What Fiction are you reading this week, January 5, 2020?

[northoftheborder]

10. The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

In 17th-century Persia, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year. When her beloved father dies, she and her mother find themselves alone and without a dowry. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to sell the brilliant turquoise rug the young woman has woven to pay for their journey to Isfahan, where they will work as servants for her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the legendary Shah Abbas the Great.

Despite her lowly station, the young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets, a rarity in a craft dominated by men. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim. Forced into a secret marriage to a wealthy man, the young woman finds herself faced with a daunting decision: forsake her own dignity, or risk everything she has in an effort to create a new life.

I liked this book; I'm interested in Persian carpets, which is the central focus in this young woman's life, and goes into great detail about the design and weaving industry, which was almost altogether done by women in those days (the weaving part of it). Also sad but poignant is the status of women in that society, which may not have changed much in hundreds of years.