4.15

4

Jul 21, 2019

This 2nd volume of Setrapi’s autobiography is a bit more personal. It covers her failure to adjust to life in Austria and her return to Iran, her struggle to readjust, her short marriage and it finishes with her decision to return to Europe, this time to France where she will remain.

5

Jun 14, 2016

In 1984, Marjane flees fundamentalism and the war with Iraq to begin a new life in Vienna.

This review contains *spoilers*.

It’s been so long since I’ve had that feeling of wanting to read a story long into the night, but Persepolis brought it back.

I felt this indescribable pull from the very first page and I just knew that this book was going to hold a special place in my heart. Persepolis feel so personally important to me that I’m stunned they didn’t appear into my life until these past few In 1984, Marjane flees fundamentalism and the war with Iraq to begin a new life in Vienna.

This review contains *spoilers*.

It’s been so long since I’ve had that feeling of wanting to read a story long into the night, but Persepolis brought it back.

I felt this indescribable pull from the very first page and I just knew that this book was going to hold a special place in my heart. Persepolis feel so personally important to me that I’m stunned they didn’t appear into my life until these past few days.

Everything featured within; leaving, moving, coming-of-age, family relationships, motherly love— was just captured so personally well.



I really, really missed Marji’s family (especially her mother) at the start of this volume. I kept hoping for her to talk about or with her mother.

But the conversations she had with Julie were also pretty interesting to read about.
This book had surprisingly many laugh out loud moments when Marji started out in Vienna.





And the beauty of this story, for me, was that one moment you’ll be laughing, and the next your laughter will turn to tears.

For instance, when she finally got the message that her mother was coming to visit:



Watching Marjane grow and accumulate on her own was honestly both heartbreaking and heartwarming.


I’m in tears…again.

The time she spent with her mother made me feel that more closer to both of them:



The love they hold for each other punctured me deeply. And it made her departure that more painful.



From there we follow Marji’s journey living and working on her own. And we get introduced to great and not so great (Markus) characters along the way.


Svetlana was a great surprise.

But Markus… seriously, how insensitive can one person be??



I was so angry when he had the nerve to say, “it’s not what you think…”




And everything that went on afterwards left me speechless: from sleeping on the streets of cold-wintery Vienna, to returning to Iran and still feeling helpless, to not knowing how to share everything that went on during the 4 years she spent away from her family, and then the road to recovery.

She went through so much in the span of four years, and it made me that more upset when people took advantage of her situation.

But Marjane allows her past to weigh heavily on her until she finds some like-minded friends, falls in love, and begins studying art at a university.

At her university Marji said the following that’s been on my mind ever since:



I loved this volume more both because I saw Marji coming of age and also because Persepolis' depiction of the struggles of growing up was raw, honest, and incredibly illuminating.



This book opened up my eyes and gave me a new perspective, and I am now forever grateful.



And then all too soon the storyline came to an end and I was left with eyes full of tears (both happy and sad).




It was brilliant, poignant, memorable and just utterly fascinating.

*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Persepolis 2, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*


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4

Oct 30, 2015

Persepolis is the Greek name for the ancient city of Parsa, located seventy miles northeast of Shiraz in present-day Iran.
...because I had been wondering about that.



Alright, the second half of this story (#3 & #4) is less about the revolution, and more about a young woman growing up, and discovering herself along the way. Yes, it's a fish-out-water story, but most stories are when you're talking about that period of time between teenager and adult.

Satrapi has an extra layer of awkwardness, Persepolis is the Greek name for the ancient city of Parsa, located seventy miles northeast of Shiraz in present-day Iran.
...because I had been wondering about that.



Alright, the second half of this story (#3 & #4) is less about the revolution, and more about a young woman growing up, and discovering herself along the way. Yes, it's a fish-out-water story, but most stories are when you're talking about that period of time between teenager and adult.

Satrapi has an extra layer of awkwardness, because she's alone in a foreign country during this time. Plus, the upheaval that happened in her country during her childhood gave her a different outlook on things than most of the children teenagers in her boarding school.
Bottom line, though? Everyone wants to fit in at that age.


So, she does what we all did during that time of our life.
She experiments, she rebels, falls in love, gets her heart broken, gets her pride crushed, loses herself, and then makes her way home.
Unfortunately, Iran wasn't exactly the kind country that made it particularly easy to explore who you are or find yourself. The blending of religious values with laws made it hard for her, and other young adults, to do the normal things that most of us take for granted as rites of passage.



And I'm not saying the men in her country had it easy, but being a woman in such a repressed society? Wow. It's hard to believe that there are still places like this in the world.









Ok, while this was a really good story, it didn't quite move me as much as the first book. Still, it's definitely worth reading. And there were several things that surprised me about this one.
The biggest shock was that this was not a sad story.
I thought it would end with bloodshed or something! Nope. There's no Happily Ever After, but it leaves you satisfied.
Also, Marjane's parents were pretty awesome. I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who haven't read this, but when I grow up, I want to be like those guys. I hope I have the guts to let my kids be themselves and make their own mistakes.
I don't think you need to be a woman to get this book, either. I think anyone can read this and find something of themselves in Satrapi's story, because it's about finding out who you are, and then being true to yourself.
Even when it's not easy.

...more

4

Sep 16, 2009

Everyone needs to step off! Geez! This book is great. It doesn't have that cute little panache of the first book because, duh, it's not about pre-teen issues which are cute and naive--it's about the world of impulsive effacement that drags a teenager to become a young adult. She comes to be a part of the Western world she idealized and finds it colder, in a more subtle, acute way, than the repressive regime she escapes in the first book. Because as violent and absurd as the regime is, she still Everyone needs to step off! Geez! This book is great. It doesn't have that cute little panache of the first book because, duh, it's not about pre-teen issues which are cute and naive--it's about the world of impulsive effacement that drags a teenager to become a young adult. She comes to be a part of the Western world she idealized and finds it colder, in a more subtle, acute way, than the repressive regime she escapes in the first book. Because as violent and absurd as the regime is, she still exists in a harbor of love. She finds the West to be devoid of real faith in people. Everyone is deceptive, all points are theoretical. The criticism she has is of the dullness and hypocrisy of rebellion, arguing that the Europeans are selfish and mundane. It's not as fiery as the first book, because it's a rehashing in a different context; i would even say it's more interesting than the first book, because of this. Yet the cute little blips are still there, take for instance the panel where she goes through puberty in a month and showcases the bizarre morphings that her body goes through, going to her roommates farm in the middle of the mountains and her mother has a moustache and her sister is heidi.

there's not so much connection to the revolution and personal relationships effected by the regime. Because this book is more about her and her exile, the formations of characters killed by the autocracy are kept out. So that indulgence of catharsis is staid from, besides her character. But she feels so much! In this tiny book, she grieves and is frustrated time and time again, and the pace with which she moves out of it--it's compelling. She doesn't form these heroic relationships, really at all, so to try to contrive them would be lame. Though there is the point where she goes to chat with a legless soldier whom she knew from her childhood and the awkwardness is very thick, until he tells a joke about a maimed soldier trying to get married and the passive exchange, the white elephant, is lifted. Suddenly, they can talk like souls.

If this book has anything to say independently of the first book, it's in the contrast of the West to the East, a cold and free menagerie versus a familiar zone of horror. And still she dances through it, like roberto benigni in "Life is Beautiful."

Another thing i wanted to mention is this is a great documentation of supportive parents that i feel should be warranted. The liberal values and hospitality towards adolescence they exhibit are warm and i feel like the novel is based on that, that structural support of family which is the basis for her ability to grow out of both sides, her punk-european facade and the seemingly inescapable plague of fundamentalism. So hurrah for Satrapi's folks, eh! ...more

5

Jan 15, 2018

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When I read the first volume of PERSEPOLIS, people told me that I had to explore this author's other work. Luckily, I bought volumes one and two of PERSEPOLIS together, so I could immediately jump from one to the other. While the first book primarily takes place in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and then, a few years later, during the Iraqi Invasion, the second book is about Marjane's coming of age in Austria: the place her parents
Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest


When I read the first volume of PERSEPOLIS, people told me that I had to explore this author's other work. Luckily, I bought volumes one and two of PERSEPOLIS together, so I could immediately jump from one to the other. While the first book primarily takes place in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and then, a few years later, during the Iraqi Invasion, the second book is about Marjane's coming of age in Austria: the place her parents decided to send her, where she would be safer from the war.



