This is a story of romance unfulfilled. Roya and Bahman fall in love in Mr. Fakhri’s stationery store in Tehran. Their love is intense and they feel they have discovered their true soul mate. However, it’s 1953 and Iran is being torn apart with political unrest. Three factions vie for power: those loyal to the democratically elected president, those who favor the Shah, and those who lean toward the rising communist faction. Bahman is among those committed to the president while the other groups are working to oust the leader and persecute his supporters.

The romance ends abruptly when the two lovers fail to meet at an appointed rendezvous. They were thwarted by a government coup and other circumstances. Roya waits for Bahman who never shows, leaving her dejected and disappointed. Ultimately, Roya and her sister leave Iran to attend college in America. Over sixty years later, well into their elderly years, Roya has an opportunity to confront Bahman and find out why he abandoned her so long ago.

Iran’s turmoil reminds us of the backward steps taken since the 1950’s. Iranian women had once had greater opportunities for attending school, employment options, and even concerning the attire they could wear. So much changed when the president was overthrown and the militants forced their doctrines on the populace. Roya and her sister are lucky to be able to further their education by emigrating. They marry and establish their new lives in the U.S., but they don’t forget their heritage and the turmoil they left behind, nor does Roya forget her first love.

Initially Roya and Bahman were draw to each other by their love of poetry that they shared amid the haven of the stationery shop. But forces beyond their control would determine their fate. The two young teens have great appeal and their romance is touching. Their separation is tragic, but as the world moves on, so must they.

Kamali highlights the political chaos and the tensions within the country. The tragic relationship of the young lovers is subject to the havoc of the political unrest, plus other forces working against them. Betrayal and lost love haunt the pair. Time does not erase the strong feelings the teens once shared. This is an impressive story that’s tragic and sad – both for the couple and for the country.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.

What a beautiful yet sad love story, the book The Stationery Shop, portrayed! It was set in Tehran before and after the unrest and political upheaval of the 1953 coup d’etat which overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. The Iranian people made their intentions clear that fateful day in August of 1953. They showed that they were in favor of a monarchical rule led by the Shah. I learned so much about the customs and history of Iran from this book. The popular and authentic Persian dishes were described in great detail throughout the book so vividly that you could almost close your eyes and smell the aromatic smells of these dishes. I listened to the audiobook of The Stationery Shop on Overdrive. It was narrated exquisitely by Mozhan Marno. I had wanted to read The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali for a long time and was so glad I finally got the chance.

Tehran in the 1950’s was a place that believed in arranged marriages, distinction of the classes, tradition, customs and family. Roya was a vulnerable and quite innocent seventeen year old girl who had grown up in a home where her parents encouraged her education. Her favorite place to visit after school was the stationery shop run and owned by Mr. Fkhri. In that shop, Roya was in her element. She loved all the books of poetry and the books translated from foreign authors. One day, Roya was at the stationery shop when she heard the bell at the door jangle. A very handsome, smart and politically invested boy entered the shop. That was the first time Roya had seen Bahman. Mr. Fkhri introduced them to each other. They both had a love for poetry. There was something there right from that first chance meeting. Roya and Bahman continued to meet at the stationery shop each week. Before long, the two were beginning to fall hopelessly in love with each other. Little did Roya know that Bahman’s mother had promised Bahman to another girl of the same high class Bahman’s family came from. Bahman’s love for Roya was so strong and Roya’s love for Bahman was so strong that they would not let class get in the way. Bahman did not want to wait to marry Roya so he arranged to meet her at the square and take her to the office of marriage and divorce to marry. Roya arrived at the square but Bahman was nowhere to be seen. Had he changed his mind? Why had he not shown up? Then violence disrupted all around Roya. Gunshots were fired. People were being killed. Where was Bahman? Was he safe? Why did he not show up?

