Cry of the Peacock
From Publishers Weekly Nahai begins her vivid, intriguing historical chronicle in the 1780s in Persia and concludes 200 years later in contemporary Iran. Following a family of Jews through seven generations, from Juyy Bar, the Jewish ghetto of Esfahan, to America, she begins with Esther the Soothsayer. Versed in magic and witchcraft Esther can foretell the future. She appears in the dreams and visions of her progeny, including her granddaughter, Peacock, born in the late 1860s, whose life spans well over a century. Nahai weaves together the brutal history of Muslims, Jews, the shahs and colonial forces that played a part in transforming Persia into Iran, using fables and legends to give much of the novel an exotic, fairy-tale effect. But as the story reaches the 20th century, readers will encounter the exiled Pahlavi shah, Mossadeq and Khomeini, and recognize recent events. Nahai succeeds in personalizing history, opening a window onto the baffling political history of Iran and its neighbors.
Accolades
Praise
“Cry of the Peacock was an alternate selection of The Book of the Month Club and The Doubleday Book Club.”
— Los Angeles Times
“A spellbinding story that is hard to put down.”
— Los Angeles Times
“What is surprising is how well it succeeds. This is an important novel. For it sheds light on an enigmatic part of the world with which Westerners must reckon.”
— Washington Post
“A remarkable achievement. The author is first and foremost a storyteller who is able to move her complex plot along with beguiling dexterity. Hers is a novel on a grand scale. A significant work.”
— Kansas City Star
“I knew before I opened Cry of the Peacock that I was embarking on something dangerous and unforgettable. I will never look at the Mideast quite the same again. Cry of the Peacock is an extremely important book, and fulfills one of the main tenets of reading: to learn and to understand.”
— Sun Sentinel, Florida
“Poised between magic and history. An unusual and effective novel.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
“Unusual … fascinating. Even the real political figures and historical events are somehow transformed by the poetry of Nahai’s style.”
— Houston Chronicle
“A series of linked tales that read like the Arabian Nights.”
— Seattle Times/Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“This fascinating book on a little known subject is essential for public library fiction collections.”
— Library Journal
“Nahai succeeds in personalizing history, opening a window onto the baffling political history of Iran and its neighbors.”
— Publisher’s Weekly
“Lots of period detail, vivid characters, and historical background make for an instructive read on a little-known era and place.”
— Kirkus
“Strongly recommended for contemporary fiction collections.”
— Booklist
“A sweeping tale of the persecution and intolerance of Jews in Iran. Throughout the novel flows an undercurrent of mysticism and superstition reminiscent of Latin American authors Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabelle Allende; but restrained by the realities of this world.”
— Bookreporter.com
From the UK
“Drop everything you are doing and rush to the bookshops to pick up your copy of Cry of the Peacock, the most significant novel of a family’s struggle for freedom to be published for a long while.”
— Chronicle and Echo
“A dizzying melange of history, myth, and magical realism.”
— Library Review
“A haunting novel which has considerable power.”
— Publishing News
From France
“A rich, colorful novel, in the tradition of the Thousand and One Nights.”
— Marie-Claire
“A rich, beautiful story.”
— Le Figaro