“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.” “Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.” Visit the author at, on Facebook at or on Twitter you enjoy diverse reads? Marjan’s work has also been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and adapted for the stage.

Her second novel, The Stationery Shop, will be published by Gallery/Simon&Schuster in June 2019. Her debut novel, Together Tea, was a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award and has been translated into several languages. She holds an MFA in creative writing from New York University and an MBA from Columbia University. Marjan Kamali was born in Turkey to Iranian parents. The Stationery Shop Information Meet the Author, Marjan Kamali My Rating: 4.5 Stars (rounded to 5 stars on Goodreads) Recommended: I highly recommend The Stationery Shop for readers who appreciate a heartfelt and engaging historical fiction love story, for those who are looking for a well-written story set in Tehran, for fans of diverse reads, and for book clubs. Themes: Thoughtful themes include family devotion and loyalty, loss, power of love, family secrets, resilience, and determination.Ĭontent warning: undiagnosed mental illness, mention of a self-induced abortion This story of life-long soul mates reminds me of the love story in The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

Although the ending is bittersweet and mostly satisfying, the circumstances are also seem somewhat contrived.Ĭharacters: We first meet Roya and Bahman as teenagers in Tehran, and the author allows peeks into their individual adult lives in America through a dual timeline. The writing sweeps you up into the lives of these believable characters, the culture, complicated family relationships, and the political conflict in August of 1953. I appreciated descriptions of the beloved stationery shop, the customs, the food, the political conflict, and the colorful characters. Through vivid details and great story telling, I was transported to Tehran in the 50s. Writing: The lovely prose in The Stationery Shop captures you from the first page. Their happy life together is complicated by family tension and political unrest. They share a love of poetry and continue to meet in the Stationery Shop while their romance grows. Roya loves the fountain pens, shiny ink bottles, and the thick, lovely writing paper while Bahman loves Rumi’s poetry and is an activist. *This post contains Amazon affiliate links.Ĭomplicated families….soul mates….resilience…. Genre/Categories: Historical Romantic Fiction, Romance, Family Life, Iran

The stationery shop of tehran