I was deeply moved by THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN by Marjan Kamali. Set against the backdrop of Iran before, during, and after the revolution, it's a gripping story of friendship, class, and women's rights, exploring themes of betrayal, redemption and the power of female bonds. Kamali's storytelling vividly brings these themes to life. I highly recommend it for its emotional depth and beautifully crafted narrative.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I just loved “The Stationery Shop” by Marian Kamala. I couldn’t wait to read her next novel, The Lion Women of Tehran.
This is a different book than our previous one. This is a story of the friendship of two young girls growing up in the turbulence of Iran. The story takes place in the 1950s Tehran and continues and until present day. It is a coming of age story as Ellie and Homa make life changing decisions and the conflicts they encounter.
The book is beautifully written. It is a must read for all women.
Truly Lion Women. A compelling story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this advanced readers copy.

Marjan Kamali has written a story that captured my attention from the very beginning. I had not read any of her previous two books so I was not quite sure what to expect.

Ellie and Homa form a fast and deep friendship when they were only young girls. Classmates, the girls with very different personalities, become practically inseparable until Ellie's life is upended with the loss of her father and the new marriage of her mother and uncle. The girls swear to not lose touch but life happened.

Fast forward to the girls in high school and their paths merge once again and lasts a lifetime.

The Lion Women of Tehran is a rich book that spans decades of friendship.

Kamali has a new loyal reader. I am anxious to read her first two works. Not sure I could have loved this book more. This is not a light read but despite that I still loved it.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Marjan Kamali's "The Lion Women of Tehran" is a poignant and sweeping tale of friendship, resilience, and the transformative power of love and courage set against the backdrop of three tumultuous decades in Tehran, Iran.

The story follows Ellie, a young girl whose life takes a drastic turn following the untimely death of her father. Forced to move to a humble home downtown with her mother, Ellie longs for companionship and finds it in the spirited Homa. Together, they navigate the colorful streets of Tehran, dreaming of becoming "lion women" and defying societal expectations.

Kamali expertly captures the essence of Iranian society during pivotal historical periods, from the opulent 1950s to the upheaval of the Shah's regime and the Iranian Revolution. Through Ellie and Homa's intertwined lives, readers gain insight into the challenges faced by women in Iran, including issues of class, identity, and social injustice.

What sets this novel apart is Kamali's evocative prose and her ability to delve into the complexities of human relationships. The friendship between Ellie and Homa is depicted with warmth and authenticity, making it a central and compelling aspect of the narrative.

As the story unfolds, Kamali skillfully weaves together themes of friendship, betrayal, and redemption, culminating in a powerful exploration of how the people we meet shape our lives. Despite their flaws and differences, Ellie and Homa emerge as resilient and courageous women who defy societal constraints and forge their own paths.

"The Lion Women of Tehran" is a captivating and emotionally resonant novel that will stay with readers long after they turn the final page. Kamali's rich storytelling, combined with her deep understanding of Iranian culture and history, makes this book a must-read for anyone interested in compelling narratives and thought-provoking themes.

I received an advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed here are my own.

The Lion Women of Tehran is a powerful coming-of-age story about female friendship, women's rights, and Iran's tumultuous history. Ellie and Homa are two girls from vastly different backgrounds who become best friends; while Ellie is content to live comfortably in her upper-class life, Homa is idealistic, ambitious, and intends to make Iran better for all.

I loved reading the mouth-watering descriptions of Persian delicacies interspersed throughout the story, and I'm already planning to visit restaurants serving these dishes in my city. I was also thrilled to see a reference to The Stationery Shop in this book!

The last quarter of the book felt more disconnected with <spoiler>Ellie, Mehrdad, and Bahar in New York</spoiler>, and I wanted to read more chapters from Homa's perspective. I wish Ellie and Homa had <spoiler>more time to reconcile and reconnect before Homa was imprisoned again and forbidden to leave Iran</spoiler>, but I know that doesn't reflect the reality of the ongoing protests in Iran. The ending was gripping, heart-wrenching, and yet still incredibly inspiring.

While this was a beautiful story about friendship, I found it a bit slow. I enjoyed learning about the women’s movement in Tehran and it provided great political and cultural context given what’s happening in the world today with Iran. At times I had to push myself to keep reading, but I was glad I finished it.

This is a lovely story of two Iranian girls from different backgrounds. One of them fights for women's rights in Iran and the other consumes herself mainly with marriage and babies. The book takes readers through their girlhood and college years during the Shah's regime and that of the Ayatollah Khomenei. Their lives drift apart for years, but they eventually find their way back together.

It is a powerful and interesting read that depicts what life in Iran was like during those historical periods, especially for women. I found both female characters to be believable and true of women in Iran, despite their flaws and individual personalities. A creative and well-written novel.

