The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, Nadia Hashimi
The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, Nadia Hashimi
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The Pearl That Broke Its Shell
A Novel

Author: Nadia Hashimi

Narrator: Mozhan Navabi

Unabridged: 13 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/23/2024

Synopsis

Afghan-American Nadia Hashimi's literary debut novel is a searing tale of powerlessness, fate, and the freedom to control one's own fate that combines the cultural flavor and emotional resonance of the works of Khaled Hosseini, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Lisa See.In Kabul, 2007, with a drug-addicted father and no brothers, Rahima and her sisters can only sporadically attend school, and can rarely leave the house. Their only hope lies in the ancient custom of bacha posh, which allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until she is of marriageable age. As a son, she can attend school, go to the market, and chaperone her older sisters.But Rahima is not the first in her family to adopt this unusual custom. A century earlier, her great-great grandmother, Shekiba, left orphaned by an epidemic, saved herself and built a new life the same way.Crisscrossing in time, The Pearl the Broke Its Shell interweaves the tales of these two women separated by a century who share similar destinies. But what will happen once Rahima is of marriageable age? Will Shekiba always live as a man? And if Rahima cannot adapt to life as a bride, how will she survive?

About Nadia Hashimi

Nadia Hashimi is a pediatrician turned international bestselling novelist and daughter of Afghan immigrants. She is the author of four books for adults: The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, A House Without Windows, When the Moon Is Low, and Sparks Like Stars, as well as the middle grade novels One Half from the East and The Sky at Our Feet. She lives with her family in the Washington, DC, suburbs. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Pakinam on December 11, 2024

"هذه الحياة صعبة ،سأكون حمقاء إن سألت الله أن يبعد أطفالي عن كل هذا، لكني أسأله أشياء صغيرة، حقولا خصيبة،حب الأم،إبتسامة طفل ،حياة أقل مرارة إن لم تكن حلوة...." وهي فعلاً صعب أوي تكون حلوة:( اللؤلؤة التي كسرت محارتها...الرواية الأولي للكاتبة الأمريكية ذات الأصول الأفغانية نادية هاشمي.. تُرجمت الرواية......more

Goodreads review by Kevin on May 02, 2014

Reading this novel was an unusual experience in that it was a fascinating, but at the same time,a very painful and disturbing read. I would go as far as to say this was a real page turner. It focused on two different Afghani women. One living at the beginning of the 20th century and the other at the......more

Goodreads review by Always on May 15, 2017

I really enjoyed the ideas behind the book but not so much the execution which is why I was kind of leaning towards three stars at first. The writing felt juvenile in places and then it would change and be very eloquent. I read this book completely and I wanted to finish it I just wish the editing w......more

Goodreads review by Kevin on June 14, 2018

Writing legend and authority on all things Afghani, Khaled Hosseini, endorses this book, and generously wrote thus: "Nadia Hashimi has written a tender and beautiful family story. Her always engaging multigenerational tale is a portrait of Afghanistan in all of its perplexing, enigmatic glory." Always......more

Goodreads review by Tania on November 25, 2014

I was a little girl and then I wasn't. I was a bacha posh and then I wasn't. I was a daughter and then I wasn't. I was a mother and then I wasn't. 3.5 stars. I am in two minds about this book. On the plus side I thought the two alternating stories was good, and it really made me think about women's l......more

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