• The Septembers of Shiraz

  • By: Dalia Sofer
  • Narrated by: Firdous Bamji
  • Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (82 ratings)

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The Septembers of Shiraz  By  cover art

The Septembers of Shiraz

By: Dalia Sofer
Narrated by: Firdous Bamji
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Publisher's summary

This New York Times Notable Book - "intelligent as it is gripping" ( Kirkus Reviews) - is the critically lauded, best-selling debut from Iranian-born author Dalia Sofer.

Accused of spying for Israel, Isaac Amin's real crime is simply being Jewish, which gets him tossed into jail after the Iranian Revolution feeds the flames of Islamic fanaticism. As Isaac endures the brutality of imprisonment, his wife fights despair while searching for answers.

Hoping to prevent further injustices, his precocious daughter steals files from the man in charge of the prison. And half a world away in Brooklyn, Isaac's adult son suffers when his family's financial support vanishes.

Sofer, who fled Iran in 1982 when her own father was unjustly imprisoned, draws from personal experience to create a powerful novel that captures both sidesof the Iranian struggle.

©2007 Dalia Sofer (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"A remarkable debut...richly evocative, powerfully affecting...as beautiful and delicate as a book about suffering can be." ( New York Times Book Review)

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What listeners say about The Septembers of Shiraz

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Poignant.

Well written, well read. Worth reading. A thought provoking piece of the atrocities the people of Iran have faced told through the experiences of one family.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful book

I really loved this book. The narrator does a great job with the multiple perspectives and brings the lovely writing to life. I learned a lot about the Iranian Revolution too.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting read

Well worth the time. Understanding the background of the Iranian revolution is helpful but not necessary.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • L.
  • 08-14-23

Gripping Tale

An excellently written tale of the plight of a Jewish man and his family during the Iranian Revolution. The drama of the family's struggles and suffering is well told and there is considerable suspense on how their fate will turn out.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Read by non native, but story still shines

Story engaging and vivid. interesting to get multiple points of view. Some cultural background is left unexplained. Narration mispronounced most Persian names and places, but tone and pacing was good.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

DO NOT READ

Just not very interesting and very confusing. Story jumps around a lot. I do not recommend this book to children.

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