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Farangi Girl Growing Up In Iran: A Daughter's Story (2011)

by Ashley Dartnell(Favorite Author)

4.29 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1444714708 (ISBN13: 9781444714708)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Hodder & Stoughton

review 1: A childhood in Iran.As a book about Ashley Dartnell's life, growing up with careless parents and her struggles with poverty and neglect, this was a good read. However, I had hoped for more background of life in Iran at the time, and more of the 'Parties with Princes' promised by the title.Although parts of her life were spent in Iran, a large chunk was also spent in Florida with her mother, while her father remained in Iran, struggling to run his construction business. Ashley's parents couldn't live together and they couldn't live apart, and Ashley and her brothers were stuck in the middle. Mr Dartnell would help his employees financially before his family and was taken for a ride by his business partners; one of those people with a good heart that just can't seem to hold ... morethings together. Mrs Dartnell was a prima donna, her obsessions and her boy friends took priority over all else. At times there was no money for food and the children had to leave school because they could not afford the fees.In spite of this Ashely and her brothers managed to raise themselves, at times recycling glass bottles to get enough money to eat.Eventually the revolution forced them to return to The States for good and I'm sure she missed the Iran of her childhood, in spite of its ups and downs.To some degree I could relate to her experiences, as I have lived the expat life for over twenty years, although not in Iran. My life has very different, however.The frequent Farsi words used in the text were irritating, but I enjoyed the photographs at the beginning of each chapter, a nice touch.Generally, an interesting read but not one I would particularly recommend.
review 2: Upon recieving this novel today i am thoroughly excited to begin reading it, as Farangi Girl looks increadible. I cannot thank the author enough for such a lovely message & inscription and i hope that once i have read & reviewed this book, that many readers will sit up and take notice! Farangi Girl was a really heartfelt and insightful story that was very personal to the author and i thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The book is sincere, emotive and heartbreaking, that had me as a concequence in tears in places due to the fact that i was so moved by the writing. It was a thoroughly gripping read that had me hooked from page 1 to the very end and Ashley Dartnell's writing style is so intense with a fluidity that makes you want to read on. It was an utterly compelling personal memoir that was vivid, poinant and truly facinating and i was swept away into a time of elegance & decadence, social status & social hierachy and hardships. I have to commend the author for her bravery in writing such a personal acount of her life and thus i feel truly privaliged to be able to read it and delve into her childhood tale, that is thought provoking and so meaningful. What a facinating and unusual memoir that was so interesting and exciting to read, and it is a book that will apeal to a broad audience being that it is so universal. I am in no doubt at all that my friends will love reading this book and that how for a piece of non-fiction it is just so readable. A really fantastic and utterly brilliant book, that is just so beautiful and outlandish in its nature - i urge you to read it, as with myself it certainly exceeded all expectations. less

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