Fiction

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-30 10:52:16
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Shokoofeh Azar
  • ISBN：178770310X
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Summary

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is an extraordinarily powerful and evocative literary novel set in Iran in the period immediately after the Islamic Revolution in 1979。 Using the lyrical magic realism style of classical Persian storytelling， Azar draws the reader deep into the heart of a family caught in the maelstrom of post-revolutionary chaos and brutality that sweeps across an ancient land and its people。

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is really an embodiment of Iranian life in constant oscillation， struggle and play between four opposing poles: life and death; politics and religion。 The sorrow residing in the depths of our joy is the product of a life between these four poles。

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Reviews

Bridget Bonaparte ，

I have never read Iranian magical realism before this！ This was a cool book， sort of felt more like a collection of short stories culled from the same pocket realm。 A blend of a lot of different forms of knowledge。

Judethmc ，

I've just finished the last page and my first thought is I think I need to read it again。 Beautifully written。 I've just finished the last page and my first thought is I think I need to read it again。 Beautifully written。 。。。more

M ，

In my view， this book is a modern take on old mystical Persian literature， similar to the stories my Persian grandmother told me when I was little。 I’m not sure the beauty of those stories translate well in English。 At times the book was hard to read and difficult to follow because of how many different characters and narratives exist。 As an Iranian， one thing I do appreciate is how well the book demonstrates the way life changed after the revolution。 It also effectively shows the kinds of peopl In my view， this book is a modern take on old mystical Persian literature， similar to the stories my Persian grandmother told me when I was little。 I’m not sure the beauty of those stories translate well in English。 At times the book was hard to read and difficult to follow because of how many different characters and narratives exist。 As an Iranian， one thing I do appreciate is how well the book demonstrates the way life changed after the revolution。 It also effectively shows the kinds of people within the regime and how one event can completely transform a normal family’s life despite the bizarre ways in which this takes place in the book。 。。。more

kp ，

I wanted to like this more than I did。 I was really into it at first， liking the style and voice， and， though I am not drawn to magic realism as some are， I found the intertwining of Iranian myths and beliefs with the post-revolution setting intriguing and engaging。 But it started to get old， to tell the truth。 In addition， the book is less politically nuanced than is ideal， and though I can understand why someone who had to flee her homeland to be able to speak freely is full of rage， the portr I wanted to like this more than I did。 I was really into it at first， liking the style and voice， and， though I am not drawn to magic realism as some are， I found the intertwining of Iranian myths and beliefs with the post-revolution setting intriguing and engaging。 But it started to get old， to tell the truth。 In addition， the book is less politically nuanced than is ideal， and though I can understand why someone who had to flee her homeland to be able to speak freely is full of rage， the portrayal of politics is not complex enough。 The revolutionaries are stupid villains who destroyed a perfect world。 Since there is no perfect world， this portrayal does not ultimately do justice to lived experience。 Definitely a writer to watch， though。 。。。more

Chiara ，

Non riesco a dare un vero giudizio su questo libro！Mi attirava moltissimo anche perché la realtà medio orientale é un tema che mi piace molto e non così ricorrente nei libri; l’Iran ancor meno。 La storia é molto bella e accompagna quella che è la storia della rivoluzione iraniana attraverso le vicissitudini di questa famiglia。 Il tutto a compagnato dal realismo magico。 Ho trovato però moltissima negatività， sempre grande tristezza soprattutto da metà a fine libro che probabilmente non mi aspetta Non riesco a dare un vero giudizio su questo libro！Mi attirava moltissimo anche perché la realtà medio orientale é un tema che mi piace molto e non così ricorrente nei libri; l’Iran ancor meno。 La storia é molto bella e accompagna quella che è la storia della rivoluzione iraniana attraverso le vicissitudini di questa famiglia。 Il tutto a compagnato dal realismo magico。 Ho trovato però moltissima negatività， sempre grande tristezza soprattutto da metà a fine libro che probabilmente non mi aspettavo。 Nel complesso il libro mi abbastanza piaciuto ma la sua eccessiva negatività mi ha un po’ lasciata perplessa。 Perché la scrittrice non ha mai inserito nulla di vagamente positivo？ Consiglio comunque la lettura。 。。。more

