Reading Globally: Iran

Next on my travels was Iran in The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani.

This book was a huge departure from my usual reading, not just because of the country (which I'd not been to before on my reading travels), but becuase it was set in the 16th century. I very rarely read anything that is set further back than the last century.

I really enjoyed this. The writing was very accessible, the main character had enough modern-day feist to make her interesting, but learning about the traditions of the era was fascinating. The descriptions of places, food and the rugs were brilliant.

Very frightening to think about how women were treated and how precarious their position in society was.