Gorgeous and lush prose and memorable characters. I enjoyed the atmosphere and all that I learned about the complex gender dynamics and cultural customs. Our protagonist was put in so many impossible situations and it was refreshing to see how clever and ambitious she was, even when she made mistakes. I thought her desires, motivations, and worries were very believable and sympathetic.

I do think too much time was spent on the sigheh (the temporary marriage) and the drama surrounding that, but I get that marriage was a core concern for women of all classes during that time. Those sections were the majority of the book, which made the pacing lag quite a bit. Still enjoyable overall and it's always worth it to pick up a book about a culture I’m unfamiliar with.