Catherine Dehdashti

Roseheart is a very apt title for Catherine Dehdashti's hilarious and heartfelt novel. I was immediately drawn in by the book's conversational style and verbiage. Catherine thinks, acts, and talks like many of my closest friends throughout my life. I felt like I knew her and was very interested to see how she would handle the challenge of blending two very different cultures into one happy family.

The book is written from the point of view of the main character Valerie, a Minnesota native in her early 20s who is a writer that waitresses to pay the bills. Valerie is a typical Midwestern girl of the 1990s - enjoying a life of little regret having been raised in a good family that provided her with a happy childhood and strong support system. She could break the rules, color outside the lines, speak her mind, and desire a life without the limitations that comes naturally when you have experienced a less idyllic or more strict upbringing Then Naveed entered her life. Naveed and his mother, Goli. Naveed is Iranian and has a totally different thought process about family, obligation, the significance of traditions, and straying from expectations. Soon after Valerie and Naveed embark upon their cross-culture romance they move in together - an event I believe may have precipitated more by Valerie's circumstances than her intention. Goli comes for a visit and we soon realize that she may never return to Iran. It is the mother-in -law of all issues - how to combine two very different cultural backgrounds, traditions, and beliefs that do not naturally go hand in hand to create a life together that is forged by respecting and upholding the value of each of the two without losing their individual identities - that drives the narrative of the book.

I especially enjoyed the development of the relationship between Goli ("Rosie" in Persian) and Valerie upon the theme of their attitudes and tenets regarding food preparation, service, and significance. Food is central to life and to the family unit in a way that no other commodity can compare.

Roseheart reflects well the myriad aspects that come together to form the life of a family that deeply loves, values, and believes in its innate power.… (lisätietoja)

Roseheart is a very apt title for Catherine Dehdashti's hilarious and heartfelt novel. I was immediately drawn in by the book's conversational style and verbiage. Catherine thinks, acts, and talks like many of my closest friends throughout my life. I felt like I knew her and was very interested to see how she would handle the challenge of blending two very different cultures into one happy family.

The book is written from the point of view of the main character Valerie, a Minnesota native in her early 20s who is a writer that waitresses to pay the bills. Valerie is a typical Midwestern girl of the 1990s - enjoying a life of little regret having been raised in a good family that provided her with a happy childhood and strong support system. She could break the rules, color outside the lines, speak her mind, and desire a life without the limitations that comes naturally when you have experienced a less idyllic or more strict upbringing Then Naveed entered her life. Naveed and his mother, Goli. Naveed is Iranian and has a totally different thought process about family, obligation, the significance of traditions, and straying from expectations. Soon after Valerie and Naveed embark upon their cross-culture romance they move in together - an event I believe may have precipitated more by Valerie's circumstances than her intention. Goli comes for a visit and we soon realize that she may never return to Iran. It is the mother-in -law of all issues - how to combine two very different cultural backgrounds, traditions, and beliefs that do not naturally go hand in hand to create a life together that is forged by respecting and upholding the value of each of the two without losing their individual identities - that drives the narrative of the book.

I especially enjoyed the development of the relationship between Goli ("Rosie" in Persian) and Valerie upon the theme of their attitudes and tenets regarding food preparation, service, and significance. Food is central to life and to the family unit in a way that no other commodity can compare.

Roseheart reflects well the myriad aspects that come together to form the life of a family that deeply loves, values, and believes in its innate power.… (lisätietoja)