The Luminous Heart of Jonah S.

I'm not sure where I heard about Gina Nahai's novel, "The Luminous Heart of Jonah S", but I downloaded it yesterday and literally couldn't put it down til I finished today. The book, which is a mix of history and passion, with a bit of magical realism thrown in, is possibly the most beautiful and imaginative novel I've read in years. Set in Iran and Los Angeles, in the years from 1950 to 2013, the book is the story of the Soleyman family. Iranian Jews, they fled Teheren after the Shah's overthrow in 1979, going to the United States to reinvent themselves. But like many first and second generation immigrants, they brought their beliefs and prejudices with them, continuing their vendettas and crimes here in the United States.The Soleymen family's fortune in Iran began with Izikiel-the-Red, born at the turn of the last century. He had two sons - Raphael and Aaron - who were his heirs. However, Raphael had medical problems - his heart gave off a glow, for instance - and so the fortune went to the younger son. Raphael fell in with a woman many years his senior, who claimed to be carrying their child, born 13 months after Raphael died. Their son, "Raphael's Son", he was referred to though no one trusted his widowed mother's claims, moved to Los Angeles and began a life of financial crimes in the Iranian-Jewish community. The other brother married Elizabeth, a brilliant woman with her own demons and bodily odor. Both brothers had two daughters.Nahai looks at today's American Iranian-Jewish community with humor (some of the book is laugh-out-loud funny) and pathos. There is cheating and disrespect and deliberate crimes between various characters, but there is also love. Part of the love is a product of the magical realism with which Gina Nahai imbues her characters. I can't stress enough how lyrical Nahai's writing is. This book's been out since 2015 and I'm sorry I didn't discover it before. Her backlist is also impressive.

The Luminous Heart is a luminous story, in the best tradition of magical realism. The language is rich, as are the plot and the characters. The magical aspects, confined initially to pre-revolution Teheran, enliven the surreal atmosphere of the revolution itself. I would have given it 5 stars, but some of the passages were jarring in their didacticism. Even though I enjoyed learning the historical details of the place and time, I cannot help thinking that the author could have found more elegant ways to keep with the narrative structure and style. A delicious read, though, highly recommend!

A gorgeous, fascinating, lyrical novel! I love all Nahai's fiction; this one particularly explores the deep and harrowing costs of emigration. The novel's narrator has a strong, ironic voice; the voice of a seasoned observer of human nature. This narrative voice recalls The Brothers Karamzaov's narrator, who shines a dark, ironic light into the most complex events. Nahai understands not only her culture, but the hearts of all humanity.The plot twists are character-driven--so if you like complex characters to whom drastic, inevitable, and finally wonderful things happen, buy this book! It is a brilliant rendition of how people carry their history on their backs, and how great good can be salvaged even from a dire past. Written with great compassion, this book will lead you to an open-hearted acceptance of what fortune may bring. Bravo for "The Luminous Heart"!

I'll make this easy: I'm a big fan of Gina Nahai, read and loved/enjoyed all her novels. This one has a thousand reviews on Goodreads and a hundred or so on Amazon, and they're all strong-to-glowing, which they should be (not to mention Kirkus, PW, NY Times, etc etc.). So this was great, a wonderful blend of her lyrical storytelling, crime mystery, and terrific social anthropology into a sub-culture of people and place (Persian West Los Angeles, late 20th century). And the one long section set in Tehran 1950's could have been a prize-winning novella on its own: what a fine talent. I've become a big fan of Zadie Smith and Michael Chabon the last ten years, but Gina really scored with Jonah S.

Here is a window to the Jewish Iranian community in Beverly Hills/Westwood that is not attractive. It is an expose to over-the-top consumerism by people with great wealth. They are not commended for their entrepreneurship, their support and love of books, for their pride in accomplishment.In the author's attempt to create a folk mythology, showing how one generation weaves and changes with the next, the story jumps from one person to another without any attempt at character development. There is never a sense that these people are real. They are stereotypes.I wonder how the Jewish Iranian community accepts this novel: surely not with pride.Even so, the author's tour de force must be acknowledged. The writing is fine.

I was intrigued and fascinated by the story and characters woven into the writing. . The authors vivid imagination and great storytelling kept me glued throughout. The ability to intertwine the past and current history of Iran, the Jewish Iranian community past and present both in the US and Iran, were all learning experiences that I eagerly journeyed. My slight disappointment was the less successful ending of the story and the daughter Angela herself.Overall I would definitely recommend the book for anyone seeking a well written and developed story, that is a mystery novel with magical, mythical undertones.

Not only do the voices alternate, the style does also. The opening scenes set in LA have the tone and style of a hard-bitten detective novel, but when the scene shifts to Iran, it seems more magical realism. The tension between the styles and the two major locations plays out in the novel in fascinating ways. A very enjoyable read.

Interesting storyline. It reads like a story translated into English. There are many nuances and images I'm sure that would have made much more sense if I could think in Farsi. I did enjoy the read. (Also I read it on my Kindle so I had to struggle sometimes to follow along from page to page.)

I just couldn't get into this one. It seemed awfully complex at the beginning. Since I own it, it is one of those books I will go back to when my head is in a different space.