Nazanine Hozar

An extraordinary, cinematic saga of rags-to-riches-to-revolution that follows an orphan girl coming of age in Iran at a time of dramatic upheaval It is the 1950s in a restless Iran, a country rich in oil but deeply divided by class and religion. The government is unpopular and corrupt and under foreign sway. One night, an illiterate army driver hears the pitiful cry of a baby abandoned in an alley and menaced by ravenous wild dogs. He snatches up the child and takes her home, naming her Aria--the first step on an unlikely path from deprivation to privilege. Over the next two decades, the orphan girl acquires three mother figures whose secrets she will learn only much later: reckless and self-absorbed Zahra, who abuses her; wealthy and compassionate Fereshteh, who adopts her; and mysterious Mehri, whose connection to Aria is both a blessing and a burden. Nazanine Hozar's stunning debut gives us an unusually intimate view of a momentous time, through the eyes of a young woman coming to terms with the mysteries of her own past and future.

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER'A sweeping saga about the Iranian revolution as it explodes . . a Doctor Zhivago of Iran' Margaret Atwood_____________________________________1950s Tehran. In an alleyway an abandoned baby cries into the night, attracting the attention of the young man who will save her. And so begins the story of Aria, an orphan girl who comes of age on the volatile streets. As Aria grows she is torn between the three women fated to mother her: the harsh wife of the man who rescued her; a wealthy widow, who offers her refuge but cannot offer her love; and the mysterious Mehri, whose secrets will shatter everything Aria thought she knew about herself. And then, just as the political turmoil in the country deepens, Aria falls in love with a boy caught on the wrong side of the revolution . . 'Sweeping, cinematic and oh-so-gripping' Sunday Telegraph'Leaves you simultaneously heartbroken and full of hope' Sunday Times'Warm-hearted, compelling, hugely enjoyable' Times'Spellbinding' Mail on Sunday'Explores the darkness and hope of a city on the brink of revolution . . . Epic. An impressive debut, not easily forgotten' Observer

An extraordinary, cinematic saga of rags-to-riches-to-revolution that follows an orphan girl coming of age in Iran at a time of dramatic upheaval It is the 1950s in a restless Iran, a country rich in oil but deeply divided by class and religion. The government is unpopular and corrupt and under foreign sway. One night, an illiterate army driver hears the pitiful cry of a baby abandoned in an alley and menaced by ravenous wild dogs. He snatches up the child and takes her home, naming her Aria--the first step on an unlikely path from deprivation to privilege. Over the next two decades, the orphan girl acquires three mother figures whose secrets she will learn only much later: reckless and self-absorbed Zahra, who abuses her; wealthy and compassionate Fereshteh, who adopts her; and mysterious Mehri, whose connection to Aria is both a blessing and a burden. A university education opens a new world to Aria, and she is soon caught up in the excitement and danger of the popular uprising against the Shah that sweeps through the streets of Tehran. The novel's heart-pounding, explosive finale sees the Ayatollah Khomeini's brutal regime seize power--even as Aria falls in love and becomes a mother herself. Nazanine Hozar's stunning debut gives us an unusually intimate view of a momentous time, through the eyes of a young woman coming to terms with the mysteries of her own past and future.

”Syvällinen saaga Iranin vallankumouksesta - kerrottuna ruohonjuuritasolta, kaaoksen räjähtävästä ytimestä. Iranin Tohtori Živago.” - Margaret Atwood. Suuri kertomus vie iranilaisen orpotytön ryysyistä rikkauksiin ja vallankumouksen sydämeen.1950-luvun Iranissa sotilas pelastaa tienposkeen hylätyn vauvan - ja muuttaa samalla lopullisesti molempien kohtalon. Tytön nimeksi tulee Aria. Kolmen naisen osana on olla hänelle äitinä. On ankara Zahra, varakas ja lempeä Fereshteh ja lopulta salaperäinen, köyhä Mehri, jonka yhteys Ariaan on sekä siunaus että kirous. Aria näyttää Iranin historian, nykyhetken ja yhteiskunnan kuin kaleidoskoopin läpi. Sivuilla sykkivät vallankumouksen kiivaat tahdit.