Peacock is 116years old and is being jailed in her native Iran. She recounts her family history starting with Esther the Soothsayer, fortune teller to kings. Covering 200 years and drawing on stories she was told, the author recreates the colorful,harsh and oppressive conditions under which Persian Jews lived. She introduces characters which eventually connect back to Peacock and her family. Men reigned over their households, were polygamous, and could leave whenever they wanted. Women were used -- as breeders, for political gains, or for their beauty. When men tired of them, they were abandoned. Very harsh and from today's American perspective, unbelievable. The women in this book were remarkable. They were strong and courageous, going against the rules of society. The men were selfish, arrogant, thoughtless, and cruel. They took what they wanted without considering how it affected anyone else. They abandoned their children as well as their wives. Children also had to be inventive in order to survive. The topic was presented in a very readable manner.
What a wonderful journey this book travels. Gina Nahai had me riveted from beginning to end, tangled in a web of enchantment, leading me through the centuries. There is so much to learn from myth.Whether she made them up or they come from history, she combines legend with her own narrative in a highly original format. We are bemused by her tale as it wanders timeless byways and ghettos of old Isfahan. Her characters experience violence and degradation yet somehow triumph.What an impressive tour-de-force!When this book first opened itself to me, it had just been published in 2000. It improved on re-reading and it simply gets better every time I read it. A classic, one to buy in hard copy and keep for your children when they grow up.