This is not just a story about the friendship of two Iranian women; it also gives a picture of the upheavals in Iran in the past 75+ years. It shows the struggles and the atrocities women there faced and still face.

The Lion Women of Tehran tells the story of Elaheh and Homa, two life-long friends who meet in childhood. Elaheh and Homa couldn't be more different; Elaheh was raised in luxury whereas Homa was surrounded by poverty, Elaheh was taught to worship the Shah who kept her family's wealth in tact whereas Homa was taught the values of communism, Elaheh looked forward to a life of marriage and motherhood whereas Homa only desired to become a judge. Despite these differences and painful moments through time, the two friends share a love that is understated yet deeply understood.

The Lion Women of Tehran was beautifully written. The plot was layered and complex but easy to follow, which isn't always the case in stories that move back and forth through time. I fell in love with Kamali's characters and their growth. This is a story where you want to root for everyone because there's so much hope embedded throughout their journeys. As someone who is unfamiliar with Persian culture and Iran, I also felt as though Kamali did her readers a service by using vivid imagery and descriptions that made it easy to feel like you were living in the story. I look forward to reading more of Kamali's work!

A powerful story of two women and the complicated weight of their shared history, deep friendship, and emotional debts. Homa and Ellie are both lovingly rendered as multifaceted, complex, flawed individuals - one brimming over with idealism and a hunger to right the world's wrongs, and the other searching for her own identity in the midst of envy and naivety. The family and friends that surround both of the main characters are equally human, capable of inexplicable cruelty and heroic endurance.

Kamali writes vividly of Tehran and its streets, cafes, and bazaars, steaming kitchens and high-society parties, all the contradictions and tensions of a rapidly changing country. Especially evocative are her descriptions of food - from the scene of the girls slicing an onion with Homa's mother onwards, I was totally drawn in and hooked.

A fantastic read for fans of intergenerational sagas - thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

A deeply personal and beautifully told narrative from the author of THE STATIONARY SHOP, which I absolutely adored and so I could hardly wait for this next book from Kamali. Her story of a decades-long, life-defining friendship is set against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution is beautifully told, emotional and heart-centered throughout, and a joy to read. Worth the wait.

✨T H E L I O N
W O M E N O F T E H R A N✨
🅶🅴🅽🆁🅴—𝐻𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁 𝐹𝒾𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃
🗓ℙ𝕦𝕓 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖—𝕁𝕦𝕝𝕪 𝟚, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜

𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓭𝓪𝔂, 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝓮 𝔀𝓮'𝓵𝓵 𝓭𝓸 𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼. 𝓦𝓮'𝓵𝓵 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓿𝓮𝓼. 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓹 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓼. 𝓦𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓬𝓾𝓫𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝔀, 𝓶𝓪𝔂𝓫𝓮. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝔀𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓰𝓻𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓼. 𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷."

✂️ P L O T L I N E
In 1950s Tehran, 7-year old Ellie and Homa become the best of friends despite being from different socioeconomic backgrounds. After Ellie moves to another neighborhood, they lose touch with one another but never forget the vow they made to each other to become “lion women.”
Years later when they are reconnected and resume their friendship, one betrayal will alter the course of both of their lives. A story of friendship, betrayal, and the difficulty of growing up in political turmoil.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
I know that I don’t have the words to do this book review justice, but I hope I can find a few that will help me get my point across when I say that this book is everything. Marjan Kamali has blown me away again with her beautiful story telling and her characters that seem so life like. I have a deep connection with this book because I have so many strong Persian female role models in my life that grew up in Iran during this same time period. Despite already knowing much of the history discussed in this book, Marjan Kamali brings a set of fresh eyes to this experience. I felt everything that her characters felt from start to finish. I felt their hearts breaking and the fear and anger and hostility that they had to hold on to. I felt their sadness and hopefulness. Honestly I didn’t want this book to end. It made me feel all the feels. I appreciate Marjan so much as a writer because her stories remind us that the people of Iran are separate from the government that they are forced under.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💫Female friendship🤝
💫Women’s rights🟰
💫History of Iran🇮🇷
💫Strong and resilient female characters💪🏻
💫Delicious Persian food talk🍚
💫Coming of age📈
💫Love and loss💔
💫Emotional and thought provoking😢
💫Spans multiple decades⌛️

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: sexual abuse, infertility, loss of loved ones, political violence.

🦁𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🦁
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

💕Q U O T E: “𝒟𝒾𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀𝓈 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊? 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒽𝑒𝓁𝓅𝑒𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝑒.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Marjan Kamali for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

I love a good saga and this one did not disappoint!

