Marriage on the Street Corners of Tehran

by Nadia Shahram

"Married off at the age of twelve, Ateesh finds the courage to escape her abusive arranged marriage, only to find herself trapped in the oppressive but socially accepted practice of temporary marriage. Here is her touching and tragic story of strength and survival"--[P. 4 of cover].

Genres: Iran, Fiction, Religion

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

...eye opening account of what is passed off as morally and culturally acceptable in Islamic society. Once again here is another book that gives a shining depiction of how women are commodities and this "norm" has the full backing of a religion...

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fascinating yet enraging book on gender discrimination and temporary marriage in Iran. It also offers an interesting look into the misogynistic and false interpretations of the Qur'an.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very hard book to read since the subject it dealt with was so foreign and revolting to me. A different culture from mine where women are treated worse than cattle. It was eye opening, sad and hard to believe people still live with these ideas and way of life. I never felt so glad to be born in America before. I feel for these women and hope they will find the means to overcome this terrible fate. Nadia Shahram's writing was powerful, heartfelt and informative. She conveyed horrible situations and stories in such a way that you really felt the pain.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book four stars for the well written depiction of Iranian culture and mores. I felt that the main character was emotionally scarred for life from her early experience which was a shame. But still the author let the character find her calling although she left several broken hearts in her cold wake. She seemed emotionless and rather cold, not recovering herself, even by helping other women. Still, I learned a lot about Iranian culture so found it interesting to read.

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Temporary marriage is a system in some Muslim cultures where a man and a woman enter into a contract of marriage for a specified period of time (one day, 2 years, etc) as a way of legitimizing mistresses and prostitutes (or even American-style dating). While frowned upon in many circles culturally (and often hidden), it's religiously legal (and civilly so in certain countries).

Mostly though, this is a book about the horrors of marriage to women and girls who are either forced into it or who enter into it freely but are abused and have trouble getting out. The main character is set up to experience many types of situations herself plus she is an advocate so she narrates the stories of other women.

The stories themselves are interesting and help to pull together a picture of what female life is like in Iran (and no, it's not all horror stories). But we don't see much characterization and the storyline doesn't flow like a novel should. It's more the framework for hanging the fictional versions of the true stories of the title.

I do recommend reading the book, just know that it falls on the spectrum between documentary and novel.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shallow characters, too unrealistic "falling in love", and sometimes stilted writing. However, the insight into the position of women in Iran and the limitations of their lives as well as what "temporary marriage" is and why it is practiced is very revealing. The character is actually a composite of a number of women the author met and interviewed on one or two of her trips to Iran. The repressive culture against women is really frustrating, and it is so sad that the main character's mother has to put up with the second wife. I think all the other cultural stuff, the good and the bad, is quite true and a window into understanding a very different world. I recommend it for the cultural insight, but not so much the plot, the characters, or the writing style. The book also needs some more editing -- I found a number of mistakes as I read. Overall, if you are interested in how Iranian women live and are treated, this book will be a good read. It was a fast read too.

[Leah Hanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novel about contemporary women's rights issues in Iran, largely focused on the subject of siqeh. Having a background knowledge of Iranian language and culture will be of great value when you read this book, and I think for those who do not, some topics will be quite shocking. The author does an excellent job revealing relevant social issues as well as some contradictions in the practice of Islam. Definitely a must-read for anyone interested in human rights and women's issues, and may help non-Muslims to understand why women who suffer under Islamic law still cling to their religion of Islam.

[Suzan Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictional story set in Iran that is based on lives of real-life women there, about a 12-year old girl who is married off to an abusive husband and how that experience affects the rest of her life, including her decision to engage in "temporary marriages" (basically, a legalized form of prostitution) to earn money so she can be independent. Fascinating, compelling, and powerful. Read my full review at Publishers Weekly:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1...

[Rory M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Iranian culture that I definitely didn’t know through reading this book. It was super interesting and as a woman rather chilling. The writing wasn’t the greatest in that whoever edited it needed to take their time because I saw a lot of typos and simple grammatical mistakes. The last couple of chapters were really weird and didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the book. Overall a fascinating if not artistic read.

[Zee Monodee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An in-depth and rather disturbing view into the culture of Tehran in regards to the position of women and what they are supposed to be in that society ... Found it strange at times, and really upsetting at others. Despite this being a fiction, it reeks of this authenticity where women are 'bound' and not free, and this was saddening, if anything else.

[Susie Sigel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested it the subject matter, but another book with fascinating subject that should be a New Yorker article. By the end it read like a harlequin romance. I suggest the author and editor read some Nagib Mahfouz for some inspiration on the literary aspect of writing

[Elizabeth Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely interesting. I recently met the author at our book club which she discussed how she came to write this book.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting commentary on " temporary marriage" as practiced in Iran. The woman in the story lives as she must to avoid dependence on men and their control of her life.