GIRL FROM GARDEN - Softcover

"A lush debut... Foroutan is a modern-day Scheherazade, weaving her tale through the entire 20th century, from an aging woman in her L.A. garden to the brothers whose determination to spawn heirs tortured the harem she was raised in."--Willamette Week

"Foroutan's characters grapple, often vainly, for control against larger forces--a God who doesn't answer prayers, a state that doesn't recognize their humanity, and people who cannot be made to bend to their needs, no matter how badly they love them."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Parnaz Foroutan's scorching debut novel, The Girl From the Garden, takes us to Iran, where a couple's inability to conceive pits a young wife against her tyrannical husband, who will stop at nothing to secure an heir."--W Magazine (online), 3 Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List

"Filled with lingering sorrow, broken hearts and cold revenge, this walk down a sometimes-darkened memory lane is not for those seeking a light-hearted read, but fans of well-paced dramas will find much to adore."--Shelf Awareness

"We never learn Mahboubeh's own story, but the sense of a personality forged by the sacrifice, betrayal and restrictions of the women who came before her will remain with the reader long after the book is over."--BookPage

"[R]emarkable not only for its rare, intimate glimpse of an Iranian Jewish family in the early 20th century, nor for its gorgeous sentences or profound treatment of longing, loss and memory, but for how it seduces and enthralls the reader."--San Francisco Chronicle, Carolina de Robertis

"A powerful and moving novel about the devastating choices women face when their worth is tied to their wombs but not themselves. Parnaz Foroutan takes the timeless themes of love, honor, sacrifice and betrayal and makes them new."--Gloria Steinem

"The Girl from the Garden is a spectacular novel-a riveting, finely wrought portrait of loss, longing, and passion in the intimate lives of an extended family in Iran. Foroutan is a writer of astounding talent, and her tale is moving and unforgettable."--Carolina De Robertis, author of The Invisible Mountain

Set against the tumultuous backdrop of early 20th century Iran, The Girl from the Garden is an evocative tale of loss, betrayal and family ties. Parnaz Foroutan is a stunning new literary talent, and her debut novel is a gift to readers everywhere.--Amy Greene, author of Bloodroot

In her debut novel, Parnaz Foroutan has written an incantatory tale of love, sacrifice and an unquenchable yearning for paradise. Foroutan unfurls a sensuous, poetic tapestry of gardens and seasons, of women enshrouded and silenced by culture, of men made intractable by honor, religious tradition and filial loyalty.--Melissa Pritchard, author of PalmerinoandA Solemn Pleasure