Members, remember to participate in our free book programs by Saturday!

Summary and Reviews of The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

The Lion Women of Tehran

by Marjan Kamali
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Jul 2, 2024, 336 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jul 2025, 336 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Book Summary

From the nationally bestselling author of the "powerful, heartbreaking" (Shelf Awareness) The Stationery Shop, a heartfelt, epic new novel of friendship, betrayal, and redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran.

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother's endless grievances, Ellie dreams of a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa's warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions for becoming "lion women."

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls' high school in Iran, Ellie's memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie's privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. The book opens from Ellie's point of view in 1980s New York City. What are some observations she has about the city? What does this tell you about how she sees herself there? Discuss how she describes New York in the first chapter and in Part Five compared to how she describes Tehran. What are the differences?
  2. How would you describe the city of Tehran during Ellie and Homa's childhoods? What feelings does it invoke? How was Tehran different for both girls before they lived in the same neighborhood?
  3. Ellie's mother has an obsession with the evil eye. Where do you believe this originates? What effect do you think this has on Ellie's mother's outlook on life, and how might it affect Ellie as she grows up?
  4. Ellie spends...
Please be aware that this discussion may contain spoilers!

See what our members are saying about this book in our Community Forum.

What is your book club reading in 2025?
...Elizabeth Crook The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot The Women by Kristin Hannah Sorrowful Mysteries by Stephen Harrigan Orbital by Samantha Harvey The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar & Dana Marton The God of the Woods by Liz Moore The Bee Sting by Paul Murray Night Watch by Jayne Anne...
-Anne_Glasgow


What are some books you loved reading in 2024?
Here are a few of the standouts from this year for me: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister (also a great audio book!) Non Fiction...
-Diane_Jones


Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!
  • award image

Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

Author Marjan Kamali distills Iran's complex contemporary history into a compelling narrative that centers on the intertwined lives of the two main characters. In emphasizing the contrast in the girls' upbringings, Kamali presents the reader with a multifaceted picture of Iran, and as personal and political conflicts build, she underscores how the differences between Ellie and Homa are not nearly as significant as their similarities as women living and surviving in a systemically misogynistic society...continued

Full Review Members Only (529 words)

(Reviewed by Rachel Hullett).

Media Reviews

BookPage
Riveting...Reminiscent of The Kite Runner and My Brilliant Friend, The Lion Women of Tehran is a mesmerizing tale featuring endearing characters who will linger in readers' hearts.

Bookreporter
More than a tale of friendship or a coming-of-age story, it's a beautifully crafted and subtle exploration of love, family, friendship, ambition, betrayal and redemption in a socio-political powder keg...This finely written novel emphasizes the human experience in the face of turmoil.

Oprah Daily
Elegant...A tender, beautifully written examination of two women—and their choices—over more than 30 years.

Shelf Awareness
Gorgeous, gripping...insightful, compassionate, and grounded in historical detail, The Lion Women of Tehran is an evocation of a country upended and a tribute to the ways deep friendships shape our lives.

People
An evocative read and a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism.

Kirkus Reviews
A touching portrait of courage and friendship.

Publishers Weekly
Though there's not much of a plot, Kamali sustains the reader's interest by exploring the contrasts and sustained connection between the two central characters.

Author Blurb Adrienne Brodeur, New York Times bestselling author of Little Monsters
Kamali tells a moving story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and how a country's transformation, in turn, transforms the lives of two unforgettable women. Simultaneously heartbreaking and life affirming, it's a book that you won't be able to put down until you've read every word.

Author Blurb Sadeqa Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve
The Lion Women of Tehran had me under arrest from the start. A deeply nuanced story of family, sacrifice, and the unbreakable bond of true friendship. It is as heart wrenching as it is achingly beautiful.

Author Blurb Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times bestselling author
A must-read for every book club. Deeply emotional, insightful, and engrossing. You won't forget these women for a very long time. I loved it.

Reader Reviews

Jill

A Compelling Read
THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN by Marjan Kamali 4.5 stars Narration by Mozhan Navabi and Nikki Massoud was very well done. Mozhan Navabi is a favorite narrator of mine. Ellie and Homa, two young girls growing up in Tehran meet at school in early ...   Read More

Write your own review!

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Beyond the Book



The Cinema Rex Fire

Black-and-white photo showing the charred inside of the Cinema Rex after the fire In the southwest of Iran lies a city called Abadan, over five hundred miles from the country's capital of Tehran, with a population of a little over 200,000. Despite its relatively quiet presence, it played a crucial role in sparking the Iranian Revolution of 1979. On August 19, 1978, Cinema Rex, a movie theater located in a working-class district of the city, was burned down with the doors locked from the outside during a screening of The Deer (Gavaznha), resulting in the deaths of around 400 civilians. To understand the context of this terrorist attack and those responsible, we have to look at the preceding years in the Iranian government, and the social unrest that resulted from them.

In 1953, the democratically elected Prime ...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked The Lion Women of Tehran, try these:

  • Aria jacket

    Aria

    by Nazanine Hozar

    Published 2021

    About this book

    An extraordinary, cinematic saga of rags-to-riches-to-revolution--called a "Doctor Zhivago of Iran" by Margaret Atwood--that follows an orphan girl coming of age at a time of dramatic upheaval.

  • The Stationery Shop jacket

    The Stationery Shop

    by Marjan Kamali

    Published 2020

    About this book

    More by this author

    A powerful love story exploring loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate.

We have 4 read-alikes for The Lion Women of Tehran, but non-members are limited to two results. To see the complete list of this book's read-alikes, you need to be a member.
More books by Marjan Kamali
Search read-alikes
How we choose read-alikes
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Rental House
    Rental House
    by Weike Wang
    For many of us, vacations offer an escape from the everyday — a chance to explore new places, ...
  • Book Jacket
    The Frozen River
    by Ariel Lawhon
    "I cannot say why it is so important that I make this daily record. Perhaps because I have been ...
  • Book Jacket: Everything We Never Had
    Everything We Never Had
    by Randy Ribay
    Francisco Maghabol has recently arrived in California from the Philippines, eager to earn money to ...
  • Book Jacket: The Demon of Unrest
    The Demon of Unrest
    by Erik Larson
    In the aftermath of the 1860 presidential election, the divided United States began to collapse as ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
A four-year-old Mi'kmaq girl disappears, leaving a mystery unsolved for fifty years.
Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Who Said...

I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now