The Blood Of Flowers

"A lavishly detailed debut, in which some of the simple values of a folktale are woven together with richer (and more modern) women-centred life lessons."  -  Kirkus Reviews

In the fabled city of Isfahan, in seventeenth-century Persia, a young woman confronts a dismal fate: Her beloved father had died and left her without a dowry. Forced to work as a servant in the home of her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the Shah, the young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim, and she finds herself faced with a daunting decision--to forsake her own dignity or to risk everything in an effort to maintain it.

"The Blood of Flowers is simply a stunning debut. One can't help but want to return to the charming main narrator and the entrancing tale of her quest for independence and self-reliance, her daring and honest exploration of love and desire for love, and above all the profound discovery, as Gostaham reminds her, that she "must begin to understand [her] own worth."  -  Christine Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle

Illuminated with glorious detail of Persian rug-making, and brilliantly bringing to life the sights sounds and life of 17th-century Isfahan, The Blood Of Flowers is a timeless tale of one woman's struggle to live a life of her choosing.