num_pages: 384
description: In 17th-century Persia, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year. But 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.
language: English
title: The Blood of Flowers
titlecomplete: The Blood of Flowers
genres: Cultural, Romance, Book Club, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Womens, Historical, Iran, Fiction, 17th Century
ratings_count: 18271
places: Iran, Isfahan, Middle East, Persia
awards: awardedAt: 1199174400000
name: Orange Prize
category: Fiction Longlist
publisher: Headline Review