Amazon International Best Seller in Six Categories

“This is a real, compelling, fluid, and beautifully honest book. The author tells a fascinating and very personal story, masterfully weaving together the cultural/familial, religious, and political forces that swirled around her as a child under Soviet rule, setting the backdrop for the courage she ultimately shows in breaking through those barriers to follow her dreams. Having grown up in the U.S., but also in the 1980s-90s like the author, I felt like Gulara took me by hand like a warm friend, walking me through the movie reel of her life, showing me a radically different world from my own. However, at the same time, I could relate in many ways to her journey and the inherent tensions between the older-younger generations, male-female, cultural-religious programming, etc. and the choice we all ultimately have to make at some point in our lives to push past the fear and conditioning to come into our own. Highly recommend! Looking forward to the sequel.”

“This memoir is written with such clarity and care for detail that I found myself totally absorbed in the difficult family life of Gulush in 1980s Azerbaijan - her mother, grandmother, grandfather, uncles, cousins and friends. The young and talented Gulush has ambitions to move out of the city but finds herself both held back by traditions and the patriarchy. At the same time the book shows a deep love for the family and its way of life. Gulush’s independence of spirit shines through every sentence. The reader wants her to succeed. At the same time one is learning about that traumatic political and social time in Azerbaijan when it was breaking from the then-USSR. The two longings for freedom and independence run as themes throughout this book.
The book ends with a change in circumstances. In common with other reviewers I really wanted to know what happened next. When is the next in the series coming out?
Hammer, Sickle and Broom is full of unforgettable events and details. I loved it and truly recommend it (and if any literary agents are flicking through these posts they should pick up this distinctive author before someone else does).”

“After so many great reviews, it’s hard to say something new. But - this book is simply wonderful!!! Everyone has to read it.

It was on my reading list for a few weeks - I can’t believe I didn’t start reading it earlier. When I did, I couldn’t put it down. It’s a striking and unembellished account of a girl growing up in Soviet Azerbaijan, which was particularly interesting to me as I grew up around the same time in a different part of the Soviet Union - so many realities were instantly recognisable but others rather different from my own experience and background.

There is so much to learn about Azerbaijan’s recent history and culture, but ultimately the political turmoil is the backdrop for the heroine’s intensely personal story - and what a remarkable story it is, making you laugh and cry in turn. The writer has a rare gift of just taking the reader with her, you can practically smell and taste her life, together with the delicious food she’s describing. Not sure if it was intended, but it’s brilliant PR for the country’s tourist board. It definitely made me want to visit Baku in particular.

Women’s experience is not so niche in the literary world anymore. If you enjoyed Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox or Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women, this is definitely a book for you (definitely my favourite of the three!). If you’ve never picked up a memoir before, give this one a go. It will enrich your life.”

“At long last! This is a rare, keenly felt and poignant memoir tracing the protagonist’s childhood in Soviet Azerbaijan. There’s distinct shortage of books like this, offering a vivid portrait of ordinary and extraordinary and inextricably interwoven lives. At the heart of the book are three generations of women: beautiful and flawed, inspiring and enraging. I read it in one breath, in a hotel room, laughing out loud and crying my eyes out. I could hear the rounded vowles of Azeri and Russian, the noise of Ganja city centre, the earthy smell of suburban streets; I could see the sun burnished rooftops. It’s a story of becoming, escape, reckoning and return to oneself. A beautiful book, and a beautiful cover!”

“An incredible story told by a gifted writer about her remarkable life as a girl growing up in Azerbaijan in the 70’s and 80’s, amidst traumatic family dynamics and as the Soviet ruled country claimed independence. A rare glimpse into the intimacy of a young life, told with a warmth towards the authors young self that felt very touching to read, and a depth that felt like I was there as I read it.”

“Intensely personal, this tale of a woman growing up in Soviet Azerbaijan integrates the beauty and harshness of her early life and holds the reader entranced by her vivid descriptions of family love and conflict, harsh societal rules and war. I hope for another book from this author”