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    The Blood of Flowers: A Novel
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    The Blood of Flowers: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Blood of Flowers: A Novel
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Blood of Flowers: A Novel

    Written by Anita Amirrezvani

    Narrated by Shohreh Aghdashloo

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year. But when her beloved father dies, she and her mother find themselves alone and without a dowry. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to sell the brilliant turquoise rug the young woman has woven to pay for their journey to Isfahan, where they will work as servants for her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the legendary Shah Abbas the Great.

    Despite her lowly station, the young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets, a rarity in a craft dominated by men. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim. Forced into a secret marriage to a wealthy man, the young woman finds herself faced with a daunting decision: forsake her own dignity, or risk everything she has in an effort to create a new life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateJun 5, 2007
    ISBN9781594839139
    Unavailable
    The Blood of Flowers: A Novel
    Author

    Anita Amirrezvani

    Anita Amirrezvani is the author of the novel Equal of the Sun and The Blood of Flowers, which has been published in more than twenty-five languages and was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. She teaches at the California College of the Arts and Sonoma State University.

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    Reviews for The Blood of Flowers

    4/5

    708 ratings68 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Listened to this as an audiobook. Loved it. Perfect narration.
    • 5/5
      one of my favourites.
    • 5/5
      Loved the story line of this book. Within the story, Iranian literature (folk/fairy tales) are woven into the book after every chapter. Fascinating read from a historical and cultural perspective. Did not care for the reader on the audiobook so I would recommend getting it in paper format.
    • 5/5
      The Blood of Flowers is the life of a young woman whose destiny was shattered when a meteor appeared in the sky when she was a young girl. Since the event, her life has been hard. Her father dies, and she and her mother must relocate to a large city with family. Over time, while the young girl grows into a woman, she discovers what her true destiny is. The novel is also dotted with several Persian folk tales, which help to tie the story together.
    • 4/5
      "The Blood of Flowers" is a story of hardship in one young girl's life during 17th century Persia when a woman's destiny was marriage and produce sons. The first narrator, who is never named, is a poor girl of 14 who lives in a village and whose father dies and cannot provide the dowry for her upcoming marriage. So she and the mother move into the father's half brother's house in the city as poor relatives. While there, the daughter and mother try to come up with a dowry and everyone tries to manipulate the daughter to their end. As this is going on, she learns from her uncle how to weave carpets and the intoxicating world of color and fabrics.This is a very well written book and I liked it very much. The ending was appropriate given the context and made me happy. The book also reminded me of a proverb from the Bible "Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox where there is hate". It reminded me of the time the mother and daughter spent at their relatives' house.
    • 5/5
      17th century Persia? Rug weaving?? Not a promising premise, but this book delivers. It is without a doubt the best book I have read in the past ten years. It is beautifully written, achingly beautiful, and the story is captivating. You will absolutely forget about the 17th century--actually you will forget about the 21st century completely. The title is wonderfully ambiguous, and the book carries through on all of its meanings. If I could give this book more than five stars, I would.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely loved it!! Couldn't put it down :o)
    • 4/5
      This book is fantastic the author can take you on the journey of a young girl living in Iran in the 1600's in a modern style...very enjoyable highly recommended
    • 4/5
      This tale of a teenage girl in seventeenth-century Iran is both original and gripping. After losing her father, the narrator and her mother suffer hardships as they travel from their home village to the city and are treated as servants in the home of their relatives. Many misfortunes befall the two central characters, but these also allow the narrator to grow into a strong, skilled, and independent person who takes fate into her own hands. I really enjoyed the descriptions of carpet-weaving and the short stories within the larger novel. Overall, The Blood of Flowers was a good read and I am now more interested in Iran during this period.
    • 5/5
      Very beautifully written, incredibly written and full of goodness and hope amidst much tragedy and suffering.
    • 3/5
