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While growing up in a tiny Persian village in the 1620s, a young girl dreamed of becoming a wife—of having a marriage as happy as her parents’. Though her father worked in the fields, trying to earn a sizeable dowry for his daughter, it never seemed to be enough—nor did the extra money that her mother made by selling the beautiful carpets that she made. So the young girl decided that she would earn her own dowry by making one beautiful carpet—one that would be more beautiful than any of the others in the village. She learned how to make a turquoise dye, and she carefully began knotting a beautifully detailed carpet—the one that will bring her a husband.
When her father dies unexpectedly, however, everything changes for the young girl. She and her mother, Maheen, are left with nothing—and they’re forced to leave their lives behind, to travel to the magnificent city of Isfahan, to the home of relatives who have agreed to help them.
The girl’s uncle is a rich and famous carpet maker who works for the Shah himself. Though carpet making is men’s work—and she could never work in her uncle’s studio—she begs him to teach her how to design beautiful carpets like the ones she’s seen in his studio. When she’s not working in her uncle’s kitchen, she’s helping him with his carpets—or working on one of her own. She finally has hope for her future again—until a bad decision and her aunt’s selfishness force her into a shameful relationship that threatens to ruin the beautiful future she’d once dreamed about.
The Blood of Flowers is an enchanting debut from a gifted author. As Amirrezvani tells the story of her nameless young woman, she also weaves in traditional Middle Eastern tales—in the style of The Arabian Nights. Her storytelling is rich and colorful, and her stories are as intricate and as detailed as the rugs that her young woman knots.
The setting of the story is captivating and vibrant—as is its main character. And while you’ll never even know the main character’s name, you’ll get to know all about her. You’ll know about her dreams and her weaknesses. You’ll know her feelings, and you’ll know the secrets that she won’t even tell her mother. You’ll know why she makes the decisions she makes—and although they’re not always the right decisions, you’ll get to understand her more through them.
Readers will quickly find themselves engrossed in this magical story—transported to a fascinating time and place and led through the city’s streets by a strong young woman. It’s a truly spell-binding novel that’s not to be missed.
