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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A delicate and precious novel, embellished with the history of the Middle East and a beautiful synergy of love and faith.
“We don’t need to hunt for love outside ourselves. All we need to do is to eliminate the barriers inside that keep us away from love” ~~ Elif Shafak, The forty rules of love.
Where do I start from? At the beginning I was hesitant to finish this book I almost put it down to read another book but I found myself flipping the pages and going deeper into it.
Ella is given a task as a part-time reader for a literary agency to read and produce a report on a book titled, “sweet blasphemy” written by Aziz. The book takes us on journey through the book where we meet Shams of Tabriz(my favorite character), a wandering dervish who has decided to live his whole life as a cleric. His unruly character made him an enemy to a lot of religious people. The book also introduces interesting characters in chapters.
The Forty Rules of Love is a beautifully written book which will drag you to the end of the book. It is captivating, mesmerizing and very brilliant. All the themes, faith/religion and love were explored very well.
The forty rules known as The Basic Principles of the Itinerant Mystics of Islam are scattered like gems, hidden in conversations between Shams and anybody who crosses his path.
I wasn’t so invested in Ella and Aziz’s story because the story of Shams and Rumi was of great importance and every minor character makes a major link to the story.
I want to go and on but it will create spoilers. Elif, thank you for this beautiful book. It’s one of my favorites of 2021. I hope you are intrigued?
Where do I start from? At the beginning I was hesitant to finish this book I almost put it down to read another book but I found myself flipping the pages and going deeper into it.
Ella is given a task as a part-time reader for a literary agency to read and produce a report on a book titled, “sweet blasphemy” written by Aziz. The book takes us on journey through the book where we meet Shams of Tabriz(my favorite character), a wandering dervish who has decided to live his whole life as a cleric. His unruly character made him an enemy to a lot of religious people. The book also introduces interesting characters in chapters.
The Forty Rules of Love is a beautifully written book which will drag you to the end of the book. It is captivating, mesmerizing and very brilliant. All the themes, faith/religion and love were explored very well.
The forty rules known as The Basic Principles of the Itinerant Mystics of Islam are scattered like gems, hidden in conversations between Shams and anybody who crosses his path.
I wasn’t so invested in Ella and Aziz’s story because the story of Shams and Rumi was of great importance and every minor character makes a major link to the story.
I want to go and on but it will create spoilers. Elif, thank you for this beautiful book. It’s one of my favorites of 2021. I hope you are intrigued?
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I just finished reading this book and half way through it I knew this would be one of those life changing books for me, and I was right. I can't wait to reread it, and quote it and just tell everyone I meet to read it.
It's safe to say Elif Shafak is my new favourite author.
Next up - Bastard of Istanbul.
It's safe to say Elif Shafak is my new favourite author.
Next up - Bastard of Istanbul.
Moeilijk boek om te beschrijven. Het is een heel mooi verhaal, inderdaad over liefde en inspiratie, totaal zonder clichés. Het was interessant om te leren over het soefisme, het mystieke/spiritualiteit, de islam en het leven in de 13e eeuw buiten Europa. Het boek laat je de wereld in een ander licht zien, en zet je aan het denken over jezelf en of er iets hoger is. In het moderne atheïstische Westen hebben we het vaak over de nare kanten van religie, maar er is ook heel veel moois aan een God die van je houdt en waar je dichterbij kan komen.
Het boek was niet super-ingewikkeld of opgesmukt geschreven, maar daardoor was het heel makkelijk om doorheen te komen en te blijven lezen. Het verhaal zat goed in elkaar en bleef me interesseren. Elk hoofdstuk is vanuit een ander perspectief geschreven, waarbij sommige perspectieven veel vaker terugkomen dan anderen. Dit gaf een - voor mijn gevoel - volledig beeld van het verhaal en gaf stemmen aan mensen die in andere verhalen over dit onderwerp niet aan het woord zouden komen, zoals een prostituee, een dronkaard, een moordenaar en een melaatse, en ook de vrouw van de wereldberoemde Roemi. De roman is eigenlijk een verhaal in een verhaal, en gaat ook een beetje over het lot en toeval. Ik kreeg dit boek aangeraden van een collega die ik nog nooit eerder had gezien en daarna nooit meer zag, en besloot het meteen mee te nemen en te lezen. Toeval of het lot?
Wel echt een aanrader als je toe bent aan wat zingeving en positiviteit.
Het boek was niet super-ingewikkeld of opgesmukt geschreven, maar daardoor was het heel makkelijk om doorheen te komen en te blijven lezen. Het verhaal zat goed in elkaar en bleef me interesseren. Elk hoofdstuk is vanuit een ander perspectief geschreven, waarbij sommige perspectieven veel vaker terugkomen dan anderen. Dit gaf een - voor mijn gevoel - volledig beeld van het verhaal en gaf stemmen aan mensen die in andere verhalen over dit onderwerp niet aan het woord zouden komen, zoals een prostituee, een dronkaard, een moordenaar en een melaatse, en ook de vrouw van de wereldberoemde Roemi. De roman is eigenlijk een verhaal in een verhaal, en gaat ook een beetje over het lot en toeval. Ik kreeg dit boek aangeraden van een collega die ik nog nooit eerder had gezien en daarna nooit meer zag, en besloot het meteen mee te nemen en te lezen. Toeval of het lot?
Wel echt een aanrader als je toe bent aan wat zingeving en positiviteit.
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really interesting structure, lots of interweaving parts to put together which was clever! Lots of different points of view also woven together really well.
A really heartwarming story about love, but also the fallout and effect on other people that love can have.
A really heartwarming story about love, but also the fallout and effect on other people that love can have.
I was excited at first to read Christy's selection because Rumi's poetry is so wonderful. I'm going to mark this as "spoiler" because I really don't like publishing a negative review. Obviously several readers have enjoyed this book. For me, it was a chore and at times infuriating. But I do want to remember what I read, and why I didn't like it.
I was sad to read it wasn't a translation; I thought that might explain the awkward and clumsy writing---so many cliches and anachronisms of speech. Ella was so annoying. I enjoyed the story of Shams more so but also found that tiresome. The Sufi life offered up as entertainment/ eroticism for bored American housewives?
Shams' "rules" ended up sounding like empty platitudes. Love is in our choices and actions, and in how we treat others. Yes, not everyone will be pleased or happy with your choices, but it would have been so easy to not hurt the people in this story---his adopted daughter dies and Rumi says not one word about her loss or his role in her death. A mother leaves her cheating husband (alleluia) but ALSO leaves her teen children?
The whole thing felt ridiculous. The only characters I felt affection for were the drunk and the harlot, though both were caricatures.
I was sad to read it wasn't a translation; I thought that might explain the awkward and clumsy writing---so many cliches and anachronisms of speech. Ella was so annoying. I enjoyed the story of Shams more so but also found that tiresome. The Sufi life offered up as entertainment/ eroticism for bored American housewives?
Shams' "rules" ended up sounding like empty platitudes. Love is in our choices and actions, and in how we treat others. Yes, not everyone will be pleased or happy with your choices, but it would have been so easy to not hurt the people in this story---his adopted daughter dies and Rumi says not one word about her loss or his role in her death. A mother leaves her cheating husband (alleluia) but ALSO leaves her teen children?
The whole thing felt ridiculous. The only characters I felt affection for were the drunk and the harlot, though both were caricatures.