The Lion Women of Tehran Audiobook By Marjan Kamali cover art

The Lion Women of Tehran

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The Lion Women of Tehran

By: Marjan Kamali
Narrated by: Mozhan Navabi, Nikki Massoud
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER

An “evocative read and a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism” (People) set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran—from nationally bestselling author Marjan Kamali.

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams for a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions of becoming “lion women.”

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

“Reminiscent of The Kite Runner and My Brilliant Friend, The Lion Women of Tehran is a mesmerizing tale” (BookPage) of love and courage, and a sweeping exploration of how profoundly we are shaped by those we meet when we are young. 20th Century Friendship Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Islamic Heritage Women's Fiction Iran Middle East Heartfelt Emotionally Gripping Thought-Provoking Inspiring

Critic reviews

"Mozhan Navabi performs this audiobook with the right tone and tempo. She narrates crisply and captures the guilt-ridden Ellie, who is tormented by her past. Ellie’s best friend, political activist Homa, is voiced with a younger sound and tone (by Nikki Massoud). Her voice is fitting for the youthful Iranian revolutionary who champions women’s rights and democracy and is jailed and abused for her beliefs."
Powerful Storytelling • Captivating Friendship Narrative • Authentic Pronunciation • Rich Historical Context

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Why o why can't we get narrators that can pronounce words in Farsi correctly? The person narrating Elahe's parts pronounces even the name Elahe with an American accent! I rather have narrators that read with a Persian accent but pronounce the Farsi words and phrases authentically than narrators that have crisp American accents. I now wish I had read the physical book rather than listened to it because it was so irksome to listen to these accents.

Wonderful story Awful Narration

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This was an amazing read. Don’t hesitate. The story was easy to follow, had me on the edge of my chair wanting to know what happened next and also tugged at my heart. I will absolutely read another book by this author.

Amazing writing

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I loved reading about the History of Iran from female perspective. I didn’t think it was the most well written book, but it was a very good and honest story , with good presiónalos developments of the characters, and I do highly recommend it

History of Iran from female perspective

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I really enjoyed this story. Full of friendship, laughter and the sacrifice of two friends. Lots of history and perspective I never knew about. Great narration too!

Beautiful story of friendship, love and sacrifice 💙

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What a great book. It makes me so sad that people must live like this and that women are persecuted like they were and still are. It makes me so thankful that I was born and live in the US and have my freedoms! The author of this book was outstanding, and her writing teaches us so much about the customs and people of Tehran. Highly recommend.

Outstanding

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