I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Nafisis’s prose are translucent, firm, and poetic. Her meandering and reflective way of writing enhances the book’s sense of longing. That’s what to story is all about, really. Longing for love, happiness, freedom, entertainment, individuality, direction, faith, and ideology.

Personally, I found the secret class that opens and closes the book, far less interesting than the chapters on Gatsby and James which focus more on Nafisi’s time teaching at the university, and how she related to a student body raised on a form of morality laced political ideology she found unbearably restrictive. I thought those chapters far more rich and thought provoking than the chapters on Lolita and Austen.

Even so, I never wanted to put the book down. I was engaged throughout, and would definitely recommend this to a wide range of people, from those interested in literary theory to those enjoy memoir, or even those who love tales full of intrigue. This is an incredibly well rounded book. There is a little something for just about everyone in it.