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A review by readingwithathena
Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik
4.0
4.25/5
When I first started reading Song of a Captive Bird last year, I disliked it. Not in a simple, more realistic "I'm not in the mood for this right now," kind of way, rather with an intense, bought at full price, Goodreads I trusted you kind of way. It was unfair, to say the least. Luckily for me, that "bought at full price" thing encouraged me to keep it on my shelves until I was in the mood for it.
The driving force of this novel is famed Iranian Poet Farough Farrokhzad's poetry and her pursuit of freedom. Her entire life is laid out for the reader to observe, nothing is spared. It was this extraordinary attention to detail that originally turned me off the book. Why was it necessary to know the classical layout of a traditional Persian garden? But the more I read, the more I understood that those details explain the world that created, rejected, and ultimately killed Farough.
Farough's story isn't simple. Jasmin Darznik weaves a tale so complex, you can't write Farough off as a tragic figure born in the wrong time, nor a devilish fiend intent on turning the world on its ear. She is written as a real person, with real passions and mistakes, sadness and sin. My greatest remaining complaint is that after such a detailed story, the last decade of her life feels rushed. Though the book is nearly 400 pages, I wouldn't have been peeved if it went over. Still, I can't fault it too terribly. A book I once ranted to my sister about left me in tears when it was over.
When I first started reading Song of a Captive Bird last year, I disliked it. Not in a simple, more realistic "I'm not in the mood for this right now," kind of way, rather with an intense, bought at full price, Goodreads I trusted you kind of way. It was unfair, to say the least. Luckily for me, that "bought at full price" thing encouraged me to keep it on my shelves until I was in the mood for it.
The driving force of this novel is famed Iranian Poet Farough Farrokhzad's poetry and her pursuit of freedom. Her entire life is laid out for the reader to observe, nothing is spared. It was this extraordinary attention to detail that originally turned me off the book. Why was it necessary to know the classical layout of a traditional Persian garden? But the more I read, the more I understood that those details explain the world that created, rejected, and ultimately killed Farough.
Farough's story isn't simple. Jasmin Darznik weaves a tale so complex, you can't write Farough off as a tragic figure born in the wrong time, nor a devilish fiend intent on turning the world on its ear. She is written as a real person, with real passions and mistakes, sadness and sin. My greatest remaining complaint is that after such a detailed story, the last decade of her life feels rushed. Though the book is nearly 400 pages, I wouldn't have been peeved if it went over. Still, I can't fault it too terribly. A book I once ranted to my sister about left me in tears when it was over.