The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak - [Book Review]

 Book Details:

Title : The Forty Rules of Love

Author : Elif Shafak

Genre : Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

Publisher : Penguin

Print Length : 370 pages

Blurb:

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

* One of the BBC's '100 Novels that Shaped the World'*

"Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven't loved enough . . ."

Ella Rubinstein has a husband, three teenage children, and a pleasant home. Everything that should make her confident and fulfilled. Yet there is an emptiness at the heart of Ella's life - an emptiness once filled by love.

So when Ella reads a manuscript about the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, and his forty rules of life and love, her world is turned upside down. She embarks on a journey to meet the mysterious author of this work.

It is a quest infused with Sufi mysticism and verse, taking Ella and us into an exotic world where faith and love are heartbreakingly explored. . .

'Enlightening, enthralling. An affecting paean to faith and love' Metro

'Colourfully woven and beguilingly intelligent' Daily Telegraph

'The past and present fit together beautifully in a passionate defence of passion itself' The Times

My Review:

First of all thanks to the fellow book review bloggers and bookstagrammers who suggested this book. Else I would have missed a gem in my life.

The forty rules of love is about the life of Shams, a sufi, his relationship with God, his friendship with scholar Rumi, his compassion and love. We get introduced to Shams by a novel written by Aziz. Ella is given this book by their publishing office to read, review and write a report on the book. It is interesting how the lives of Aziz and Ella are influenced by Shams in the novel.

The story flows smoothly covering 3 lives in parallel- Shams, Aziz, and Ella's. The narrative is very interesting. The whole book is full of beautiful quotes in the form of forty rules of love. I have never used the kindle highlight feature as much I used for this book.

This book in some way might change you, beware! We learn The principles of Sufism, the importance of selfless love, the feeling of oneness with God and other human beings, and a lot more.

I seriously think I cannot rate this book. Is there any option to rate more than 5 out of 5?

I suggest this book to readers who would like to understand the deeper meaning of life without getting bored by religious lectures. 

About the Author:

Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist. She writes in both Turkish and English, and has published 18 books, 11 of which are novels. Her work has been translated into 54 languages. Her latest novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and RSL Ondaatje Prize; and chosen Blackwell's Book of the Year. Her previous novel, The Forty Rules of Love was chosen by BBC among 100 Novels that Shaped Our World. Shafak holds a PhD in political science and she has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK, including St Anne's College, Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow.

Shafak is a Fellow and a Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature. She is a member of Weforum Global Agenda Council on Creative Economy and a founding member of ECFR (European Council on Foreign Relations). An advocate for women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of speech, Shafak is an inspiring public speaker and twice TED Global speaker, each time receiving a standing ovation. Shafak contributes to major publications around the world and she was awarded the medal of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In 2017 she was chosen by Politico as one of the twelve people "who will give you a much needed lift of the heart". Shafak has judged numerous literary prizes, and chaired the Wellcome Prize and is presently judging the PEN Nabokov Prize.
www.elifshafak.com
Twitter @Elif_Safak
Instagram @shafakelif

Until next time,