Reader Reviews: The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak

in Reader Reviews

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak (Penguin Random House 2010)
Reviewed by @thereaderignites

Reader Reviews: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This novel is a tough one for me to review. Whilst I know it’s adored by many, I liked parts of it and wasn’t mad about others. However, I definitely came out of it knowing that Elif Shafak is an amazing author..I can only imagine how much research must have gone into writing a book like this and I admire her for that.

The novel has dual narratives. One based in contemporary times where Ella, a forty something American woman, is struggling in a marriage that she’s unhappy in. Upon reading a manuscript based on the mystical poems of the 13th century poet Rumi and his whirling dervish companion Shams of Tabriz, she is introduced to his forty rules of life and love.

The other narrative throughout the novel introduces us to Shams of Tabriz and how his life as a dervish was destined to accompany Rumi. I have to say I enjoyed these chapters hugely throughout the novel, as they captured my imagination more and showed a variety of characters. It’s in these chapters that we learn Rumi’s forty rules and how they can be applied to our lives.

I would definitely recommend this novel. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it was solely based in Rumi and Sham’s world. I found Ella’s chapters somewhat boring and wanted to nearly skip over them, though of course I didn’t! If you, like me though, love to read stories set in different times where you are educated on something new, then you’ll probably find this a winner.

Have you read it? Let me know in the comments, would love to hear other reader’s thoughts!

#thefortyrulesoflove #elifshafak #rumi #shamsoftabriz #bookreview #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig 
#booksofinsta #readersofinstagram #readersofig #readersofinsta #booklover #bookstagrammer #irishbookstagram 
#irishbookstagrammer #ukbookstagram #bookcommunity #bookrecommendations #bookaddict #books #readerlife

0 comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *