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A review by wretchedtheo
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I don't know how to feel about this book because the story unfolds on two planes - and one of them is beautiful and unique and inbreeding and heartbreaking. And the other is kind of just...there
It would be a much better book without the Ella timeline, like, if it just focused on Rumi and Shams without the whole "lonely American woman and attractive quirky rando replay the love between these two ancient guys" thing. It felt corny, contrived, and unnecessary. But I still can't bring myself to say The Rules of Love is a bad book, because the Sweet Blasphemy part was lovely (with a few minor stylistic hiccups). Grrr. I'm irritated thinking of how much the story-within-a-story frame ruins this particular novel. I hope I'm not the only one who feels this way?
It would be a much better book without the Ella timeline, like, if it just focused on Rumi and Shams without the whole "lonely American woman and attractive quirky rando replay the love between these two ancient guys" thing. It felt corny, contrived, and unnecessary. But I still can't bring myself to say The Rules of Love is a bad book, because the Sweet Blasphemy part was lovely (with a few minor stylistic hiccups). Grrr. I'm irritated thinking of how much the story-within-a-story frame ruins this particular novel. I hope I'm not the only one who feels this way?