      I read this very soon after Anita Diamant's The Red Tent, as it seemed to be in the same vein. Pretty good book, but much preferred Diamant's.
    • 4/5
      This was such a wonderful story that was left a bit mysterious to me since the author decided to leave the main character unnamed. It is funny, but I have to admit that I did not even realize that her name was not given throughout the novel until it was brought up in one of the discussion questions. We are taken on a journey of this innocent girl's life as she crosses over from a naive young lady to a strong and independent business woman.This book begins with the girl's life in a small village in Persia, living with her parents she is able to rely on them for her every need. As the only child of the family she has a very close relationship with her parents but seemed to bond closer with her father as he has taught her everything that she knows about making carpets that are beautiful to the eye. She could never foresee how her life would change forever after her father passes away.The mother and daughter try to stay on in the village that they have always known as their home. Life becomes quite difficult as they have no way to earn money so when food starts to run dangerously low they decide to reach out to distant family members hoping that they will take them in. Since they don't have a dowry to offer for the young girl they do not think that they have any other option.They are grateful beyond words when her father's brother in Isfahan decides to take them both in. Although they graciously accept his hospitality, they are quite disappointed when they arrive to learn that they will be living and treated like servants rather than family members. Knowing they do not have a choice in the living arrangements they accept the circumstances as they are.Since the mother and daughter are living at the mercy of the aunt and uncle they are very unsure of their future in the household. They become worried that they could possibly make one wrong move and be cast out into the streets with just the clothes on their backs. One of their only hopes was that the young girl would marry a successful man, but without a dowry that option was more than likely lost. The young girl found herself growing close to her uncle and gaining a respect for him as he worked for the Royal Rug Company and has offered to teach her everything that he could about carpet making. The poor girl had every reason for her feelings of frustration and deception when her uncle arranged for a less than reasonable marriage arrangement.I must admit that I never really considered the hard work that has gone into producing one of these beautiful rugs. Although most today are probably factory made, to think that something similar was handmade with two hands (or more, depending on how many people were working on the rug) and a loom amazes me. It has been said that these rugs tell their own stories, and I could see the stories coming too life through the rugs that this young girl created. She struggled with her rug creations as she did with her life choices and I enjoyed how the rugs were more beautiful as she gained wisdom.This was a beautiful story that brings to life another culture along with it's vivid colors. Not only can you see the beauty and vibrance of the carpets, but you also get a good sense of the tastes and smells of the ethnic foods. With themes of love, loss, beauty, perseverance and struggles, this book was enjoyed by my entire book group.
    • 5/5
      Excellently written, and this book spiraled me into a mania for all things Persia. Besides the insanely awesome title, the author really breathes life into her characters. It is also a well-researched books.
    • 5/5
      In the he fabled city of Isfahan a young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of ccarpets, a rarity in a craft dominated by me. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for happy future grow dim. Forced into a secret, untenable marriage to a wealthy ma, the young woman faces a daunting choice-to forsake her dignity or to risk everything in an effort to create a new life. This spellbinding tale of adversity, adventure, and triumph makes indelibly real the dazzling world of medieval Persia.
    • 5/5
      A truly inspirational story about a woman forced into impossible choices and situations. A very different story than what I usually read, but I could not help but get entranced by its lyrical language intertwined with persian stories/fables. Under the surface, it beckoned the reader to look into what freedom means especially as a woman and asks the reader to consider what one would do or rather endure for one's family or for money/survival.
    • 4/5
      This is a compelling historical novel -- and a welcome relief from Tudor-mania. The unnamed narrator and her mother are left poverty-stricken by the sudden death of her father; they must now rely on the charity and goodwill of her unknown uncle, a wealthy carpet maker to the shah in Isfahan. The tale is, on the surface, a straightforward one: the heroine must rise above many obstacles to discern and pursue her own path in life. But the setting and the author's voice are distinctive enough to propel this above and beyond the genre. The story is interwoven with traditional Persian folk tales; at times, the book itself takes on a similar rhythym. The personalities of the characters -- the envious aunt, the hen-pecked uncle who nonethless takes immense pride in his niece's burgeoning talent as a carpet designer, the mother striving to make the best possible arrangements for her dowryless daughter -- are as vivid as the colors of any Persian carpet. This is a beautiful and impeccably written novel. The themes are about as traditional as you can get, but who cares?
