Two Wings of a Nightingale
by Jill Worrall, Exisle Publishing, $36.99
Worrall takes the reader on a tour of Iran, visiting a selection of the 999 caravanserai Persia was famous for, as well as its stunningly beautiful mosques.
These reflect the two wings that make up Iran - the "Persian soul,
Islamic heart" of the subtitle.
Accompanying Worrall on her journey are Reza, her friend and tour guide, and their driver, Reza B. - the trio travelling the country as winter gives way to spring. Jill's blue eyes and blonde hair, or such that is seen peeking out beneath her headscarf, attract a lot of curiosity, opening the door for many conversations with the people she meets.
She joins other women at the mosque in Mashhad, goes bathing at segregated baths at Sara'eyn and develops a taste for teahouses and smoking the qalyan - a kind of water pipe.
The writing is full of warmth, charm and infectious enthusiasm. Political tensions and fundamentalism may put many of us off actually visiting Iran, but reading Two Wings of a Nightingale could be the next-best thing.
