The Blood of Flowers

I recently finished reading Anita Amirrezvani's debut novel, The Blood of Flowers and just loved it. The heroine is a young girl in 17th century Iran, whose father dies and leaves their family in dire straits. She and her mother move to the capital at Isfahan to join relatives, where the main character learns about love while pursuing her dreams in the art of carpet making. Amirrezvani's descriptions of Isfahan make the sights and smells of the city come to life, and her descriptions of carpet-knotting make one appreciate all the more the intricacy of the beautiful carpets surviving today. The heroine is spirited but not anachronistic; the plot is engaging and swift-moving. A definite recommend.