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The Blood of Flowers
- Narrated by: Shohreh Aghdashloo
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
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Publisher's summary
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.
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Critic reviews
Editorial Review
I knew Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo from her Oscar-nominated performance in The House of Sand and Fog, and hoped for another star turn in her narration of Anita Amirrezvani's debut novel—I wasn't disappointed. Aghdashloo's deep, raspy voice is absolutely haunting, whether describing the (surprisingly) fascinating intricacies of rug-making or re-telling the Iranian folktales that are woven into the story. A colorful, lush tale that remains on my all-time favorite list.
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In 1540, 12-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan's menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan's beautiful daughter Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire's chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota's help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history.
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I feel like I should like it more than I do
- By nyog on 04-19-17
By: Elif Shafak
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Jerusalem Maiden
- By: Talia Carner
- Narrated by: Lise Bruneau
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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In the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, a young Orthodox Jewish woman in the holy city of Jerusalem is expected to marry and produce many sons to help hasten the Messiah's arrival. While the feisty Esther Kaminsky understands her obligations, her artistic talent inspires her to secretly explore worlds outside her religion, to dream of studying in Paris - and to believe that God has a special destiny for her. When tragedy strikes her family, Esther views it as a warning from an angry God....
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No dreaming, No painting, No thinking . . .
- By Debbie on 04-18-15
By: Talia Carner
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The Passion of Artemisia
- By: Susan Vreeland
- Narrated by: Gigi Bermingham
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the glorious backdrops of Rome, Florence, and Genoa, and Naples, peopled with historical characters and filled with the details of the life of a 17th-century painter, The Passion of Artemisia is the story of Gentileschi's struggle to find love, forgiveness, and wholeness through her art.
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Disappointing
- By Kay on 05-21-03
By: Susan Vreeland
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Homeless Bird
- By: Gloria Whelan
- Narrated by: Zehra Jane Naqvi
- Length: 3 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Like many girls her age in India, thirteen-year-old Koly faces her arranged marriage with hope and courage. But Koly's story takes a terrible turn when in the wake of the ceremony, she discovers she's been horribly misled—her life has been sold for a dowry. Can she forge her own future, even in the face of time-worn tradition? Perfect for schools and classrooms, this universally acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning novel by master of historical fiction Gloria Whelan is a gripping tale of hope that will transport listeners of all ages.
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Beautiful
- By Zrexsmom on 10-30-24
By: Gloria Whelan
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Desired
- The Untold Story of Samson and Delilah
- By: Ginger Garrett
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gallagher
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Three women loved him. Two betrayed him. One fulfilled his destiny. Desired tells the story of the legendary strongman through the eyes of the three most important women in his life. The fiercely loving Jewish mother who nags him toward greatness … and rebellion. The impoverished Philistine girl, Amara, who becomes Samson’s bride. And the emotionally damaged seductress—the legendary Delilah—who becomes the instrument of his destruction and the key to his tragic triumph.
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really cool perspective on this story
- By Lisa on 02-11-13
By: Ginger Garrett
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The School of Mirrors
- A Novel
- By: Eva Stachniak
- Narrated by: Ell Potter
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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During the reign of Louis XV, impoverished but lovely teenage girls from all over France are sent to a discreet villa in the town of Versailles. Overseen by the King’s favorite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, they will be trained as potential courtesans for the King. When the time is right, each girl is smuggled into the palace of Versailles, with its legendary Hall of Mirrors.
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Fascinating but pedophilia nonetheless.
- By Barbara W. on 05-10-22
By: Eva Stachniak
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The Hundred Wells of Salaga
- A Novel
- By: Ayesha Harruna Attah
- Narrated by: Janina Edwards
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Aminah lives an idyllic life until she is brutally separated from her home and forced on a journey that turns her from a daydreamer into a resilient woman. Wurche, the willful daughter of a chief, is desperate to play an important role in her father's court. These two women's lives converge as infighting among Wurche's people threatens the region, during the height of the slave trade at the end of the nineteenth century. The Hundred Wells of Salaga offers a remarkable view of slavery and how the scramble for Africa affected the lives of everyday people.
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To Taste the Wine
- By: Fern Michaels
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Chelsea Myles earns her living as an actress with her uncle's theater troupe, performing cheap plays on the streets of London and picking the customers' pockets. Until one night, a robbery goes awry and Chelsea is left holding a purse with enough gold to buy her passage to Australia, and the chance of a fresh start. Once on board the vessel, Chelsea is intrigued by a fellow passenger, Quaid Tanner, who is returning to his vineyard in Australia. As much as Quaid admires the feisty, courageous Chelsea, circumstances seem destined to keep them apart.
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Great story but too detailed in sex scenes for me
- By Private on 09-23-15
By: Fern Michaels
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Women of the Silk
- A Novel
- By: Gail Tsukiyama
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In Women of the Silk, Gail Tsukiyama takes listeners back to rural China in 1926, where a group of women forge a sisterhood amid the reeling machines that reverberate and clamor in a vast silk factory from dawn to dusk. Leading the first strike the village has ever seen, the young women use the strength of their ambition, dreams, and friendship to achieve the freedom they could never have hoped for on their own.
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Another beautiful historical fiction!
- By T. Hoyt on 09-28-24
By: Gail Tsukiyama
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Archangel
- Samaria, Book 1
- By: Sharon Shinn
- Narrated by: Tamara Marston
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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A tale of the distant future by the author of The Shape-Changer's Wife brings listeners to a world in which the fate of all life rests on the voice of an angel.
