REVIEWS

Passionate book and passion in Persian rugs

The Blood of Flowers by: Anita Amirezvani Little, Brown and Company, 2007 ISBN-13: 978-0316065764 384 pages

The Blood of Flowers is set in seventeenth century in Iran. The main character, who is never named in the book, is a young village girl who moves to the city along with her mom. After her father's sudden death, they can no longer afford living on their own. She experiences the bittersweet of the new life in the capital city of Iran, which at that time was Isfahan.

I have been to Isfahan many times and it was very pleasant for me to read Anita Amirezvani’s details about all those historical sites that I had visited and to connect my memories to what this girl, from the seventeenth century, was experiencing.

I also loved the way the San Francisco author brought ancient Iranian tales in to her story. It helped me refresh my memory and learn some old tales as well.

Despite what was expected, the girl and her mom are forced to work as servants for the father’s stepbrother. He is a professional rug designer and fortunately notices the enthusiasm in the young girl. He agrees to mentor her and to teach her some of his methods. His wife however, is not as nice. She forces the girl and her mom into financial pressure so she has no choice but to accept a temporary marriage with a wealthy man in return for some money that would help them pay their debts.

Here is the hot part of the book; she experiences sex for the first time. At the beginning, she just wants to satisfy her temporary husband so he will extend their marriage contract, which means more money. But as time pass she is more excited about it. At the same time, her dignity will not let her stay in the temporary marriage for long. At first I thought the descriptions were getting too much, but then I put myself in same situation as the young girl was. It was her life and she was so excited about it, no wonder this amorous chapter of the book is long and detailed.

As an Iranian, I grew up with Persian rugs and the floor of my home was always covered with rugs, different sizes, each with wonderful colors and patterns. Even here in Canada, I have covered my living room with a nice piece. But I should admit, I had never felt this passion for Persian rugs before. The Blood of Flowers took me right in to the life of a rug maker. Now I know how passionate she was while designing every single pattern and how detailed and wise she was when choosing the colors. I can feel how painful it was for her sitting behind the loom for days and months, bending forward and making beautiful rugs passionately with the hope of selling it and be able to gain independence. These days whenever I see a Persian rug, those innocent faces of rug makers and their hard lives come to my mind. I appreciate all their work and now I know Persian rugs are priceless.