The Stationery Shop of Tehran
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-12 09:54:20
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Marjan Kamali
- ISBN：147118501X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A poignant， heartfelt new novel by the award-nominated author of Together Tea that explores loss， reconciliation， and the quirks of fate。
Roya， a dreamy， idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran， finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr。 Fakhri’s neighborhood stationery shop， stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink。
Then Mr。 Fakhri， with a keen instinct for a budding romance， introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman， who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—and she loses her heart at once。 Their romance blossoms， and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran。
A few short months later， on the eve of their marriage， Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts—a result of the coup d’etat that forever changes their country’s future。 In the chaos， Bahman never shows。 For weeks， Roya tries desperately to contact him， but her efforts are fruitless。 With a sorrowful heart， she moves on—to college in California， to another man， to a life in New England—until， more than sixty years later， an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave？ Where did you go？ How is it that you were able to forget me？
Roya， a dreamy， idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran， finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr。 Fakhri’s neighborhood stationery shop， stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink。
Then Mr。 Fakhri， with a keen instinct for a budding romance， introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman， who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—and she loses her heart at once。 Their romance blossoms， and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran。
A few short months later， on the eve of their marriage， Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts—a result of the coup d’etat that forever changes their country’s future。 In the chaos， Bahman never shows。 For weeks， Roya tries desperately to contact him， but her efforts are fruitless。 With a sorrowful heart， she moves on—to college in California， to another man， to a life in New England—until， more than sixty years later， an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave？ Where did you go？ How is it that you were able to forget me？
Reviews
Juana Sánchez-Ortega
，
No lo pude soltar。 Es indispensable tener una caja de kleenex al lado。Me encantaron los personajes。Es una novela romántica con elementos políticos y culturales。 No es el libro para entender la historia de Irán。
Priyanka Rai
，
If you have loved Khaled Hosseini， this book will delight you too。 The emotions are so beautifully penned， the Persian context so aptly explained！
Jo
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I'm always going to be partial to books set in sanctioned jurisdictions。 This didn't fail to disappoint。 It took me a long time to get through Part I， but sped through II-IV in a weekend。 Definitely worth pushing through！ I'm always going to be partial to books set in sanctioned jurisdictions。 This didn't fail to disappoint。 It took me a long time to get through Part I， but sped through II-IV in a weekend。 Definitely worth pushing through！ 。。。more
aviannah
，
word of advice: do NOT start this at night。 Absolutely do not start this before your exam as "mind fresher" because you will not be able to put it down。 I started this around 10 something to take a 'break from studies' and now its around 1:30 at night and i did not put it down once。 What a beautiful story。 word of advice: do NOT start this at night。 Absolutely do not start this before your exam as "mind fresher" because you will not be able to put it down。 I started this around 10 something to take a 'break from studies' and now its around 1:30 at night and i did not put it down once。 What a beautiful story。 。。。more
Rebecca
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An interesting romance without becoming insipid。 I enjoyed being immersed in another culture and the character development and development of their various relationships。 While sometimes I wished for a neat， happy ending， I was captivated by the journey throughout。
Hannah
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a new favorite， this is a must read！！
Vasavi Yarlagadda
，
Very well written。 Enjoyed listening to the audio。 Heartwarming story that gave a great insight into Iran’s political world， Persian culture and their family bonds。 It evoked my own nostalgia for stationery shops。
Jelena ✨
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4。5
Evelyn Sander
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Pining over a teen romance through a 50 year marriage to another？ Pitiful！
Kasey Tomlinson
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I did not expect to rank this book so highly as honestly， the first 3/4 of this book dragged on for me。 The ending， though。。。 incredible！ What an unexpectedly beautiful book。
Kathryn in FL