Sixty years later, Roya had over the years built a life with her American husband, Walter, in the New England area. One afternoon, Roya had accompanied Walter to a doctor’s appointment and was encouraged by Walter to explore the shops nearby instead of waiting for him in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. By chance, she came upon a little stationery shop. As she entered the shop, she was transported back to another shop that existed in her life many years ago. The jingle of the bell on the door brought back vivid memories. As the owner approached her Roya recognized something in his eyes and smile that reminded her of another person from her past. She came to learn that this man was Bahman’s son and that Bahman was in a nursing home not far from her home. Roya had buried Bahman deep within her but he was always not far from her thoughts. What would Roya do? Would she go to see Bahman? Would she get the answers to the questions that plagued her for all these years?

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali was a heartfelt and poignant story. It was about the love a girl and boy in Tehran discovered for each other. It was beautiful yet fated not to be. Outside influences, family and class structure forbid it from being. I cried, smiled and even felt anger at different parts in this well written story. I look forward to reading more books by Marjan Kamali. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book. I listened to the audio version of this book.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but when I find one that knocks my socks off, I wonder why I don't read more of it.

The Stationery Shop was many things for me. It was a beautiful love story that wasn't. It was a mystery and family betrayal. And it was an introduction into a culture and history I knew almost nothing of. I loved reading about the world of Tehran during a time of political and social upheaval and change.

I really felt for the characters, and the story will bring tears and joy.

A love story for those that love love stories. Interesting read that includes a great deal about Persian culture and food as well. But the story was a bit idealistic for me, and I really felt sad for "second-best' Walter. Overall though, an enjoyable read.

What a lovely, heartbreaking story of love and broken trust, of promises and obligation. Marjan Kamali writes with such tenderness, there were moments I felt like I was listening to her telling the story of Roya and Bahman to only me, her light touches making the story of a missed connection and the lifetimes of love and loss that much more poignant. Magical.

What a beautiful, moving, heartfelt, poignant book about young love and the trials and tribulations of life. Roya and Bahman are introduced to each other by the owner of the neighborhood stationery shop. The begin meeting there in secret, fall deeply in love, and are now on the verge of being married. Bahman asks Roya to meet him at the town square, but a violent event takes place and he never shows. Roya is forced to move on, which also means moving to America to go to college. Sixty years later, she and Bahman have an unexpected meeting that turns their lives upside down. This book was so sweet and wonderful, I never wanted it to end!

This was a beautiful love story that I did not want to end. I loved the storytelling and the setting of The Stationery shop. Even the way food was introduced into the story. It was so incredibly well written down to small details. Heartbreaking, but a lovely story that I highly recommend.

The Stationery Shop is a really unique look at a time of history I don't know much about. Marjan Kamali writes with a lovely clarity that makes the novel easy to read without being insultingly easy, and her characterization is wonderful and developed all throughout. It's certainly bittersweet, but it's touching and made me cry in a good way.

The historical background of The Stationery Shop set in 1950s Tehran is what gave this book substance and definition. The notes, letters, and cultural information throughout created extra interest. Everything came together to make this an interesting read.

This was a beautiful book. I loved their story and how it came together. Tehran was so vivid in their romance. I also love books that span decades so you can see the "happily ever after" come together (if there is one) and it doesn't just end without knowing how it continued.

This book is a piece of historical fiction and art. I followed the characters throughout the story. Five stars for this book!

This one got lost in my TBR list (the downside of the Kindle) and oh, how I regret not reading this sooner. The story is as lovely as the cover (and yes, I totally pick my books by the cover and the synopsis). The writing is gorgeous, the food descriptions lush, and it's such a GOOD story. I loved the historical aspects of it, too - I learned a lot about Iran.

Late accolades for this, but just a wonderful story.

4.25-4.5 stars

It was impossible to not get absorbed into this story. The description and narratives leap off the page where history and all its events come alive. The words coming alive wasn't always a good thing. For me, it aggravated my anxiety and depression with all the talk of political upheavals, depression, worries about balancing wanting to work and motherhood, controlling in-laws and a few other things. I'm not sure what it is but this book, as good as it is, is missing something for me. After some contemplation I've settled on the reason being that the story might have been made better by getting the perspective of Bahman's mother. We get the point of views from Roya, Bahman, and Mr. Fakhri throughout the book and are able to learn most of what we need to know from them, but it would have been more rounded out hearing the history and inner thoughts from a mentally ill woman who has suffered a lot in her life.

