The Blood of Flowers: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: Anita Amirrezvani
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $23.99
Buy New: $8.25
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Avg. Customer Rating:  47 reviews
Sales Rank: 25964
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.6
ISBN: 0316065765
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780316065764
ASIN: 0316065765
Publication Date: June 5, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: new book
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Product Description
In 17th-century Persia, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year. But when her beloved father dies, she and her mother find themselves alone and without a dowry. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to sell the brilliant turquoise rug the young woman has woven to pay for their journey to Isfahan, where they will work as servants for her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the legendary Shah Abbas the Great.
Despite her lowly station, the young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets, a rarity in a craft dominated by men. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim. Forced into a secret marriage to
a wealthy man, the young woman finds herself faced with a daunting decision: forsake her own dignity, or risk everything she has in an effort to create a new life.
"Anita Amirrezvani has written a sensuous and transporting first novel filled with the colors, tastes and fragrances of life in seventeenth-century Isfahan...Amirrezvani clearly knows and loves the ways of old Iran, and brings them to life with the cadences of a skilled story-spinner." -- Geraldine Brooks, author of March
"An engrossing, enthralling tale of a girl's quest for self-determination in the fascinating other world that was seventeenth-century Iran." -- Emma Donoghue, author of Touchy Subjects and Life Mask
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| Customer Reviews: Read 42 more reviews...
 Beautifully written July 22, 2008
If you liked "The Kite Runner" or "A Thousand Splendid Suns", you'll enjoy this beautifully written story about a 17th Century Persian girl who struggles to live a life of her own choosing in a time when women had few choices. When her father dies unexpectedly, the 14-year-old girl and her mother leave their tiny village for the metropolis of Isfahan and the home of her uncle. Her uncle, who is charged with making luxurious carpets for the Shah of Iran, teaches the girl all he knows about designing and crafting the finest of Persian carpets. The uncle's wife treats his niece and his brother's widow like servants, and encourages the girl to accept the proposal of a wealthy horse breeder to become his "temporary wife"...a custom that favors the man, but permanently limits the girl's prospects for an honorable marriage. The story is lushly enhanced by Persian fables and offers an inside look at time-honored techniques for creating the finest in Persian carpets.
 The Blood of Flowers July 18, 2008
I thought the book was interesting. I learned some new things about Muslims. It reminded me of A Thousand Splendid Suns, but it wasn't nowhere near as good though. I didn't really care for the ending, because it just left the reader kind of lost. It had some sensuality in it that could be considered smutty by some readers.
 Wonderful Characters In A Compelling Story July 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I would have given this book five stars but for some problems I have with the writer. Firstly, the protagonist is left unnamed, for no apparent reason. She's an amazing young girl, and the book is essentially her coming of age story. To leave the main character unnamed requires a compelling reason. There wasn't one. Secondly, the author's poetic descriptions are repetitive. How interesting is it to hear someone described as looking like the moon, sun or stars? And to hear it repeatedly? That said, I loved this book.
The protagonist and her mother were struck with tragedy in their contented lives and had to leave their southern Persian village to live with distant relatives in Isfahan. Despite their wealth, Gostaham (the protagonist's half uncle) and Gordiyeh, his wife, treat their relatives like servants and begrudge the costs of keeping them. Desperate, and penniless, there are few ways for two lone woman to provide for themselves. But the protagonist has a talent for knotting rugs and an unquenchable desire to excel at it. Her uncle, who is the head of the Shah's rug workshop, teaches her, and marvels at her abilities, and bemoans the fact that she's a she. Despite her skills, she is also head-strong, and ultimately gets herself and mother banished from their relatives' home.
Ultimately, it's her desire to excel at rug making that makes her examine her life, requiring the same standards for her personal expectations that she requires for her work. Getting there is painful, but like learning a craft, worth it.
This is a wonderful first novel. I look forward to her next book.
Beautiful read July 16, 2008
This is a beautifully written debut novel. Just read it! I love reading about different cultures and was mesmerized by this book. I'm always looking for books to compare with my all-time favorite "The Kite Runner" and this one did just that from a womans perspective.
I really LOVED this book.. July 14, 2008
Anyone who enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, or A Thousand Splendid Suns will love this book. I highly recommend you read this book if you are thinking about whether or not you should!
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