Marjane ends up in several places: friends' homes, a church (although she was thrown out for talking back to the nuns), hostels, even homeless on the streets. She writes about what it was like seeing a full grocery store after the scarcities in Iran, and the difficulty in living in a place where she didn't speak the language. She also writes about some of the racism she experienced, and her first feelings of shame for being Iranian because everyone saw them as "terrorists" because of the news.



I really enjoyed this book, because Marjane is so straightforward about her experiences. I think in memoirs there is a tendency to portray yourself as selfless, but Marjane portrays herself as honestly as possible, even at the cost of likability. One moment that particularly stuck out at me was when she accuses an innocent man of making lewd advances towards her in order to avoid getting in trouble with the Guardians for meeting a boy. She and her boyfriend laugh over the story but when she tells it to her grandmother, she yells at her for the first time in her life and says she's shaming her uncle's memory (the uncle who died for seditious activities that were against the Islamic Revolution). It was a relatable moment, because I think we have all done things as teens that we thought were humorous or fun that ended up bringing us shame later because of how they disappointed our families.



I didn't cry while reading PERSEPOLIS 2, although I came close at the end of the book, when she talks about seeing her grandmother for the last time. However, that doesn't mean that PERSEPOLIS 2 is any less touching. I liked how she described living as an expatriate, her encounters with her friends (and her enemies), and her experience with sex, intimacy, marriage, and divorce from both a Western and an Iranian perspective (and how the two frequently came into conflict). At one point she says something like "To the Westerners, I was an Iranian; but to the Iranians, I was a Westerner" which I thought was a great way to describe the feelings that many people with dual citizenship or people who are multiracial have of belonging to a group that is separate from those singular identities.



This is such a great series. It's easy to see why it was made into a film: the style, the narration, the content - it's all so compelling. As I said in the first book, if you're interested in learning more about Iran and enjoy memoirs written by interesting women, PERSEPOLIS is definitely a must-read.



4.5 stars ...more

4

Dec 06, 2015

This is the continuing story of Marjane when her parents send her away to Austria where she has to live in a bunch of different places and doesn't understand a lot of what's going on. It's still a really sad story.

I watched this dvd and my friends link will show some of the gifs from the movie. It's a sad book and movie.

Anne's Review

2

Jun 25, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Persepolis the First was touching. Persepolis the Second was not. The teen-aged Marjane is sent to Vienna where she is bounced from place to place by both circumstance and her own big mouth. Marjane, abandoned and isolated, turns to drugs and questionable friends and lovers to get through this time. Though she is apparently bright, she barely gets through school. After she catches her boyfriend cheating on her, she spends three months on the street and then returns to Iran. Once in Iran, it Persepolis the First was touching. Persepolis the Second was not. The teen-aged Marjane is sent to Vienna where she is bounced from place to place by both circumstance and her own big mouth. Marjane, abandoned and isolated, turns to drugs and questionable friends and lovers to get through this time. Though she is apparently bright, she barely gets through school. After she catches her boyfriend cheating on her, she spends three months on the street and then returns to Iran. Once in Iran, it really gets jolly and fun. Marjane is depressed. She attempts suicide. There are some ups, but a lot of downs. I won’t list them all and spoil it for everyone else, but REALLY!

All of this bad, sad, and terrible stuff is going on, and I didn’t feel anything. Nothing. Maybe it’s because a lot of the sadness was caused by her own actions. (It should be noted that I generally have a low tolerance for stupid teenagers.) Maybe it’s because it was told in a detached way. Maybe it’s because I’m heartless. In any case, it didn’t feel personal. It didn’t feel as though the events in the book happened to the author. I didn’t relate to Marjane, and I didn’t sympathize with her. Also, the graphic element in this book didn’t really add anything for me. I don’t know. This book just left me cold.

A couple things did work for me, though. Marjane turns to reading at lonely times in her life, and remarks that “one must educate oneself.” True. True. One other item rang true to me: when Marjane gets to Austria, one of her first purchases was scented laundry detergent. It wasn’t available in war-torn Iran. She mentions that even today she keeps a dozen or so boxes of scented detergent in her house.

