Book Review: The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani
About the book, via www.bookreporter.com/reviews2/0316065765-about.asp
In 17th-century Persia, 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.
I bought this book about a year ago, and started reading it, but I had a hard time getting into it. I think that had more to do with what was going on with me more than the story presenting itself.
I picked it up again a few days ago, and began again. The story is gripping, and I found that I looked forward to any time I had to read it again (I even read this book instead of knitting during downtime at work...anyone that knows me knows this is a big deal).
The character development is phenomenal. As I read, the characters came to life for me, from the narrator and main character of the book, to the servant in the home of the uncle. The story is told in first person, yet the narrator is not named. The author explains this in the author's note at the end of the book, saying that that is intended to "pay homage to all the unnamed artisans" who existed at that time. However, she came to life for me, and I saw myself in her several times, in her cheekiness and in her rashness. Her mother's clear love for her daughter shows, and the entire story shows a small cross-section in how women made their way in a time when they were little more than property. The narrator's growth is shown beautifully, in her observations of her hometown and of those around her. You feel like you've grown up with this girl, even though you're spending only days reading the story of 5 years of her life.
There are some more disturbing parts of the book, especially when you realize that this chronicles this young girl from the age of fourteen to nineteen. She lived lifetimes during that time, going from comfortable, to servant/boarder in a grand home, to begging on the street. Her attitude through all the hard times was that of a very strong woman, despite her tender years.
If you are uncomfortable with descriptions of sex, this may not be the book for you. It is there, and in large quantities, but it is a more integral part of the story than many books I have read. The narrator is "sold" into a temporary marriage, and as a virgin, she is descriptive. It is not as graphic as the typical Harlequin, but it is there, and I realize that not everyone is going to want to read it as a result.
Despite that, I would recommend anyone to read this book. It is an amazing view of 17th century Iran, and of a culture that many of us do not study. For instance, while most European histories discuss the unclean ways of Europe during that time, the more wealthy, and even "middle class" people of Iran took bathing very seriously, often bathing 3 or more times a week. Even the poorest took time to wash themselves.
Amirrezvani took such care to research the history of the marriage rites, as well as the sigheh, or temporary marriage, that took place in the book. Her love of the setting and of the history shows through in her descriptive interpretation of the life of an extraordinary woman.
I would also recommend fully reading the author's notes at the back of the book. I am guilty of often skimming them or skipping them altogether, but they were enlightening, particularly after reading the book. The cultural differences were explained well during the story, but this gave even more detail.