The Lion Women of Tehran
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 3 months for $0.99/mo
Buy Now for $25.69
-
Narrated by:
-
Mozhan Navabi
-
Nikki Massoud
-
Written by:
-
Marjan Kamali
About this listen
An “evocative read and a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism” (People) set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran—from nationally bestselling author Marjan Kamali.
In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams for a friend to alleviate her isolation.
Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions of becoming “lion women.”
But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.
Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.
“Reminiscent of The Kite Runner and My Brilliant Friend, The Lion Women of Tehran is a mesmerizing tale” (BookPage) of love and courage, and a sweeping exploration of how profoundly we are shaped by those we meet when we are young.
You may also enjoy...
-
The Stationery Shop
- Written by: Marjan Kamali
- Narrated by: Mozhan Marnò
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall88
-
Performance80
-
Story80
From the award-nominated author of Together Tea and The Lion Women of Tehran, a poignant, "powerful" (The Wall Street Journal) and "affecting novel about first love" (Real Simple) that explores loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate. Roya, a dreamy, idealistic teenager living amid the...
-
-
I wish I could read this for the first time again
- By Alexa on 2023-02-24
Written by: Marjan Kamali
-
The Briar Club
- A Novel
- Written by: Kate Quinn
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall246
-
Performance206
-
Story206
The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code returns with a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era. Washington, DC, 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a...
-
-
A whole lot of nothing!
- By PC on 2025-05-06
Written by: Kate Quinn
-
The Correspondent
- A Novel
- Written by: Virginia Evans
- Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall58
-
Performance52
-
Story52
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love. “The Correspondent is this year’s...
-
-
Transformative!!!
- By Anonymous on 2025-12-11
Written by: Virginia Evans
-
The Frozen River
- A Novel
- Written by: Ariel Lawhon
- Narrated by: Jane Oppenheimer, Ariel Lawhon
- Length: 15 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall149
-
Performance122
-
Story122
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER GMA BOOK CLUB PICK AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who...
-
-
My Book of the Year
- By snowpatch100 on 2024-01-28
Written by: Ariel Lawhon
-
Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick
- A Love Story
- Written by: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall291
-
Performance276
-
Story276
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK From the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love...
-
-
Wow!!! One of the best audios I’ve ever listened to
- By Amazon Customer on 2025-11-15
Written by: Taylor Jenkins Reid
-
Isola
- A Novel
- Written by: Allegra Goodman
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Allegra Goodman
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall91
-
Performance77
-
Story77
REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK “A shocking story, made all the more stunning by the fact that it has its roots in true history.”—Jodi Picoult, author of By Any Other Name “A new generation of survival story . . . an extraordinary book that reads like a thriller, written with the care of...
-
-
Grew on me
- By Steve on 2025-09-07
Written by: Allegra Goodman
-
The Stationery Shop
- Written by: Marjan Kamali
- Narrated by: Mozhan Marnò
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall88
-
Performance80
-
Story80
From the award-nominated author of Together Tea and The Lion Women of Tehran, a poignant, "powerful" (The Wall Street Journal) and "affecting novel about first love" (Real Simple) that explores loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate. Roya, a dreamy, idealistic teenager living amid the...
-
-
I wish I could read this for the first time again
- By Alexa on 2023-02-24
Written by: Marjan Kamali
-
The Briar Club
- A Novel
- Written by: Kate Quinn
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall246
-
Performance206
-
Story206
The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code returns with a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era. Washington, DC, 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a...
-
-
A whole lot of nothing!
- By PC on 2025-05-06
Written by: Kate Quinn
-
The Correspondent
- A Novel
- Written by: Virginia Evans
- Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall58
-
Performance52
-
Story52
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love. “The Correspondent is this year’s...
-
-
Transformative!!!
- By Anonymous on 2025-12-11
Written by: Virginia Evans
-
The Frozen River
- A Novel
- Written by: Ariel Lawhon
- Narrated by: Jane Oppenheimer, Ariel Lawhon
- Length: 15 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall149
-
Performance122
-
Story122
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER GMA BOOK CLUB PICK AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who...
-
-
My Book of the Year
- By snowpatch100 on 2024-01-28
Written by: Ariel Lawhon
-
Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick
- A Love Story
- Written by: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall291
-
Performance276
-
Story276
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK From the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love...
-
-
Wow!!! One of the best audios I’ve ever listened to
- By Amazon Customer on 2025-11-15
Written by: Taylor Jenkins Reid
-
Isola
- A Novel
- Written by: Allegra Goodman
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Allegra Goodman
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall91
-
Performance77
-
Story77
REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK “A shocking story, made all the more stunning by the fact that it has its roots in true history.”—Jodi Picoult, author of By Any Other Name “A new generation of survival story . . . an extraordinary book that reads like a thriller, written with the care of...
-
-
Grew on me
- By Steve on 2025-09-07
Written by: Allegra Goodman
What the critics say
Beautiful story of generations.
The ongoing fight for women’s rights in Iran has thankfully been brought to the forefront of my mind.
Excellent narration reading a beautifully, important piece of historical fiction.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I absolutely loved this book.
A masterpiece
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
beautiful performance
I enjoyed every beat of it .
I am so proud of you
excellent
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent story and narration
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A Powerful Narrative
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.