The Blood of Flowers

In seventeenth-century Persia, a fourteen-year-old girl in a small village dreams of a good marriage and a life of comfort until a comet brings misfortune and her father dies. Penniless, she and her mother journey to Isfahan to live as servants in the home of her father's half-brother, a wealthy rug designer for the shah. The girl's rare gift for knotting carpets sets her apart, but it also entangles her in a sigheh, a temporary marriage of convenience, that teaches her the cost of being a woman without protection. As she masters her craft and learns the secrets of color and design, she must decide how much of herself she is willing to trade for security. Amirrezvani weaves Persian folktales through the narrative, building a portrait of artistry, survival, and a young woman's slow claim on her own future.