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)

Painfully slow in parts, worthwhile in the end

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The story is original. I enjoyed the description of life in Iran in the 17th century. There is an excruciatingly long portion of the novel where the main character dwells in squalor and despair. I almost stopped listening, but I forged ahead. The ending made the experience worthwhile overall, but it wasn't a favorite

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I liked the ending. It summed things up nicely, but it was painful getting there.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

I liked the narrator. The story would have been a disaster without her accent.

Beautiful language and storytelling

I was thoroughly captivated by this story. The stories within the story were engaging and the narrator was sublime. I only wish it was longer.

Beautiful

I read this book years ago. I have re read it many times. This is my first time listening and I was not disappointed.

Exotic setting, conventional story

The Persian setting is fascinating at times and clearly authentic in conception and detail. The story, however, while well developed and convincing, is also entirely conventional and devoid of surprises or compelling insights.

The author has incorporated the telling of several Persian folktales (I assume they are traditional) into the fabric of the story. They are perhaps the best part of the book, but they also interrupt, somewhat, the flow of the narrative.

The book is well served by the narrator, and I had no problem listening to the end, enjoying it for the most part. I would not, however, recommend it highly except for those with a special interest in Persian culture, folk tales or rug making.

Most Beautiful Listening Experience Ever..

Brava! Anita Amirrezvani has created one of the most beautifully crafted stories I have ever read. The very thick icing on the cake is Shohreh Aghdashloo's beautiful performance. I was whisked away by this gorgeous story and I was attentive as a starving dog salivating over a piece of steak.

A completely fictitious work, The Blood of Flowers takes place in traditional Persia. When a wife and her young girl lose their patriarch to death, they must travel to a large city to live with a distant relative. They must earn their keep, and so many things transpire in the book that end up causing the young girl and her mother to be shamed and tossed out of their relatives' home. They must come up with another way to survive.

The story is told to perfection by Aghdashloo, with beautiful prose and a tale I will never forget, The Blood of Flowers is one of the best audiobooks I've ever been fortunate enough to listen to. I savoured every moment, and anyone who enjoys good fiction and a phenomenal story will do the same.

-Wendi

Spellbinding

I absolutely loved this audio book. The book tells such a wonderful story and the narrator's voice lends such depth and feeling to the story. This is a must-listen!

Love the narrator

Any additional comments?

I was captured by the lush descriptions of exotic places and the historic details of the novel.
The narrator, however, absolutely makes this work come alive. This book reads like a rich family saga, passed down orally from mother to daughter. The narrator was perfect. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the printed version as much.

Sex, food, roses ad nauseum--A Persian Candide

What did you like best about The Blood of Flowers? What did you like least?

The setting (Persia in the 15th Century) and its descriptions were vivid and rich. The many traditional (I assume) Persian folk tales sprinkled throughout the story were enjoyable too. The plot, though engaging, was not as rich as the descriptions, but the heroine and other characters were well developed, and the feminist twist was nice.

What distracted and annoyed me were the number of things that were "like roses"--lips, cheeks, nipples, clothing, rugs--or had to do with rose petals--water, sharbet, a sex scene. Hey, we GET IT ALREADY, OKAY?-- was over the top. And although Shoreh Agdashloo is a terrific actress and emotes well, her tobacco-damaged voice sounds to me like rough sandpaper against brick. It got in the way of my enjoyment.

And I did really enjoy the book, because I am a historical fiction sap. It's an easy way for me to learn about the past, about other cultures and customs (assuming the book is well-researched and fact-checked).

Would you recommend The Blood of Flowers to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend this to people who don't know anything about Persia, not to people looking for a great read. As a summer read, absolutely!

What aspect of Shohreh Aghdashloo’s performance would you have changed?

Someone else reading it would have been better.

wonderful storytelling. magical descriptions.

this was such a great story. best storytelling and a wonderful heroine. tale of a child growing up and choosing her own fate.

a stunningly narrated story of love, and loss

This story grabbed me quickly and never let go. It is stunningly narrated by Shoreh Agdashloo and is set in a time and culture that is shockingly underrepresented in literature. I'm going to be listening to this gem for years to come.