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Marjan Kamali

American
Born 1971
Marjan Kamali is an Iranian-American novelist and author. Her novels have been published in more than 30 languages and have received both national and international acclaim She is a 2022 NEA Literature Fellow.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed The Lion Women of Tehran.
1
Books Reviewed
Cover of The Lion Women of Tehran
The Lion Women of Tehran

4.6/5

reader rating · 40,659 ratings

Marjan Kamali's The Lion Women of Tehran is a New York Times bestseller that traces the decades-long friendship of Ellie and Homa against the turbulent backdrop of twentieth-century Iran, from the early 1950s through 2022. Published by Gallery Books on July 2, 2024, the novel earned a starred notice from Kirkus Reviews as "a touching portrait of courage and friendship," and People called it "an evocative read and a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism." Kamali, a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Award recipient whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages, brings her command of Iranian history and culture to what is widely regarded as her most ambitious work to date.

Reviewed Apr 7, 2026

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Authors Like Marjan Kamali
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Kate Quinn

Fiction
Historical Fiction
Women's Fiction
Kate Quinn's The Alice Network shares the core spine of female friendship, loyalty, and betrayal, framed as a propulsive dual-timeline historical thriller.
2 books reviewed
The Alice Network
The Phoenix Crown: A Novel by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang
M

Min Jin Lee

Fiction
Historical Fiction
Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko shares Kamali's historical fiction grounding, tracing a multi-generational saga of women persisting through discrimination, occupation, and national trauma.
1 book reviewed
Pachinko
E

Elin Hilderbrand

Fiction
Women's Fiction
Elin Hilderbrand's The Five-Star Weekend explores female friendship tested by secrets and loyalty, capturing the ache of questioning true friends without the deeper historical roots.
1 book reviewed
The Five-Star Weekend
C

Christine Pride

Fiction
Women's Fiction
Christine Pride’s We Are Not Like Them also features a decades-spanning friendship between two women tested by external forces, centering on racial reckoning rather than political upheaval.
1 book reviewed
We Are Not Like Them: A Novel by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
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Jo Piazza

Fiction
Women's Fiction
Jo Piazza's We Are Not Like Them also traces a decades-spanning friendship between two women tested by forces beyond their control, centering on racial reckoning rather than political upheaval.
1 book reviewed
We Are Not Like Them: A Novel by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
L

Libby Page

Women's Fiction
Libby Page's This Book Made Me Think of You echoes the emotional core of female friendships tested over time by secrets and unspoken grievances.
1 book reviewed
This Book Made Me Think of You