Fen ，

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree did not make much of an impression on me while I was reading it and I've already started to forget it only a few hours after finishing it。 Written by an Iranian-Australian author and originally published in Farsi， I was not sure whether to expect an Iranian book or one dumbed down for Western audiences。 I think it is pretty clearly the latter， and I have the cynical feeling the author originally wrote in Farsi to make it look more authentic to Westerners， The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree did not make much of an impression on me while I was reading it and I've already started to forget it only a few hours after finishing it。 Written by an Iranian-Australian author and originally published in Farsi， I was not sure whether to expect an Iranian book or one dumbed down for Western audiences。 I think it is pretty clearly the latter， and I have the cynical feeling the author originally wrote in Farsi to make it look more authentic to Westerners， full well knowing it would be immediately translated into English。The book is written in stilted prose reminiscent of a YA novel and tells the story of an Iranian family， structured as a series of folk stories。 The folk element is easily the best part。 The rest of it is painfully derivative。 It's like Azar wanted to emulate other works of magical realism by throwing in every trope in the book， while not making a single one her own。 There are so many ghosts and djins and mermaids， it's easy to forget what the point of the novel is supposed to be。 And while I can appreciate a novel that does not have "a point，" per se， this one seemed like an artless regurgitation of tropes rather than anything masterfully written。The characterization is also pretty lacking。 The thirteen-year-old ghost narrator has little personality and might as well not be a ghost， because she seems to function like a live human being most of the time。 At times I thought issues I found with the book （e。g。， the amateurish prose） might be due to the young narrator， but honestly， I think that's not characterization， just poor writing。 Speaking of poor writing， at some point Azar gets hyperfocused on love stories， and these subplots and the sex scenes therein are cringe-worthy。 The "purple prose magical realism sex" reminded me of Isabel Allende。。。 but worse。 A lot worse。Then there's the political aspect of the novel。 When it's not being drowned out by ghosts and djins， it's pretty black and white。 Shah good。 Khomeini bad。 The book has YA levels of nuance。 One doesn't have to know much about Iran to know this book simplifies things too much。So yeah， the book is getting a thumbs down from me。 I would be happy to read a quality piece of literature about contemporary Iran， but this isn't it。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

4。5 stars。 I found the story thoroughly engaging and a window into Iran， and even when it made me sad， I still loved it。 Magical realism can go either way for me - sometimes I really appreciate it， and other times I dislike it。 I enjoyed the way it was used in this book to move through the narrative and for us to experience things we otherwise wouldn't without a change of narrator。 I would say that the only negative is that I couldn't read the book in its original language， as I suspect some of 4。5 stars。 I found the story thoroughly engaging and a window into Iran， and even when it made me sad， I still loved it。 Magical realism can go either way for me - sometimes I really appreciate it， and other times I dislike it。 I enjoyed the way it was used in this book to move through the narrative and for us to experience things we otherwise wouldn't without a change of narrator。 I would say that the only negative is that I couldn't read the book in its original language， as I suspect some of the repetition and other limits came from the translation rather than the original work。 。。。more

Simon Jenkins ，

This book was like a jigsaw with many fantastic pieces in their own right but somehow these fantastic pieces did not fit together in a cohesive narrative。 It was an interesting and easy read with some fascinating insights into the country part it failed to deliver on a compelling story。

Tina。 ，

3。5

Marni ，

One part historical fiction one part modern fairy tale， this book is lyrical and haunting。 Ms。 Azar gives a voice to those who have been silenced while telling stories that feel like they’ve been told and retold for generations。 Truth， steeped with magic and lore。

Eric ，

Excellent contemporary magical realism， with allegorical elements and a strong emphasis of a long， varied， literary tradition。 Engaging， absorbing， and heartbreaking。 I would use this novel in a world lit， contemporary lit， or AP Lit class， or at least use portions to complement Joyce's The Dead， and other works。 Such a stunning novel。 Excellent contemporary magical realism， with allegorical elements and a strong emphasis of a long， varied， literary tradition。 Engaging， absorbing， and heartbreaking。 I would use this novel in a world lit， contemporary lit， or AP Lit class， or at least use portions to complement Joyce's The Dead， and other works。 Such a stunning novel。 。。。more

