Books : Honeymoon in Purdah: An Iranian Journey
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 910
EAN: 9780330393065
ISBN: 0330393065
Label: Pan Books
Manufacturer: Pan Books
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: June 08, 2001
Publisher: Pan Books
Sales Rank: 2602141
Studio: Pan Books
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Alison Wearing went on a trip beyond the legacy of revolution, religious fundamentalism and veiled women to find the real people of Iran. Posing as a honeymooner, but accidentally on purpose setting out on her own at every opportunity, Alison Wearing reveals an irresistible curiosity at every turn. With a novelist's love of language and an eye for dramatic detail, she takes the reader into the homes and hearts of the people who welcome her, feed her, and send her off on one adventure after the other.Alison goes to hidden places of interest that recall the romance of Persia, on interminable trips into the desert, and to fading palaces by the sea - wherever she finds herself, she offers startling insights into daily life in Iran, an enigmatic country. "Honeymoon in Purdah" is beautifully written, fresh and fascinating at every turn, and is a glorious account of a hardcore holiday. "We are presented with the view from behind a pair of hungry, sensitive and wholly human eyes - a vivid and endearing picture of Iran's people" - "Independent on Sunday".
Amazon.com Review:
Twenty years after the Iranian revolution, most westerners still imagine Iran to be a warren of anti-American rhetoric, terrorism, and fanatical repression, especially of women. Not surprisingly, only an unusual woman would choose to travel there, and Alison Wearing is certainly that. "I refused to believe that such a place of unalloyed evil truly existed," she writes. "I like to look for saints where there are said to be demons." Since it is the only country the world traveler could not imagine going to alone, she takes her fussy, gay roommate Ian, along with a fake wedding certificate and a story that they're on their honeymoon. Then she dons a black cloak, scarf, and chador (the full body covering required by Shiite Islam) for a five-month journey from the Caspian Sea (breaking into the Shah's ramshackle summer palace) to the holy city of Qom (and Khomeini's shrine) to a hidden Zoroastrian prayer site (where she faints from heat stroke). From the moment she steps into the country, she's surrounded by Iranians touched by her eagerness to learn about their country. There is the housewife who challenges her to a game of Ping-Pong in her long robe and scarf, offering food to her guests in between killer serves, and the Anglican minister who is "wholly enthralled by the art of living." There is the couple who spirit her away to a mountain oasis when she complains of the heat (leaving a message for Ian, "Mister Canada, we take your wife. We make her cold"), and the mother who tries to marry off her doctor son, joking that Wearing can't leave "not without my doctor" (a reference to the American film Not Without My Daughter).
Wearing has a gift for connecting with others and the humility to let them tell their own stories. She also sees the hilarity in the most absurd situations. As it turns out, so do the Iranians, which makes for some wonderful laughs. Wearing is also a poet, and she unveils the Iranians with innocence and grace--their hospitality, their quick acceptance and easy intimacy, and the real life of women beneath the veil. And while there are strict defenders of the revolution, most are philosophical: "Friends, please forgive us, but our country is not perfect.... it will make us very happy if you enjoy. Keep your hearts in our people, my friends. We are strangers, but we try to be kind." This is a gem of a debut. --Lesley Reed
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Traveling to Iran with her roommate Ian in the guise of a couple on their honeymoon, Canadian writer Alison Wearing paints a touching and often humorous portrait of a country frequently misunderstood by the West. Although she touches lightly on the country's history, geography, and religion, this is first and foremost a book about her encounters with the Iranian people, whose hospitality and generosity are stunning from a Western point of view. It seems that she can barely step outside without being welcomed into a stranger's home and lavished with food and kindness.
Some of Wearing's experiences show the painful history and religious fervor with which Westerners are so familiar. She witnesses the grim Ashura procession marking the martyrdom of Shiites' revered Imam Hussein and meets a man scarred by the torture he suffered at the hands of the Shah. She struggles with the chaador, sweating under the blazing sun and trying to keep the garment from ending up on the ground, yet finds a certain measure of comfort in wearing it. Most of her encounters, however, reveal a multi-faceted Iran invisible to most Westerners, full of complexity and warmth. There is a bubbly Mexican expat devoted to her Christian faith; an impish twentysomething who spent 12 years in California and works a $3 a day job while selling opium in hopes of returning (and who shows off the empty box of condoms above his bed); and a couple who insists on driving Wearing to a desert oasis to cool off, ... Read More
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This book is really simple, funny and educational for whom like to know about Iranian culture and their way of life. I suggest all Canadian/Iranian (( the writer is Canadian, who travels to Iran )) to read this book and bet you gonna have moments of tear and laughter w surprising ending.
Also, if you are planning to have an exotic trip to Iran, read this book, bet you gonna buy your flight ticket the day after;>
Rating: -
My bookclub picked this book, that I would never have otherwise given a second thought. I've never been to Iran, I know no Iranians, all I know is what your average person gets from the news and television. I didn't know what to expect, but having read the back cover, I knew that Alison was travelling through Iran with her western husband on their honeymoon. It doesn't take long to find out that this is just a ruse so that she can travel freely. I think she does a wonderful job of bringing to life many different kinds of characters in Iran, but I think she shows clearly how open-hearted, genuine and helpful the Iranian people are in general through portrait after portrait of individuals. Not only that but she introduces us to several western women who have adopted Iran as their homes, and happily.
But what really made this book enjoyable is Ms. Wearing's writing style. There are some truly beautiful sentences in this book. Lines that make you want to savor them. A unique perspective.
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In almost 3 years of gathering, this was the first book our book club universally loved. Some loved it because it is a travelogue, some because of the suspense, some because of the humor, and others because it is an inside glimpse into another culture. I have purchased this book and recommended it to many people. It is a very enjoyable read.
Rating:  -
This is a book written in the typical voice of a westerner who knows nothing about Iran except what they have heard in stories and on TV and what they have imagined Iran to be--based on what they know of the Arab world (which is completely different from anything Iranian.) She presents a very one-sided view of Iran, never mentioning how Iran has the highest level of literacy among Middle Eastern nations, not to mention the highest level of educated women, and never having lived through the Iranian revolution, she gives herself the right to call the former Shah a heartless king who didn't have to think twice about giving the order to open fire on demonstrators during the revolution. She seemed bent on presenting a "simpleton" image of Iranians who are just hungry for anything western. Had Miss Wearing taken the time to educate herself about the history of the revolution of Iran, not to mention the rich ancient history of Iran and it's people, maybe this book would have been a bit more interesting, and a bit less like she is just laughing at the people who have opened their homes and hearts to a complete stranger.
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