    • 5/5
      It is 17th century Persia, and a young woman living in a small village is leading a happy life with her father and mother knowing she will be married soon. Then tragedy strikes at her father's workplace, and he is killed, and the girl and her mother, penniless, are forced to travel to Isfahan and throw themselves on the mercy of the father's half-brother, who is a rich rug-maker for the Shah. The young girl herself is fascinated by rug-making and convinces her uncle to train her in the art. The girl is very talented, but bad luck and impulsive actions almost destroy everything in her life. A beautifully told story interspersed with fables and a fascinating look at a life where women were totally at the mercy of their male benefactors.
    • 4/5
      A woman and her daughter are made homeless in Persia following the death of a man. An uncle welcomes them to live with them, and they pay for their keep by doing the housekeeping and cooking. The daughter is fascinated by her uncle's carpet weaving business and starts to accompany him to work, to watch him as he designs carpets, and then picks colors for his weavers to turn his designs into luxurious carpets that he sells. As she grows up, her uncle notices that she has an eye for color and design, and allows her to design her own carpet, and to weave it. He becomes her mentor, much to the anger of his wife, who feels he is favoring her above his own daughters. She eventually starts her own carpet business, hiring women who have to fend for themselves, or who are being abused by their husbands at home.This is a great story about a woman who ignores societal dictates and builds a life for herself and helps others in the process.
    • 3/5
      "The Blood of Flowers" presents us with the story of an unnamed female narrator trying to make her way into adulthood in the Iranian capital of Isfahan in the 1620s. Our protaganist has a gift for designing and making, or "knotting" carpets, and after losing her father at fourteen, she must move from her native village to the home of her uncle in the dazzling capital. Our heroine suffers at the hands of her family, her friends, and the restrictive mores of the time. Yet she and her mother prevail, as a combination of events makes it possible for her to pursue her vocation to design and make carpets fit for the palace.I felt as though our protaganist was a real and believable character, with the one objection that she was given a few too many 21st-century traits and ambitions. Characterizations are a strong suit for Ms. Amirrezvani, starting with her heroine. The plot was too contrived in places - never moreso than when her best friend - whom I could barely stomach, and who continued to enjoy our beloved carpet-weaver's devotion after so many cruel betrayals (inexplicable!) - this "friend" winds up marrying the man who had taken the narrator as a concubine. And the outcome held no surprises; it was as predictable as nightfall.Presumably Ms. Amirrezvani aimed to show Isfahan at its zenith, and it was a good college try on her part. This fiction, though, was just barely polished enough to bring it off.
    • 5/5
      The basic plot of this novel is pretty familiar and much like Cinderella - a young girl falls on misfortune and is mistreated by the only family she has left. But The Blood of Flowers is much more complex than that. It deals with the highly controversial issue of temporary marriage, or sigheh. It also demonstrates how women can find themselves in very grave circumstances when they live in a society where one's only source of financial security is a husband, or sex. Finally, it illustrates how a woman succeeds against all odds and creates a business out of nothing.The Blood of Flowers reads very much like a fairy tale, which makes it very enjoyable to read and difficult to put down. The author laces the main story with Persian fables and tales. I found this to be unique and quite enchanting. The characters are well developed, if not a little predictable at times. But I don't think that any predictability takes away from the story. I enjoyed seeing the anonymous narrator grow up from a little girl to a mature, at times jaded, but always ambitious young woman.The first, and most controversial issue is the issue of temporary marriage. For security, the unnamed narrator consents to a temporary marriage to please her greedy family. But temporary marriage is represented in other ways, too. To one woman, it is a way for her to finally be with her true love after her first husband has died. In another case, it is void of any sexual connotation and simply used in order to make it proper for people to live in close quarters. In yet another case, it is offered as a way to make prostitution legal, which is how it is most often used in parts of the world today.The second major issue is the issue of woman's ability to be independent. The source of all of