A Good, solid read...
As a lover of historical fiction, I was eager to read this book; the coming-of-age story of a young girl in 17th century persia learning the art of rug-making sounded interesting and different, and I'm always curious to read stories about women in other civilivations. While I was not disappointed at all, and really enjoyed the novel, there were two things that bothered me about the book (dont worry, I won't give anything away), which prevented me from giving it a higher rating.
First, throughout the novel there are small vignettes in which the narrator disgresses and a short story/tale is told. While the author's intention is clear - in each instance, the vignette is conveyed to shed additional insight into a character or situation, I felt these digressions from the plot did absolutely nothing to enhance the story and rather were a huge distraction which broke the continuity of the writing. I think the author's main storyline/plot was so well-written, that she simply didn't need to include the vignettes to help tell her tale.
Second, I though the ending was rushed and wished it would have been drawn-out more. I was so captivated and immersed in the story and the lives of the narrator and those around her, that I didnt want it to be wrapped up in such an abbreviated manner. I felt the vast majority of the book was perfectly paced, yet the last forty pages or so rushed through too much time in order to finish the story. I just wish it had gone on longer, as I was eager to read more.
Overall, I thought it was a very good book and well-written. I found the time/place/culture so interesting to learn about, and it is obvious a tremendous amount of research went into creating this novel. I would defintiely recommend it to others, especially those who enjoy historical fiction, and look forward to hopefully reading more by this author!