Elisabetta Deidda ，

Ho amato molto questo libro。 L'autrice ha intessuto una bellissima， drammatica storia familiare ambientata nella contemporaneità， in uno specifico contesto storico e politico， in cui però trovano spazio （non solo: hanno un ruolo cruciale） elementi del mondo magico， antiche leggende e creature fantastiche， e in cui vita e morte acquisiscono un nuovo - antico - significato。La narrazione procede a scatole cinesi， come nelle Mille e una notte， il sapore leggendo è simile a quello di un romanzo di Ga Ho amato molto questo libro。 L'autrice ha intessuto una bellissima， drammatica storia familiare ambientata nella contemporaneità， in uno specifico contesto storico e politico， in cui però trovano spazio （non solo: hanno un ruolo cruciale） elementi del mondo magico， antiche leggende e creature fantastiche， e in cui vita e morte acquisiscono un nuovo - antico - significato。La narrazione procede a scatole cinesi， come nelle Mille e una notte， il sapore leggendo è simile a quello di un romanzo di García Marquez。Questo romanzo mi ha coinvolto a livello emotivo e ha nutrito la mia fantasia come pochi。 。。。more

Rachel ，

before I start into my own thoughts on this international booker nominated read， I would highly encourage you to read reviews from own voices reviewers first and foremost。 after reading some reviews I looked critically at some of the political and social discussions around Muslim representation in the novel and I think she outlines it far better than I could ever attempt to。 azar’s translated novel falls firmly in the realms of magical realism， our narrative voice comes from behar a ghost who is before I start into my own thoughts on this international booker nominated read， I would highly encourage you to read reviews from own voices reviewers first and foremost。 after reading some reviews I looked critically at some of the political and social discussions around Muslim representation in the novel and I think she outlines it far better than I could ever attempt to。 azar’s translated novel falls firmly in the realms of magical realism， our narrative voice comes from behar a ghost who is one of the many consequential victims of the 1979 islamic revolution。 Initially， we don’t find out exactly what has happened to her， instead she sets up the story with that of her family’s history and their personalities in allegorical conjunction with iranian folklore and traditional tales。 from there， the novel begins to swing wildly between the surreal and fantastical， and the depiction of true historical events。 unfortunately for me， the novel felt more magical than it did realism， losing my hold on the plot and characters the further into the narrative I travelled。 although I loved hearing more of Iran’s history told through stories I hadn’t heard of before， I felt at times the allegories drifted so far from what was happening that I couldn’t keep up。 the translation also felt clunky and difficult to read at times， with some sentences not making sense no matter how many times I read over them。 with that being said， I thoroughly enjoyed the closing chapters that focused on behar’s father and his recantation of Iran’s political history and ultimately， the reunification of the family。sadly， this one fell short for me and I seriously contemplating DNF’ing at several times。 between the lack of cohesion within the plot and imagery， the negative depiction of Islam and women and the plethora of own voices reviews that echo similar sentiments， I think this is a book that suits a very specific kind of reader which sadly is not myself。 TW: torture， death， sexual abuse， xenophobia， islamophobia， murder， animal death。 。。。more

Ciaran Monaghan ，

This is a really meandering story， moving forward and back in time with multiple diversions and my enjoyment of it rose and fell in a similar way。 Some of it was really nice to read and I liked the magic and elements from Persian and Arabic mythology， but as others have said， it is also quite difficult to follow at times。 I think part of the problem for me is that it is so heavily magical without much realism so there are few solid foundations for a reader to stand on。 It is also relentlessly de This is a really meandering story， moving forward and back in time with multiple diversions and my enjoyment of it rose and fell in a similar way。 Some of it was really nice to read and I liked the magic and elements from Persian and Arabic mythology， but as others have said， it is also quite difficult to follow at times。 I think part of the problem for me is that it is so heavily magical without much realism so there are few solid foundations for a reader to stand on。 It is also relentlessly depressing and is one of those books where the author seems to go out of their way to pile more misery upon their characters e。g。 the mermaid scene a few pages from the end。 I obviously expected this to some extent given the subject matter - and it is not really a criticism - but I just think it is useful to know when deciding what book you want to read next。 I am definitely in the market for something a bit lighter after reading it。 。。。more

atefeh omran ，

A true definition of a brilliant book in a magical realism genre。 （ If you can read this in Farsi， do that）