I wish there had been a few more of those personal moments in the book. ...more

2

Sep 29, 2015

I think what ultimately made this novel fall flat for me is that I was prepared for something more along the lines of "thought-provoking" and "eye-opener" and instead finished this feeling rather disappointingly underwhelmed.

I thought the author's idea of writing her autobiography in the form of a comic, to be an intriguing and fun premise, but also, perhaps a problematic one as well. While certainly being innovative, I just don't think that there was enough strength and potency, in either the I think what ultimately made this novel fall flat for me is that I was prepared for something more along the lines of "thought-provoking" and "eye-opener" and instead finished this feeling rather disappointingly underwhelmed.

I thought the author's idea of writing her autobiography in the form of a comic, to be an intriguing and fun premise, but also, perhaps a problematic one as well. While certainly being innovative, I just don't think that there was enough strength and potency, in either the words or the pictures, which was unfortunate because the author had a real chance to really impact the reader with graphics that could speak a thousand words in thunderous volumes. I found the overall tone of the narration to be more along the lines of fanciful/whimsical with an added touch of self-pity, and at times I could not take Satrapi seriously, much less identify with her or even sympathize. It's important for me to feel connected with the characters I read, even more so in an autobiography that serves as a political memoir, but the circumstances for Satrapi were filled with so much teenage stupidity and imprudence, and seemed to be so distant and faraway from the hardships and trials that the people of Iran were suffering from, leaving me far-flung from the issues as well. In all honesty, there was just not enough meaningful moments for this to leave any real impact on me, and I find this memoir to be ironically unmemorable.

...more

1

Mar 07, 2018

1.5/5 stars (rounded down)

Well, it has been awhile since a book made me so angry.

This was such a drastic change from Persepolis 1, I couldn't believe I was reading about the same person!

- I really, really loved Persepolis 1. It was poignant, heartbreaking and educational. It had a smart, intelligent and strong heroine, who asked the right questions and had a heart in the right place.
- I don't know where that person went in Persepolis 2, for instead there was a girl who lost all of her morals 1.5/5 stars (rounded down)

Well, it has been awhile since a book made me so angry.

This was such a drastic change from Persepolis 1, I couldn't believe I was reading about the same person!

- I really, really loved Persepolis 1. It was poignant, heartbreaking and educational. It had a smart, intelligent and strong heroine, who asked the right questions and had a heart in the right place.
- I don't know where that person went in Persepolis 2, for instead there was a girl who lost all of her morals and kept making horrible life decisions. Again, and again and again, And it would have been fine, we all are humans, but the thing is - in the book I didn't feel like she learned or took anything from her hardships at all. If I wanted to see people making bad choices and becoming vegetables due to their drug addictions, I'd just watch TV.

I can definitely applaud Marjane for her honesty, and for putting all of her flaws out there, but I also don't understand the point of it? What lesson was she trying to teach? Persepolis 1 contained history - I learned so much about Iranian people, the revolution, the oppression. But in this book, there was very little of that. It was mostly about her growing up and trying to fit in, which for her meant to do everything that everybody else did. And I just couldn't comprehend how a girl, who was raised to be so smart and educated, could make any of those decisions.

On the back cover of the book, there's a praise that says :
"Every revolution needs a chronicler like Satrapi
Well, if chronicling a revolution means describing how many drugs she used, how many cigarettes she smoked, how many parties she went to and how everybody else around her was horribly unfair to her and how she, and only she was the victim - then I don't want to know about that kind of revolution.

What made me the most angry was how she portrayed herself as a victim every single time. Sure, her life wasn't easy, or pretty - but it was because of her own bad decisions. She wanted everybody to pity her for her life, while she was the one of the few who escaped the war. She was sent to Europe to better her life, but instead she buried it.

I also couldn't stand how demeaning she was to other people - she criticized everybody - some she called fat behind their back (the first time she saw her new landlord she called her fat and a horse face, just because the woman was unattractive - sure, the woman turned out to be mean, but it doesn't give you right to judge and laugh at ones appearances), some she judged because of their lack of intelligence, some she judged because of their looks. And the worst part came, when she purposely lied and condemned that poor man on the street to save herself. I've never read about a most selfish person.