the narrator's misfortunes is really that she has no other way to easily provide for herself outside of begging and prostitution if she has no male relatives left willing to care for her. She eventually overcomes this, after many years of suffering and hard work. But I feel that while these cultural and religious conventions may have been put into place originally to serve as a protection for women, they often times end up being a major obstacle, or even one of the causes for great suffering among women.One thing I appreciate is that while there is a happily-ever-after ending, it's not in the way novels like this traditionally end. There is no great love story, and no one rides off into the sunset together. I very much respect that the author didn't play into this cliche.I had not expected to love The Blood of Flowers as much as I did. I strongly recommend it to everyone.
    • 4/5
      This book took some serious attention- don't give up before you've read the first 100 pages. It stimulated a lot of curiousity in me, both about the rugs and the geography of the area. I wonder about the conceit of having a woman running a business at that time - is it merely an author's conceit to involve contemporary readers, or was it really possible?
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this fascinating look into the culture of 17th century Persia, especially from the perspective of women of all social classes. Particularly fascinating was the detailed look at the art of rugmaking and the traditional folk stories told by the narrator and the narrator's mother. I also liked that the narrator was headstrong and willful, but in a realistic way that often ended in tragedy for her. I thought such a narrator made the story accessible for both a modern and a Western audience as it made me realize how brash American thinking and actions can have implications one can not predict nor even imagine when interacting with another society--particularly those in the Middle East. While the story seems to often be headed in the traditional "happily ever after" direction, it doesn't--a few plot lines that I thought were going to be trite and predictable actually surprised me by not ending up where I thought they would (trying not to give away any spoilers here, but suffice it to say that I found the ending to be very appropriate).
    • 4/5
      Interesting historical novel about 17th century Persia (modern Iran), involving a lot of rich descriptions of the place and experience of women of the time, and also about urban versus rural existence. It's a very nice coming-of-age tale, and the passages about the heroine and her involvement in the craft of rug-weaving were a great read in particular.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written story about a young disadvantaged girl, growing up in 17th Century Iran, amidst the craft of rug-making. What is most interesting are the expectations of and customs for women in this era. Are they real?
    • 5/5
      I can't say enough good things about this book. A historic novel, it is set in Iran and is about a girl who wants to learn to weave rugs. Life for women in Iran is extremely difficult, and we follow the woman as she pursues her dream.There is violence, sex (lots of sex,) cruelty, and kindness. You should read it.
    • 5/5
      The tale of a headstrong and talented young woman in the 17th century Iran. The main character and narrator is nameless to us as the only child of a peasant couple. She is almost 14 with no diary and in a headstrong way proceeds to dye wool and weave a rug that will provide for her dowry. Then her father dies, leaving her and her mother with no protection. They move to the city of Isfahan under the protection of her father's half brother who manages the Shah's carpet workshop and is also a well known designer. In the home of this uncle and his wife, they are indeed protected and at the same time humiliated again and again. The wife continuously finds ways to exploit the them for personal gain.There is drama, plot twists, sensuality, and a measure of victory as the narrator tells us the story of her young life.
    • 5/5
      A lush, historical romp. The imagery is vivid and the story very poignant and touching.
    • 2/5
      A disappointment. I thought this would be more historically detailed, and would give me an understanding of what it meant to be a carpet maker in Isfahan in the 17th century. But it is really dumbed down--all you learn is some basic principles of design that are applicable to any art or high craft. As you read, the book is more and more about creating steamy sex scenes between the heroine and her arranged husband. More pulp fiction than historical fiction, alas.
    • 3/5
      A sensual and engaging coming of age story. I especially liked the traditional folktales interspersed with the narrative (including two 'in the style of' ones written by Anita Amirrezvani herself. Reading this novel has really piqued my interest in historical Iran, so I was grateful that my edition had a list of recommended further reading from the author!
    • 4/5
      A very interesting novel set in 17th century Persia, with a twist on the "life of women in the Middle East." I was absolutely delighted with the last half of the book. I particularly enjoyed the stories woven through the text.