Persian Nights (William Abrahams Book)

by Diane Johnson

Book Overview

"Funny, incisive, frightening and eminently skillful."--New York Times The year is 1978, the tumultuous period leading up to the Iranian Revolution. While visiting Iran with her husband, Chloe Fowler... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452279585
• Release Date: February 1998
• Publisher: Plume
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.9" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Well crafted, suspenseful novel

I had read Le Divorce, Le Marriage and L'affaire before ordering Persian nights. I am very surprised by the negative comments here. Although the later books are very incisive as to the cultural and psychological differences between the French and their both loved and hated US friends, I find Persian Nights a very well written and interesting rendition of the suburban upper middle class wife and mother of the 70s. Feminism by passed college-educated Chloe. Instead she chose the safety of a marriage to a successful doctor. Even her volunteer work as a museum docent is safe. The most daring action she can muster is extra-marital sex. Thrust alone into the totally alien environment of pre-revolutionary Iran she sets off on a journey of self discovery and finds herself lacking in every aspect of her life. As danger, fear, disease, poverty and even death slowly creep silently into her safe cocoon Chloe 's transformation begins. Though in the past her impulses for action have always been stifled by a pervading apathy she increasingly abandons the safe role of the observer for that of the actor. Persian Nights is a wonderful, insightful novel that very much captures the feel of the women's movement of the 60s and 70s cleverly staged vis a vis Iran's uprising against the superficially benign regime of the Shah. This setting adds to the complexity and interest of this work.

Johnson's best novel

Brilliant book -- far more ambitious than Le Divorce, which I also loved (but is a very different animal). "Persian Nights" is witty and fascinating, a devastating character study.

An excellent book

The content of 'Persian Nights' was very vivid and realistic, so I was immediately transported into the story. I could easily identify and empathise with a lot of the feelings and emotions there, particularly concerning those of the main protagonist Chloe, and I could also clearly imagine the sort of atmosphere evoked. The characters were portrayed in a very human, 3-dimensional way with both their qualities and faults exposed. I enjoyed the transparency of their inner thoughts and emotions. The story went at a nice pace, there was a good sense of humour, tension, disturbance and suspense, especially towards the end, local colour and detail added exoticism and charm, the plot was compelling with little unexpected and original twists at times. Overall the book is very rich, there is a lot in it, worthy of a re-read or even chosen for a book study group. I came across the book by accident, my first impression looking at the cover and blurb was that it might be about a uncultured, ignorant American woman who blunders through Iran constantly hostile and complaining at the culture shock, and so I chose to read it for entertaining, humorous and light holiday reading. However it was refreshing to find that the protagonist was not only cultured, liberated, professional and sophisticated, but that she bravely attempted to integrate into Iranian culture in her own way and had good intentions to make the most of her short stay there through studying the language and improving her knowledge of local artefacts (she worked part-time in the University library and took out some heavy reading!). Thus I admired the character and learned a lot from her too. I wish I were as strong and brave, and sometimes as good, as she was.Although not explicit, you can deduce fairly quickly that the political backdrop is Iran in the 70's, the time leading up to the Iranian revolution . If you want to read a detailed account of the political or cultural situation of Iran at the time, (as some readers seem to have wanted to do - I wonder why they don't just look up the encyclopaedia?), then you might be expecting too much from this book, which in its 300-odd pages packs a lot more in besides. If you keep an open mind and want to be enriched emotionally and intellectually, then you will experience the joy of top quality writing. There is no mystery why the author's books have been selected for various prizes. It certainly makes me want to read all of the other Diane Johnson books and pretty soon. I'm already a fan! I must admit I was rather shocked at the negative comments and low-star ratings for 'Persian Nights'. Are all these readers reading the same book? The book deserves at least four stars on average. Thank you Diane Johnson for an excellent book!

Classic Diane Johnson, very funny

Like Le Divorce, Diane Johnson once again serves us a teaspoon of female angst in a foreign locale. I always find her books to be very funny, written in her unique sardonic tone. The only complaint that I have is that like Le Divorce, the book has a slow start and takes a while to get into. But the endings are always satisfying and action-packed. What I like most about her books is that Johnson always makes the heroine very human, but albeit likable. Chloe is obviously self-centered, but it becomes apparent how well this serves her by the end of the book. Lots of plot twists make this perfect beach reading. I reccommend it highly.