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mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
Read for the "Read a book that is set in the Middle East" category for the 2016 BookRiot Read Harder challenge (to be reviewed)
Since the other book I read for this category ([b:Cleopatra: A Life|7968243|Cleopatra A Life|Stacy Schiff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1294098301s/7968243.jpg|12020129]) wasn't 100% set in the Middle East and was set so far in the past, I decided to add a second book for this category. Having seen and enjoyed the movie adaptation of [b:The Complete Persepolis|991197|The Complete Persepolis|Marjane Satrapi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327876995s/991197.jpg|13344769], I decided to try this graphic non-fiction memoir. It was a bit heavier than I was expecting. I haven't read many graphic novels, so I was surprised by how moved I was by the story -- the artwork and language conveyed just as much emotion, if not more, as a text-based account would have. I kept reminding myself that it was a non-fictional account of the life of Naseer Ali Khan, the author's great-uncle and a renowned musician who dies of a broken heart, and not a fictional story. The book is set mainly in 1950's Iran over the span of the last week of Naseer Ali's life, but travels back and forth in time to tell a more complete story. At the beginning of the week, Naseer Ali's beloved musical instrument is irreparably damaged, prompting him to take to his bed and renounce the world and all its pleasures. He is visited by several family members, but none are ultimately able to help him break out of his melancholy state. The story is universal and introduces aspects of Iranian history in a natural way. Although it was a fast read given its brevity, this one stuck with me long after I finished it.
Since the other book I read for this category ([b:Cleopatra: A Life|7968243|Cleopatra A Life|Stacy Schiff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1294098301s/7968243.jpg|12020129]) wasn't 100% set in the Middle East and was set so far in the past, I decided to add a second book for this category. Having seen and enjoyed the movie adaptation of [b:The Complete Persepolis|991197|The Complete Persepolis|Marjane Satrapi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327876995s/991197.jpg|13344769], I decided to try this graphic non-fiction memoir. It was a bit heavier than I was expecting. I haven't read many graphic novels, so I was surprised by how moved I was by the story -- the artwork and language conveyed just as much emotion, if not more, as a text-based account would have. I kept reminding myself that it was a non-fictional account of the life of Naseer Ali Khan, the author's great-uncle and a renowned musician who dies of a broken heart, and not a fictional story. The book is set mainly in 1950's Iran over the span of the last week of Naseer Ali's life, but travels back and forth in time to tell a more complete story. At the beginning of the week, Naseer Ali's beloved musical instrument is irreparably damaged, prompting him to take to his bed and renounce the world and all its pleasures. He is visited by several family members, but none are ultimately able to help him break out of his melancholy state. The story is universal and introduces aspects of Iranian history in a natural way. Although it was a fast read given its brevity, this one stuck with me long after I finished it.
mariafernandagama's review against another edition
4.0
I've been meaning to read this for so long and finally have, in the most unexpected of situations. While at a bookshop killing time and longing for books I can't afford (not until the next paycheck comes) I saw this and immediately picked it up because I've been so curious about it for so long and had never seen it in real life. I was just going to take a look at the first few pages but I was so enthralled by it that I read the whole thing then and there. I don't think I ever read a whole book while standing in a bookstore before, but one page led to another and before I knew it, it was finished. Well, after so many years of being interested in this story about a man who loses the desire to live after having his tar broken, there was just no way that the real thing could have lived up to my wild expectations, and that's ok. But still, it's pretty great. Although I haven't exactly researched the veracity of this story, it's clear Marjane took many liberties with her great uncle's thoughts. But just to imagine that this was a little family tale that she weaved into such a heartbreaking narrative is proof enough of her genius. What is life without love and without music? Without the one thing you carry close to your heart to get you through everything else? Nothing worth living for, surely. Some losses are just too devastating, and this is a beatiful little book that demonstrates that the most devastating ones sometimes are invisible to others. And I fully intend to purchase it next month!
kid_barabbas's review against another edition
3.0
this book was fucking depressing but it was good
marjane has some dope art
marjane has some dope art
thisisstephenbetts's review against another edition
3.0
Nice short story from Satrapi. Through one man's reminiscences we glimpse details about life in Iran. Nicely paced, with a gentle humour - definitely a lighter read than Persepolis, but it is well formed, touching and convincing.
raquelssilva's review against another edition
5.0
A forma como Satrapi conta estes últimos dias do tio-avô, numa verdadeira homenagem à sua personalidade e à sua vida, leva-nos como em 'Persépolis' para um humor negro muito bem construído, para um ambiente de realismo mágico que traz aos sonhos de Nasser Ali Khan as visitas de Sophia Loren e do Diabo, e sobretudo para uma forma de contar histórias muito característica da sua arte. Ninguém, como ela, contaria esta história de forma tão pessoal, tão única, mesmo que não tenha estado lá para viver estes dias ao lado do tio.
http://leiturasmarginais.blogspot.pt/2017/07/chicken-with-plums-marjane-satrapi.html
http://leiturasmarginais.blogspot.pt/2017/07/chicken-with-plums-marjane-satrapi.html