Marsha Mehran Knihy

Repertoár gastronomických lahôdok obyvateľov ospalého írskeho mestečka Ballinacroagh ešte nedávno tvorili predovšetkým jedlá mdlej chuti z miestneho hostinca. To sa však zmenilo príchodom krásnych iránskych sestier Mardžan, Bahar a Layly Aminpúrových, ktoré si tu otvorili exotické bistro Babylon Café. Najstaršia Mardžan sa stará o mladšie sestry a je vynikajúca kuchárka, Layla, očarujúca tínedžerka, tu nachádza svoju prvú lásku a prostredná Bahar sa obáva nečakaného príchodu svojho krutého manžela. Sestrám sa v Írsku spočiatku nedarí zapadnúť do miestnej spoločnosti. Čiastočne je to vina starej, bezvládnej klebetnice Dervly Quigleyovej, ktorá ich špehuje na každom kroku, a miestneho podnikateľa Thomasa McGuira, ktorý prisahal, že donúti Babylon Café skrachovať. Prísady, koreniny a bylinky, ktoré sestry používajú v exotických receptoch zachránených pri úteku z rodného Iránu, však majú na všetkých v mestečku nezvyčajný účinok. Zaostrujú im zmysly, vyvolávajú spomienky a pobádajú ich k splneniu svojich dávnych túžob a snov. Sestry sa ich prostredníctvom a pod vplyvom diania v mestečku vracajú v spomienkach do búrlivých udalostí iránskej revolúcie a vyrovnávajú sa so svojou minulosťou. Uvedomujú si, že nastal čas usadiť sa a prestať unikať pred spomienkami a pred ľuďmi, ktorí sú s nimi spojení.

More than a year has passed since Marjan, Bahar, and Layla, the beautiful Iranian Aminpour sisters, sought refuge in the quaint Irish town of Ballinacroagh. Opening the beguiling Babylon Café, they charmed the locals with their warm hearts and delectable Persian cuisine, bringing a saffron-scented spice to the once-sleepy village. But when a young woman with a dark secret literally washes up on Clew Bay Beach, the sisters’ world is once again turned upside down. With pale skin and webbed hands, the girl is otherworldly, but her wounds tell a more earthly (and graver) story–one that sends the strict Catholic town into an uproar. The Aminpours rally around the newcomer, but each sister must also contend with her own transformation–Marjan tests her feelings for love with a dashing writer, Bahar takes on a new spiritual commitment with the help of Father Mahoney, and Layla matures into a young woman when she and her boyfriend, Malachy, step up their hot and heavy relationship. Filled with mouthwatering recipes and enchanting details of life in Ireland, Rosewater and Soda Bread is infused with a lyrical warmth that radiates from the Aminpour family and their big-hearted Italian landlady, Estelle, to the whole of Ballinacroagh–and the world beyond.

A moving tale of exile, friendship, and love from the bestselling author of Pomegranate Soup.In the wake of the Iranian revolution, Zadi Heirati, a single mother, flees to Buenos Aires with her young daughter. She decides to do what she knows best and opens a beauty salon, but as she meets her new neighbors and discovers their shared passion for poetry, the idea develops into much more than a job. The inhabitants of her apartment building form an eclectic community: a sick ex-prisoner and his daughter; a promising medical student; a timid hairdresser; a newlywed couple with a dark past; a young revolutionary; an eccentric pilgrim of Mecca; and at the heart of the group, Zadi, whose humble small business becomes a spiritual hub where she hosts weekly readings of Persian poetry.Drawn together by the revolution in their homeland, these neighbors share words that inspire each to turn inward and discover beauty long buried. At once familiar and extraordinary, this story weaves disparate lives together into a tapestry of unique grace, wit, and lyricism.