The Blood of Flowers

by Anita Amirrezvani

Book Overview

A sensuous and richly-imagined historical novel that centers on a skilled young carpet weaver, her arranged marriage, and her quest for self-determination in 17th-century Persia. In 17th-century Iran,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316065765
• ISBN13: 9780316065764
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 377 Pages
• Weight: 1.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A Persian treasure...

Anita Amirrezvani has provided us with a superb effort in her very first novel, The Blood of Flowers. In fact, The Blood of Flowers is one of the best books that I've read this year. The Blood of Flowers is seen through the eyes of a 14 year old village girl who lives in 17th Century Persia. This young girl (who remains nameless throughout) is looking forward to becoming engaged before the end of the year. She is also a talented but amateur carpet maker. A comet proves to be a bad omen and the young girl's fortunes soon change for the worst. When her father dies suddenly, she and her mother are forced to travel to Isfahan to live with her father's half-brother, Gostaham. Arriving in this bustling city, they are no more than peasants and their uncle's wife, Gordiyeh, treats them not much better than servants. The one bright spot in the young girl's life is that Gostaham is a carpet maker for the shah, and she is thrilled to have a mentor to teach her the finer aspects of this art form. Gostaham has never seen a person with her passion, himself excepted. His only regret is that she is not a boy. Conflicts arise with the young girl, her mother and Gordiyeh, and their future in tenuous. Only a suitable marriage can guarantee their future security. Unfortunately, the only option presented to the young girl has the potential to be lucrative but unsuitable. She and her mother are forced to make a difficult choice. The Blood of Flowers is a story of love, loss, learning and sacrifice. The young girl often makes rash, immature decisions and takes extreme risks--something unusual in a Muslim girl in 17th Century Persia. Some of these risks pay dividends, while others bring great misery. This book is also a coming of age story as the young girl moves to womanhood and especially, discovers the pleasures of the flesh. Amirrezvani wants her readers to see the true beauty of Iran. She paints a vivid picture of the beautiful Isfahan with her river, her bridges, her mosques, her gardens, her bazaar and her hammams. She also details the food, dress and customs of the day. But the author saves her most descriptive writing for the carpets! She provides a fascinating look at how the carpets are planned, sketched out, how the wools and silks are selected, how they're knotted, etc. They're not just floor coverings, but wall hangings, furniture and most of all, works of art. A carpet is put together knot by knot and row by row to create a true treasure. Amirrezvani has also created a true Persian treasure, word by word, line by line and story by story.

A rare Top Shelf book

I have a top shelf which I reserve for very special books that are to be kept, recommended, possibly reread, and only loaned to completely trustworthy friends. It is rare that I place a book there - on average one a year. The Blood of Flowers - my latest favorute - has taken its place on this top shelf.

Elegant as a Silk Tabriz Carpet

Set in seventeenth-century Persia and narrated by an eighteen-year-old girl, "Blood of Flowers" would appear to have all the earmarks of a slow-moving period piece geared for an audience of women. Not so. This first novel turns out to be a work of art, every bit as dazzling as the Persian rugs designed and knotted by its unnamed heroine. The story begins with the appearance of an ominous comet in the skies, portending a year of ill fortune for our narrator, who is due to be married in the coming months. Sure enough, her father suddenly dies, leaving the girl and her mother without the dowry required to attract a worthy suitor. Facing poverty, mother and daughter take up residence as servants in the household of an uncle who makes Persian rugs on commission for wealthy patrons. A self-taught village rug-maker herself, the girl wins her uncle's confidence, becoming an apprentice of sorts and learning the intricacies required to fashion city carpets of the highest quality. But when she's forced to accept a three-month marriage contract to a wealthy horse trader, whose interest is hedonistic and short-term, the girl is caught in an untenable situation in which her family's financial security and her self-respect come into violent conflict. As she matures from a headstrong young girl to a pragmatic woman with a feminist bent, our heroine struggles to defy the odds and forge a future for herself and her mother in this male-dominated society. It's a tribute to the author's methodical research, rich descriptive detail and knack for the cadence of good storytelling that this reader found himself completely transported into the novel's exotic world. Like the rugs for which Persia is famous, the structure of "Blood of Flowers" brings together its motifs in a simple but timelessly-elegant manner. If you enjoy novels like the "Kite Runner," you'll love this book.

Strong female narrator

In a time and place where women were considered property, the narrator shows amazing courage and determination. The author provides such vivid detail in a way that does not interupt the flow of the story. This is the best book that I have read in a long time, and to be the author's first novel is outstanding!

The narrator, while never named, comes to life

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (5/07) Persia in the early 1600's was a man's world; women had no rights, they were property first of their father and then their husband. This is the story of how one young woman survived in a male-dominated world. It all began with a comet streaking through the sky. The most learned man in the village read the almanac of the chief astronomer. He predicted that the enemies would have a plague and many diseases. He told of earthquakes in the south and battles that would turn the sea red with blood. The worst prediction was of immoral behavior and marriages filled with strife. "Those contracted later this year will be full of passion and strife." The narrator is a 14-year old girl expecting to marry within the next year. The name of the narrator is never used. She is fascinated with rug making, a craft dominated by men. When her father dies unexpectedly, all of her prospects of a good marriage are gone. The girl and her mother are forced to travel to Isfahan where her uncle offers to take them in. Her aunt resentfully agrees. Her aunt is cruel but her uncle, an expert at making carpets, indulges her interest in rug making He comes to respect her abilities and tutors her in the industry. The narrator is forced in to a three-month renewable marriage contract with a rich horse trader. She tells fascinating stories to entertain him and learns to please him sexually. The man does not want her for a wife because she has no money. When word of the secret contract is made public the girl and her mother are forced to leave her uncle's protection. The girl knows that if she is to survive in this world she must become not only an expert rug maker but learn to sell and negotiate. "Blood of Flowers" by Anita Amirrezvani uses words to vividly paint a picture of 17th century Iran. The plot moves at a fast pace and draws the readers in. I could not lay this book down. This book has it all -- a wicked aunt, a kind uncle, and a loving but poverty-stricken mother. The cover is beautifully done, hinting at a sensuous plot. The narrator, while never named, comes to life on the pages of this magnificent piece of art. I felt that while this novel is considered fiction it also hints at history and could be based on a true story. I highly recommend "Blood of Flowers" to fans of fiction and history.