Blog Tour & Giveaway: Maman’s Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan
Please join Donia Bijan, author of Maman’s Homesick Pie, as she tours the blogosphere with TLC Book Tours!
Reviewed by Vera Pereskokova
As a child growing up in pre-revolution Iran, Donia Bijan did not realize that the lavish lifestyle of her parents and her progressive education at an international school were not necessarily the norm. Her father, Dr. Bijan, and her mother, a midwife and nurse trained in Europe, owned a labor and delivery hospital and threw elaborate parties in their spare time. Down the road, children not afforded the same luxuries attended prayers with their parents and studied the Koran, creating fertile ground for the coming religious revolution.
While on vacation in Spain in the 1970s, the Bijans got the word that Ayatollah Khomeini’s followers were rising up against the Shah and bombing establishments they believed to represent the evil Western influence. The Bijans’ home was seized and their assets frozen; they were now refugees unable to return to their homeland. With her older sisters already in college in the U.S., 16-year-old Donia is sent to a Michigan boarding school, and eventually the entire family tries to rebuild their lives in San Francisco.
Maman’s Homesick Pie is Donia’s chronicle of her life in Iran and the U.S., her studies at the Cordon Bleu in Paris and her work as a chef in San Francisco. In some ways, it is also an ode to her parents, whom she regretted leaving in Spain, and especially her mother, who had always inspired Donia with her cooking and her hospitality.
The memoir is peppered with Persian inspired recipes such as as the Purple Plum Skillet Tart and Roast Duck Legs with Dates. My personal favorite, and the only recipes I’ve had the chance to make so far, is the Saffron Yogurt Rice with Chicken and Eggplant – quite delicious!
Maman’s Homesick Pie is a joy to read – and cook from – and will especially appeal to readers who enjoy learning about historical events and foreign cultures. The hilarious descriptions of the differences between Persian and American definitions of hospitality alone make this book worth reading.
Rating: 4.5/5
Giveaway:
I have 3 copies of Maman’s Homesick Pie to give away!
Mandatory entry: Please comment here and include your e-mail address.
Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
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This giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on November 10, 2011.
Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Algonquin Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Category: Cooking, Food, Wine, Giveaways, Memoirs, Nonfiction
Thanks so much Vera!! Congrats to the other winners!
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[...] [ 4 ] November 14, 2011 | Vera Thank you to everyone who entered these giveaways!3 copies of Maman’s Homesick Pie are going to:#104 Vicki#58 Amy#80 Ayushi2 copies of Beautiful Chaos are going to:#27 Linda Kish#46 [...]
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Good food story.
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Sounds like a wonderful opportunity to win a free book and then buy one to pay it forward.
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This book sounds good.
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Please enter me. Sounds like a very good book.
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I have read at least two other memoirs by Iranian women and would love to win this one.
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This sounds like a book I would love.
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We know a woman from Iran who opened a little bistro where we used to live. The food was delicious! I’d love to read this story and try the recipes!
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This sounds like a captivating memoir. I can’t imagine what kind of a shock the change in her life must have been for 16-year old Donia. I also love that there are recipes throughout this book!
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The recipes looks so yummy!
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This one sounds like a real treat! Thank so much for being on the tour. I’m featuring your review on TLC’s Facebook page.
[...] Monday, October 24th: Luxury Reading [...]
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I’d like to read this memoir. Thanks for the giveaway.
This sounds like a great book. A little different and a little sad but definitely sounds like an interesting read.
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No need to enter me-I loved this book-I am a huge fan of food memoirs and this one had it all, great food, and a lovely story.
I’ve also entered the Countess
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I love books that combine food! Thanks for the giveaway!
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thanks for the chance
I would love this book and the recipes alone are worth reading it
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You know, I have seen this book around the blogosphere and didn’t really give it a second glance. Now that I really read the description and review it sounds really good! I love history and culture, and I really enjoy trying new recipes. Thanks for the review and giveaway.
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I would love to win a copy of this book.
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Sounds like an interesting book. Thanks for the giveaway!
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I am not entering this contest because I have won it and am now waiting for it to come in the mail. I am very eager to read it because I love reading history and about different cultures. With humor added, what more could I ask for?
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This sounds like a really interesting memoir. I really like that she included recipes in it.
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I recently heard of this book and would love to read it.