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Though I read this two years ago， it didn't delight as I had anticipated。 It had potential that went unrealized in my opinion。 I had high hopes that weren't rewarded。 Since this is such a belated review， please seek other reviewers thoughts for specifics。 Though I read this two years ago， it didn't delight as I had anticipated。 It had potential that went unrealized in my opinion。 I had high hopes that weren't rewarded。 Since this is such a belated review， please seek other reviewers thoughts for specifics。 。。。more
Chethana
，
A beautiful love story！This is Happy yet sad， Realsitic yet dreamy， Lovely yet melancholic， Beautiful yet disastrous， Alluring yet repelling ！Although the plot is predictable， it's the play of emotions that struck a chord and made it one that I would cherish for long。4。5 charming ✨ for this enticing book！ A beautiful love story！This is Happy yet sad， Realsitic yet dreamy， Lovely yet melancholic， Beautiful yet disastrous， Alluring yet repelling ！Although the plot is predictable， it's the play of emotions that struck a chord and made it one that I would cherish for long。4。5 charming ✨ for this enticing book！ 。。。more
Emily
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Beautiful！ 4。5 stars
Oona Barnes
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i am in so much pain。 i feel for everyone in this book。 all of the characters were so complex， i want to give all of them a hug and tell them they did good。 i loved every part of this book。 this is your sign to read it。
Pat
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I enjoyed The Stationary Shop。 Roya is very likable and relatable。 Her story deals with a good deal of love， loss， and getting on with life。
Laura
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Two young people fall in love in a stationery shop and you get to read about how their plans and lives unfold in the midst of a troubled Iran。 I can't say I was ever surprised by the twists and turns this story took， but it was a sweet， inviting read。 Two young people fall in love in a stationery shop and you get to read about how their plans and lives unfold in the midst of a troubled Iran。 I can't say I was ever surprised by the twists and turns this story took， but it was a sweet， inviting read。 。。。more
Zoe Fletcher
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A bittersweet ending， I enjoyed this book and the love between the two young teenagers reminded me of Romeo and Juliet， separated by love， war， money and power！ But later years saw each other again in a moment of wonder
Jaqui
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What a really lovely book。 I began it with no expectations and found it delightful。 It's well written: "The sky was an eggplant purple， the clouds the colour of bruises。 " Actually eggplant comes up a lot。 The parts of the story focusing on Iranian customs and cooking are full of love of the old ways of life in Tehran and added colour to the story。I liked the quotes from Rumi: "The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you， not knowing how blind that was。 Lovers don't finally What a really lovely book。 I began it with no expectations and found it delightful。 It's well written: "The sky was an eggplant purple， the clouds the colour of bruises。 " Actually eggplant comes up a lot。 The parts of the story focusing on Iranian customs and cooking are full of love of the old ways of life in Tehran and added colour to the story。I liked the quotes from Rumi: "The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you， not knowing how blind that was。 Lovers don't finally meet somewhere they're in each other all along。" Isnt that romantic and rather beautiful！ I really enjoyed the book。 Liked the history and political background and Roya and Zari and Bahman 。。。 Walter must be a saint。 Not sure if the story totally flowed here and there or the way the chapters were ordered， but all in all， a delightful book。 Really enjoyed it。 。。。more
Lata
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Main character Roya suffers a heartbreak in her teens while still living in Teheran。 The boy she plans to marry and loves deeply， abandons her out of the blue。 This heartbreak follows her for years after， even after marrying a kind man， Walter， after she moves to the US to further her studies。 Many years later， she gets a chance to confront her former fiancé， and get the answers she needs to finally move on and set her hurt aside。This is beautifully written， with Roya's pain and confusion coming Main character Roya suffers a heartbreak in her teens while still living in Teheran。 The boy she plans to marry and loves deeply， abandons her out of the blue。 This heartbreak follows her for years after， even after marrying a kind man， Walter， after she moves to the US to further her studies。 Many years later， she gets a chance to confront her former fiancé， and get the answers she needs to finally move on and set her hurt aside。This is beautifully written， with Roya's pain and confusion coming through well， and permeating the text with a heavy and claustrophobic air。 I loved how food was so critical to Roya finding a way through some of her pain and building connections with others。I did think that out of all the towns in the US， it’s implausible Bahman and his family would have set up a stationery shop in the same town Roya lives in， but I guess it was necessary so that Roya could confront Bahman finally。 Other than this one point， I liked this book a lot。 。。。more
