Moonlight on the Avenue - Hardcover

Nahai, Gina Barkhordar

4.05

1,167 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0151003882 ISBN 13: 9780151003884

Publisher: Thomson Learning, 1998

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

One star-studded night, five-year-old Lili witnesses her mother, Roxanna the Angel, sprout wings and vanish into the sky, undisturbed by the rules of gravity. Roxanna leaves no farewell, no word of explanation, no trace of her existence. Lili's subsequent search for her mother - spurred by the tireless efforts of her aunt Miriam the Moon - is at the heart of this mesmerizing epic tale that follows Roxanna, born as a bad-luck child in the harsh Jewish ghetto of Tehran, through the opulent world of Iran's aristocracy to the whorehouses of Turkey and beyond, to present-day Los Angeles. At stake are Roxanna's hopes for happiness, for escaping the bonds of Old World tradition and finding forgiveness for that most egregious of sins - desire. Weaving together strands of Persian and Jewish culture, Gina Nahai brings to life a courageous circle of women rooted in their homeland but reshaping their lives in America, the land of chances and choices.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

"The New York Times Book Review" A skilled and inventive writer, Nahai demonstrates that even the darkest magic cannot defeat the extraordinary powers of love.

"The Toronto Star"

Lyrical, beautiful....A languid, steamy read.

"The Boston Globe"

A testament to the power and beauty of Gina Nahai's writing and the world she so brilliantly illuminates.

"The New York Times Book Review"

A considerable talent. Nahai has achieved some wonderful effects, infusing everyday events with miraculous radiance.

"The New York Times Book Review"

A skilled and inventive writer, Nahai demonstrates that even the darkest magic cannot defeat the extraordinary powers of love.

"The Boston Globe"

Beautiful, exotic, and rich....We jump on the magic carpet, soar above the Avenue of Faith, satisfied to let this gifted storyteller weave her spell.

"Los Angeles Times"

Entrancing...A voice that never loses its poise, that balances cynicism with hope, warmth Willi satire, hte heavy ballast of life Willi the exhilaration of being borne aloft.

"The Dallas Morning News"

A nice addition to the canon of magic realism....Ms. Nahai's lyrical command of her words carries through consistently. The book's effectiveness deepens into a powerful and surprising final chapter.

"Portland Oregonian"

A sprawling tapestry of a novel....Clear testimony to her skill as a storyteller, Gina B. Nahai works in elegant contrasts, the spellbinding extremes of the best of the magical realist tradition, conjuring a story that glows as if lit by a subtle, internal fire.

"The Plain Dealer" (Cleveland)

A novel of stunning beauty and power....A supreme accomplishment. The magical realism so perfectly wrought by Garcia Marquez has rarely been equaled, perhaps only by Toni Morrison in "Song of Solomon" and here in Nahai's novel.

From the Back Cover:

When she is five years old, Lili, the narrator of this epic and magical tale, watches her mother, Roxanna the Angel, throw herself off the balcony of their house on the Avenue of Faith. Roxanna has left no farewell, no explanation. Her family's subsequent search for her reveals no body, no sign of a fall, no trace of an escape. The only witness to Roxanna's disappearance, Lili will spend the next thirteen years looking for her mother, wondering if she is alive, wondering why she left.

This is the remarkable tale that follows Roxanna, born as a "bad-luck child" in the Jewish ghetto of Tehran, through the opulent world of Iran's aristocracy, into the whorehouses of Turkey and at last, to Los Angeles -- the city of exiles -- where she and Lili are reunited. Gina B. Nahai tells the story of a courageous circle of women standing on the edge of the past, reshaping their lives in America, the land of chances and choices.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.