Author Armineh Ohanian grew up as a young Armenian woman in Iran. Now she draws on her experiences in a new novel, The Apple Tree Blossoms in the Fall, which follows the story of Carineh who confronts a series of struggles taking her from Iran to Europe and to the US.
As she faces the upheaval of leaving her homeland and the many trials of marriage, Carineh discovers that impossible situations can resolve themselves in the most unexpected of ways: including apple trees that miraculously blossom out of season to provide food for her starving family.
Carineh’s journey begins as she spends her first eleven years in a small, strict Islamic town in Iran where her father runs his thriving export business in a busy bazaar and entertains guests extensively, including a young mullah called Khomeini. It moves swiftly through short interconnected episodes spiced by the unfolding events of the night when Carineh finds her one true love.
As life unfurls, Carineh discovers that husband Caro has deceived her about his true identity; her family tumbles from comfort to poverty when her Father dies following baptism in freezing Hamadan waters; her reluctance to wear the veil convinces her to leave Iran at the onset of the Islamic revolution, and, as a young mother she and her two teenage children desperately seek to board the last Pan Am flight out of Tehran.
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With resilience and humor, Carineh travels the four corners of the world with her husband and children, finally finding herself settled on the shores of Westhampton Beach, New York. Each episode is engagingly narrated with warm affection in rich, Armenian storytelling tradition.
Comments Armineh Ohanian , “For some reason, writing this book was much harder than writing Nine Years to Freedom. Probably, because the theme was about the life experiences of an Armenian woman like myself. However, I enjoyed the work, it reminded me of my own life back in Iran, both as a child and a young girl. At some point during my writing, I laughed like mad, and I cried bitterly while composing certain other chapters. I am happy that the book is already appealing to women internationally.”
Armineh Ohanian will be participating in Oxfam’s International Women’s Day on March 8, 2013, reading extracts from her novel at the invitation of Oxford University.
Extract: Shattered Hopes…
To me, Caro was perfect and the best fiancé one could ask for. I found him to be gallant, charming, handsome, sexy, adventurous, outspoken, open-minded, and fun. Like me, he loved music and going to cinemas and parties. What’s more, he accepted my family as his own because he had no brothers or sisters. Before meeting me, he would spend most of his time at the movies or at his Armenian and Russian friends’ houses. Every day he came directly to our house after work. Now and then he even slept at our place during Iranian weekends, which began on Thursday afternoons and ended on Friday nights.
Unfortunately, my happiness and hopes tumbled down the day after our engagement party…
Reviewers have commented:
“This true story is recounted through the eyes of a truly international woman. She opened my heart and mind to the culture and geography of a part of the world that dominates our politics today. It broadens its scope as this courageous and charming woman lives her life as a mother, wife and working woman”
“Armineh brings a lovely, graphic and rather innocent description of life in a part of the world that is now totally different”
“Her story-telling is wonderfully interwoven with acute observations and an endearing sense of humour throughout“
Published by Lazy Day Publishing, The AppleTree Blossoms in the Fall is available from Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/AppleTreeKindle; https://tinyurl.com/AppleTreePaperback . For a complimentary taste of the novel, please click here for Chapters 25 and 35 https://tinyurl.com/AppleTreePreview.
Notes to Editors:
Please contact us if you would like to interview Armineh Ohanian , or require her biography or photo.
About the Author:
Born in Iran, from Armenian origin, Armineh Ohanian has lived in Europe and the United States since 1962. She published her first storybook for children in Tehran at the age of fifteen. In August 21, 2012, Armineh published her first novel “Dreaming of America“, now known as “Nine Years to Freedom“. She has since published two volumes of children’s story books from her “The Talking Animals” series. Recently, she has completed volume three – co-authored with her thirteen year‐old grandson, Alec Ohanian . She is now busy writing a memoir called “Letters from Abu Dhabi.” Armineh lives in Westhampton with her husband and three cats – her writing companions. She is passionate about writing, reading novels and playing tennis.
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