Also remarks like "if there were more fun things to do, I'd never have read as many books as I did" and "the first marriage is just a rehearsal before the second one" just didn't sit well with me. If you are writing a book, then don't say that books are the last resort, only if you have nothing else better to do - no self respecting bookworm will agree with you. And just because your marriage didn't work, doesn't mean that you have the right to come up with generalized statements like that.
Being progressive in ones thoughts doesn't mean that you have the right to be demeaning to other people's thoughts.

There were few things that I liked - I liked some of her views on the world and how she explained some of the ridiculous customs and rules that were, and still to this day burden the women of Iran.

I should have dnf'd it, I know, but it was slow at work and it was the only book I had with me so I just kept plowing through it.

I still absolutely recommend Persepolis 1, but this second part didn't teach me anything.

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4

May 23, 2017

The comics format, the dry humor, the frankness, the child / adolescent / young woman point of view - all of them lessen a little the tragic history of Iran and its population.

3

Jan 10, 2010

I wasn't too impressed with the first "Persepolis" book and, sorry to say, but I am impressed with "The Story of a Return" even less.

Unlike many readers, I like the cartoon-like art of Satrapi's books. I also enjoy her anecdotes. The writer is at her best when she infuses humor in her otherwise dark life story.

What I thoroughly dislike is the author herself. It is very rarely that I find no compassion for book characters. I mean, I can find love for all kinds of vile people, but no luck here. I I wasn't too impressed with the first "Persepolis" book and, sorry to say, but I am impressed with "The Story of a Return" even less.

Unlike many readers, I like the cartoon-like art of Satrapi's books. I also enjoy her anecdotes. The writer is at her best when she infuses humor in her otherwise dark life story.

What I thoroughly dislike is the author herself. It is very rarely that I find no compassion for book characters. I mean, I can find love for all kinds of vile people, but no luck here. I don't know if Satrapi realizes it, but she portrays herself in a very unflattering light - as a self-centered, self-important and self-righteous person. Satrapi is judgmental and hypocritical - she likes to criticize people for the vices she indulges in herself (I still remember her accusing her friend of being a shallow traitor for obsessing over a lipstick and her walkman when she herself was just as obsessed about her Nikes and audiotapes a few chapters before). She is ungrateful and disrespectful (she calls her nun teacher a prostitute after she is reprimanded for having bad manners). She likes to blame her misfortunes on other people when she is the source of them 99% of the time (she leaves her apartment and lives on the streets for 3 months and then complains later she was mistreated). She puts an innocent man into a mortal danger when she accuses him of talking to her in an indecent way, just to conceal the fact that she is wearing lipstick! The list goes on and on. Satrapi is full of self-pity and completely lacks any kind of introspection; she never owns up to any of the bad things she has done or blames herself for her misfortunes. She prefers to write off her bad decisions to indulge in drugs, promiscuity and general self-destruction on her loneliness and her war memories. But she fails to show these connections in any kind of sincere, meaningful way.

It is obvious that my dislike for the narrator totally overshadowed the good parts of the book. I just think Satrapi was not (and still is not) a very self-aware person. However, I do see why her superficial, self-pitying and insincere memoir is so well-received. It fits very well into a very popular nowadays trend to vilify Iranian (or any fundamentalist) regime by providing all kinds of disturbing details of Muslim life style for us all to indulge in.
...more

5

Apr 12, 2009

I made the mistake of reading some other reviews that claim that Marjane's depiction of alienation, drug use, and homeless in Austria was largely her own fault, which somehow makes this second part of Satrapi's memoir less enjoyable, which is a ridiculous assertion. From a war torn country, a young (though independent) Marjane struggles to navigate an entirely new culture without the benefit of a personal ambassador or the ability to go home to regroup before attempting again to find herself in I made the mistake of reading some other reviews that claim that Marjane's depiction of alienation, drug use, and homeless in Austria was largely her own fault, which somehow makes this second part of Satrapi's memoir less enjoyable, which is a ridiculous assertion. From a war torn country, a young (though independent) Marjane struggles to navigate an entirely new culture without the benefit of a personal ambassador or the ability to go home to regroup before attempting again to find herself in a new country that treated her coldly. When she finally must admit failure, she returns home to find that she no longer quite fits there, either. Her story is told in a way that I really related to, despite the fact that I did not grow up in a war torn country or attempt an education overseas or return to find my home country ruled by fear of torture, death and enforced ignorance. I still wanted to hang out with Marjane and drink and smoke cigarettes and talk about fundamentalism, feminism and Marxism. (And the cold nature of Nordic peoples.) ...more

5

May 10, 2008

I borrowed both parts one and two of Persepolis from my friend Margaret. I flew through them both in one afternoon.