Silvia Ponte ，

forse non era il momento giusto per leggerlo， ma non sono riuscita a farmi coinvolgere dalla storia。。

maria ，

This book is messy and seeks to stretch and encapsulates so much and I loved it！

Dory ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Set in: Iran， 1979 – 1980sWritten in the style of magic realism， the book follows the story of a five-member family in the aftermath of the Islamic revolution。 The story is narrated by a dead 13-year-old girl， who follows her family as a ghost and tells their stories。 She was burned to death when the revolutionary guards set the family’s book collection on fire。 Many of these books were written by Western authors， such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin or the Little Prince by Antoine de Sain Set in: Iran， 1979 – 1980sWritten in the style of magic realism， the book follows the story of a five-member family in the aftermath of the Islamic revolution。 The story is narrated by a dead 13-year-old girl， who follows her family as a ghost and tells their stories。 She was burned to death when the revolutionary guards set the family’s book collection on fire。 Many of these books were written by Western authors， such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin or the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry， but among these books was the story of the One Thousand and One Nights as well。 At one point in the book， the family tries to record these stories that were lost in the fire。 。。。more

Eleonora Manzo ，

Sicuramente un libro interessante， ma difficile da leggere， ci sono tante flashback e salti di storia， se non si legge attentamente sicuramente si perde il filo del discorso， perciò non ero molto spronata a leggerlo per questo motivo。 Però mi è piaciuto leggere leggende e usanze di una cultura così diversa dalla mia， e inoltre il mix di realtà è magia rende la narrazione molto affascinante。

Gertruida Janse ，

A mystical fantasy that leaves you sad and joyful at the same time。 Written by the ghost of 13 yo Bahar who is burnt to death in her own house in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution in 1979， but who follows her family on their journey to faraway Razaan where they can escape the zealots。 But it’s not just a story of heartbreak and political turmoil， it’s a story of love and mysticism and family and emotions。 I might have given it a skip if I realized that it was also about jinns （forest spirits） A mystical fantasy that leaves you sad and joyful at the same time。 Written by the ghost of 13 yo Bahar who is burnt to death in her own house in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution in 1979， but who follows her family on their journey to faraway Razaan where they can escape the zealots。 But it’s not just a story of heartbreak and political turmoil， it’s a story of love and mysticism and family and emotions。 I might have given it a skip if I realized that it was also about jinns （forest spirits）， ghosts， merpeople， magical plants and forests， and filled with lots of magic and fantasies and myths but it all added so beautifully to the storytelling that I was not disappointed。 But after all that’s said and done， it’s leaves you with a profound sense of sadness about the impact of religious fanaticism on ordinary people with dreams and ambitions and free spirits。 。。。more

Dan Nuxoll ，

This book is a magical realist account of one family's experience of post-revolution Iran。 The family is affluent and educated， and the story revolves around the five members of the family。 Each of the five has a life of tragedy， each very different than the others。 The youngest daughter is the narrator。 Needless to say， the novel is not sympathetic to the Iranian revolution。 Because this is one family's story， this is not a book explaining the history of the past fifty years。 Rather， that histo This book is a magical realist account of one family's experience of post-revolution Iran。 The family is affluent and educated， and the story revolves around the five members of the family。 Each of the five has a life of tragedy， each very different than the others。 The youngest daughter is the narrator。 Needless to say， the novel is not sympathetic to the Iranian revolution。 Because this is one family's story， this is not a book explaining the history of the past fifty years。 Rather， that history is the background for the stories of one family。 It is helpful to know a bit of Iranian history to pick some of the references。If you do not like magical realism， this is not the book for you。 There are ghosts， jinns， and references to pre-Islamic Iran on every page。 On the whole， I think it works well。 。。。more

Robin ，

I really loved the style of this book。 Magical realism， I guess？ Or modern folklore？ Sad and beautiful。 I think it would make a good book club selection—very different than a lot of mainstream literature。

Kerri Boland ，

I couldn't get into this as an audiobook。 The magical realism and divergent storyline didn't keep me focused enough。 I'd try again as a book （but probably won't）。 Wanted to love it， but just couldn't！DNF at 24%。 I couldn't get into this as an audiobook。 The magical realism and divergent storyline didn't keep me focused enough。 I'd try again as a book （but probably won't）。 Wanted to love it， but just couldn't！DNF at 24%。 。。。more

Emily ，

Beautiful， strange and sad。

Inge ，

mooi， vernieuwend， mooie mix tussen politiek en surrealisme。 zet aan tot het denken en wel het herlezen waard omdat ik sommige passages niet helemaal begreep。

T。R。 ，

A book that I found moving in parts， telling a deeply affecting story of a family in Iran thrown into disarray by the Islamic Revolution post-1979。 The magical realism brought a very different aura to the novel。 But there were parts where the writing slowed and seemed to ramble， which put me off a bit。

