Friday, October 26, 2007

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

A young woman has to leave the life she knows and move to the city. Her father dying has sent her whole life upside down. Now her and her mom’s fate is in the hands of relatives that live in Isfahan. Her uncle weaves carpets for the shah. But being headstrong is going to get her in some serious trouble. That puts her mother and her in a serious desperate situation that she is not sure that she can get them out of. She is forced into a marriage by contract that will be renewed every 3 months. Now she has to figure out if that is what she wants and will she be able to keep weaving carpets.

Ms. Amirrezvani knows how to weave a tale. With all the research she did, this book came alive for me. I know very little about this culture but she was able to put into terms that I could understand their cultural heritage and the things that they held dear. I found the young woman very easy to understand and I enjoyed her. She was true to herself and her beliefs.

The young woman had great talent. Her uncle only had to help her figure out how to do things correctly whether it was color or design for a carpet. It did not take her long and she was getting commissions and hiring people to help her. That was so amazing! I was completely astounded. Her marriage really tested her and she had to figure out what was more important being tied to a man by contract or find someone who she knew would not give up on her.

This book was beautifully written and I was able to see how much she cared for presenting a story. She had to change a few facts but the fact that she was honest about it made it even better at the end. I truly enjoyed this book and hope to see more by this author!
Anita Amirrezvani/Fiction/377 pages/Persia/New Author/ 4 out of 5

Right now I am reading a book to then use it to interview an author! :) Then after that it is Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. :)