Rosewater & Soda Bread by Marsha Mehran

Reviewed by Gabrielle Sutton

I read this book over a long weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The author, Marsha Mehran is Iranian and has lived in Iran, Argentina, Australia, Ireland and North America and this novel draws on her experiences.

It centers around three Iranian sisters who run a café in a small Irish town.  It is beautifully layered story about the people who live in the town and has a distinctive multicultural flavour.    Mehran has a gift in character development and you begin to feel as though you a member of the community and feel all the outrage, warmth and intrigue as the story unfolds.

I will definitely be handing this book onto my friends, and reading Mehran’s first novel Pomegranate Soup.

Rosewater & Soda Bread RRP $27.95 is published by HarperCollins Publishers

You can purchase online or at any good bookstore from October 1st

A little about Gabrielle Sutton our fabulous Book Reviewer

I wear three hats. I am a mother of three boys aged 7 to 11;  I work part time for an executive search firm; and I study part time at the University of Canberra. My husband has his own business and works part time for the Army Legal Corp.

So our house is somewhat busy.  I love reading books and started up a Bookclub about four years ago.  We meet once every six weeks and take it in turns choosing the book.  Over the summer we can read anything and give a review of it to the other members.

The best thing we’ve found about our Bookclub is that we not only read the ‘chosen’ book but we share books we’ve read over the years – so it’s a great way of expanding our repertoire.

In addition to books, I love yoga, pilates, netball, tennis, cooking and travel.  I have recently joined a gym in an effort to get a little fitter and stave off the middle age spread!