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.


THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS © Copyright 2011 by Anita Amirrezvani.
Reprinted with permission by Back Bay Books. All rights
reserved.







"Lushly orchestrated… Sumptuous imagery and a modern
sensibility… make this a winning debut."--- Publishers Weekly


"Stirring and surprisingly erotic… The main character is as
complex and interesting as the patterns she weaves."

--- Library Journal


"A lavishly detailed debut."

--- Kirkus Reviews


"Readers will not be able to put this book down, from the
once-upon-a-time beginning to the well-crafted end."

--- School Library Journal


"A sumptuous tale of female fortitude and ingenuity… a
shimmering fable."

--- Booklist


"It's clear that THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS isn't just any novel....
Luxuriant language weaves together characters that who are genuine
and robust, equally flawed and sympathetic, as if they really exist
outside the page…. THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS is simply a stunning
debut."

--- San Francisco Chronicle


"A novel that breaks new literary ground... a mosaic of threads
stitched and woven together so finely that the reader cannot help
becoming transfixed!"

--- St. Louis Post-Dispatch


"Amirrezvani skillfully threads culture, romance, and art into an
elegant tale of self-realization and empowerment."

--- Entertainment Weekly