A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea Audiobook

" A heartbreaking and triumphant story of love, loss, courage, chasing and letting go of dreams, storytelling, friendship, Iran...transportive and mesmerizing. "

" I had trouble getting into this one at first but ultimately I thought it was good. "

" I received this book from the Library Thing early reviewers program. This is just the sort of book that I would expect to absolutely love. Set in Iran in the 1980's, it is about a twin who loses her mother and sister, and is grappling with having been raised to be open-minded even though she is stuck in the restrictive Iranian culture. This book is beautifully written and absolutely transports you into the world of 1980's Iran. It was an easy but rich read and the author is obviously extremely talented. Honestly, I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't enjoy it. Possibly it is just my own intense reaction to the paternalistic culture of Iran, but also it could be that I just didn't like the characters. It annoyed me that Saba kept insisting that her sister was alive, even though from the first pages (this isn't a spoiler) it's pretty clear that she's not. It was an inventive way for her to live out her fantasies, though, so it's a clever literary tool. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you should probably read this one for yourself and be the judge. I can't tell you my resistance, but it does have all the makings of a fine novel. "

" I couldn't get past the writing which was constantly heavy. "

" It took me a little while to get into this book. It was more interesting once Saba became a teenager. Books taking place in foreign countries always make me appreciate the United States even more! We are so lucky to have the freedoms we do. "

" I started this book confident that I would love it, and my "book gut" is never wrong....until now. Even once I realized it wasn't for me I kept reading, hoping something would happen that would bring me in. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and I gave up. "

" I'm not so great with reviews, but I really enjoyed this book. I like cultural novels -- I'd say fans of Khaled Hosseini would enjoy this, although it is not as violent. "

" Heart-wrenching! is all I can say. "

" Story of a girl growing up during and after the 1997 Iran revolution. Story telling is an important part of the culture in her village. It also helps her survive several difficult events. "

" I am torn on this book. Parts of it were so lyrical and I liked how Saba used Mahtab's stories to help her deal with issues in her own life. But, at times the story seemed to stall. I wanted to love it, but in the end I was hurrying to finish it, so I could move on to something else. "

" Good book but had to push myself through it. "

" Beautiful and captivating storytelling, this book immerses you in the sights, smells, and colors of pastoral Iranian life. Poignant and moving, funny and hopeful. The characters sweep you up in their stories. "

" Can't wait for another by this author "

" I really wanted to like this book, as it is beautifully written, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't get into it. I may give it another go later, but for now - abandoned :( "

" Beautifully written. A rich read. However I found it a bit draggy. The story telling in the book was a bit confusing to follow, but it definitely allowed the reader to transport to another world. "