LATE FOR TEA AT THE DEER PALACE: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
LATE FOR TEA AT 

THE DEER PALACE

The Lost Dreams of My Iraqi Family

BY TAMARA CHALABI

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In the tradition of Jung Chang’s Wild Swans and Bhutto Benazir’s Reconciliation comes Tamara Chalabi’s unique memoir of returning to her family’s homeland, Iraq. In this epic story of one daughter’s journey through the annals of her family’s tumultuous history, Chalabi’s powerful voice and piercing vision illuminate her country and its people as never before.

For Tamara Chalabi, Iraq is more than a country of war and controversy; it is a place of poignant memory. For much of the twentieth century, the Chalabis were among the most influential families in Iraq. In the 1920s they were at the forefront of their country's awakening to modernity, and they played an integral part in the establishment of its monarchy. As courtiers, politicians, businessmen, rebels, merchants, and scholars, the Chalabis enjoyed vast privilege until the end of the 1950s, when they were forced to flee to the land of exile, myth, and imagination, where their beloved homeland took on the quality of a phantom country. In between came rebellions, foreign interventions, and the transformative development of oil wealth.

But in 2003, after a lifetime of exile, Tamara arrived in Baghdad just ten days after the city's fall, in the company of her father, Ahmad Chalabi, a leading opposition figure against the Saddam regime. Late for Tea at the Deer Palace chronicles a daughter's return to a homeland she'd known only through stories and her own imagination. As she investigates four generations of her family's history, Tamara offers a rich portrait of Middle Eastern family life and a provocative look at a lost Iraq. The story is populated by an array of unforgettable characters, among them Tamara's great-grandfather Abdul Hussein Chalabi, who as a member of the Ottoman parliament witnessed the end of the empire in Baghdad and the birth of the modern Iraqi state at the hands of the British; her grandfather Abdul Hadi Chalabi, who became one of the wealthiest men in Iraq and had strong ties with the British during World War II; and her grandmother Bibi, a grande dame who presided over Iraq's social and political life during Baghdad's 1920s and '30s heyday as the Paris of the Middle East.

At once intimate and magisterial, Late for Tea at the Deer Palace vividly captures the rich, overlooked history of a country that has been uprooted by war and a family that has persevered by never forgetting its dreams or its past.

TO READ AN EXCERPT OF THE BOOK, GO TO HARPER COLLINS "BROWSE INSIDE" HERE! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tamara Chalabi holds a PhD in history from Harvard University. She has written for The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, Slate, and The Sunday Times, among other publications. 

PRAISE FOR LATE FOR TEA AT THE DEER PALACE:

“It’s an admirable endeavour to have Iraq addressed by someone who is in so many ways able to approach it from two worlds. . . . Tamara Chalabi has the stuff, in every sense, that is needful to undertake this.”

— Christopher Hitchens

 Through this vibrant literary memoir, readers learn about Iraq’s history and a notable family’s experience of the country, no matter how far away. Recommended for general readers.”

— Library Journal

 “An absorbing social history of Iraq. . .A work of exile literature, beautifully written, rich with human detail as only personal family histories can be.”

— New York Times Book Review

 One small way to rebuild a country after war may be to hold a picture of its true beauty, which is what Chalabi does.

— The Los Angeles Times

 A sweeping, enchanting memoir. . . Late for Tea at the Deer Palace deftly combines elements of history and memoir, but shines most when the author lets the characters’ stories tell the history of Iraq.

— The Associated Press

MY REVIEW:

Tamara Chalabi’s LATE FOR TEA AT THE DEER PALACE is a rich story of Chalabi’s family blended into the history of Iraq that reminded me so much of the extraordinary experience I had reading THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini. Now one of my favorite books, THE KITE RUNNER at first scared me as I was put off by the history aspect and what I thought would be too much cultural background of no interest to me. Oh, did Mr. Hosseini prove me wrong as I took the leap and wound up reading a book I never wanted to have end, and one that still haunts me to this day.

So now, I can say Tamara Chalabi has perhaps created that very same kind of experience with LATE FOR TEA AT THE DEER PALACE. At first, as I saw the subtitle of "The Lost Dreams of My Iraqi Family" I thought it a war story about Iraq that surely was filled with history that is not a genre I enjoy. THEN, I saw lists of phrases to use for translation in the back, a chronological time line of the history the story covers, the prologue that seemed to be lengthy historical facts, and I was put off. Lucky for me, I remembered the feeling I had before I read THE KITE RUNNER, and so I tackled the book. I checked and realized all the lists, index, time lines, etc. in the back of the book were there to help but not part of what I had to know or read to enjoy the story. I skimmed the prologue and realized this was merely background to set up the story of the Chalabi family and how it fit into the history of Iraq starting from the time that the Ottoman empire was ending and winding through Iraq’s history to present day.

The Chalabi were well educated Shi’a Iraqi and ran in the most respected social circles with important jobs in business as well as the government. Tamara’s great-grandfather, Abdul Hussein Chalabi, played an important part in the formation of Iraq as a nation. Upon Great Britain granting Iraq independence, the Chalabi’s place in society was well respected and very influential. The culture and foods and pictures and beautifully written, fascinating characters tell the story of the Chalabi family while also giving readers the history of this country.

As a reader, I became wrapped up in characters like Bibi, who was born in 1900; from her youth to her arranged marriage, and then on to her daughters born around 1925 up through the women of the family born in the 1970’s. Their personalities, self-esteem, and bravery gave the story a background of society through all that time. What did they eat and what meaning did some foods have? How did they entertain themselves and care for their homes and children? What did their homes physically look like and how did they run? What part did not only the politicians play in their lives, but every day things like the weather and  customs and clothing. From imposed marriages to having an opinion of their own, LATE FOR TEA AT THE DEER PALACE draws a wonderful picture of these fascinating characters and their lives. The author uses personal history, family stories, and photographs to provide the factual background in a narrative way. It is a story you will become enthralled with and find it hard to put down. I highly recommend LATE FOR TEA AT THE DEER PALACE and also think book clubs would really enjoy the discussion and joy from reading this book. 
 
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