My Latest Summer Read

I managed to finish another book this weekend while lounging at the pool at Knoebels (plus, since there was no cable TV at the campground, I had plenty of time to read while we were waiting for a small rain shower to pass).

I read The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani, a new book that just came out last month.

It follows the story of a young girl in 17th century Iran who has a string of unfortunate events in her life. Her father dies before she is to be married and she and her mother must take desperate measures to survive. They are dependent upon the kindness of some VERY distant relatives who exploit them for personal and financial gains. It seems that the young girl is a very talented rug-maker and fine tunes her craft while living with these relatives (her uncle is a master rug designer), but since she is a woman, the first priority in her life is to find a suitable husband.

The language in the book is so descriptive – especially when describing foods, colors and smells. It isn’t hard at all to create a mental picture of the city of Isfahan and its treasures. And even though this is historical fiction, the details of the time are secondary to the story itself.

The main character is never named directly – something the author did purposefully to pay tribute to the many anonymous artisans in Iran. I also enjoyed reading the author’s notes in the back of the book where she shares the inspirations for many parts of the story.

Definitely a good read and a great escape!