Raya
A Novel
by
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The reasons behind the things we do for love are seldom simple. Only with the passage of time can I see more clearly this: He was doing everything he could to make certain that the promises he made to me were kept. I was to be his wife and his queen. All else are ashes and dust, things that hide the truth, cover the surface, diminish and detract.
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About the Book
From the palaces of pre-revolutionary Iran to Swiss boarding schools and the world’s glamour capitals, Princess Soraya Esfandiary Bahktiari lived a life seemingly straight out of a fairy tale. The only daughter of a prominent Iranian family, at sixteen she is selected from among the most beautiful and eligible women of her country to wed the Shah of Iran.
Too young to recognize prominent members of Iranian society made the match—and that her job is to help unite a country being driven apart—one truth is inescapable: Soraya loves the Shah deeply. Sadly, her affections are not equally returned, and her life is shattered overnight. The red carpet is pulled from under her feet as her royal status is torn away.
Years later, a chance encounter with a distant relative leads Soraya back on a journey through the tender and tumultuous times of her life as another young woman struggles to come to terms with love and betrayal. Together, they share their stories of defeat and victories of love, hoping to make sense of the ever-fragile human heart.
About the Author
Mahsa Rahmani Noble is a designer, philanthropist, and global child welfare advocate. In 2008, after working in the fashion industry for over a decade, she turned her attention to writing - her strong suit in her native Iran. Writing Raya, her first novel, has been an exceptional journey given English is her third language. She currently resides between Boston and Martha’s Vineyard with her children Paris and Kian.