her family live by.

[Adiya Nyberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in Hebrew, and while I liked how the vividness of the prose and the precision of the adjectives contrasted with the vulgarities of the way the characters spoke, that was about it. I picked this up thinking it was going to be historical fiction. It most definitely was not-- it was more surrealist, like a nightmare with oddly specific details. Watermelon throw-up being a very common one, for exampe.
I understand that this is supposed to be a scathing satire of the absurdities of life in a small Persian town, but it was depressing and frankly the plot took too long to develop. I wasn't rooting for any of the characters, either-- they were all selfish for the most part, violent, and full of vicious curses for each other. I feel like I read 200 pages detailing the absolute ugliness of humankind.

[Justyna · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was truly painful to read this book. The writing (wording) itself is good and at times even beautiful, but it doesn't match the story at all. As other reviewers here have already mentioned, there's a lot of yelling, cursing, hitting each other, the narrative and the story levels are completely different and don't match each other. I also felt repulsed by the naturalistic approach to sexuality of the characters. What's more, I couldn't seem to grasp whether the whole book was made of legends that were just made into real life stories or real life stories that were made into legends. It was very confusing and hard to follow. All in all, a waste of time for me, I'm afraid.

[Eithan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good part- the book is written by a woman so it provides a different worldview to that era which is full of chores, magic, childbirth etc. Something that we don't encounter a lot in literature.
The bad part is that the sheer amount of superstitions that this book is filled with is just annoying to the point that I've dropped reading the book at about the middle as I don't want to hear more about superstitions for a few month now

[Blanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hipnotyzująca baśń i solidne źródło wiedzy o życiu bliskowschodnich kobiet. Dorit Rabinyan wykreowała świat tyleż brutalny, co zmysłowy, przepełniony radością życia, miłością i pożądaniem skrywanym pod czadorem norm moralnych patriarchalnego społeczeństwa.

https://blankakatarzynadzugaj.wordpre...

:)

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Geschichte hat mich zwischendrin sehr gepackt und durch die Beschreibung der Umgebung und des Essens hat es mich sehr reingezogen. Der magische Realismus (?) hat mich manchmal etwas aus der Geschichte geworfen und verwirrt. Es war spannend die gesellschaftliche Situation der Mädchen und Jüdinnen*Juden nachzuvollziehen.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to know more about ancient Persian laws and customs, this was a good book. But it was a very odd read. Of the two girls (brides) neither drew much empathy from the reader and the other women in the book were often horrible to each other and the girls.

[Geffen Tzaban · Rating 4 out of 5]

a beautiful portrait of a community of women in a certain place and time. enjoyed it very much, especially the interplay of truth and superstition, and also how centred it was in differing feminine perspectives. one point off for falling apart at the end.

[TaniaRina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crass

[Ron Lang-Alon · Rating 3 out of 5]

מהנה ומזעזע בו-זמנית. חיי אישה-נערה-ילדה בפרס של פעם...

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Most likely this book would have gotten more stars & attention in original language than translation format.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems to take place in an alternate universe. Strange and wonderful.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Persian Brides was a book unlike any other I've ever read. It tells the story of the Persian village of Omerijian; and details the story of the young women specifically the young Jewish women who live in it as they are born, go through childhood; get married and have their own children. The style of writing was very descriptive and open; it could almost be called provocative in some ways. There were no details left to the imagination; all of the girls sexual experiences growing up and all of the customs that the women and men in the village observed were very specifically detailed in the book; so if that type of thing bothers you as a reader then I would be careful with this book also I would not recommend anyone under the age of fourteen reading it.

It took awhile for me to get into the writer's tempo with how things were described but once I did I ended up loving this book and finishing it very quickly. I learned a lot I didn't know about customs in a different part of the world, marriage rituals, spiritual beliefs, and I loved the style of writing. The characters in the book were very easy to relate to and the chapters ended in a way that made you want to keep reading. The book centered mainly around the lives of two girls named Flora and Nazie, and their families lives in Omerijan; their entry into married life at the ages of between eleven and fourteen. And their loyalty to each other. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of magic woven into the books they read and who wants a book that is hard to put down; but don't read it if you can't handle parts that are very truthful about the realities of life for women in this time and part of the world.

[S'hi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teeming with life, anxiety and expectation, Persian Brides turns the whole world within the lives of two young girls anticipating birth and marriage in a small Iranian village during the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi. Within the opening pages a trail of women’s bodies are strewn behind the itinerant trader who marries one of the girls. Throughout the following chapters, amid curses and constant news reports across the roof tops, every aspect of a woman’s body, honour and shame is displayed for all to judge and add to her burden. The most intimate details of prodding, indignation and even shy and naïve love are displayed among the smorgasbord of colours, flavours and implications of superstition that are the wisdom of village life. There is even a virgin birth!

This teeming life is drawn from the stories Dorit Rabinyan grew up with in Israel, from her Jewish parents who migrated from Iran. Many of the attitudes are surprisingly persistent. Generations later women still struggle against the judgment of others over every little move they make. The violence inherent in a culture steeped in frustration and inadequate communication is portrayed with poignant accuracy. If it weren’t so true it might even be humorous.

