The Blood of Flowers Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Shah Abbas I and the founding of modern Iran and our BookBrowse Review of The Blood of Flowers.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

Questions and topics for discussion

1. What is the significance of the novel's title? What does it mean in terms of both the narrator and the story itself?
2. How would you describe the author's writing style, and what do you think this style brings to the novel? Did you find anything striking or unusual about the way the story unfolds? Did it remind you of anything you have read before?
3. How much did you know about Iranian history and culture before reading this book? Did anything in the story strike you as completely unlike — or surprisingly reminiscent of — our lives today? What do you think you gain from reading a novel about a period in history, as opposed to a nonfiction historical account?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Back Bay Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.