They are a stunningly beautiful story of a girl growing up. People talk about the politics, the history and all of that... Yeah, that stuff is there, but ultimately its a story about a child trying to find who she is. The circumstances surrounding her are extraordinary, but that's only part of what makes it a good story.

To me its greatness comes from how she tells her story, and how I borrowed both parts one and two of Persepolis from my friend Margaret. I flew through them both in one afternoon.

They are a stunningly beautiful story of a girl growing up. People talk about the politics, the history and all of that... Yeah, that stuff is there, but ultimately its a story about a child trying to find who she is. The circumstances surrounding her are extraordinary, but that's only part of what makes it a good story.

To me its greatness comes from how she tells her story, and how drawn into it you become. I was telling a friend about it the other day, and while her art is really cool, and fairly unique (at least in the graphic-novel world), it doesn't ever make you delay turning the page so you can linger on the art. It is all about telling the story in a compelling way, and it really does that.

Its beautiful, heartbreaking, and I loved it. ...more

5

Mar 13, 2008

i almost like this installment better than Persepolis, but i know that's because of how amazing the first book was.

this installment finds marji in austria, where she is shuttled from place to place, getting her french education, while her family and friends remain in tehran.

it's the story of a "third-worlder" in the west, and then an attempt to return home. it's almost more heartbreaking than the first book, because there is so much in here that is familiar while different, and so much that i almost like this installment better than Persepolis, but i know that's because of how amazing the first book was.

this installment finds marji in austria, where she is shuttled from place to place, getting her french education, while her family and friends remain in tehran.

it's the story of a "third-worlder" in the west, and then an attempt to return home. it's almost more heartbreaking than the first book, because there is so much in here that is familiar while different, and so much that makes you realize how lucky you are. it's brilliantly written, again, and wonderfully illustrated, and it's a traditional coming of age story that is anything but traditional.

it's beautiful, from the snow scenes in vienna to her joy at seeing snow in tehran again. the way she is older, the way she tries to fit in, the disintegration of relationships - the author writes with a wisdom that can only come from years of reflection, and we are all the better for it. her insights into her behaviors and actions are so clear and true, even though they might not reflect greatly on her, are masterful. the story doesn't lag, it goes forward, and forward, and at the end, i desperately wanted the next installment to magically appear in my hands.

it's especially interesting to read this in light of where america stands on iran these days - and makes me think of theodor herzl calling people like me "amiable dreamers" but. books like this give me hope. it's truly a remarkable piece of work, unlike anything i have come across before. ...more

4

Jun 08, 2017

S is for Satrapi


Read an autobiography.

I enjoyed this volume slightly less than Persepolis: Story of a Childhood but it was still a really great and interesting read.

This volume deals with Marjane right after she starts boarding school in Vienna and mostly deals with themes of identity and those awkward teenage years everyone faces no matter where they live or what they look like. Marjane was no exception.


And I think the reason I liked volume 1 more is because I enjoyed Marjane's voice as a young
S is for Satrapi


Read an autobiography.

I enjoyed this volume slightly less than Persepolis: Story of a Childhood but it was still a really great and interesting read.

This volume deals with Marjane right after she starts boarding school in Vienna and mostly deals with themes of identity and those awkward teenage years everyone faces no matter where they live or what they look like. Marjane was no exception.


And I think the reason I liked volume 1 more is because I enjoyed Marjane's voice as a young girl more than I liked her voice as a confused teenager/young adult. There was less about what was going on politically, socially, and religiously in Iran, and dealt more about Marjane's quest to find love, losing her virginity, finding friends who value her, and missing her home more than anything. She is a girl who was raised in the east and educated in the west and has a really hard time melding those two worlds together. Even when Marjane decides to leave Europe and return to Iran, she falls into a depression as a result of a failure to find the balance in both eastern and western culture. She feels alienated in Europe because she feels so different from those who have never known a world like the one in which she was raised. Her friends only seem to be drawn to her because they find the horrors she encountered fascinating, when she just wants to forget the pain in her past. I loved it when Marji stood up to them.


