The Lion Women of Tehran masterfully intertwines history, culture, and personal struggle into one immersive and thought-provoking story. Using these book club questions for The Lion Women of Tehran will help you and your book group delve deeper and explore the book’s themes of friendship, betrayal, political activism, social class and the immigrant experience.
This discussion guide for The Lion Women of Tehran will help make headway for your group’s discussion with 10 discussion prompts, a synopsis, and some selected reviews from previous readers, all of which can provide context for your book club discussion. And if you liked it, we’ve also got suggestions for a few related reads.
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The Lion Women of Tehran Synopsis
(We always chose to provide the publisher synopsis because we feel that it’s worthwhile to discuss whether the official book description actually squared with your experience of the book.)
The Lion Women of Tehran, Marjan Kamali
In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams for a friend to alleviate her isolation.
Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions of becoming “lion women.”
But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.
Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.
10 Book Club Questions for The Lion Women of Tehran
- Comparing Ellie and Homa, consider how each woman grows and matures in relation to and distinct from one another. What point do you think Kamali is making with these distinctions?
- Explore the several references to Persian culture, language, and legend throughout the novel. What does this add to the story in terms of setting, metaphor, or symbolism?
- Analyze the contrast between Iranian culture and U.S. culture as they are portrayed in the novel. What message does the author convey with this distinction?
- Ellie and Homa are children in Tehran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. How does the detailed depiction of characters in this setting make the backdrop more accessible? What, if anything, did you know about the revolution before reading this book?
- “I knew belief in the powers of others people’s jealousy and the jinxing of an evil eye needed to be cast off. But at the age of thirty-eight, in the middle of that massive Manhattan department store, I was still unwittingly beholden to superstition.”
The evil eye is a significant motif related to jealousy and guilt in the novel. How does Ellie’s belief in the evil eye shape her actions and self perception?
- Compare and contrast the settings of Tehran and New York City. How are their interactions in New York City different from their past interactions during college in Tehran?
- Ellie accidentally shares information that lands Homa in prison. Consider Ellie’s sense of guilt, particularly when she learns that Homa was attacked while she was in prison. How does Ellie’s guilt manifest itself in the story?
- “A bird from the fables. A bird from our ancient Persian Zoroasrian mythology. The Huma bird never rests on the ground. They say this bird lives its entire life invisible above us all.”
Homa is depicted as a character driven by strong ideals and courage. In what ways does her strong sense of justice inspire others? How might it also lead to personal challenges in her life?
- Considering the symbolism of the recipe book that Homa gives Ellie in relation to Ellie’s eventual restaurant. What do both the recipe book and restaurant say about the bond between these two? What does food itself represent within the text?
- Jealousy plays a significant role in the relationship between Ellie and Homa. How does the novel suggest one can transform feelings of jealousy into positive growth?
Selected Reviews of The Lion Women of Tehran
“3.5 Stars This is an extraordinarily moving novel. Unlike many works of historical fiction that revolve around difficult times and circumstances, this book does not engage in trauma porn. Its hardest moments are sparingly and carefully depicted, and they strike at the reader’s heart all the more for it. The characters felt real and well-rounded with believable talents and flaws. The writing felt slightly clunky at the start of the book, as though the author was using a thesaurus a bit too liberally, but quickly fell into a rhythm that kept me captivated.”
“Wow, this book gets all the stars!!! I have been putting off writing this review for a long time because I knew I would not be able to adequately express my thoughts about this amazing and powerful novel. It was a beautiful story about friendship, betrayal and ultimately hope. This was an in-depth coming of age and character study using historical details that explored two women and their experiences in Iranian culture. I loved everything about this book, the characters, the setting, themes and writing style. If you enjoy stories of women, sacrifice, friendship and culture, this book is for you.”
“1 star ⭐️ I know this is beloved but I found the characters so unlikeable I couldn’t stand the book. The lowering of social standing and a girl becomes friends with her and then when they rise up social standing she is then ditched. Some unlikeable characters still have great stories, this was not one for me.”
“The Lion Women of Tehran was poignant, and full of both heartbreaking and heartwarming scenes. I was anxious the whole time waiting to find out what the betrayal the synopsis refers to would be. I wish it would have gone deeper into the political history of Iran. Nonetheless, this is one of those books where the story and the characters will stick with me for a long time.”
What to Read After The Lion Women of Tehran
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women also features the lifelong friendship of two women who sit on opposite sides of the social order. In The Vanishing Half, the protagonists are sisters, not friends, but their lives could not have taken more drastic turns. Each of these guides has a non-spoiler synopsis toward the top of the page with a link to Amazon pricing and reviews.
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow, Zoulfa Katouh
If you’d like more political upheaval, then try this book. It’s a story set within the Syrian Revolution, following the life of a hospital worker named Salama. It’s an epic, emotional story of love and loss, and navigating the challenges of war and the shifting morality that comes with it.
The Beauty of Your Face, Sahar Mustafah
This is a story about a Palestinian-American woman who wrestles with faith, loss, and personal identity. The novel with two stories in one– firstly, in present day with Asaf as a principal coming face to face with a school shooter at her Muslim school, and secondly using flashbacks of Asaf as a child and teen. Mustafah’s book is exploring faith, family, and blind hate.
Evil Eye, Etaf Rum
Want some more evil eye? Etaf Rum will deliver that for you.
The story centers around Yara, a Palestinian American woman living in North Carolina after getting married. We follow Yara as she navigates her culture, career, marriage, and motherhood, defying all odds. A story about motherhood, intergenerational trauma, and how surface appearances often obscure a deeper truth.
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