Aria

A sweeping saga about the Iranian revolution as it explodes - told from the ground level and centre of the chaos. A Doctor Zhivago of Iran

Margaret Atwood, Twitter

Aria is a feminist odyssey, about a girl in a time of intolerance as the revolution in Iran is breaking out ... a poised and dramatic historical novel with contemporary relevance

John Irving

A beautiful book set against the pains and passions of the Iranian Revolution . . . It is a book about a particular time and place yet also, and perhaps more importantly, about the common hopes and intimate longings of lives so forcibly invaded by national events

Hisham Matar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Return

Nazanine Hozar's immaculate first novel follows a group of Iranians in the lead-up to the 1979 revolution and marks the arrival of a major new voice

Alex Preston, Observer

The skilfully told story of a young woman struggling to find her place in intolerant, revolutionary Iran

i

Nazanine Hozar's stunning debut takes us inside the Iranian revolution - but seen like never before, through the eyes of an orphan girl . . . heart-pounding

Asia House Arts

Explores the darkness and hope of a city on the brink of revolution . . . Epic. An impressive debut, not easily forgotten

Observer

An affecting portrait of the Iranian revolution . . . leaves you simultaneously heartbroken and full of hope

Sunday Times

Set in a vibrantly depicted Tehran and spanning a 30-year period leading up to the 1981 Iranian Revolution, Hozar's serpentine narrative shows how the inequality and corruption of Iranian society under the Shah gives way to something more sinister...it's a spellbinding debut

Mail on Sunday

This rags-to-riches-to revolution tale about an orphan girl's coming of age in Iran is sweeping, cinematic and oh-so gripping. In it we follow Aria as she searches for belonging and falls in love amid the political tumult of her age

Sunday Telegraph

Epic in scope . . . Hozar is a courageous and talented writer, excellent at capturing emotional complexity and interrogating her themes

The Irish Independent

An impeccable debut of a young girl's odyssey in the Iranian Revolution

Foyles newsletter

An epic tale of turmoil in Iran. Its skilful blending of personal and political drama, along with its broad scope, richness of setting and vitality of character, gives it something of the quality of [Doctor Zhivago]

Guardian

Warm-hearted, compelling, hugely enjoyable

Times

An alluring and enlightening read

Irish Times