Stationery Shop (Kamali) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
[M]oving.… The refined, melancholic mood of their story extends to Roya’s feelings about the Iran she left behind, which vanishes completely as the Shah’s authoritarian government gives way to an even more despotic clerical rule after the 1979 revolution.
Sam Sacks - Wall Street Journal


[A] wistful look at two idealists and the world they should have inherited.… Kamali offers a paean not just to lost love, but to the poetry, food, and culture that fed their memories for 60 years.
Christian Science Monitor


Grab your tissues.… Marjan Kamali’s second novel channels love in the time of coup d’états. Set among the political upheaval of 1950s Tehran, The Stationery Shop follows teenager Roya as she discovers the power of love, loss, and then, decades later, fate. And did we mention you’ll need tissues?
Boston Magazine


I! Am! Obsessed! With! This! Book!… Think The Notebook, only better (no offense, Ryan Gosling).
Cosmopolitan.com


A beautiful, emotionally honest story about first love, deep family bonds, and fate.
Pop Sugar


[A] tender story of lifelong love.… The loss of love and changing worlds is vividly captured by Kamali; time and circumstances kept these lovers apart, but nothing diminishes their connection. Readers will be swept away.
Publishers Weekly


The unfurling stories in Kamali’s sophomore novel will stun readers as the aromas of Persian cooking wafting throughout convince us that love can last a lifetime. For those who enjoy getting caught up in romance while discovering unfamiliar history of another country.
Library Journal


Kamali paints an evocative portrait of 1950s Iran and its political upheaval, and she cleverly writes the heartbreak of Roya and Bahman’s romance to mirror the tragic recent history of their country. Simultaneously briskly paced and deeply moving, this will appeal to fans of Khaled Hosseini and should find a wide audience.
Booklist


Sixty years after her first love failed to meet her in a market square, Roya Khanom Archer finally has the chance to see him. But will he break her heart again?… A sweeping romantic tale of thwarted love.
Kirkus Reviews