Fantastic book - Blood of Flowers - Rated 
I bought this book after getting the first chapter free in a magazine. Not one I would perhaps have chosen otherwise, but it is fantastic. I stayed up until 1.30am the other night as I couldn't put it down. Beautifully written and a real page turner. Just when you think you can predict what will happen the plot twists. Buy it and you won't be disappointed.
wonderful new author - Rated
I have to say I was enormously impressed and moved by this novel. Firstly the setting in ancient Iran and the unamed heroine really gripped me. You can sense how much research went into this book, the descriptions of the clothes, food, architecture, and the daily lives of the Iranian people in the 17th century. Very cleverly structured with short tales interwoven into the narrative. What most impressed me though was that during halfway I thought the author was going to tip the book into slushy romance, but then switches it back and in the process made the heroine even more of a fighter.
I always like to compare it to The Kite Runner, not because the stories are similar, but because both writers have done something magical, and captured in print the lives of ordinary beings doing extraordinary things. As such it is very great achievement. Unforgettable.
beautifully crafted book - Rated
Like the previous reviewer I was unsure what to expect from this book and was delightfully suprised to read a story so richly descriptive that I was drawn completely into the life of the lead character and the world in which she lived. I took this book on holiday and can honestly say that it enhanced the enjoyment of that holiday!
Beautifully written, and insightful. - Rated
I had no idea what to expect from this, and I discovered a beautifully written, insightful book. It's set in pre-modern Iran, in a time when art was encouraged, and carpet making was an important skill. In a world where men and women had their own place, one girl finds the courage to make her own decisions.. although these are often with disastrous results.
The descriptions of the village and the city pull you into the story, and the characters keep you there. The setting may be unusual, but the themes are universal.. the ups and downs of friendship, the love of family, the various relationships between man and woman.
The narrator is unnamed, which is the author's way of acknowledging anonymous artists from the time. However, this in no way distracts from the story, and in fact, it was something I hadn't even realised until I read other reviews.
Despite the journeys that she takes, and the hardships she endures, there is a gentleness running through this book. The author was born in Iran, and her book is well researched.
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