It took me a few chapters to get into "Reading Lolita". I thought it was going to be a strict memoir, and when she digressed into these elaborate dissertations on (especially Lolita), I found myself getting bored. Now, I'm not one to ever eschew an intellectual conversation or debate on anything, but I really wanted to hear about the girls and their lives and Azar Nafisi's life in this horrible theocratic regime. I also wanted to know how they managed to get away with reading such blasphemous stuff. When Azar Nafisi talked of these things, I couldn't put the book down, but when she started on her diatribes and nuanced descriptions of "Lolita", Nabokov, Fitzgerald and Austen, I found my mind wandering. I suppose if I had picked up a book entitled, "The In-Depth Analysis of Vladimir Nabokov and Lolita", I wouldn't have felt that way, but as you know, this isn't that book. As the book progressed, I really did have affection for some of the characters, and I truly felt scared for them and hoped that this book didn't have a horrible ending like all the women getting executed. Luckily, we didn't have to deal with that, but I wish Azar Nafisi would write a book just talking about the lives and feelings and situations of young women in Iran, so that people in the United States can really figure out what's going on over there. Unfortunately, I believe that would be hard for Nafisi to do. She is definitely an intellectual, and I think her interest lies in absolutely dissecting fiction in a way that no one else is really interested in.

Finally, I do believe this book is worth reading. I learned some things about what was going on when the Ayatollah was in power, things I didn't realize and I did find myself sort of missing "the girls" after reading the last page and closing the book.

This is not a badly written book. I kept losing interest in it - Anyone over the age of 30 is aware of the oppression that women in Iran suffered upon the Revolution. The problem I had with it is that in order to fully comprehend this story, the literature discussed in this memoir should be fresh in the reader's head. Unfortunately, I haven't read stories such as The Great Gatsby or Lolita in years, and didn't want to reread these stories solely for the sake of Nafisi's book.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but when I started I found it somewhat boring. I have never read Lolita, so I guess this started me off on the wrong foot. I wanted to read more about the women and their lives in Iran than the discussions in their bookclub. I am posting this book but will try to finish before it goes.

I tried very hard to read this book. I usually read a minimum of 50 pages before deciding I don't like a book. I gave this book about 100 pages and still couldn't find it worth my time. It was a big disappointment to me as I was anxious to learn more about the women and the challenges they faced. Instead, for my tastes, too much of the book was being devoted to a critique of the books the women in the group read. I wanted to read more about the women and less about the books.

I left this book with a renewed sense of strength and an amplified connection to the collective of women on our planet. How these goddesses of Iran deal with such oppression is something every woman and man should appreciate. Though it may not be fraught with "action" as some may want, I found this book to be an impossible to put down read...stick with it if you are having trouble beeing pulled in. The empathy will pour out of you as you read, especially for those with open hearts & minds.

Very interesting if you are into literature. Not quite as good sociologically.

Scary picture of what it could be like living in a country under the rule of religious zealots. This book is about a group of young women and a professor (Nafisi) that gather to study some of the forbidden literature of the decandent West. What is revealed is the effect of the current ruling regime on these young women as they search for their own uniqueness in a society that seeks to cloth them in sameness.

i didn't finish the entire book.... though there were many things i learned from it, especially about iranian way of life, i just couldn't keep focused.

Even though the book bogs down at different times I felt compelled to finish it. I needed to know more about current struggles for intellectual freedom.

This was informative and had been on my TBR list for awhile. There were few surprises in the book. It's just good to be reminded about how lucky we are to be living in this time and in the U.S.

Read All Book Reviews of "Reading Lolita in Tehran A Memoir in Books"

This was a beautiful book which gave me insight and appreciation for the freedome we have in the US. Azar Nafisi is also an excellent speaker and global citizen. I recommend this book and would read another one of her books in the future. I read this with a book club and that also helped in understanding it. I would recommend for book club reading.

This is so informative, particularly now with the unrest going on in Iran. It made me really appreciate the freedom that women have in this country and abhor the horror that so many women face in other countries. I cannot imagine having all of my rights taken away from me. It makes the current riots in Iran that much more poignant and immediate. Changes need to occur now. Women cannot be treated like objects to be abused EVER.

very good

My book group loved this book!

I found the book very insightful.

Realy good book. Goes back and forth between past and present so there's a lot to keep track of. I made the mistake of taking a break from this book and when I went back to it I had to reread chapters to remind myself of all the event and characters.

Anyone who loves books will be awestruck at the hardships endured by the women of this story in order to pursue their love of literature and freedom.

Memoir of a university professor in Tehran who brings her women students together to read & discuss "forbidden" western classic literature.

Could not get into this book, though many others have told me how much they loved it.

Timely information in light of the situation in the Middle East today.

Read All Book Reviews of "Reading Lolita in Tehran A Memoir in Books"