The Blood of Flowers

By: Anita Amirrezvani

Narrated by: Shohreh Aghdashloo

Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

In 17th-century Persia, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year. 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.

©2007 Anita Amirrezvani (P)2007 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Sumptuous imagery and a modern sensibility...make this a winning debut." ( Publishers Weekly)

Enjoyed this book!

I was taken with this book about a young woman's life in 17th c. Iran. The narrator was quite good, though there were a few issues with English pronunciation and not being able to understand what she was actually saying at first. However, most of the mispronounced words I could still understand or decipher through the context, though there were a few along the way I did not understand. Still a very well performed narration and could certainly listen to another narration by Aghdashloo. The basic story was reasonably good and the setting in 17th c. Iranian culture including the rug-making aspects were quite interesting. I enjoyed her overall writing style and found it beautifully descriptive which helped the story to flourish as well. The side narratives (stories told by the characters) were a little hit and miss for me...some truly engaged me and others seemed to be more of a distraction from the main narrative: I would say that mostly the side narratives added to the book for me. Overall, I definitely recommend!

What a wonderful narrator!

The woman who narrated it, Shohreh Aghdashloo, is a native of Iran. She is an actress who was in The House of Sand and Fog. Her voice is so soothing. On occasion, she will mispronounce a word, which only adds to her charm. The book is about a young girl who becomes a rug maker. The story arc starts with her happy childhood, her move to the big city, being used by her distant relatives, and finally ends with her leading a life of her own choosing. Intertwined in her tale are several Iranian fairy tales, which give the book a bit of One Thousand and One Nights feel at times.

Could have been exotic and sexy.

What could Anita Amirrezvani have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I enjoyed following her transformation from a bratty/stubborn fool to a girl who was humbled by poverty in a big city. However, for the majority of the book she is extremely silly. The ending was rushed so it seems as if her success was by luck and things fell into place too easily.

Also, the choice of vocabulary made the scenes ordinary and the sex trashy. I get that you want to empower a young girl with the realization that her body can take "pleasures" in sex. But your over usage of such words, made the story sound like a gas station book.

Enjoyable, educational

I enjoyed this book. I like historical fiction type writing...and while this didn't include a ton of history, there were cultural elements that I found educational. I liked the readers accent...I thought it really added to the story.

Page Turner! Fantastic story and it took me to ...

the secret lives and culture of women in Iran. I never realized their community was so rich and rewarding,even in the midst of harsh laws and customs. The narrator was also wonderful.

Dougie

The book was okay, but there were too many stories (tales), which took away from the story. Never know how it ended.

I loved this book so much

Wonderful story, far different than anything else I've ever read. It's the first book that I've read in a while that I felt like I was transported out of my normal American life. I am irritated that I waited so long.

Loved it

Beautifully written. I loved the Iranian parables intertwined in the book.
I didn't mind the voice of the narrator - so much… It was more that her voice sounded mature and the character she is portraying is a young girl. The two didn't exactly match. However, as you can see it didn't take away from my 5 star rating of the book. And I will highly recommend it to those who like fiction, beautiful writing, and rich characters.

Making Her Own Beauty

We are all the sum total of our experiences. In the same times, in the same places life shaping events can be similar. It was thoroughly enjoyable to walk with a 16th century woman who could make her own destiny.

Lovely, tender story. Exquisite narration.

This was a most excellent listening experience. I was truly sorry when it was over.