The second part of Marjane Satrapi’s memoir begins where the first one ends, Marjane is fourteen and newly arrived in Austria where she will continue her education.

The story continues in the same manner as the first book. There was conflict in her life while she was in Iran, and the country was still at war with Iraq, but her life in Austria wasn’t without its conflicts.

This book centers more on the immigrant experience, and the return to her native country, where she figuring out she doesn’t really belong to either place anymore.

It’s sad, it’s funny, it’s dramatic, and it’s interesting. I think I’ll have to read more of Marjane Satrapi’s work.

I started reading Persepolis in hope to know more about Iran and Iranian culture and people but it ended up to be the story of a whining woman. when I read Persepolis #1 I felt that Marjane was a little irritating and I told myself maybe because she was a child. But when I read Persepolis #2 I found out that she is even more annoying as a teenager and adult . for someone who claims that she is smart and intelligent she is stupid in way too many way. She just complain too much, hates everything, and she thinks she is the most brilliant person in the world. I just couldn't stand her.

okay I'll stop typing because I am so irritated.

Despite the missing light-heartedness and innocent curiosity that made the first volume so appealing, I actually preferred this issue more. It dealt with a lot more serious issues and portrayed the protagonist as more than just a spoiled child.
The travel to another country as a "third-worlder"(as she called it), and the return to Iran, only to feel that she was still out of place was very relatable to me. That cultural dissonance is a curse every third-culture kid has to deal with.
It wasn't without its annoyances though. The existential angst and unhappy marriage permeated much of the book, it could've used some cheerful moments now and then.

This second part of Persepolis is a lot grittier and personnel than the first book. Marjane starts off in Austria with no friends, lacking the language and has no family support. She really struggles with the rights of having independence, of being different, the harshness of the Western world and the realisation that men in any society like being in control. After four years she returns to Iran and agains struggles with being the different one, having her independence constrained and finding hypocrisies everywhere. Luckily she had her parents and Grandmother.
A remarkable set of two graphic novels that convey so much.

In this volume, the war in Iran is over, and after several generally unhappy and difficult years in Austria, Marjane decides to go home. As expected, she struggles with fitting in in Tehran--she did not experience the war years, she must stay covered in public, and women have few rights. But she makes friends, goes to school, and marries. And then leaves for France at the age of 24.

This volume is not as strong as the first, but then the events occurring are not as dangerous either. The black and white illustration still works well. There are definitely some absurd situations, especially revolving around her time in art school.

3.5/5stars

I didn't like this one as much as the first one but that is not to say that I disliked it. I actually really loved this as a poignant coming-of-age story. The reason I preferred the first one is predominately because I enjoyed the innocence of such a young narrator; she was trying to learn and understand things in the same way I was. The illustrations are great and there were a couple of panels that I think were done phenomenally- they are simple but manage to convey a very powerful message. I really enjoy graphic novels!

Marjane's story in this second volume becomes less about understanding the war and more about discovering herself. I really enjoyed reading about her dealing with loneliness and the shame of being safe in another country while her family struggled in war-torn Iran. Through the illustrations and the writing style (it feels like you are being told the story by a friend) I really felt for Marjane as she grew up away from those she loved.

Honestly there isn't much I can say about this book that I didn't say in my review for the first one. The simple writing and drawing style provide the platform for a humourous and heartbreaking memoir that is filled with charm and wit. Read it!

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Kaip ir dažniausiai atsitinka, pirma dalis visada būna geresne už antrąją, tai ir čia. Antroji dalis nebuvo tokia įdomi, galbūt labai ištęstas veiksmas, knyga storesnė. Viską galima buvo perteikti sutraukus glausčiau.
Ar verta skaityti sia knygą, taip verta. Čia komiksų pagalba sužinosite, apie absurdiškus Irano įstatymus, kurie mums atrodys labai keisti.

Iran, Islamic Revolution and a bildungsroman - these three combined in Persepolis and gave me some unsettling and uncomfortable time. John Lennon has aptly described the bundle of emotions that I tried to seek refuge in. One thing you can't hide - is when you're crippled inside. This memoir crippled me from inside. Making it a bildungsroman added some rich flavour to those broiling rage. Marjane's innocence as a child was like patting your pet dog after three days of your absence. You know he needs your warmth, you know you missed him so much, yet you feel inept in consoling him for your absence. The only difference that lies here is that your willingness to make the life of your dog better will change something.

Persepolis is among one of those books that are readable but the feelings it leave you with is difficult to handle, so much so that I am questioning about the beliefs all around. At the sight of a distressed person, it's easy to feel that they can come out of it through sheer act of resistance. Alas, that's not as simple as that.
It's only natural! When we're afraid, we lose all sense of analysis and reflection. Our fear paralyzes us. Besides, fear has always been the driving force behind all dictator's repression.

Years of turning newspaper pages and Google searches failed to teach me about the roots of Islamic Revolution, but Marjane Satrupi did it in less than 350 pages. Simple, yet very, very powerful.

این جلد هم تصویرها و شوخی های بامزه، نوستالژیک و تا حدودی غمگین کننده داره، حس میکنم از حیث تصویرها این جلد یه قدم رو به جلوعه و واقعا خوب بودن، مطالب هم با توجه به سن شخصیت، بزرگسالانه شده. در کل مجموعه پرسپولیس برای من که اهل کمیک نبودم و دهه شصتی هم نیستم، تجربه جذابی بود.

Satrapin omaelämäkerrallinen sarjakuvateos on syvällinen, humoristinen ja rehellinen. Tässä toisessa osassa Marjane palaa Euroopasta Iraniin ja kasvaa nuoresta tytöstä naiseksi. Fundamentalistinen Iran ei kuitenkaan tunnu enää kodilta, vaikka sotaa ei enää olekaan. Satrapi on sarjakuvakerronnan mestari.

Persepolis 1: The Story of a Childhood covered Marjane's life as a child, but as she became a teen, Marjane’s upbringing led her to start questioning and rebelling against the fundamentalism of the era. This put her and her family in peril, due to her lack of restraint. The last pages of the first book show her parents sending her to Europe to further her education, for her safety and theirs. While she needed to escape, for her rebellious attitude certainly would have brought ruin to her family, sending her away to boarding school in another country was heartbreaking to the whole family.

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return covers her teen years through her early 20’s. Marjane wasn’t always likable and made some terrible choices in Austria, some of her own doing, and some due to lack of an adult support system there. Eventually, she heads back to Iran after her schooling. Having felt unmoored away from home, Marjane is glad to be back home, although her time there is still tenuous due to the continuing political climate. She immerses herself back into her family and culture, and at this time collects the stories she will share in the book, Embroideries, about the secret lives of women in Iran. She has an unhappy first marriage while home, and knows that her future will need to be elsewhere is she is to lead an authentic and safe life as an adult.

Bravo to the author who shared these beautiful memoirs about her beloved family and society with the outside world.

Een prachtig verhaal. De eenvoudige, bijna kinderlijke zwart-wit tekeningen maken het des te indringender. Vooral in het eerste deel, dat over haar kindertijd in de oorlog gaat.