Rooftops of Tehran is, at its core, a love story, but it is so much more than that. The book is set in Iran, and the setting is integral to the plotline. I love books that are set in a country that I don't know much about, but that still touch on universal, human themes.

The protagonist is an older teenager, Pasha, and he falls in love with the neighbor girl who is engaged to marry another man. This love triangle is disrupted, but to tell how will ruin the book, so let's just say that the book illustrates what living in a country under a dictator might be like - - but in stark human terms.

What I loved about the book is the way the author draws his characters - - they are easy to care about and their thought process is familiar to all of us who have fallen in love for the very first time (meaning all of us, right?). He also does an amazing job of showing the challenges of living under a dictatorship - - not telling, but truly showing.

The book is very fast paced and hard to put down for the first half of the book. The protagonist is in a mental hospital at the beginning of the book, and the author alternates scenes from Pasha's life with scenes from the mental hospital - - and this is a wonderful way to build suspense as you are questioning from the very beginning what possibly could have happened to this boy.

If I were to have any criticism is that you find out what happened in the middle of the book, and then the next 20-25% or so doesn't have that same compelling "I can't stop reading this" feeling. At least it didn't for me. But my patience with the slower pace of this section totally paid off as the ending is both unexpected and satisfying.

So while the book had some imperfections, I felt that overall it deserved the fifth star for the great character development, the plotting, and the great rendering of an unfamiliar setting. If you liked books like The Kite Runner and Cutting for Stone - - I'm quite sure you'll find this to be a terrific read. ( )

Set in 1973-1974 Iran, seventeen-year-old protagonist Pasha and his friend, Ahmed, spend time on the rooftop of his home, stargazing and talking about life. He falls in love with the girl next door but cannot act on his feelings because she is engaged to one of his (older) good friends. The story takes place during the last Shah’s regime, and abuses of power are a focal point for the storyline. The two young men, though not politically active yet, are influenced by the human rights violations they witness.

It is elegantly written, and the narrative arc is robust. The characters are well developed, and it is easy to care about what happens to them. The story is told in flashbacks and flash-forwards, converging as the book nears its climax. It is filled with references to Persian culture. Although there is definitely a good bit of disturbing content, there are also happy moments and a bit of comic relief through Ahmed’s antics. Coming of age stories are hit or miss with me, and I am happy to say, this is one is a hit. It is complex enough to maintain the reader’s interest and the love story never falls into saccharine territory.
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If you're looking for an honest voice full of emotion and grounded in sensory details, this book is for you. If you're looking to understand the universal human experience that transcends country and culture, this book is for you. If you have ever experienced love, grief, or friendship, this book is for you.

Thanks to Sydney for recommending this novel! ( )

Real feel: 3.75 ( )

I really don't know why everyone loves this book so much. There are some great books on the Iranian Revolution - like "Persepolis" - but this is not one of them. The characters are simple, archetypal, and boring, without any depth. The story dragged on and on (this book should have been 200 pages shorter!). If you want to learn about Iran, read something else. ( )