Melissa
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4。5 stars。 Meloncholy love story。 Seems appropriate I read the end during a thunderstorm。
Ady
，
I chose this book to buddy read with my mom。 The book had been sitting on my shelf for over a year and all of my bookish friends rated this highly。 Since my mom LOVES historical fiction， this seemed like a great choice。 And really… it was。 My mom hasn’t finished the book yet， but I do think that she will really love it。 I enjoyed it too。 It does that thing a lot of historical fiction does that annoys me though。 It makes things a little TOO over-the-top。 The emotions are a little TOO high， so it I chose this book to buddy read with my mom。 The book had been sitting on my shelf for over a year and all of my bookish friends rated this highly。 Since my mom LOVES historical fiction， this seemed like a great choice。 And really… it was。 My mom hasn’t finished the book yet， but I do think that she will really love it。 I enjoyed it too。 It does that thing a lot of historical fiction does that annoys me though。 It makes things a little TOO over-the-top。 The emotions are a little TOO high， so it reads as illogical and romanticized to me。 Now… this does NOT seem to bother most people。 In fact， books that do this in a way that annoys me are usually books that everyone else adores and recommends constantly。 This is definitely a “me” issue and not an issue with the book。 Objectively， this is a fantastic book。 I loved that this book centered around a book shop in Iran during a time of political upheaval。 The atmosphere was fantastic。 I loved that I followed generations of people and that the main protagonists were shown throughout their lives。 I tend to love family dramas， and this had that element as well。 I loved how melancholy the tone was and I even loved the conclusion and how my heart ached when I read it。 In fact， my only complaint was the high emotions that felt illogical to me。 And considering that this book is， at its core， a very bittersweet love story， high emotions are likely expected by everyone but me。CAWPILE Score: 53Star Rating: 4Pages: 336Read in Print 。。。more
Lorraine
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Roya and Bahman meet and fall in love in Mr。 Fakhri's stationary shop in Tehran， Iran。 They are both 17。 The fall deeply in love and shortly after， Bahman proposes to Roya。 They are supposed to meet in the square and get married。 But Bahman never shows up。 Roya never sees him again。It is 1953 when Roya and Bahman meet。 Iran is in the midst of political upheaval and there is much violence between the different political parties。 On August 19th the day of their scheduled meeting - there were polit Roya and Bahman meet and fall in love in Mr。 Fakhri's stationary shop in Tehran， Iran。 They are both 17。 The fall deeply in love and shortly after， Bahman proposes to Roya。 They are supposed to meet in the square and get married。 But Bahman never shows up。 Roya never sees him again。It is 1953 when Roya and Bahman meet。 Iran is in the midst of political upheaval and there is much violence between the different political parties。 On August 19th the day of their scheduled meeting - there were political demonstrations and violence in the square。 Bahman never shows up and Roya has no idea why。 She tries to find him， but has no luck。 Heartbroken， she tries to get over him but can't。 A short while later，she is given the opportunity to go to America with her sister to go to college in California and she accepts。After a while， she meets Walter and eventually marries him。 They move from California to New England to raise a family and she spends the rest of her life there。 She does not go back to Iran。 Years later， she stumbles across a stationery store， much like Mr。 Fahkri's in Tehran。 She talks to the owner and to her great surprise learns that it is Bahman's son！ She discovers that Bahman is living in a nursing facility not that far from where she lives。 She is finally reunited with her love and the reader pieces together， along with Roya and Bahman what kept them from meeting that day in 1953。 Fifty years later， they learn the truth。This was a bittersweet love story。 I learned a lot about the political unrest in Iran during that time period。 I also learned a lot about the culture in Iran and even different recipes！ Both Roya and Bahman were likable characters and I felt their pain as they struggled to move on to a life separated from one another。 It was nice to see them get closure。 I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Nicole Stanton
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This book gave me all the feels！ Young love and devastating heartbreak。 I brought me to tears。 Beautiful written！
Molly
