My Pick of the Week!

17th century Persia is the setting for Anita Amirrezvani's first novel Blood of Flowers.
It is told in first-person narrative by a fifteen-year-old girl whose life has been turned upside down when the death of her father leaves her mother and herself without the means to support themselves. Destitute, they are forced to make the long difficult journey to Isfahan and become servants to a distant uncle who happens to be a master rug maker, in the court of Shah Abbas the Great. Without a dowry, her uncle begrudgingly agrees to teach her the craft of rug weaving and is surprised and impressed with her artistic talent. Colourful, descriptive and informative coming-of-age story in a time far removed from our lives today. Great choice for lovers of historical fiction