Honeymoon in Purdah: An Iranian Journey

Rating:
Summary: She takes me there
Review: Read this book. It is short, funny and utterly charming. You will soon feel as if you, too, have travelled with the kind and welcoming Iranians; as if you have worn a long black coat in 40 degree weather; as if you have been "made over" by a harem of veiled women. Alison Wearing is fearless. Like me, you will no longer have to regret your fear of visiting a challenging country like Iran. Alison takes you there.

Rating:
Summary: nonsense
Review: The Amazon review says "she dons a black cloak, scarf, and chador (the full body covering required by Shiite Islam)". I don't think so. This is nonsense. If you have a chador (the all-encompassing unstructured garment that most westerners can't manage) you don't need a black cloak and scarf as well; you're covered. If not, you do need a cloak (black unnecessary) and scarf. You don't need purdah...the title is a slander. (Purdah refers to covering your face and/or being required to stay indoors so your face is not seen. The word literally means 'curtain'. This is NOT required in Iran, and on our own trip we saw women going everywhere, talking easily to foreign men like myself, and generally living a freer life than in any other Muslim country.)

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Summary: wonderful!
Review: The moment I got this book at amazon.com I started reading and to tell you I can't hardly put the book down,before we all know what happen to the 1979 US embassy takeover in Tehran and since then we all picture Iran as a nation under the new ruler of the Ayatollah,but mind you,once you start reading this book you can see how generous the people are toward the foreigners,in this book the author describe how the people show their hospitality,up to the point that they would ask you to share a ride in their car,sleep in their house,dine with them. its really wonderful and I would highly recommend this book to read. I guaranteed it will change the way how you look at the people of Iran.

Rating:
Summary: Wish I could have her attitude!
Review: The other reviewers have brought up some excellent points about the conflict one feels when reading this book. I had the sense that Wearing was sometimes naive about the true feelings and motivations of the people who were constantly inserting themselves into this "honeymoon" journey. However, her humanist message throughout the book is one that uplifted me. At a time when my idealism about the world has taken a real beating, especially about the relationship between the Islamic and non-Islamic world, this open-minded, cheerful travelogue was a fascinating breath of fresh air.

Rating:
Summary: A sometimes hilarious view of Iran
Review: This book had me laughing out loud in parts, and it is definitely engaging enough to keep a reader through to the end. Still, I did have a few qualms with Wearing's writing. The first is that often I had only the vaguest notion of what place she was in, and the book had no particular map or chronology of how she jumped from town to town...I know she may have smoothed things over to improve the narrative, but it would have provided a nice framework to the book. Likewise, poor Ian appears to be a whining brat...I'd like to have seen more about what exactly he was doing when his "wife" was off on her adventures. Nevertheless, I do recommend this book as worth the short time it takes to read!

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Summary: I adore this book!
Review: This book is written so well! I love to read books of this sort and am extremely interested in Middle Eastern culture - but even so, I believe that anyone would love this book because of the way Ms Wearing tells her story. This is truly an adventure book! I loved the chapter "Mr Canada, we take your wife, we make her cold"! This enchanting chapter (and others) showed the compassion and humour that the author had and shared with the Iranian people she met. I highly recommend this book to anyone, whether you are usually interested in this region or not. This is true gem for any reader.

Rating:
Summary: A true adventure in the heart of Iran
Review: This book shows why travel writing is alive: we are able to lead an adventurous life without having to subject ourselves to the rigors and stress of decyphering a foreign culture, a strange land, different habits or even having to mimic a language unknown to us.
Ms. Wearing's sensitive rendition of the people she met in Iran and her willingness to put herself in their care, allowed her to sketch an intimate portrait of the people: sensitive, humorous and captivating.
This book is not only informative, it is entertaining. Throughout its pages, Ms. Wearing lifts the veil hiding Iranian country life from us; she shows some of the habits in the mosques, conversations with religious people and attitudes of Westerners living there.
It may not be the best way to learn about Iran, but it is certainly an interesting way to expand our knowledge of the people and of the culture.

Rating:
Summary: Very One-sided
Review: 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.


Rating:
Summary: Honeymoon in Purdah
Review: This is a very entertaining book. The author and companion have many interesting adventures, often ones that will seem incredible to those who know nothing of Iran and Iranians, but oh so true. I stumbled across this book in reading a review of Neither East nor West another very similar book(please see it also) with some major differances. Alison and Ian took a more intimate look in some ways as they travelled informally and with no support from the Islamic government so in some ways might be said to have gotten a "truer" picture, but I don't think so. My main complaint is their taking as gospel all the bad things they were told about life under the Shah. It was no picnic for some, but the portrayal of that life and the terror of the people is not authentic. I know, I spent 3 1/2 years in Iran, travelled extensively and met many people who opposed the Shah. I am not here to say he was a good man, but I think the book and many of the people she quotes misunderstood him. But that is easy to do, you can't even touch the surface of one aspect of Iran in one book, so read this book by all means. It is very real.

Rating:
Summary: Well done, Ms. Wearing
Review: This is a very good book about a Westerner's experience in the mystery called Iran. Even though Ms. Wearing proves to be a rather naive and not-so-sensitive tourist towards the culutures and sentiments of Iranians, she has a sincere and refreshing view.
The fact that Ms. Wearing focuses on people only and does not discuss any details about the rich history, culture, monuments and places that make Iran so unique and draw thousands of tourists every year was a bit disappointing. However, I consider this as Ms. Wearing's personal intention and idea and respect her for this particular decision.
It should be noted, however, that she mostly interacts with small-town Iranian citizens who are a world different than almost one-third of the population living in big cities with a very different lifestyle. Being a "big city" Iranian myself, I felt something missing there.
Ms. Wearing has a great sense of humor and proves to be an amusing storyteller. I salute her for a job well done.