The Persians
- Author Sanam Mahloudji
- Narrator Mozhan Navabi, Lanna Joffrey, Nikki Massoud, Donia Bijan
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date 20 February 2025
- Run Time 13 hours and 11 minutes
- Format x-book®
- Genre Contemporary lifestyle fiction, Family life fiction, Generational sagas, Modern and contemporary fiction.
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What to expect
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE 2025
‘Enormously entertaining’ THE TIMES
‘As funny as it is moving’ GUARDIAN
‘Unputdownable’ HARPER'S BAZAAR
‘Funny, sharp and insightful … a triumph’ LAUREN LAVERNE
‘A joy of a debut’ DAVID MITCHELL
‘Magnificent BERNARDINE EVARISTO
A stunning debut novel following five women from three generations of a once eminent Iranian family as their lives are turned upside down.
The Valiat family are in crisis. Elizabeth, the regal matriarch, remained in Tehran despite the revolution and only has Niaz, her Islamic law-breaking granddaughter for company. In America, Elizabeth’ s daughters, the flamboyantly high-flying Shirin and frustrated housewife Seema, are wondering if their new lives there are all they had hoped for. Lastly, there’s the second granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student trying to find deeper meaning by giving away her worldly belongings.
When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail, gossip about the family spreads like wildfire. Soon, Shirin sets out to restore the family name to its former glory. But what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered to anyone? And, will reputation be enough to make them a family again?
The Persians is an irresistible portrait of a unique family in turmoil that explores timeless questions of love, money, art and fulfilment. Here is their past, their present and a possible new future for them all.
A most anticipated novel of 2025 in Stylist, BBC and iNews.
‘Funny, gutsy and confidently written … an outstanding debut’ DIANA EVANS, 2025 Women’s Prize Judge
‘Mesmerising’ MONICA ALI
‘Darkly funny, richly satisfying’ SARAH WINMAN
‘Riotous … will have you hooked’ STYLIST
‘As exuberant as it is sharp’ iNEWS
‘A sweeping and irreverent tale’ BBC
‘Gloriously engrossing’ TASH AW
‘Exuberant, comic, perceptive’ AMINA CAIN
‘A very brilliant, very special book’ JESSICA STANLEY
‘An unforgettable read’ JOSIE FERGUSON
Critics Review
n Praise for The Persians:n
n‘This polyphonic novel is brimming with larger-than-life characters … funny, gutsy and confidently written … outstanding’ Diana Evans, 2025 Women’s Prize Judge
n‘I found myself lost in this beautifully written novel and laughing as much as I wept’ Pippa Evans, 2025 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction Judge
n'Magnificent … I lapped up its wonderful characterisations, profound insights and vivacious prose' Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other
n‘A richly textured, sometimes tragic novel that’s enormously entertaining’ The Times
n‘Unputdownable … an undoubtedly assured debut’ Harper's Bazaar
n'The word-of-mouth breakout … will have you hooked from the first action-filled chapter' Stylist
n‘Full of outrageous laughter, retaining its fire even in tender moments’ Observer
n‘Mahloudji’s moving, madcap saga of women in exile [is] a relentlessly entertaining exploration of Iranian-American immigrant life’ Financial Times
n‘It’s impossible to overstate how much I loved The Persians. Funny, sharp and insightful – this book is a triumph’ Lauren Laverne
n‘A novel bursting with grudges, gossip and complex personal dynamics’ Mail on Sunday
n‘Mahloudji writes with a wisdom and confidence rarely seen in a debut’ Guardian
n‘Exuberant, whip-smart, infused with melancholy, tragicomic, huge-hearted and sharp-toothed … A joy of a debut novel by the real deal' David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas
n'A wonderful multi-generational family drama with characters you really care about … I enjoyed it enormously' Marian Keyes, author of My Favourite Mistake
n‘Mesmerising … Gorgeously written, with a flair for the comic and characters that dance off the page and into your heart’ Monica Ali, author of Love Marriage
n‘An ambitious, glorious feat … darkly funny, richly satisfying’ Sarah Winman, author of Still Life
n‘At once funny and profound, sprawling and personal’ Tash Aw, author of We, The Survivors
nUser Reviews
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