Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Forty Rules of Love

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak

6 reviews

guavaorchid's review

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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: Yes

Content Warnings

m_a_j's review against another edition

2.75

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

diana_skelton's review

2.75

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I heard Shafak give a talk, which was brilliant and decided to start reading her books. This was the first I tried (and maybe I'll like others better). I did enjoy most of the book including the treatment of characters struggling with leprosy, alcoholism, and being trapped in sex work. However, given that the entire focus of the book is on the ways one can and should show love to other human beings, I found it both mind-boggling and also distressing that two situations of unhealthy relationships are mentioned almost in passing with no discussion whatsoever of the moral implications. One of these situations involves a 13th century bride who tries everything to consummate her marriage to the central character. His complete dismissal of her leads to her death and is never explained in any way. The other situation is presented in a more offhand way, almost completely out of the spotlight. Another main character abandons her teenage children for a full year on another continent with her new paramour. It is mentioned that the children are unhappy about this, but there is nothing at all said to challenge the decision she made to leave them.

Content Warnings

sunny3730's review against another edition

3.75

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Even though I get why the author would chose this style of writing, in the end I wish it wasn’t a book about an adulterous woman. The unhappy middle aged housewife is a trope we can do without, especially if she is only there to convey a thought the writer wants to bring home. I get that it is hard to write round characters, especially if you create so many characters that you want to give a voice, but the book would’ve been better if it wasn’t filled with talking ideas.

Content Warnings

nehariaz's review

3.75

emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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: Yes

Having LOVED the Pakistani drama, Alif, I had high hopes. But in this book, Sufism was favoured upon Islam, almost showing that it’s wrong. Shafak’s writing is beautiful & spiritual, how she wove together the 40 rules in the different stories & characters is applaudable. Ella’s POV bordered a soap drama but the latter (infidelity😬) romance made up for it. I wasn’t too interested in her weight gain, cheating husband or intimate emails, and skipped some of her chapters. Shams was an amazing character, but I don’t understand why he turned Kimya down. Desert Rose the Harlot always had the most touching storyline and quotes. Rumi’s transformation from a preacher to poet, a scholar to Sufi, all have inspired me to pick up his poetry. This reflective piece certainly encourages one to embark on their jihad-al nafs, to lose one’s ego and find love.

Content Warnings

sophi_walison's review

1.5

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

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