The Revolutionary’s Cousin by Cindy Davies : Zahra and Karim are back!

Review Copy❤️: Cindy Davies (Author)

Publisher : Odyssey Books.

Date : 12 September 2019.

Book Length : 402.

Format : Ebook.

Price: Rs 471.45

This book is a sequel to The Afghan Wife .

Find the review to the first book in the link above.

The Author has revealed a lot of interesting anecdotes and insights about the books in her earlier interview with me. Its never enough to know more about your favourite book and the brain behind it!. Whether you read the series or not make sure to read her interview. Its very Insightful!!

Zahra and Karim are back and so am I through them as this would be my first review after 2 yrs…….

When I decided to restart blogging this is the first book that came to my mind as its prequel had been one of my best reads back then and the book had a sequel coming.. though the author gave me this copy way back i could only manage to read it now and finish it up in 2 days!

Honestly it has been a longtime since I read the first book so I had only vaguely recalled the story. It took me a while to get a grip but I eventually got it as I realised the story was imprinted in my mind as i loved it a lot back then especially the part where rashid is executed stayed in my head and heart even after such a long period as I could never get over it and nor will ,add more to it the author decided to give me another loss in the second book….. Sniff!!!

To quickly brush up with the the first book “The Afghan Wife” is a romantic thriller set in Iran during the time of the revolution in 1979 and traces the life of the main protagonists Zarah and Karim in an intense political plot.


if you want to know more about the history of iran go for this book and it being a romantic thriller is a cherry on the top and with its wonderful and vivid script and a smooth screenplay it is a must have!

Zarah who finally gets rid of her abusive husband flees to Tehran ,Iran from Afghanistan with her cousin Firzun and son ahmad. She takes shelter with nasim and rashid, friends of Firzun ,who then recommends her for employment with Mrs konari their rich affluent neighbour as a servant ,this is where she meets Karim, son of Mrs konari and the scene where they meet each other face to face first time is SPOT on! ,it is still fresh in my memory though i have read it only once!

They fell in love eventually amidst all the trials and tribulations but they don’t unite in the first book ,with many dramatic turns and a few deaths the first book is continued to a sequel….

The second book in the sequel the revolutionary cousin starts in tehran ,iran again, where zarah is forced to leave Karim and leave for Australia while Karim returns to USA where his rest of his family has fled due to the worsening situation in Tehran ,Iran.

The protagonists are forced to leave one country after another. On introspection It dawns how bitter life of refugees were during war in those days, people had suffered greatly .You feel another level of respect for those survivors! And its just makes you realise that we are so lucky!

As they are seperated because of the cruel fate and the damn war. Their trials and tribulations only worsens in their respective adopted countries. The author traces the life of all the main protagonists in the sequel Karim,zarah and firzun aka the revolutionary cousin each of whom had their own struggles and difficulties to cope with.

The second half had more twists and turns
I literally sobbed the last few chapters crying buckets of tear a whole afternoon when a character died ,already Rashid’s execution had been imprinted in my mind in the first book I never ever got over it …I literally wailed over it and now I went through the same experience again in the sequel.

Their is a long long way before our love birds reunite ,brace yourself for that, but when they eventually unite its all worth it!.

The detailed description of the sceneries now and then is a bit more than necessary especially for an impatient reader like me who is too curious about what next and it becames a hurdle hence I had to skim read it. later i found out some of the detailed sceneries were imperative to the plot and I had to go back and read it carefully again not to miss in any details and furthermore it makes it easy for you to imagine the scene like a movie.
The only disappointment was I have been looking forward to zarah and Karim happily after in the second book. BUT it seems the wait is longer!

The third sequel will roll out soon!

Thanks is not enough to the author who generously sent me the second book.
As always I am looking forward to the next book and this time they will unite!

Would i like to reread it: yes very much though i will skip the part where one of the characters passes away as my heart aches!

Love-o-meter : 4.5🌟

Cindy Davies Books

Click on the Image for more information!

