Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith

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Summary: Moonlight tells us story that hasn't been told by anyone
Review: "Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith", Gina Nahai's second novel, recounts the story of Iranian Jewish women, first in Tehran's ghetto and later as immigrants to Los Angeles. This novel continues what Nahai started in her first novel, "Cry of the Peacock". Although the two novels can be read and enjoyed independent of each other, a few of the charachters of "Cry of the Peacock" reapear here. "Moonlight" starts early 20th century in Iran, and takes us all the way to the other side of the globe. It shows us a glimps into the soul of the Iranian Jewish woman who has struggled for survival for thousands of years in a country that never accepted her as a part of itself, to her struggles to make a new life in the "land of chances" because her home didn't even tollerate her presence on it's soil anymore. This is a must-read for anyone curious to find out what happens to people before they come to the United states. It is a wonderful window into the entrapped soul of the Eastern woman and her similarities to the woman of the west. For those of us who are Iranian Jewish exiles living in Los Angeles, this is a clear mirror reflecting how we are seen by each others and forces us to take a look at ourselves with a more objective eye and come out of denial. For those of us who know the people in the book weather in reality or as a representation of something familiar, this is a must-read.

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Summary: Review in the Dallas Morning News
Review: "A nice addition to the canon of magic realism...Ms. Nahai's lyrical command on her words carries through consistently. The book's effectiveness deepens into a powerful and surprising final chapter."

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Summary: Review in Cleveland Plain Dealer
Review: "A novel of stunning beauty and power...a supreme accomplishment. The magical realism so perfectly wrought by Garcia Marquez has rarely been equaled, perhpas only by Toni Morrison in "Song of Solomon" and here in Nahai's novel." Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 9

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Summary: NY Times Review
Review: "A skilled and inventive writer...a considerable talent. Nahai has achieved some wonderful effects, infusing everyday events with miraculous radiance." The New York Times Book Review

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Summary: The Boston Globe review
Review: "A testament to the power and beauty of Gina Nahai's novel and the world she so brilliantly illuminates".

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Summary: The Portland Oregonian Review, Sunday, May 2
Review: "Gina Nahai works in elegant contrasts, the spellbinding extremes of the best of the magical realist tradition, conjuring a story that glows as if by a sublte, internal fire...It is clear testimony to her skill as a storyteller that she appears able to slip effortlessly between the mundane and the strange, the familiar and the exotic. in so doing, she demonstrates at once that life is larger than we migh ever imagine, and that the lines between the real and the magical might be fainter than we think."

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Summary: A tale of beauty and suffering for a mother and daughter.
Review: "Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith" continues the tale of a people and a culture a world away. As first introduced in "Cry of the Peacocok" author Gina Nahai writes of characters whose triumphs and sufferings we share. The reader is swept up in the journey of Roxanna and Lili, the daughter she abandoned as a child are finally reunited. The imagery in the author's tale is moving and at times unforgettable. Her characters are proud and hard as the circumstances they experience. This story gives a glimpse into a culture few know about, that of the Persian Jews. Recommended strongly.

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Summary: The Baltimore Jewish Times
Review: "Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith" paves the way for Ms. Nahai to claim her place among other cultural women writers such as Amy Tan and Toni Morrison. Readers will not only gain some insight into a new people, but will also discover a storyteller who captivates an audience."

Rating:
Summary: Moonlight tells us story that hasn't been told by anyone
Review: "Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith", Gina Nahai's second novel, recounts the story of Iranian Jewish women, first in Tehran's ghetto and later as immigrants to Los Angeles. This novel continues what Nahai started in her first novel, "Cry of the Peacock". Although the two novels can be read and enjoyed independent of each other, a few of the charachters of "Cry of the Peacock" reapear here. "Moonlight" starts early 20th century in Iran, and takes us all the way to the other side of the globe. It shows us a glimps into the soul of the Iranian Jewish woman who has struggled for survival for thousands of years in a country that never accepted her as a part of itself, to her struggles to make a new life in the "land of chances" because her home didn't even tollerate her presence on it's soil anymore. This is a must-read for anyone curious to find out what happens to people before they come to the United states. It is a wonderful window into the entrapped soul of the Eastern woman and her similarities to the woman of the west. For those of us who are Iranian Jewish exiles living in Los Angeles, this is a clear mirror reflecting how we are seen by each others and forces us to take a look at ourselves with a more objective eye and come out of denial. For those of us who know the people in the book weather in reality or as a representation of something familiar, this is a must-read.

Rating:
Summary: Memphis Commercial Appeal has given this book a rave review
Review: "This is Nahai's second book, and in it she appears to have mastered the craft of sensuous, magical realism. It is easy to get lost in the book and live in the Jewish ghetto of Tehran with Roxanna, the girl who dreams of flight and wakes up surrounded by white feathers, smelling of the Caspian Sea... Nahai does an excellent job of interweaving the characters and their stories in a manner that provides three dimensions to almost all...Their personalities are believable, their lives shaped only by their willingness to firgive themselves their passions, to acquiesce too quickly to Fate."