A Book Review - The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

Author: Anita Amirrezvani
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Pages: 464
Price: Rs. 325
Publishers: HEADLINE BOOK PUBLISHING
ISBN Number: 0755341422

Book Blurb:

Set in seventeenth-century Iran, THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS is the powerful and haunting story of a young girl's journey from innocence to adulthood. A village girl's dreams of marriage end on the death of her father. Cast on the mercy of relatives in fabled Isfahan, she and her mother are reduced to servitude until she reveals a talent for designing carpets – an invaluable skill. Hope is short-lived, for a disastrous, headstrong act results in the girl's disgrace. Caught between forces she can barely comprehend, she faces a life lived at the whim of others – unless she is prepared to risk everything and choose a future based on her own strength and will.

About the Book:

My passion for reading novels has been since my school days. I simply catch hold of any book that intrigues me. Though I love Romance, Thrills, Suspense, and Mystery novels, I sometimes love to read short stories and novels of contemporary authors. Recently, I read 'The Blood of Flowers' written by Anita Amirrezvani. I find this book fantastic with full of mesmeric narratives and historical background. The time and place dates back 17^th century in a Persian village, Isfahan.

After reading this novel, I have a soft-heart for that 14-year old going-to-be married woman. But, unfortunately, her marriage didn't take place within the year due to her father's sudden demise. I was surprised by her ultimate destiny. Her God-gifted rug-making skills made her to be blessed by everyone at first but finally her skills became her curse and have transformed her into another personality.

A nameless character with a strong feminine personality indeed, I must appreciate the plot and the theme the author had chosen to present in front of all her readers. Though the novel has a beautiful blend of romance, hatred, eagerness to learn attitude, and inquisitive, I find this story very unpredictable. I wonder how an innocent and happy mind has later turned into a disastrous but determined manipulating mind. I pity about the young woman's struggling to live herself through the cruelties of life. But, I admire her determination to risk her own life to live a better life of her choice.

I admire the writing skills of the author, Anita Amirrezvani. She has very beautifully illustrated the historical details of the 17^th century Persian society fitted nicely into various chapters. She has also introduced the art and craft of Persian carpets and that you will not resist admiring at these carpet-making skills even today. Finally, I must say that this book is worth-reading and worth-buying.

About the Author:

Anita Amirrezvani was born in Teheran, Iran in 1961 and raised in San Francisco by her mother, after her parents separated when she was two years old. She began going back to Teheran at the age of 13, several times afterwards, to spend time with her father and her Iranian family. During the nine years spent writing her first novel, The Blood of Flowers, she visited Isfahan three times to study the settings described in her novel on location.

She read many books about 17th century Iran under the reign of Shah Abbas and also spent time informing herself about art during this period; like paintings, architecture, textiles and the art and techniques of carpet making. The Blood of Flowers was published in 2007. It was short-listed for the 2008 Booker Prize and long-listed for the 2008 Orange Prize for Fiction.