Items related to The Saffron Kitchen
Synopsis
When her troubled past violently resurfaces with tragic consequences for her pregnant daughter, Maryam Mazar departs for the remote Iranian village of her youth, where she learns the price her own mother paid to secure her freedom. A first novel.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
In The Saffron Kitchen, Yasmin Crowther has captured, with uncanny accuracy and grace, the deep confusion and conflict visited upon a mother and her daughter by their respective histories. The mother, Maryam, is an Iranian woman, daughter of a general and member of a well-respected family during the Shah's reign. When she became separated from her family at the start of the revolution and was sheltered chastely overnight by Ali, her father's servant, her life was forever changed. Disowned by her father, she moves to Tehran to become a nurse and then to London, where she meets and marries Edward, a fine and gentle man who adores her. When the story begins, their daughter, Sara, born in England, married to an Englishman, and ignorant of her mother's haunted history, is newly pregnant. When she miscarries, during a dramatic confrontation with her mother and her young Iranian cousin, years of secrets and pretending unravel at last.
Maryam decides to go to Iran, to distance herself from these events. What follows, in Crowther's revelatory manner, is a perfect portrayal of a half-life, one lived only on the surface. Maryam comes into her own when she goes back to her village; the sights, sounds, and smells all beckon to her with their sweet familiarity. England falls away, with all its confusing customs and strange language, as does Edward, with his so very different background. Beckoned by her mother, Sara comes to visit and to ferret out the particulars of her mother's past. The question remains: will Maryam return to Edward and England or stay where she is once again at home?
Crowther writes with great insight about attempting to cast off one's past--and the impossibility of doing so. The saffron kitchen of the title is a lovely evocation, both symbolic and actual, of what gets left behind and of one daughter's willingness to occupy both worlds. --Valerie Ryan
About the Author
Yasmin Crowther was born to an Iranian mother and a British father. After graduating from Oxford, she worked for a variety of corporations on issues of globalization and sustainable development. This is her first novel.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherViking Adult
- Publication date2006
- ISBN 10 0670038113
- ISBN 13 9780670038114
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages272
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
US$ 11.95
Shipping:
US$ 4.50
Within U.S.A.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
The Saffron Kitchen
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: USED_VERYGOOD. Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00030426721
Quantity: 4 available
Stock Image
The Saffron Kitchen
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: USED_GOOD. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00029208767
Quantity: 5 available
Stock Image
The Saffron Kitchen
Seller: Gulf Coast Books, Memphis, TN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: USED_GOOD. Seller Inventory # 0670038113-3-27942754
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Saffron Kitchen
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: USED_VERYGOOD. Very Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Seller Inventory # K05A-02960
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Saffron Kitchen
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: USED_ASNEW. Like New condition. Like New dust jacket. A near perfect copy that may have very minor cosmetic defects. Seller Inventory # E15A-03035
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Saffron Kitchen
Seller: Once Upon A Time Books, Siloam Springs, AR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: USED_GOOD. This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear . This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear . Seller Inventory # mon0001228019
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Saffron Kitchen
Seller: The Maryland Book Bank, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: USED_VERYGOOD. 1st Us Edition. Used - Very Good. Seller Inventory # 12-V-2-0070
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Saffron Kitchen
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: USED_VERYGOOD. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.65. Seller Inventory # G0670038113I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Saffron Kitchen
Seller: HPB Inc., Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: USED_VERYGOOD. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_402426392
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Saffron Kitchen
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: USED_GOOD. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 22-0670038113-G
Quantity: 1 available