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A truly lovely story that also broke my heart。 It often had me in tears。 The love story and historical events were engrossing and it was hard to put down。 It kept me up well past my bed time。 It is a book I truly loved and won't soon forget。ND Women Connect Book Club August 2021 A truly lovely story that also broke my heart。 It often had me in tears。 The love story and historical events were engrossing and it was hard to put down。 It kept me up well past my bed time。 It is a book I truly loved and won't soon forget。ND Women Connect Book Club August 2021 。。。more
Carly A
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I really enjoyed the Iranian setting and culture that permeated throughout the story， and the importance of books to the characters， but I am mainly left feeling underwhelmed :/ I felt that many important plot points were rushed over and lightly stated just to further the timeline， and that the “sweeping romance” was underdeveloped。
Annu Shankar
，
I think it was a solid read。 My only issues with this book pertain to the pacing。 There's a part of me that understands that the story was supposed to encapsulate this once-in-a-lifetime romance between two teens during a time of political turmoil in Iran， but I feel like it didn't focus on Roya （our main protagonist） enough。 It kind of speeds through the latter half of her life in America， which could have been expanded on （especially her married life with Walter and the impact of her living ch I think it was a solid read。 My only issues with this book pertain to the pacing。 There's a part of me that understands that the story was supposed to encapsulate this once-in-a-lifetime romance between two teens during a time of political turmoil in Iran， but I feel like it didn't focus on Roya （our main protagonist） enough。 It kind of speeds through the latter half of her life in America， which could have been expanded on （especially her married life with Walter and the impact of her living child）。 I believe that Roya's teenage self was better written than her older self。 With that being said， this was an incredibly well-written book， in that I could imagine myself in Iran alongside the main characters。 I think the author did a great job in characterizing Bahman's political interests and Roya's romanticized。 。。。more
Marissa Bunce
，
I loved this book！ It made me so sad but also was so wonderfully written and beautiful。
Shreya Roy
，
"Because it was almost summer， because the bushes and trees were already lush， because it was twilight and they were seventeen and the air was filled with jasmine， their walk on the boulevard was one that would imprint itself onto Roya’s heart for years to come。"Just like this book will leave an imprint in my heart forever。 Devastatingly beautiful。 The agony it has caused will linger in my heart and mind forever。I would like to place this novel beside my all time favorite， A thousand splendid su "Because it was almost summer， because the bushes and trees were already lush， because it was twilight and they were seventeen and the air was filled with jasmine， their walk on the boulevard was one that would imprint itself onto Roya’s heart for years to come。"Just like this book will leave an imprint in my heart forever。 Devastatingly beautiful。 The agony it has caused will linger in my heart and mind forever。I would like to place this novel beside my all time favorite， A thousand splendid suns。 Masterpieces that I will carry to my grave。 Thank god for books。 Thank god for THESE books。。。 My life has been blessed。 ✨ 。。。more
Yasmin Jamal
，
Set in 1953 in Tehran， Kamali tells a love story at the time of political unrest in the city。 Roya is a bookish schoolgirl who frequents a neighbourhood stationary shop where she unexpectedly meets the love of her life， Bahman who wants to change the world。 Their mutual love of reading， especially the poems of Rumi is played out against the backdrop of the simmering conflict in the country within the safe confines of shop owned by the kind Mr。 Fakhri。Other minor characters feed into the story of Set in 1953 in Tehran， Kamali tells a love story at the time of political unrest in the city。 Roya is a bookish schoolgirl who frequents a neighbourhood stationary shop where she unexpectedly meets the love of her life， Bahman who wants to change the world。 Their mutual love of reading， especially the poems of Rumi is played out against the backdrop of the simmering conflict in the country within the safe confines of shop owned by the kind Mr。 Fakhri。Other minor characters feed into the story of their love， including her realistic sister Zari and their ambitious and modern parents。 Interwoven in the story are friends and parents of Bahman who take steps to hinder the relationship between Bahman and Roya。 The story moves to America soon， where the author compares the norms of the country with that of Iran， in terms of behaviour， foods， the spoken word and attitudes of people。Kamali writes a simple story with simplicity and develops the plot smoothly。 She describes the lifestyle of Iran in detail， like cooking a meal and New Year celebration rites。 It is an easy and enjoyable read which demands very little of the reader。 。。。more
daph
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