I listened to the audiobook while reading at some points in the story. Personally, I feel that the narrator did a nice job but that it might have been more effective to have a male and female narrator. There are sudden changes in POV and they aren't marked by years, location, or who the person is who we're reading. It was easier for me to follow along with the book as I could figure out whose perspective I was reading from this way.

The cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous; it has to be one of the prettiest I've ever seen! My ARC copy is digital but I might get a physical copy in the future just to look at and admire. This story will be a book the will stick with me for a long time. The all consuming love reminds me of my own love and we met at the same age they did. I'm not sure I'll reread this story but I'm glad I have my own copy to own.

I have really mixed feelings about this one.

On one hand, it's all I've ever wanted from a contemporary romance. It has tropey, star-crossed lovers who don't end up together. We meet them 50 years after they were together, finally discussing what happened. Their love story is set against the Iranin Revolution during the summer of 1953. The political history gives this book a deeper bite that most (nearly all) contemporary romances lack.

On the other hand, this book does not handle mental health well. In present day, our characters reflect on how the 1950s couldn't handle mental health at all. I think that's the author trying to say that the book's representation is historically accurate (which I'm fine with), but the modern day reflection doesn't show a lot of growth as characters or as a society. I hope that Kamali is trying to show that this generation still isn't good with mental health, but I don't think that's the case.

I think if you go into this knowing it's gonna portray a woman to have hysteria and never really resolve that, it's a worthwhile read.

The human base of existence is love and Marjain Kamali’s, The Stationery Shop, tells a beautiful story of just that.
Set in 1953, Tehran, a young woman, Roya, loves a local stationery business of a kind shopkeeper. She spends countless hours there surrounded by the scents and sights of a writer’s heaven. When the shopkeeper decides to introduce her to one of his customers, Bahman, sparks fly.
Roya and Bahman’s romance grows to the point of wanting to marry. On the eve of their wedding day, a coup to overthrow Tehran’s government (actual event-1953 Iranian coup d’etat to overthrow Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh) causes mass chaos and confusion where they are to meet before they say their vows.
Now, Roya has no idea where Bahman’s gone and worries she’s lost him forever.
Sixty years passes before she meets him again, but will the time erase the passion they once shared?
This book is a visual feast of scenes, factual events, and how our hearts hold love so tightly, it hurts.

*I received this ARC from the publisher and gave my unbiased review.

First of all, can we talk about this book cover? I know we aren't supposed to judge a book by the cover, but this cover is SO lovely. But even more lovely are the words inside this book and the story Marjan Kamali weaves.
I love a good family drama and am a huge fan of histoical fiction. Kamali brings 1950s Tehran to life. Roya is such a beautifully written character and I enjoyed following her story and the exploration of her life's journey. If you are looking to be swept away to another time and place, read The Stationery Shop!

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali is a book that took me by surprise. I did not expect it to be that good. ⠀
⠀
Sixty years after Roya’s first love broke her heart, she has a chance to meet him again. This time she wants to find out why he failed her and did not meet her at the marketplace as planned. ⠀
⠀
The novel is set in Massachusetts in the current time and in Tehran, in 1953 when there was political turmoil. Young Roya found solace in the poetry books at the Stationery shop. She meets Bahman there and falls in love with him. Roya’s sister, Zari warns her not to trust Bahman but Roya is too deep in love to listen to her. In spite of disapproval from Bahman’s emotionally unstable mother, Roya and Bahman get engaged. After that Bahman disappears from Roya’s life and does not keep his promise to meet her at the market square so they can get married.⠀
⠀
An intriguing tale of love, loss, the cruel twists of life, and the fickle nature of people. I also loved the cultural depth of this novel. It gave me an opportunity to learn about Iran and Iranian customs. A must-read!⠀

LOVED this one!! The historical context was fascinating and I learned so much. Also, I often find star-crossed lover storylines to be trite, but I was SO invested in this story and these characters. One of my favorite love stories I've ever read. Bravo, Marjan Kamali! I can't wait to read your next book. (The food descriptions were another definite highlight. So hungry for Persian food!!)