The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

If you enjoyed The Kite Runner or Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, you will love this novel set in seventeenth century Iran. The heroine, who is purposely unnamed, is a carpet maker who suffers many misfortunes on her way to finding her own place in the world. I was really impressed by the author's comments in the back of the book and the extensive bibliography that is included. The book has a very interesting website that I also enjoyed reading. My favorite part of the novel, though, is the italicized fables that are part of the storytelling tradition of the novel.