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The Bathhouse Audiobook
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(3.17) - 152 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In the early days of the fundamentalist revolution in Iran, a seventeen-year-old girl is arrested because of her brother's involvement with leftist politics. She is placed in a makeshift jail—a former bathhouse, in which other women are also being held captive. These women range in age from adolescence to eldery, their mental states from stoic to insane.With intense emotion and great literary skill, Moshiri gives voice to these prisoners, exploring their torment and struggle, as well as their courage and humanity in the face of tyrants.
Based on interviews with real women who have been imprisoned, Farnoosh Moshiri's novel is a gripping and moving narrative of oppression, injustice, and the human spirit.
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"a terrifyingly real account of life in a post revolutionary prison (a converted bathhouse) in Iran; especially for young women - who were routinely raped on the eve of their execution since killing a virgin is a sin. creepy and riveting. "
— dianne (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“It’s hard to stop reading…Horrible as it is, you don’t want to turn away from the girl’s first-person nightmare. The language in The Bathhouse is simple, the dialogue taut, the tension immediate.”
— Houston Chronicle -
“[A] gut-wrenching, eye-opening novel. The Bathhouse shows what happens when ideology runs amok. It honors the humanity and sacrifice of the victims.”
— Tacoma News Tribune -
“The starkly simple tale she tells is convincing in tone and substance…Moshiri’s impressive novel works at two levels, telling a compelling story while bearing witness to a brutal period in Iranian history.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Bernadette Dunne’s narration of the young woman’s ordeal is rendered poignantly. Her delivery is emotional—the pain and despair of the characters are present in her voice in just the right amounts…the results make the book easier to listen to than it might be to read.”
— AudioFile -
“Both a resolutely nonpartisan antirevolutionary brief and a gripping, harrowing story of personal courage and endurance.”
— Booklist -
“Some of the torture scenes are graphic, but there is a great sense of humanity and caring in the face of unreasonable treatment and abuse…the insight of the book is universal.”
— Kliatt -
“Even as the prison strips away all hope, Moshiri never once lets us forget the humanity of the women of The Bathhouse as they form a family, with all of a family’s capacity for support, betrayal, despair, and dignity. The Bathhouse is beautiful and excruciating, written with such grace that it seems to exist out of time.”
— Simone Zelitch, author of Louisa
The Bathhouse Listener Reviews
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" I never read a book with such violence. I couldnt stop reading it because I just really was wishing the ending was a good one. Which it just lead me to keep thinking about the book. A good book always leaves you thinking. "
— Rosabay, 12/17/2013 -
" This audiobook was sometimes difficult to listen to because of the subject matter. It was a very moving story of a young woman trying to survive after being put in prison for her brother's political activism. I can't really say I enjoyed it because of the subject, but it was very insightful. "
— Carol, 11/26/2013 -
" I loved this book! Story is dark, but captures you from the start. And I have a signed copy by the author!!! Now, I must read her favorite one, "At the wall of Almighty"... "
— Kata, 11/22/2013 -
" This book will stay with you for some time. "
— Deb, 10/9/2013 -
" This was a quick read, in part because the language was so simple, but also because it's hard to put it down! The story of the narrator is sad and compelling, and she is a sympathetic character that any woman can identify with to some extent. Overall, an interesting and sad read! "
— Karen, 9/24/2013 -
" a terrifyingly real account of life in a post revolutionary prison (a converted bathhouse) in Iran; especially for young women - who were routinely raped on the eve of their execution since killing a virgin is a sin. creepy and riveting. "
— dianne, 6/26/2013 -
" Horrific - tense - I could not put it down. "
— KayG, 6/1/2013 -
" I'm not sure how to describe this book but to say it gives a frighteningly real view of some of the atrocities happening in our world today. Seen through the eyes of one woman, it feels real, confusing, scary, appalling, shocking and bitter sweet all at once. "
— Michelle, 7/15/2012 -
" An incredible book. A must read. "
— Melanie, 6/27/2012 -
" I ripped through this. I... This is the trouble with books like this. I don't know what to say, except that it will break your heart. "
— Sarah, 2/19/2012 -
" This is a powerful novel that poignantly describes the horrors of the Iranian regime that we hear so much about. Evil continues to thrive! "
— Terry, 2/14/2012 -
" Chilling. Wonderful to read in conjunction with Reading Lolita in Tehran A Memoir in Books and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis books. "
— Audra, 9/8/2011 -
" Vivid, disturbing, beautiful. "
— Yessica, 7/14/2011 -
" amazing story (though at times disturbing)... more shocking because it is based on events that happened in my own lifetime. "
— Betsie, 5/10/2011 -
" Not a fun read, but a grim and sobering work of fiction. Told in a matter of fact tone as by a young person introduced to a shocking reality of imprisonment, torture and execution, it feels very real. "
— Sandra, 2/27/2011 -
" Not a fun read, but a grim and sobering work of fiction. Told in a matter of fact tone as by a young person introduced to a shocking reality of imprisonment, torture and execution, it feels very real. "
— Sandra, 1/31/2011 -
" I never read a book with such violence. I couldnt stop reading it because I just really was wishing the ending was a good one. Which it just lead me to keep thinking about the book. A good book always leaves you thinking. "
— Rosabay, 10/7/2010 -
" I loved this book! Story is dark, but captures you from the start. And I have a signed copy by the author!!! Now, I must read her favorite one, "At the wall of Almighty"... "
— Kata, 11/3/2009 -
" Wow - a stunning look at a completely different world. The main character is a heroine. "
— Alison, 5/2/2009 -
" I'm not sure how to describe this book but to say it gives a frighteningly real view of some of the atrocities happening in our world today. Seen through the eyes of one woman, it feels real, confusing, scary, appalling, shocking and bitter sweet all at once. "
— Michelle, 3/2/2009 -
" This is a powerful novel that poignantly describes the horrors of the Iranian regime that we hear so much about. Evil continues to thrive! "
— Terry, 8/14/2008 -
" This book will stay with you for some time. "
— Deb, 11/5/2007 -
" This was a quick read, in part because the language was so simple, but also because it's hard to put it down! The story of the narrator is sad and compelling, and she is a sympathetic character that any woman can identify with to some extent. Overall, an interesting and sad read! "
— Karen, 6/11/2007
About Farnoosh Moshiri
Farnoosh Moshiri was born into a literary family in Tehran. She earned an MA in drama from the University of Iowa and returned to Iran in 1979. After refusing to sign an agreement to obey the new regime, she went underground, escaping to Afghanistan and then India. She eventually graduated from the creative writing program of the University of Houston. The author of At the Wall of the Almighty, she currently teaches at Montgomery College in Houston, Texas.
About Bernadette Dunne
Bernadette Dunne is the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Studio Theater in Washington, DC, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center and off Broadway.