Yet when Marji returns to Iran, she feels disillusioned since she no longer feels a part of the country she once loved. She doesn't know how to act, has no interest in college or catching up with her old friends. She feels lost and alone. It was this part of the book that dragged the most for me, mostly because it dealt with the mental illness that she faced every single day, and never really scratched the surface of what was really going on. It seemed like it was just pages and pages of moping and depression. And cigarettes. Lots of smoking cigarettes.


The book picked up more at the end, and I ended up really enjoying this volume as well. There were parts I could relate to, having once been a teenage girl dealing with my own forms of everything Marjane was going through. And just like the first volume, I really loved the relationship Marji has with her parents. I know those relationships are what eventually saved her and made her go one to become the woman, the artist, and the writer she is today. I'm so happy to have finally read this second volume, and I know I will read both books again.

4 stars. ...more

3

Jan 24, 2013

Didn't move me the way the first part did. I couldn't exactly relate to Marji and her problems. On one hand she grew up into a liberal, headstrong, take-no-shit-from-others kind of woman, while on the other she was insensitive enough to get an innocent man arrested just to protect herself from being caught wearing make-up. And here I was thinking she didn't care for make-up and outward appearances. She repeatedly contradicted herself and her own opinions and yet had the gall to assume a Didn't move me the way the first part did. I couldn't exactly relate to Marji and her problems. On one hand she grew up into a liberal, headstrong, take-no-shit-from-others kind of woman, while on the other she was insensitive enough to get an innocent man arrested just to protect herself from being caught wearing make-up. And here I was thinking she didn't care for make-up and outward appearances. She repeatedly contradicted herself and her own opinions and yet had the gall to assume a predominantly self-flattering tone while portraying herself in this novel.
And Marji aside, this book did not focus on Iran as much as it did on Marji's personal life and that made it infinitely less interesting. Besides, what's the deal with her grandma saying 'A first marriage is only a dry run for the second.'?
I am a woman of the 21st century living in the largest democracy of the world and criticisms aside, I believe it does manage to live up to its reputation as a nation with more or less liberal ideals. But I would never view a marriage in such a nonchalant, irreverent fashion. A marriage is not a social experiment or a dry run for anything. I am not against divorce, but I believe that should be the way out when a marriage no longer works or is irrevocably over. A way out doesn't necessarily give us the right to view a social institution with so much disrespect. ...more

5

Jul 21, 2018

Second read for #getgraphic. Such a beautiful story about growth, identity, and more. I loved that we were able to walk through each struggle with Marjane and learn what she had to overcome. I definitely will be doing a full review of both volumes when I get the chance.

5

Dec 11, 2017

Incredible. Even better that volume one. I've said this before, but these books affect me very strongly because my father is Iranian and fled Iran in the 80's just like Marjane did. But I think that anyone would be moved by her story.

4

Jul 09, 2017

I loved it because it is great, and at the same time hated it because it is a reminder of my own fucking reality

4

Jul 25, 2018

This second part of Persepolis is a lot grittier and personnel than the first book. Marjane starts off in Austria with no friends, lacking the language and has no family support. She really struggles with the rights of having independence, of being different, the harshness of the Western world and the realisation that men in any society like being in control. After four years she returns to Iran and agains struggles with being the different one, having her independence constrained and finding This second part of Persepolis is a lot grittier and personnel than the first book. Marjane starts off in Austria with no friends, lacking the language and has no family support. She really struggles with the rights of having independence, of being different, the harshness of the Western world and the realisation that men in any society like being in control. After four years she returns to Iran and agains struggles with being the different one, having her independence constrained and finding hypocrisies everywhere. Luckily she had her parents and Grandmother.
A remarkable set of two graphic novels that convey so much. ...more

5

Jun 28, 2018

Iran, Islamic Revolution and a bildungsroman - these three combined in Persepolis and gave me some unsettling and uncomfortable time. John Lennon has aptly described the bundle of emotions that I tried to seek refuge in. One thing you can't hide - is when you're crippled inside. This memoir crippled me from inside. Making it a bildungsroman added some rich flavour to those broiling rage. Marjane's innocence as a child was like patting your pet dog after three days of your absence. You know he Iran, Islamic Revolution and a bildungsroman - these three combined in Persepolis and gave me some unsettling and uncomfortable time. John Lennon has aptly described the bundle of emotions that I tried to seek refuge in. One thing you can't hide - is when you're crippled inside. This memoir crippled me from inside. Making it a bildungsroman added some rich flavour to those broiling rage. Marjane's innocence as a child was like patting your pet dog after three days of your absence. You know he needs your warmth, you know you missed him so much, yet you feel inept in consoling him for your absence. The only difference that lies here is that your willingness to make the life of your dog better will change something.

