The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The book just made me weep.  For the senseless destruction, torture of human lives during Hitler’s reign.  The Jews, the ordinary, the poor non Jews.  What made it specially poignant was that the story is narrated by Death.  The personification of Death leaves no suspense, no doubt about the outcome of the novel.   It was a story about Death, a story narrated by Death about...

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The Gardens of Consolation

The Gardens of Consolation by Parisa Reza spans about 40 yrs of Iran’s political turmoil from 1920-1953.  The journey of the young couple,Talla and Sardar, from Ghamsar to Shemiran describes not just a change in physical landscape but a shifting political landscape as well.  Talla believed that Ghamsar, the beautiful green valley,  was a “lost corner of paradise fallen from heaven”. ...

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