January 2015 Guest Editor Harriet Evans on The Blood of Flowers...
This is one of those books that should have got a Richard and Judy or something to make sell a million copies but it was a bit too early for that. It’s miles better than the Kite Runner, I think, and it taught me so much. It’s set in 17th-century Iran and is about a young woman who becomes a rugmaker. That description doesn’t do it justice at all! It’s so fascinating, you completely believe you are there in the bazaars and courtyards of Isfahan.
Sarah Broadhurst's view...
An enthralling read set in 17th century Iran with much factual detail (especially on rug making), adding a fascinating insight into the culture of a very different world. It includes Iranian legends at the close of each chapter, which adds to its charm. Telling of the journey of a young girl, whose life changes dramatically upon the death of her father, through the struggles of life into adulthood, it is certainly an impressive debut.
Set in seventeenth-century Iran, THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS is the powerful and haunting story of a young girl's journey from innocence to adulthood.
A village girl's dreams of marriage end on the death of her father. Cast on the mercy of relatives in fabled Isfahan, she and her mother are reduced to servitude until she reveals a talent for designing carpets -- an invaluable skill. Hope is short-lived, for a disastrous, headstrong act results in the girl's disgrace. Caught between forces she can barely comprehend, she faces a life lived at the whim of others -- unless she is prepared to risk everything and choose a future based on her own strength and will. THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS tells an unforgettable story: a tale of sensuality, of the treachery of friendship, of the power of love, and of the fragile possibility of finding happiness against all odds.
Anita Amirrezvani was born in Iran but has lived in the USA since she was a young child. She has visited Iran many times and has been steeped in tales of Iranian life and history from an early age. The Blood of Flowers is her first novel.
