Let me talk about the plot. There is a poor teenage girl from a southern Iranian village, unnamed. Her father is preparing a dowry so that she would get married, yet a comet is sighted, which is a harbinger of bad luck. Soon after, her father dies, her marriage plans are thwarted, and she and her mother end up travelling to Isfahan to meet a distant relative. Needless to say, life in the city sucks, and they are treated more as servants than relatives. That's not so surprising. Now let's add some sex.
A rich man sees our protagonist, and proposes a temporary marriage. Of course, women in 17th-century Persia would prefer a permanent marriage, yet temporary marriages also exist. Our protagonist's extended relatives would prefer that she has a temporary marriage with this rich man, because it brings income. The man pays the family, and the family gives the girl whenever the man wants sex. And the girl learns how to pleasure the man. The sex scenes aren't graphic, but in any case, it was definitely erotic. A village girl basically lost her innocence, and slowly but surely learns how to pleasure her partner. But wait, she wants to make carpets too!
Yes, our protagonist is actually a talented carpet maker, and wants to learn more about the art of carpet making from her extended relative, who is a carpet expert. Eventually, she uses her carpet making skills to triumph over poverty, as she eventually prevails over every hardship that life throws at her and starts her carpet making business.
Umm, so what? Is this a feel good story? I don't see anything beyond this. Sure, it is a historical novel. I appreciate the fact that the geography of Isfahan was given particular prominence in the book, which reflected my own experience of the city back when I visited in 2016. The bridges, the boulevards, the Christian quarter, they're all there still after all these years. Yet as much as it was a historical novel, somehow the middle section felt more like a cheap paperback given the amount of sex scenes it contained. Not that I am against sex, but somehow, the sex scene should contribute something, you know? Because if it doesn't, then it's just porn, and if it's not so graphic, then it's just erotica. Like in this case.
So yeah, I cannot say I enjoyed this book a lot. It's a great book to get a glimpse of 17th-century Persia, but try to filter out the sex. Yes, women can enjoy sex too. I get it. But I am not sure that's the intended point of the author. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
See my other book reviews here.