Persepolis is among one of those books that are readable but the feelings it leave you with is difficult to handle, so much so that I am questioning about the beliefs all around. At the sight of a distressed person, it's easy to feel that they can come out of it through sheer act of resistance. Alas, that's not as simple as that.
It's only natural! When we're afraid, we lose all sense of analysis and reflection. Our fear paralyzes us. Besides, fear has always been the driving force behind all dictator's repression.

Years of turning newspaper pages and Google searches failed to teach me about the roots of Islamic Revolution, but Marjane Satrupi did it in less than 350 pages. Simple, yet very, very powerful. ...more

4

Apr 16, 2011

This is quite a bit different than the first part but is just as fascinating. Now living in Vienna Marjane manages to convey not only teen angst but the heartache of being alone and so far away from those that love and understand her. It's hard enough being a teen so her puberty transformation was both touching and funny. She also has her first awakening as to her own identity. Proudly declaring she is Iranian to a group of rude teens.

Back in Iran she sees the toll the war has taken and finds This is quite a bit different than the first part but is just as fascinating. Now living in Vienna Marjane manages to convey not only teen angst but the heartache of being alone and so far away from those that love and understand her. It's hard enough being a teen so her puberty transformation was both touching and funny. She also has her first awakening as to her own identity. Proudly declaring she is Iranian to a group of rude teens.

Back in Iran she sees the toll the war has taken and finds that her friends seem either greatly changed, lost or damaged. She muses that “In every religion you find the same extremists.” and how right she is. Her own epiphany coming some time after being redressed by her Grandmother for falsely having a man arrested. She is finally being true to herself.

I already have the DVD and fully intend on watching it this evening. ...more

4

Aug 05, 2008

The girl who originally recommended the Persepolis books to me told me that the second one wasn't as good as the first (which kept me from being motivated to read the second, but when I found out the new Persepolis movie covers both books, well . . . I have this thing about reading books before I see the movies.) I'm glad I did pick this up; although it gets off to a slower start than Persepolis, it's worth the wait. Since Marjane is an adult in this book, it's easier to see how oppressive the The girl who originally recommended the Persepolis books to me told me that the second one wasn't as good as the first (which kept me from being motivated to read the second, but when I found out the new Persepolis movie covers both books, well . . . I have this thing about reading books before I see the movies.) I'm glad I did pick this up; although it gets off to a slower start than Persepolis, it's worth the wait. Since Marjane is an adult in this book, it's easier to see how oppressive the Islamic revolution really was, since an adult *should* have so much more agency than a child. Marjane's feeling of being misplaced no matter where she was -- too 'traditional' for Europe, too 'progressive' for Iran -- will ring true to anyone who's ever felt like an outsider. Like the first one, this book brings politics and history that can seem confusing and irrelevant to "Westerners" personal and complex. Reading it is like having the conversation you'd be able to have if you weren't too scared of being politically incorrect or naive to open your mouth. ...more

3

Apr 23, 2017

Since reading the first volume of Persepolis, I've wondered how the rest of Marjane's story would play out. This volume starts with her time in Vienna when she was just barely a teen. As an Iranian who doesn't speak German, she's an outsider. In fact, Marjane is an outsider through much of this graphic novel. I'm glad she persisted, found her way in the world, and was brave enough to tell her very vulnerable story.

5

Apr 05, 2015

Persepolis 2 became a must read after completing Persepolis. Marjane Satrapi didn't disappoint. I love her honesty. This book covers some tumultuous times in her life and she doesn't hold back. She exposes herself and her own flaws with enthusiasm. She doesn't make excuses.
My favorite thing about the series is that I learned so much about Iran's history through her.
Satrapi has turned me into an avid reader of graphic nonfiction. I can't wait to discover more.