The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

Emma Donoghue, author of Touchy Subjects and Life Mask ReviewĪn “exuberant” ( El Mundo) debut novel of a family bound by searing passions, an earthy magic, and a very unusual curse Geraldine Brooks, author of MarchĪn engrossing, enthralling tale of a girl's quest for self-determination in the fascinating other world that was seventeenth-century Iran. Forced into a secret marriage toĪ 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.Īnita 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. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim. 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.ĭespite her lowly station, the young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets, a rarity in a craft dominated by men. But when her beloved father dies, she and her mother find themselves alone and without a dowry.

In 17th-century Persia, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year.

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani