Customer Reviews

The Blood of Flowers: A Novel

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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.

As a lover of historical fiction, I was eager to read this book; the topic sounded interesting and different, and I'm always curious to read stories about women in other civilivations. While I was not disappointed at all, and really enjoyed the novel, there were two things that bothered me about the book (dont worry, I won't give anything away), which prevented me from giving it a higher rating. First, throughout the novel there are small vignettes in which the narrator disgresses and a short story/tale is told. While the author's intention is clear - in each instance, the vignette is conveyed to shed additional insight into a character or situation, I felt these digressions from the plot did absolutely nothing to enhance the story and rather were a huge distraction which broke the continuity of the writing. I think the author's main storyline/plot was so well-written, that she simply didn't need to include the vignettes to help tell her tale. Second, I though the ending was rushed and wished it would have been drawn-out more. I was so captivated and immersed in the story and the lives of the narrator and those around her, that I didnt want it to be wrapped up in such an abbreviated manner. I felt the vast majority of the book was perfectly paced, yet the last forty pages or so rushed through too much time in order to finish the story. I just wish it had gone on longer, as I was eager to read more.

Overall, I thought it was a very good book and well-written. I found the time/place/culture so interesting to learn about, and it is obvious a tremendous amount of research went into creating this novel. I would defintiely recommend it to others, especially those who enjoy historical fiction, and look forward to hopefully reading more by this author!

Set in 17th century Persia, it is significant that the protagonist in this thought-provoking novel remains unnamed, indeed a hostage to her fate. Although her family is not wealthy, the girl is valued beyond measure by her family, an only child. Suddenly an inauspicious comet sends the village into paroxysms of dread as the mullah announces potential lapses in moral behavior: "On the topic of marriages, those contracted later this year will be full of passion and strife." Of marriageable age at fourteen, the girl is anxious about her future, eventually soothed by her father's promises. But the happy family is sundered by the unexpected death of the father, widow and child barely eking out sustenance in the village until they are accepted into the household of Gostaham, their only living relative in Isfahan.

Gostaham is a master of the ancient art of carpet making, one of a skilled few favored by the shah. Gostaham has made a fortune with his extraordinary designs and myriad colors, delighted to find that his new young charge is adept at the art of carpet making as well. He explains the philosophy of artisans such as himself: "our response to cruelty, suffering and sorrow is to remind the world of the face of beauty." Although mother and daughter are subject to the harsh restrictions of Gostaham's wife's household demands, the man agrees to train the girl. Watching his student bloom under his tutelage, the master is thrilled, wishing she were a male to carry on his line. Although she acquires one close friend, the beautiful Naheed, the girl is consumed by a love of her art, an avid student, soaking up instruction like a thirsty sponge, eager for more. Her work is indeed valuable and gratifying.

With no prospects and no dowry, the girl's only value is her virtue. Unlikely to make a propitious marriage, she accepts the advice of her relatives and accepts a sigheh, a three month marriage contract with a wealthy man. She learns the pleasures and pitfalls of such a union at the cost of a lifetime commitment and a dear friendship. With no financial independence, she is at the mercy of a society that views her as insignificant, her gender a hindrance in her chosen field. Cast into abject poverty, the young woman takes hold of her future, pursuing a life of creativity, honing the skills Gostaham has nurtured. At a crossroads between despair and hope, she finds the strength to deny the expected in favor of possibility. In a haunting tale, woven through with ancient fables, a young girl of no value carves a place in an indifferent world, invisible in her womanhood, but magnificent in her courage, rising above her circumstances to fulfill her destiny. Luan Gaines/2007.

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.

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 writing is quite good in this debut, tho the story didn't really capture me until a twist at about page 100 that had me glued to the book for the next few hours. Well done look at life in Persia in the 17th century. I did however have some trouble with the choices this young girl makes on her own (I don't think she would have) and the choices the uncle made to please his wife (this strong character would not have been browbeaten by a women in that time and place). But what bothered me most was the ending. I don't like story endings tied up in a ribbon, but I expect them to be a bit less nebulous with this one. I think the author didn't know how to end the book.

That being said, it was a good read and I'd recommend it.

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.

A good rug is not just something to tread upon or to keep in the warmth. A good rug can be a work of art, painstakingly crafted and beautifully executed. A good rug can also tell a story --- a story woven into the design or the story of the rug maker. When Anita Amirrezvani was 14, her father gave her a rug, and she began to imagine the lives of the people who created it. The dust jacket of her debut novel, THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS, tells us that from this experience, the book began to take shape.

Like a fine rug, Amirrezvani's story is tightly woven, balancing strength and delicacy. It is the tale of a 17th-century young woman, who remains unnamed, and her journey to emotional and physical autonomy, happiness and self-worth. When her father dies unexpectedly, she and her mother leave their small village for the protection of a relative in the bustling city of Isfahan. Her uncle (her father's half-brother) is a rug designer and maker for the Shah, and he knows that his niece has learned the basics of rug making as well. She is curious to see his studio and learn from him, but she and her mother become like servants in his house.

Still, the kindly uncle teaches her more of the craft as he sees she has a real talent and because he has no sons to whom he can pass the business off. She is even lent money to create her own rug in the hopes of selling it but rashly undoes all the knots in a moment of frustration, prompting her family to enter her into a sigheh, or temporary marriage.

In this union any pretense of freedom the protagonist has is shredded, at least for the reader. It is clear to us, if not immediately to her, that this is a purely sexual relationship; her family has in fact sold her virginity. Still, she clings to the hope that it may become a permanent marriage, and in order to ensure that it does, she commits herself to pleasing her wealthy, arrogant husband. This storyline has an interesting twist that sees the security of the young girl threatened once again. Eventually she learns, after enduring humiliation and loss, that she must become self-sufficient in order to survive. In this, her passion for making rugs will serve her well. She finds hope in a seemingly unlikely home and puts what she learned in her uncle's house to use in order to take care of herself, her mother and others as well.

Amirrezvani's heroine is headstrong, likable and sometimes frustrating as she navigates her relationships and new surroundings. The unnamed protagonist is well developed but the supporting characters less so. Still, it is easy to understand her mother's and uncle's motivation in dealing with her harshly at times. And, interestingly enough, there are no clearcut villains --- just individuals who thwart the main character's happiness or sometimes treat her unkindly.

THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS brings to life early modern Iran --- its sights, sounds, tastes and society --- with clarity and respect, all the while telling an interesting and engaging story. Amirrezvani also manages to pull off the difficult task of writing a few sexually explicit scenes without completely straying into the sappy or the tawdry.

One of the most compelling and interesting aspects of the novel is Amirrezvani's use of stories within the story. She takes some Persian folk or fairy tales, as well as a few of her own invention, and weaves them nicely into the prose. These are stories usually told among the female characters that express some desire or fear in a poetic and culturally acceptable way. They lend a sweetness, richness and authenticity to the tale.

Critics and reviewers are already singing the praises of THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS, and for good reason. It is a lovely debut; a heartfelt coming-of-age tale and a historical piece that speaks to issues beyond its context. Amirrezvani's prose is readable and her story enjoyable; the book is better than much summer fare and is surely a sign of the beginning of a solid literary career. Like the amazing rugs designed and woven by her characters, this first novel is strong and beautiful and will stand the test of time.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

I enjoyed Anita Amirrezvani's 'The Blood of Flowers' so much that when I saw I had maybe 60 pages left I found myself disappointed that there were only that many pages to wrap up the tale.
In this book, the (unnamed) heroine is borne and raised in a small village in southern Iran, the tale beginning in the Year of the Comet (in the 17th century) , which does not predict happy circumstances. The teen's father soon dies, leaving her and her mother helpless. They send a message to a distant relative in the metropolis of Isfahan, where her uncle enjoys a life of wealth and privilege due to being an esteemed carpet maker, and ask for help.
Family is family, and the uncle, Gostahan, invites the mother and daughter to come stay with him. Though when they get there, the uncle's wife, Gordiyeh, relegates them to servant status. But a roof over one's head and food in the belly is better than being homeless, so they stay and work hard.
The heroine is fascinated by rugmaking, and her uncle soon takes her under his wing. The girl has a thirst for knowledge, and the uncle is obviously pleased, since he has no son to take over the family business (though, unfortunately, neither can this girl because she is a female but he still enjoys teaching her what his daughters have shown no interest in). His young student is hungry to learn as much as she can, and shows great promise, but she also is rash and impulsive, where at one point she invites scorn from the household tearing up one of her carpets because she realizes it is no good.
Then one day to earn more money, a proposal comes up, where the girl will be contracted in a three-month marriage to a wealthy man, renewable depending on both parties. This type of marriage is not so honorable, but the girl agrees due to family urging her to do so, and learns about the ways of sex and men, feeling the pressure to keep him happy to secure another renewal. That's only part of the story, as more plot twists and tangles appear due to the young protagonist's rash nature. Along the way there are fascinating folk tales told by the characters and it's interesting to learn a bit about Iranian culture and history, via descriptions of Isfahan, carpet making, the baths and arranged marriages. The story could easily have gone along in a romance novel vein and carved out a pat ending, but Amirrezvani doesn't go that route. As I read it I kept hoping she wouldn't end the story in some predictable manner, and she didn't. I love that, and I loved the experience of the book. I hope Amirrezvani writes more in the future.

It is seventeenth-century Iran. Hand-knotted carpets are a source of pride to their makers, including one who is a mere girl. After the death of her father, she and her mother flee to the city rather than starve. Forced to rely on the kindness of relatives they barely know, mother and daughter face an uncertain future.

With no dowry, the girl has few marriage prospects. Her talent for knotting and designing carpets offers hope--maybe she and her mother will be able to support themselves with profits off carpet sales. But as she is brash and immature, she makes mistakes that threaten to reduce her dreams to less than the roughest yarn scraps and may cost her mother's life.

Anita Amirrezvani offers a richly compelling novel that will sink into readers' hearts. Not only does she paint the setting with rich colors, sounds, and smells, but her story has more substance than many of today's literary offering. This is truly stunning for a debut novel. The level of subtlety, the ability to make the reader taste the girl's surroundings, and the sheer understanding of the culture and characters, these elements are the signs of a talented and diligent author.

If you want to read a novel that is both intelligent and moving, get THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS now.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
07/10/2007