'Sensuous and transporting... filled with the colours, tastes and fragrances of life in 17th century Isfahan. Amirrezvani clearly knows and loves the ways of old Iran, and brings them to life with the cadences of a skilled story-spinner' Geraldine Brooks
THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS is a mesmerizing historical novel about a young Iranian woman whose destiny changes on the sudden death of her father. Forced to leave their village, the woman and her mother travel to the beautiful city of Isfahan, where they are taken in by an uncle, a wealthy carpet designer, and his unsympathetic wife. When an ill-considered action results in the heroine's fall from grace, she is forced into an extraordinary secret marriage. Spirited and rebellious, she wants to be free to live a life her own choosing, if she can find a way.
'The most wonderful book... Fascinating, totally original and utterly gripping' Esther Freud
'The prose... positively glows on the page, and the characterisation is similarly acute, notably of the wonderfully drawn heroine. As a journey into a society that will be alien to most readers, this is a remarkable achievement' Barry Forshaw
Anita Amirrezvani was born in Iran but has lived in the USA since she was a young child. She has visited Iran many times and has been steeped in tales of Iranian life and history from an early age. The Blood of Flowers was her first novel, and was followed by Equal of the Sun. USA Today described The Blood of Flowers as 'filled with intricate designs, vivid colours, and sparkling gems'; it has appeared in more than 25 languages and was long-listed for the 2008 Orange Prize for Fiction.
Anita is an adjunct professor at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and at Sonoma State University.
www.anitaamirrezvani.com
Title: The Blood of Flowers
Author: Anita Amirrezvani
ISBN: 9780755334216
Binding:
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
Publication Date: 2008-04-03
Number of Pages: 464
Weight: 0.2995 kg
'I've just read the most wonderful book by Anita Amirezzvani... it is fascinating, totally original and utterly gripping. It will remain one of my favourite books' * Esther Freud, Independent on Sunday *
'Amirrezvani weaves her own experiences into the prose: giving a sense of the country.' * Eastern Courier Messenger and City Messenger, Australia *
'This is a journey of the soul from enslavement to freedom through the creation of the narrators own story. It exudes a vibrancy of colour and sensuousness but also draws vividly the squalor of poverty.' * Adelaide Advertiser *
'Sensuous and transporting...filled with the colours, tastes and fragrances of life in seventeenth-century Isfahan' * Geraldine Brooks *
'Amirrezvani... infuses her heroine with lilting eloquence' * Washington Post *
'Beautifully imagined... Simply a stunning debut' * San Francisco Chronicle *
'Lushly written, sensual' * Australian Women's Weekly *