Name: The Book of Fate
Author: Parinoush Saniee
Genre: Historical Fiction
Paperback, 447 pages


A bestselling novel in Iran, despite being banned twice by the government, The Book of Fate follows a teenage girl in pre-revolutionary Iran through five turbulent decades, from before the 1979 revolution, through the Islamic Republic, and up to the present in this powerful story of friendship, passion, and hope.

A teenager in pre-revolutionary Tehran, Massoumeh is an average girl, passionate about learning. On her way to school she meets a local man and falls in love, but when her family discover his letters they accuse her of bringing them dishonour. She is badly beaten by her brother, and her parents hastily arrange for her to marry to a man she’s never met. Facing a life without love, and the prospect of no education, Massoumeh is distraught, but a female neighbour urges her to comply: "We each have a destiny, and you can’t fight yours.”

_________________________________________________________________________


THAT. ENDING.

WHAT. THE. HELL.


I've waited an entire book for something to happen, then I was given hope that it might happen and then the author was like nope. Not gonna happen. THIS IS MAKING ME SO FRUSTRATED, mainly because this kind of stuff actually occurs in real life. You end up sacrificing your own happiness and well-being for the happiness of your family. You can literally give up on something that's probably the best thing that you could have experienced in your life, just to please others.

HOW SAD IS THAT??

Let me tell you about Massoumeh. All of her life is pretty shitty. It begins that way, it ends just the same. The only difference is, in the beginning she couldn't do much to change her fate, however in the end, she chose her path. And it was a pretty bad choice.

Her family treats her awful (this being an understatement), then she gets a husband who seems ok at first, but then pretty much neglects her, even endangers her. Her kids are one of the good things that happen to her, but in the end they become selfish pricks. Massoumeh's one cherished memory though is of her love. That one thought of the boy she cares for, gets her through the ordeal that is her life.

This is a book that will make you appreciate more the liberties that you have and make you realize how good you're actually living right now.

Favorite Quotes

Rating

Characters: 4/5 

Romance: 5/5

Pacing/Length: 4/5

Cover: 4/5

Plot: 4/5

Goodreads | Buy