Honeymoon in purdah - Alison Wearing

A compelling and delightful travel book, which presents an unexpectedly affectionate portrait of Iran. Alison Wearing inveigled her way into Iran under false pretences. The sneaking suspicion she'd had that it would prove an austere and hostile country rapidly dissolved when the overwhelming kindness and generosity she encountered from people of all walks of life most emphatically won her over. The months of listening to 'teach-yourself-Farsi' tapes seemed to have paid off when Alison was welcomed with open arms into homes and families, and her style of dress and shock of red hair became a preoccupation for Iranian women everywhere. From uncomfortable bus rides (stuffed to bursting with people and belongings) to an illicit day of sightseeing at the Shah's summer palace and from the traumatic experience of shopping for a suitable chaador to playing a highly competitive game of table tennis in a dusty courtyard, Alison's sojourn in Iran was coloured by a host of often bizarre and endearing encounters. Honeymoon in Purdah paints a beguiling portrait of a feared country. Alison Wearing's exuberant narrative explores the joys and sorrows of life in Iran and takes a long, hard look at the status of women in Muslim countries. Her beautifully observed and humorous account of a hardcore holiday is unforgettable.