The Blood of Flowers in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Apr 24, 2017 Suzanne Hamilton rated it really liked it

Historical fiction isn't a favorite genre, but I really enjoyed this one. I loved learning about the lore and craft of rug making, and about 17th century Iran. Ill fortune seems to follow a girl and her mother: her father's sudden death leave her without a hope for a good marriage and under the reluctant protection of a distant relative. Still, once they leave their rural village for the capital city of Isfahan, the girl's talent for knotting and designing rugs offers her a chance at a better li ...more

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Aug 28, 2007 Corinne rated it liked it

Shelves: for-bookgroup, middleeast, iran

Much of this book is overly predictable, but the story is told in way that makes the lack of surprise bearable. Amirrezvani works her way out of the Cinderella trap (perfect, lovely girl is abused by her evil step-family) by making the narrator believable, if not entirely three-dimensional. She is likable but stubborn, making her mistakes understandable and forgivable. The lush descriptions of seventeenth century Persia make this book worth the read.

For those more familiar with Iranian culture a ...more

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Apr 23, 2008 Journeywoman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5starbooks

First there wasn't. Then there was. Before Gd, no one was.

That is how this book begins. The language brings you into 17th century Iran and the life of a young woman who wants nothing else than to weave carpets.

To discuss this book is to talk about how glad I am that I am born now. To discuss this book is to talk about how human it is to want a say in one's own destiny.

I highly recommend this book. ...more

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