Spoiler-Free Review

If you like character-driven stories centered on friendship and coming-of-age in an increasingly intense political landscape, this one is for you.

This book deals with some heavy themes. Click here for content warnings.

What’s The Lion Women of Tehran about?

This story follows the wealthy, high-born Ellie and her best friend from the slums, Homa, as they grow up in midcentury Tehran, facing both life and political oppression – sometimes from opposite sides.

This story reflected our world in a unique way.

“Shir zan. Lionesses. Us. Can’t you just see it, Ellie? Someday, you and me—we’ll do great things. We’ll live life for ourselves. And we will help others. We are cubs now, maybe. But we will grow to be lionesses. Strong women who make things happen.”

I’m a big fan of historical fiction that places me solidly in a real-world setting I’ve never experienced, and introduces me to a side of history I’m not familiar with.

I felt this book gave me a lot to digest. While I had a few gaps between reads, every time I sat down with it I gobbled up the pages. There was much that was relatable: coming-of-age, building friendships, shifting priorities growing up, family dysfunction, etc. But then superimpose these themes onto a background context of classism and slowly mounting political oppression, and you get this story.

Ellie made for such an interesting main character for this story. While her friend Homa was political and actively pursued liberation despite the danger to herself, Ellie was the opposite. She wanted to keep her head in the sand the way she was raised. Ellie is a flawed character raised by a narcissist mother, and you can’t help but sympathize with her internal struggle.

The tone began to shift halfway through, and then things got real. They weren’t children anymore, and the realities of living in an oppressed society hit them with full force. Ellie couldn’t ignore it anymore, and mistakes had real consequences.

“That’s how losses of rights build. They start small. And then soon, the rights are stripped in droves.”

We follow these two characters from the 1950s to the 1980s, with a few afterimages at the end in 2022. Staying with them for so long, seeing their lives unfold, created such an intimacy with these women and an investment in their choices. So much happened in that time, so much Iranian history, and yet we’re starkly reminded that it’s still not over – we even watch some of the characters react to the recent real-world death of Mahsa Amini. I left this story feeling like it was both a warning and a call to action.

“You would do far better settling here and making a life for yourself in this country. Being oceans apart will hurt my heart forevermore. But. Hear me, Ellie. That country is not a safe place. Not if right-wing fundamentalist thugs take over.”

The writing style was simple, but at the same time, it created a tight narrative that focused more on the characters and plot points than on overly flowery writing, and I could appreciate that.

Should you read The Lion Women of Tehran?

I recommend it to fans of The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, and anyone interested in the recent history of Iran. If you like stories that center female friendship and growing up in different socioeconomic spheres, or stories that take place over a span of decades, definitely check this one out.