Author Interview: Cindy Davies of The Afghan Wife.

Book Review of The Afghan Wife.

Interview with Cindy Davies author of The Afghan Wife published in November 2017 by Odyssey Books. The novel is available on Amazon and Goodreads.

The Afghan Wife has been one of my favourite reads of 2018. Thanks to the author for taking out time to answer my each and every question. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it Cindy ma’am and your writing space is one to die for 😛

– Vithya.

Tell us about your book?

My book is called The Afghan Wife and it’s a romantic thriller set in Iran during the time of the revolution in 1979. As the story progresses, the main character Zahra, an Afghan woman, must choose between her love for Iranian Karim and loyalty to her Afghan cousin, Firzun. You can see a video pre-view of the novel on my website: cindydavies.com.au

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I’ve had the idea for a long time. I worked with migrants and refugees here in Australia and heard a lot of dramatic stories of people leaving their homelands.

What sort of research did you do to write this book?

I did an enormous amount of research! I read about the historical events surrounding the fall of the Shah of Iran and his exile from Iran. I also researched the American involvement and how American diplomats came to be hostages in their embassy in Tehran. As you can see from my picture I’m not Iranian but I have lived in the Middle East and returned many times. I used my experience gained from these times as background for the novel. I researched Islamic customs and also visited Iran for three weeks. I visited Elahiyeh, the suburb where the novel is set in Tehran to give the novel an authentic feel.

Describe Zaira and Karim in short?

Zahra is a very strong woman, beautiful but not conceited. She’s had a tough life, orphaned at the age of twelve and married off by an unsympathetic aunt to a violent husband. This makes her vulnerable but she’s a good mother to five-year old Ahmad and loyal to her useless cousin Firzun. She loves Karim but is prepared to sacrifice her love for him to save her cousin’s life.

Karim is clever, charming and worldly. However, because he’s good looking women adore him. He fell in love with Zahra when he was 23. In the novel he meets her again ten years late and knows she’s his true love. He is loyal to his family, brave and has great integrity.

What was the most difficult scene to write in the book?

I hate violence, particularly towards women, and the scenes with Zahra’s husband were hard to write.

Which is your favorite character in the book?

Actually the one I enjoyed writing the most was Karim’s mother Esmat. She’s a go-getter who has never got on with her mother-in-law. However my favourite character has to be Karim, educated, kind and loves children.

If your novel were being made into a movie, whom would you pick to play the lead roles?

I’m not sure if any Hollywood actors would be suitable. I think the actors would have to be Iranian or at least Middle Eastern. There are some wonderful Iranian actors out there.

How did you begin writing? Did you intend to become an author, or do you have a specific reason or reasons for writing each book?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I wrote short biographies for a weekend magazine a long time ago. Then I wrote travel articles about Turkey and the Middle East and England. I tried short romance fiction but wanted to write something longer and more intense so I started writing The Afghan Wife. I want my books to both entertain and educate, especially about other cultures. There are a lot of misconceptions about different religions and cultures.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

Sometimes I only write for a couple of hours a day. I like to have a work-life balance. Other days, I’ll start at 9.00 a.m. and work through with a few breaks until 6.00 pm.

What does your writing space look like?

Now that my children have left home I actually have a small home
office—luxury!

Cindy's workspace

What authors do you like to read? What book or books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?

I do like JK Rowling—Harry Potter of course. I also like the novels she wrote as Robert Galbraith. I love the works of the Brontë sisters too, which are still relevant and fresh after 200 years!

What are some great books you’ve read recently?

Sarah Waters: The Paying Guests and Liane Moriarty: Big Little Lies, also Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
They’re all different but gripping in their own ways.

What types of books do you enjoy in your downtime?

Mystery thrillers and well-written romance.

What are your top three favorite books of all time?

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I read the first meeting love scene from this novel to help me write mine.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. It works on so many different levels.
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. A love story set against the background of rural England.

What are the upsides and downsides to being an author?

The upside is when a reader loves the book. I get a real thrill reading reviews like the one Vithya wrote! The downside is criticism.

