The Gardener of Baghdad
Written by Ahmad Ardalan
Narrated by Randal Schaffer
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
"Two people, one city, different times; connected by a memoir. Can love exist in a city destined for decades of misery? "
Adnan leads a weary existence as a bookshop owner in modern-day, war-torn Baghdad, where bombings, corruption and assault are everyday occurrences and the struggle to survive has suffocated the joy out of life for most. But when he begins to clean out his bookshop of forty years to leave his city in search of somewhere safer, he comes across the story of Ali, the Gardener of Baghdad, Adnan rediscovers through a memoir handwritten by the gardener decades ago that beauty, love and hope can still exist, even in the darkest corners of the world.
Ahmad Ardalan
Ahmad Ardalan was born in Baghdad in 1979. At the age of two, he moved with his parents to Vienna, Austria, where he spent most of his childhood and underwent his primary studies. After his father's diplomatic mission finished at the end of 1989, he returned to Iraq, where he continued his studies and graduated from the University of Dentistry. As a result of the unstable political, military, social, and economic conditions in his home country, Ahmad decided to leave Iraq and move to the UAE. After facing difficulties to pursue his career in dentistry, he opted to pursue employment in the business world. Since then, Ardalan has held several senior roles within the pharmaceutical and FMCG industries, throughout much of the Middle East. His early childhood in a mixed cultural environment, as well as his world travels, increased his passion for learning about cultures of the world and inspired him to pen The Clout of Gen, his first novel. After eleven years of being away, Ahmad returned to Baghdad in January 2013 on a visit that was full of mixed emotions. Inspired by his trip to Iraq, he wrote his second novel, The Gardener of Baghdad. He did not stop there, as "Matt" his latest Short Story Thriller Series will be available beginning 2015. The Gardener of Baghdad, opened readers’ eyes to a different picture of the city they had heard of. With hope and love as his message, Ardalan released Baghdad: The Final Gathering, and followed it by The Boy of the Mosque.
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Reviews for The Gardener of Baghdad
47 ratings14 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is a kind of mystery novel, except you don’t realize it until halfway through. I couldn’t put it down for the last half.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a beautiful love story. Helped me see Iraq in a different light as well
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved this story. No wonder this novel has been getting good reviews,. The city, the people, Ali, Mary all left me listening for hours. I was torn between reading the ebook or listening. I think I made the right choice, as the narration was a perfect fit. Soft, and had an emotional feeling to it that matched this beautiful novel.
I will be eager to read more from Ardalan.2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a wonderful well thought out story. Enjoyed reading about a different culture and country.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautiful book , portrays the characters wonderfully and you feel like you are a part of their world
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An epic romance set against the turmoil of Baghdad's tumultuous history of half a century. A story of hope, humanity and love
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I enjoyed listening to this book very much, sad and joyful.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautiful book .
Lovely story and well read.
A turn pager - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent very
enjoyable and very interesting ????????? such great job - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A touching tale, with an imaginative ending. I enjoyed listening to it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5what's the word for tears and smiling none stop. thanks to the author and can someone please tell completely how this ends..... I would really like to satisfy my already calm heart.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Heart warming love story between two people with different backgrounds. A quick read with satisfying end
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderful, eloquent and very elegant English. I enjoyed the story and its unexpected turnings. Wonderful account of Iraq in the 50s from a perspective of people who simply want to have happy life. Great pace of reading by the lector.
I will look into other books of Ahmed for sure. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very soulful characters that moved me
I also gained more knowledge about Historical events