The author’s style includes the magical and mystical storytelling heritage of the Middle East. The line between prediction and tradition is as thin as the veil of a belly dancer and as revealing of the audience as it is obliterating of the person seeking guidance. A remarkable first novel justly recognised as an award-winner in 1999. The author has also produced poems and television drama, as well as continuing a career in journalism.

[Dennis Briskin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The purpose of a work of art is to evoke a feeling response in the reader/viewer/listener. This novel did it for me, although I agree with the observations about its "raw" depiction of small-minded, tradition-bound villagers abusing each other. The writer takes us inside a particular variety of Persian Jewish culture during the time of Reza Shah near WWI and after.

(Full disclosure: I lived with a Persian Jewish family in what was then a small city, Arak, during my Peace Corps service in 1967-68. My landlord and his family were kinder, more progressive and more loving than the characters in this novel.)

When the girls spoke of "the gentiles" around them, they meant the Moslem majority, who are noted for their Medieval, unhealthy attitudes toward women and sexuality. The Jews, Armenian Christians, Zoroastrians and Bahai cannot avoid being influenced by the majority they live among.

Someone once wrote, "All novels are about one thing: the human heart." This short novel shows it, even if we feel the urge to turn away from the picture.

[Karyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking place over just two days, this novel follows two young cousins and the ways in which their lives completely diverge in such a short period of time. Flora is 15, waiting for her con-artist husband to return from his travels, while her 11-year-old cousin Nazie, an orphan, dreams of becoming a woman so that she may marry. The author does a spectacular job of interweaving past events into the main plot line, creating a vibrant world in which the reader may escape. I devoured this book in just over a day because I couldn't wait to see how things were going to play out.

Unfortunately, the book just... ends. There's no plot resolution or wrapping up of events. I was so surprised I stared at the end papers for a few moments, then went back a few pages to see if I had missed something. But no, that was the end of the book. If the end had been a lot better, this would have been a five-star book.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me of "Vathek" by William Beckford. Like that one, this was odd but strangely compelling. There were so many spots that made me uncomfortable and were just plain weird, I had to wonder if this was actually how they treated each other. Surely this can't be the truth of their culture? There weren't really any truly likeable characters, other than Nazie, and it was almost sad to see her succumb to the culture of marrying so young, but I suppose if that was how you grew up and that was your only ambition, what other choice would you have?
The author, however, did an excellent job of weaving so many different stories and tales together. Every person has their own story and their own past, each one more odd than the last.

[Patrycja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ciężka lektura. Powieść, która ma pokazać sposób myślenia perskich kobiet, dla których celem życia jest wyjście za mąż, bo ich wartość zależy wyłącznie od mężczyzny, który za nimi stoi. Cel ten kobiety odkrywają dość szybko, więc jest wątek nastoletniego dziecka żądającego zgody na ślub, bo już tu i teraz musi wyjść za mąż i stać się kobietą; jest wątek dziewczyny zakochującej się w domokrążcy itp. Sposób myślenia kobiet w tej książce jest mi tak obcy, że nie mogłam poczuć do nich sympatii. Jakoś specjalnie bym tej książki nie polecała, choć doceniam walor literacki.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A wide variety of emotions is spread throughout the novel, in fact is has more of a novella. The reason that it actually is not a novel, is the fact - let's say my opinion - that it lacks character development. It could have had more. Not a failure. Not reaching to the point that it 'deserves' three stars. Good though, to get an impression of the social environment in which these people go around.

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unforgettable world, full with colourful stories and superstitions, disturbing, lush, and oh so lyrical. So many smells and textures float effortlessly off the page, as Rabinyan portrays the lives of young Jewish girls in a Persian village at the beginning of the 20th century. It felt like indulging with all senses in this book, as the style managed to capture and lure me to a world which was in the beginning completely unknown.

[Jennifer Stoloff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book those it was difficult to figure out the context. What era was it set? It had a mixture of modern and ancient elements. Even though it's ostensibly about a Jewish family, very little of a religious nature is directly addressed. The writer sets an interesting scene and you do get a strong impression of a small, tight-knit community with very little privacy. The ending was disappointing. It just seemed to stop in the middle of the story.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Raucous, vivid, a little gross. No character development, just visceral description and high (hysterical?) emotion. Lots of laughing, crying, hair pulling, lip biting, cooking, fucking, cursing. Thought the subject would interest me (Jewish life in a 1930s Iranian village) but the book is not my cup of tea.

[Maracujia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mi aspettavo un romanzo corale, una storia condivisa e quello che ho trovato, invece, è stata una galleria di personaggi negativi. Tutte le declinazioni degli aspetti peggiori dell'essere umano, dalla grettezza alla stupidità, dall'ignoranza alla superstizione, passando per la cattiveria e l'invidia.
Il tutto su una trama inesistente.

[The Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. The characters are so vivid, everyone seems slightly crazy, life is bright and bustling and loud. Fruit and honey seems to be everywhere; the women are mostly concerned with either smelling sweet or finding a husband. There is plenty of drama, which makes for a very entertaining read. Loved both Flora and little Nazie.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another hidden treasure. The cover does not do this book any justice at all, its such a lovely, lively tale and yet the cover makes it look like a text book. Its a beautiful (but not necessarily a happy) tale about family and love set in Persian village at the turn of the century.

If you have read, Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel you'll like this too.