What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?What were some of the challenges you faced on the road to publication?

I’ve been lucky with my publisher. One of the challenges is that publishers keep you waiting a long time before rejecting a manuscript then you have to start sending it out all over again.

As a new author, what is your favorite part of the writing/publishing process? Least favorite? (For debut authors.)

Favourite is seeing the book in print, the words I carefully crafted coming to life on the page. Least favourite is having to double check the book for typos.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I have a detailed chapter plan so I know where I’m going. I also talk ideas through with my husband or my writing group. Then I just sit down and write my way out any blocks.

What do you do in your free time when you aren’t writing?

I walk a lot usually with a friend or my husband or spend time with my three children. I’m also in a choir. I give lectures about Iran and the Brontës to various groups. I belong to a writing group and a book group.

What has been one of your most rewarding experience as an author?

Picking up the printed copy of my book for the first time. Feeling that my work has given pleasure to other people.

Is there anything about the writing life that you think is misunderstood by the public?

I think some people believe that writers earn a lot of money—not true!
Also I wonder if many people realise the amount of checking, editing and re-drafting required to produce a good book.

What are you working on now?

My next book called The Revolutionary’s Cousin, a sequel to my first novel.

When is the sequel coming and what can we expect in it?

The sequel, The Revolutionary’s Cousin is due for publication in April 2019. In it Karim and Zahra end up living in an English speaking country but life is not easy for either of them ….

What do you like and dislike about book reviews?

I like hearing that people have really understood what I’m trying to say. What I dislike is the people who write things without realising that there’s a fine line between negativity and constructive criticism.

Are there any nuggets of wisdom you can impart to aspiring writers?

Don’t give up! If you’ve been rejected (I got ten rejections for my novel), treat it as a learning experience and do another edit. Believe in yourself, someone will love it, honestly.

What is the main thing you want readers to take away from your book?

An understanding that we are all human beings, with shared dramas in our lives, whichever cultural background we come from.

Buy The Afghan Wife

The Afghan Wife by Cindy Davies : Fevicol Glued for 3 days❤️

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Publisher : Odyssey Books.

Date : 25 Nov 2017.

Book Length : 332.

Format : Ebook. ( Rs 459)

Review Copy❤️: Odyssey Books.

To say i loved it is an understatement.. mention karim anytime anywhere and i will melt anytime anywhere.

easy to read and hard to put down. i finished this book in 3 days.

A love story set in the iranian revolution of 1970s. With a political backdrop it takes you through the life of Zahra. Widowed with a 5 year old child, beautiful zahra is forced to flee her country afghanistan to Iran as a refugee, straight from one politically unrest country to another.

As destiny would have it she meets her childhood crush karim, an unbelievably wealthy architect belonging to one of the influential families of Iran.
Its because of their diverse background and the disturbing changing political scenarios around them that true love blossoms between the protagonists.

The characters though fictional are inspired and based on true life accounts of a few irani and afghani students the author met during her teaching career. Even few incidents mentioned in the book had actually happened according to the author. she has gone as far as living in Iran while writing this book which proves why you are delusioned to believe its someone insider narrating the story.

An extensively researched book on the political upheavals of iran and afghanistan in 1970s and the impact on its people slowly depriving them of security, stability and freedom and i feel fortunate that i am not one of them.
Thank you Democracy.

Having said that there is no dearth of romance in the book, absolutely cute at times.

I swear Karim is one dream man every girl wants. perhaps the only thing that kept me going was the constant longing i had, to see them through till the end, as not just them even their loved ones lives are threatened amidst the unrest.

Strong meaningful plot coupled with an equally intense romantic love story. Its a 5 star read.

and my thoughts are already around the sequel because yes..i wantttt to see more of karim!! ..

What to watch out for?
Zarha and Karim’s chemistry. both sizzling and decent !!

Would i reread it?… yes in all likelihood i will !

Love – O – Meter : 5❤️

The Afghan Wife  Click to Buy