Catriona Griffin ，

I wanted to get behind this so badly but I just couldn’t get behind it。 It’s a fairly short book， but it took me about 2 weeks to finish it because it’s so hard to get through。 I found all but the last 10% of the book hard to really keep up with what was happening。 I get the stories about the Jinns and all that， that’s my thing I love mythology and the mysticism aspect really interested me but just it was sort of all over the place and difficult to follow。 So sad I couldn’t love it。Restarred as I wanted to get behind this so badly but I just couldn’t get behind it。 It’s a fairly short book， but it took me about 2 weeks to finish it because it’s so hard to get through。 I found all but the last 10% of the book hard to really keep up with what was happening。 I get the stories about the Jinns and all that， that’s my thing I love mythology and the mysticism aspect really interested me but just it was sort of all over the place and difficult to follow。 So sad I couldn’t love it。Restarred as 3 stars， felt that 2 was a bit harsh！ 。。。more

Ela Talks Books ，

So this one was interesting。 This month book club pick greatly tested all members' persistence （according to a couple of impressions we exchanged during the reading） as well as mine。 I admit I thought， very early on， about giving up and turning our meeting into a conversation about all the other books ever written， just not about this one。In the beginning， there's too much plot jumping from paragraph to paragraph and considering that it's a magical realism story， it was quite hard to figure out So this one was interesting。 This month book club pick greatly tested all members' persistence （according to a couple of impressions we exchanged during the reading） as well as mine。 I admit I thought， very early on， about giving up and turning our meeting into a conversation about all the other books ever written， just not about this one。In the beginning， there's too much plot jumping from paragraph to paragraph and considering that it's a magical realism story， it was quite hard to figure out exactly what's going on and to get involved in the plot。I can't go deeper in historical/political aspect of the story， the tragic times after the 1979 Islamic Revolution， because I don't know much about it but what I can do is say that post-civil conflict aftermath is strongly portrayed but truth to be told， I expected more emotions on my part because this is the story of a tragedy that struck and changed one family forever in the worst possible ways。I really like magical realism and personally the best part of the book is Iranian/Persian folklore。。。the appearance of a whole pleiad of mystical beings （ghosts， jinns， mermaids， fairies， nasnas， davalpas， demons， 。。。） and mentioning old legends of that area， but on the other hand， that part seems to have suffocated the "realistic" one。In the end， I can't say I wasted my time reading this book， primarily because of the folklore and customs of Iran， but overall this was just one average read。 。。。more

Katy Moreton ，

NOTTS CLAN BOOK CLUB: BOOK THREESCORE: 6/10We enjoyed the book as it was very different from the books we generally choose to read， from a country in general we do not know too much about。 It has definitely made me want to learn more about the historical events surrounding it！ The background of the author and translator added to the impact of the story， and the story itself was very enjoyable。 Overall we felt it was lacking in details about the political backdrop to the story， and the magical re NOTTS CLAN BOOK CLUB: BOOK THREESCORE: 6/10We enjoyed the book as it was very different from the books we generally choose to read， from a country in general we do not know too much about。 It has definitely made me want to learn more about the historical events surrounding it！ The background of the author and translator added to the impact of the story， and the story itself was very enjoyable。 Overall we felt it was lacking in details about the political backdrop to the story， and the magical realism often went off on tangents that were hard to follow。 。。。more

Sandy Sexton ，

Other reviewers have done a good job of exploring the ideas and writing style of this novel， and have sorted their thoughts better than I've been able to - yet。 I found the book was very segmented and sometimes frustrating。 I suspect that if I knew more about Persian folklore I would better appreciate the author's approach and intent。 I often felt that there were ideas just out of reach， and that I'd need to do further reading and research before I could pull them in。 Perhaps this is because it' Other reviewers have done a good job of exploring the ideas and writing style of this novel， and have sorted their thoughts better than I've been able to - yet。 I found the book was very segmented and sometimes frustrating。 I suspect that if I knew more about Persian folklore I would better appreciate the author's approach and intent。 I often felt that there were ideas just out of reach， and that I'd need to do further reading and research before I could pull them in。 Perhaps this is because it's been a busy week with many commitments， so I had little time to sit and reflect and re-read。 I suspect that over time this novel could 'grow' on me。 I shan't uproot my current plum tree to plant a greengage， however。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0