The Lion Women of Tehran follows Ellie and Homa and their story of friendship, betrayal, and redemption taking place in the setting of Iran across 3 decades. It is truly a beautiful and heart-wrenching story that touches on a myriad of complex topics such as identity, class, privilege, family dynamics, and more. It was a journey to see how the course of these two women's lives were once they intertwined as it shows the lasting impact people can have on us.

Stunning writing by Marjan Kamali and I highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

The book had a little bit of a slow start for me, but once it picked up it really picked up. You felt the motivations and flaws of the characters deeply and it was so unique and interesting in terms of perspective. Especially the main characters jealousy as a defining feature. I had never been aware of exactly how much political turmoil and injustice was happening in Iran (other than that as an American citizen I probably shouldn’t visit), so it was very enlightening to read. The author expertly wove real life events into the narratives of powerful women in Iran and it felt so real, raw, and complicated. There were parts of the book where I was really emotional as I’d gotten attached to the characters.

I’m also a sucker for books where we get a glimpse into the normal day of other cultures and I really appreciated the food and housing descriptions that she crafted were beautiful. I can’t vouch that they are real as I’ve never been to Iran, but it certainly felt real to me. I truly hope Persian women can find peace and equality in the future and will likely seek out more books that highlight the conflict going on in that region.

5/5 for masterful handling of a really complex issue that centers around strong women.

This enchanting story is set in 1950s Tehran. We meet seven-year-old Ellie who is forced to move after her father dies. She is lucky that Homa befriends her and introduces her to the town. They cook, run through the bazaar and dream of being Lion Woman.
Ellie eventually returns to her wealthy life and how the two connect is incredibly.

Kamali is well known for her story-telling ability and she weaves an enchanting coming of age story set against the political turmoil of Iran. Stupendous historical tale!
#gallery #thelionwomenoftehran #marjankamali

I love books about the Middle East and women’s who live there it’s fascinating and this book was no different.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this novel about an unlikely friendship that set in Iran's tumultuous 50s through the present. The ending left a little to be desired, but the characters are wonderfully written.

Absolutely enjoyed reading this story! Ellie and Homa's stories and struggles are captured in such a meaningful way. Both of these women have had to overcome hardships even though their lives differed from each other. Ellie's mom was not my favorite character – she seemed selfish and snobbish as she transitioned from riches to rags. It was hard having any love for Ellie's mom, especially when her mother diminishes the big more life changing events in Ellie's life. As a reader with no background on Iranian history, it was interesting learning about it as I was taken through the storyline. I did not know much about Tehran in the 1950s or the events that occurred follow the overthrow of the Shah/Iranian Revolution. I felt like I was taken through time and experiencing the time in which Ellie and Homa had to live through. It was intriguing being exposed to the challenges women in Iran face. It something I never thought about before and Marjan Kamala really put it into perspective for me. I enjoyed connecting with Iranian culture and food throughout this story – it make me understand what these women were fighting for.

Marjan Kamali is such an excellent storyteller, and one who writes women exceptionally well. These Lion Women were no exception.

There is a pulse to this book that is so true to life - it pulled at memories of college days and unlikely friends, while bringing me into the world of Iran prior to and during the 1979 revolution. We follow the relationship of wealthy, rule-following Ellie and downtown, revolutionary Homa. I was enchanted by their childhood friendship immediately, which was my favorite part of the story. Not because it went downhill, but because of the inevitable heartbreak of a tale such as this.

I'm electing to keep the review spoiler free, as the book isn't out yet. The characters and setting are amazing and this book was quite nearly 5 stars for me. There was a surprising POV switch, where I wish we had seen more. I liked Homa's character so much, and you could tell after a traumatic event, her voice became shorter and less emotive. I'm unsure if this was purposefully done, but it was quite clever. I wanted more of Homa, if this was going to be a multi-POV. Then, at the end, we see another POV, and even though it was short, it worked pretty well. I did like how the end of the book tied everything together. However, the resolution was very quick and I was hoping to have a bit more time and resolution.

If you loved The Stationary Shop, you'll love this one, too.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars ⭐️

“Azadi bayad nabayad nadare” is the chant we say louder and louder. “Freedom has no musts.” “The Lion Women of Tehran” is a book by Marjan Kamali set in the 1950s in the backdrop of political upheaval in Tehran, Iran. The story follows the lifelong friendship of Homa and Ellie, two women with two very different personalities and perspectives. The author strives to teach readers about Iranian culture, cuisine and the struggles that women went through during the Iranian revolution. I am a sucker for books focusing on friendship and this story checked all the boxes! “Homa is the most compassionate bird. It casts good fortune on all those it touches” and the author paints her in a way that ensures the character stays true to this depiction. Having read this author’s earlier books, I had high expectations and she has met my expectations and I was delighted that request for the book was approved! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!