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A review by lovelykd
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
4.0
I wasn’t a fan of the ending. The ending made me want to chuck the book and erase it from memory. It wasn’t necessarily bad, just disappointing and uninspired given the time it took to arrive.
Aside from that, I enjoyed it.
Ella is an unhappily married mother of three. She’s on the verge of turning forty and feels unsettled with her life, although she can’t pinpoint the reason.
To pass the time she takes a job as a reader. Her first assignment is to read and report on a book called “Sweet Blasphemy”—written by a man named Aziz.
During her time reading the book, she connects personally with the characters, and decides to reach to Aziz.
The two begin a friendship that, surprisingly for Ella, becomes more and leads to an awakening Ella never knew was possible.
The writing is beautiful. Fluid.
The story is presented with both Ella’s story—as well as those of the characters within Aziz’s book—alternating with each chapter. By the end I grew weary of the format, but it was clear the decision to do so was meant to show the interconnectedness between the two.
It wasn’t a huge distraction, but it would’ve been nice if
more attention were given to Ella.
The “forty rules” were used to explain the actions of those within “Sweet Blasphemy”, but could easily be applied in the here and now. I enjoyed reading them, but could also see where some would get annoyed.
Overall a solid, surprisingly lovely, read ... until the end; but that was more about my desire to have better closure. I simply didn’t agree with the way the journey ended.
Aside from that, I enjoyed it.
Ella is an unhappily married mother of three. She’s on the verge of turning forty and feels unsettled with her life, although she can’t pinpoint the reason.
To pass the time she takes a job as a reader. Her first assignment is to read and report on a book called “Sweet Blasphemy”—written by a man named Aziz.
During her time reading the book, she connects personally with the characters, and decides to reach to Aziz.
The two begin a friendship that, surprisingly for Ella, becomes more and leads to an awakening Ella never knew was possible.
The writing is beautiful. Fluid.
The story is presented with both Ella’s story—as well as those of the characters within Aziz’s book—alternating with each chapter. By the end I grew weary of the format, but it was clear the decision to do so was meant to show the interconnectedness between the two.
It wasn’t a huge distraction, but it would’ve been nice if
more attention were given to Ella.
The “forty rules” were used to explain the actions of those within “Sweet Blasphemy”, but could easily be applied in the here and now. I enjoyed reading them, but could also see where some would get annoyed.
Overall a solid, surprisingly lovely, read ... until the end; but that was more about my desire to have better closure. I simply didn’t agree with the way the journey ended.