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An All-TIme Favorite
- By Carol on 02-27-11
By: Sharon Shinn
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Princess
- A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia
- By: Jean Sasson
- Narrated by: Catherine Byers
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Princess describes the life of Princess Sultana Al Sa'ud, a princess in the royal house of Saudi Arabia. Hidden behind her black veil, she is a prisoner, jailed by her father, her husband, and her country. Sultana tells of appalling oppressions, everyday occurrences that in any other culture would be seen as shocking human rights violations: 13-year-old girls forced to marry men five times their age; young women killed by drowning, stoning, or isolation in the "women's room". Princess is a testimony to a woman of indomitable spirit and courage.
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Good story but...
- By Jay Friedman on 07-25-14
By: Jean Sasson
What listeners say about The Blood of Flowers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- David
- 07-14-11
Exotic setting, conventional story
The Persian setting is fascinating at times and clearly authentic in conception and detail. The story, however, while well developed and convincing, is also entirely conventional and devoid of surprises or compelling insights.
The author has incorporated the telling of several Persian folktales (I assume they are traditional) into the fabric of the story. They are perhaps the best part of the book, but they also interrupt, somewhat, the flow of the narrative.
The book is well served by the narrator, and I had no problem listening to the end, enjoying it for the most part. I would not, however, recommend it highly except for those with a special interest in Persian culture, folk tales or rug making.
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18 people found this helpful
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- Wendi
- 11-13-17
Most Beautiful Listening Experience Ever..
Brava! Anita Amirrezvani has created one of the most beautifully crafted stories I have ever read. The very thick icing on the cake is Shohreh Aghdashloo's beautiful performance. I was whisked away by this gorgeous story and I was attentive as a starving dog salivating over a piece of steak.
A completely fictitious work, The Blood of Flowers takes place in traditional Persia. When a wife and her young girl lose their patriarch to death, they must travel to a large city to live with a distant relative. They must earn their keep, and so many things transpire in the book that end up causing the young girl and her mother to be shamed and tossed out of their relatives' home. They must come up with another way to survive.
The story is told to perfection by Aghdashloo, with beautiful prose and a tale I will never forget, The Blood of Flowers is one of the best audiobooks I've ever been fortunate enough to listen to. I savoured every moment, and anyone who enjoys good fiction and a phenomenal story will do the same.
-Wendi
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11 people found this helpful
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- A. Dyszel
- 08-22-07
Spellbinding
I absolutely loved this audio book. The book tells such a wonderful story and the narrator's voice lends such depth and feeling to the story. This is a must-listen!
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4 people found this helpful
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- Deborah Downing-Wilson
- 01-20-18
Love the narrator
Any additional comments?
I was captured by the lush descriptions of exotic places and the historic details of the novel.
The narrator, however, absolutely makes this work come alive. This book reads like a rich family saga, passed down orally from mother to daughter. The narrator was perfect. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the printed version as much.
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2 people found this helpful
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- JujubeNY
- 02-11-13
Sex, food, roses ad nauseum--A Persian Candide
What did you like best about The Blood of Flowers? What did you like least?
The setting (Persia in the 15th Century) and its descriptions were vivid and rich. The many traditional (I assume) Persian folk tales sprinkled throughout the story were enjoyable too. The plot, though engaging, was not as rich as the descriptions, but the heroine and other characters were well developed, and the feminist twist was nice.
What distracted and annoyed me were the number of things that were "like roses"--lips, cheeks, nipples, clothing, rugs--or had to do with rose petals--water, sharbet, a sex scene. Hey, we GET IT ALREADY, OKAY?-- was over the top. And although Shoreh Agdashloo is a terrific actress and emotes well, her tobacco-damaged voice sounds to me like rough sandpaper against brick. It got in the way of my enjoyment.
And I did really enjoy the book, because I am a historical fiction sap. It's an easy way for me to learn about the past, about other cultures and customs (assuming the book is well-researched and fact-checked).
Would you recommend The Blood of Flowers to your friends? Why or why not?
I would recommend this to people who don't know anything about Persia, not to people looking for a great read. As a summer read, absolutely!
What aspect of Shohreh Aghdashloo’s performance would you have changed?
Someone else reading it would have been better.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Angela Casias
- 06-16-18
wonderful storytelling. magical descriptions.
this was such a great story. best storytelling and a wonderful heroine. tale of a child growing up and choosing her own fate.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Zahara
- 04-01-19
a stunningly narrated story of love, and loss
This story grabbed me quickly and never let go. It is stunningly narrated by Shoreh Agdashloo and is set in a time and culture that is shockingly underrepresented in literature. I'm going to be listening to this gem for years to come.
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- B. Dillon
- 03-27-19
a wonderful and unique story
I enjoyed the story so much. it gave insight into 17th century life in Iran
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- Joange
- 12-18-12
Awesome book!
This is a wonderful story about women in Iran. The reader does a magnificent job of telling the story. The Blood of Flowers paints a beautiful picture of what life was like during the period of this story and how complex family life and expectations involved the place of women. Well worth the time to read.
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- Anne Bridge
- 12-21-12
intriguing
Would you listen to The Blood of Flowers again? Why?
I may in 10 years. I am certainly going to pass it along.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I think the descriptions of the rug-making process was the most interesting "character".
What does Shohreh Aghdashloo bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Her rich voice and authentic background
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
There were moments when I could not stop listening because of the intrigue!
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