The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

Author: Anita Amirrezvani

Reading level: Adult

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Rated 8.5/10

At the age of fourteen, a young woman in 17th-century Persia believes she will be married within the year. But when her beloved father dies, collapsing in the field where he works with the other men from their village, there is no hope for a dowry. Alone and penniless, she and her grieving mother are forced to sell the brilliant turquoise rug the young woman has woven,meant, of course, for her married life, to pay for their journey to Isfahan. There they will work as servants for her uncle Gostaham, a rich rug designer in the court of the Shah, and be lorded over by Gostaham's wife. Despite her lowly station, the young woman blossoms as a brilliant weaver of carpets, a rarity in a craft dominated by men. But while her artistic gift flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim. Forced into a secret marriage with a man who will never take her as his first wife, the young woman is faced with a daunting decision: forsake her own dignity, or risk everything she has in an effort to maintain it. Amirrezvani infuses her story with lush detail, brilliantly bringing to life the sights sounds and life of 17th-century Isfahan: The dazzling architecture; the exotic Persian foods; the breathtakingly beautiful rugs. A sweeping love story, a powerful coming-of-age story, and a luminous portrait of a city, this is a universal tale of one woman's struggle to live a life of her choosing.

MY REVIEW
I like this book but was aggravated a lot at the main character's situation, and I know that it happens in real life to many women, then and now. This is another book that makes me happy to live in the time and culture I do, I know I have so many choices and more freedom than other women now and throughout history. Even though she did shameful things she did them for an honroable reason, and I guess the same could be said about many women. We look at those women and look down on them but they do what has to be done and I resepect women who are like that. While reading this you learn about rug making and appreciate the time and effort that must have been put into making them. You'll also learn a little bit about 17th century Iran and it's culture and customs.

This is the story of a girl, who by the end of the novel is a woman, who endures many hardships. Her father dies and she goes with her mother to the city of Isfahan to live with her father's half brother and his wife. They are treated more like servants than family but her uncle shows interest in her and her talent for rug making. Soon she makes a new friend, Naheed, and they become very close. She marries a wealthy man, Fereydoon in a three month marriage contract which he can renew or discard anytime after those months are over. She has to keep fearing not having money and a place for her and her mother to live. I don't really want to give too much away but I think this book is really worth the time to read it. It's not the best book I have ever read but I did enjoy reading it. I'm a little mad that Fereydoon never got what I thought he deserved, I despise his character. Haha and times I'm not gonna lie I felt like I was reading pornagraphy when it came to the love scenes but I'm a grown woman and know all about that kind of stuff so it didn't bother me like some of the people I have read reviews from on this book. This book should really be for people mature enough to read about sex and not those sickened by it. What else did they think was gonna happen in a marriage between a man and woman?
                                                                                    

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Reading Level: Adult

Publisher: Penguin Group

Rated 10/10

In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.

Some of the plot's turns and twists may be somewhat implausible, but Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America's collective consciousness ("people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz"), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon. --Gisele Toueg --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

MY REVIEW
This book is brilliant, one of the best books I have read in awhile. I'm one of those criers who cry when I see or read anything sad, this book had me in tears. When it came to the part of what happened to Hassan that changed everything between the boys, I had to put the book down for an hour because I couldn't stop crying and thinking about it. I wasn't prepared for that because I went into this book reading very few reviews or anything about it. This book is full of history and the culture of the people in Afghanistan, I'm not gonna lie, before this book I never knew what a Hazara or a Pashtun was. I didn't know people in Afghanistan had people and differences like that, I was ignorant to everything, not something I'm very proud of either.

This book tells the story of two young boys, one Pashtun(Amir), and one Hazara(Hassan) in Afghanistan before any of the wars broke out during the 70s. Amir is a boy who lives in wealth and Hassan is the son of Amir's father's servant. Hassan would do anything in his power for Amir and one day after a kite fighting competition while kite running to get a kite for Amir he comes across the neighborhood bullies and something terrible happens that Amir happens to see but does nothing to stop. Amir carries the guilt with him even when he moves to America. Now 25 years later Amir's father's old friend asks him to come to Afghanistan. While there he is told about his family's dark secret and his connection to Hassan he knew nothing about and he finds a way for redemption by helping Hassan's son when he could never help Hassan. I'm warning people this is no fairy tale with a Disney ending. This is a story about friendship,culture,death,politics, religion, war, family, love, honor,and redemption, a story that will stay with you long after you're done reading it.

                                                                                        

The Pact: A Love Story by Jodi Picoult

Author: Jodi Picoult

Reading level: Adult

Publisher: Avon Books

Rated 10/10

From Jodi Picoult, one of the most powerful writers in contemporary fiction, comes a riveting, timely, heartbreaking, and terrifying novel of families in anguish -- and friendships ripped apart by inconceivable violence. Until the phone calls came at 3:00 A.M. on a November morning, the Golds and their neighbors, the Hartes, had been inseparable. It was no surprise to anyone when their teenage children, Chris and Emily, began showing signs that their relationship was moving beyond that of lifelong friends. But now seventeen-year-old Emily has been shot to death by her beloved and devoted Chris as part of an apparent suicide pact -- leaving two devastated families stranded in the dark and dense predawn, desperate for answers about an unthinkable act and the children they never really knew.

MY REVIEW
This book is amazing, it was one huge emotional roller coaster for me. There were times I felt like crying. I know how both mothers could act the way they did. If my daughter was dead I know I would want to lay the blame on someone else, if my daughter was being blamed for murder I know I would do everything in my power to defend her and would never believe she could do such a thing. To know what happened to Emily makes me really sad, there was one person who caused the pain she felt who was never punished and nobody knew about it. To feel a love like Emily's and Chris is something I could only wish for myself. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a really good book. This book will definitely leave you thinking about it long after you are done.