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    The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi
    The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi
    The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi

    Written by Elif Shafak

    Narrated by Laural Merlington

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In this follow-up to her acclaimed 2007 novel The Bastard of Istanbul, Turkish author Elif Shafak unfolds two tantalizing parallel narratives-one contemporary and the other set in the thirteenth century, when Rumi encountered his spiritual mentor, the whirling dervish known as Shams of Tabriz-that together incarnate the poet's timeless message of love.

    Ella Rubenstein is forty years old and unhappily married when she takes a job as a reader for a literary agent. Her first assignment is to read and report on Sweet Blasphemy, a novel written by a man named Aziz Zahara. Ella is mesmerized by his tale of Shams' search for Rumi and the dervish's role in transforming the successful but unhappy cleric into a committed mystic, passionate poet, and advocate of love. She is also taken with Shams's lessons, or rules, which offer insight into an ancient philosophy based on the unity of all people and religions, and the presence of love in each and every one of us. As she reads on, she realizes that Rumi's story mirrors her own and that Zahara-like Shams-has come to set her free.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 8, 2010
    ISBN9781400185122
    The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi
    Author

    Elif Shafak

    Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist and storyteller. She has published 20 books, and her work has been translated into 57 languages; her novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2021. A Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature, Shafak holds a PhD in political science, and has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK. In 2020 Shafak was awarded the Halldór Laxness International Literature Prize for her contribution to 'the renewal of the art of storytelling', and in 2021 she was chosen among the BBC's 100 most inspiring and influential women.

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    Reviews for The Forty Rules of Love

    4.5/5

    113 ratings47 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a captivating and wise book that tells the fascinating story of Rumi's life. It includes romance, history, religion, spirituality, mysticism, and self-help. The intertwined stories of different textures, set in the 13th century and the early 21st century, provide glimpses of wisdom and an easy introduction to Rumi. While some readers found the modern story simplistic and the characters not well developed, the book overall offers deep insights into what it means to be human and has the power to change lives.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      It has been one zen period of my life reading this amazing novel. it was a meditative peaceful prayer that bathed my whole being in a state of spiritual love of everything. It is an enlightening book (enlightens the heart, regardless of the mind: this book is experienced by the soul and felt by the heart much more poerfully than it is processed through the mind).
      I did not want it to end.
      I cannot thank the beautiful Salam more for lending it to me <3
      I love Elif Shafak!

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A piece of great narrative will unveil deepest aspects of what it means to be "human" and will transfer you after reading it. If you want that kind of adventure, this is the book for you.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      This could have been a very good novel. The story about Shams of Tabriz and Rumi was rich with detail, moving, and interesting. The sections dealing with sufism, Shams' travels and the Forty Rules were the best parts of the novel. Unfortunately, the contemporary sections were the complete opposite and fell flat.The narrative featuring Ella Rubinstein, the unhappily married housewife, felt forced and artificial. Shams' and Rumi's story would have been wonderful and complete on it's own. By choosing to try to mirror their spiritual relationship with a rushed contemporary "love story", Shafak did a disservice to the original. I really wanted to love this novel, and several times I almost did - but my enjoyment was always ruined by the shallow feel of Ella's story. If I were to recommend The Forty Rules of Love it would be for Sweet Blasphemy, the novel within the novel. Skip the rest.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This lyrical book is a wonderful introduction to the life of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      I read this book many years ago and enjoyed it tremendously. I was so excited to listen to its audio; unfortunately, the narrator is so bad I couldn’t continue listening to it. I didn’t want to tarnish my view of the book or the author
    • 5/5
      My heart opened, and I think that just may be the point
    • 5/5
      A wonderful book, the arabesque literature form as expression of the magnitude of forms off living, none to condemn, all to be loved.
    • 5/5
      Fortunately, the book tends to trascend american romantic love cliches. There are many glimpses of wisdom in its pages.
    • 5/5
      This book has changed my life and my understanding of love in my relationship with myself, my partner, others and most importantly with God. So beautifully written, it has enlightened me about sufism and mysticism and changed my perception of Islam. An amazing novel that includes romance, history, religion, spirituality, mysticism and self-help.
    • 5/5
      A captivating, wise and joyous book that tells the fascinating story of Rumi’s life.
    • 5/5
      Heart opening, a treatise on Love, mysticism and spirituality, beautifully told.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this book. I found that I could relate to Ella's character in many ways. Her struggles with marriage ,motherhood and the quest for happiness resonated with me. It was also an interesting look at religion vs. spirituality as I struggle with this issue. I liked how an old story was mixed with new and found it very interesting to read the different points of view. The story moved along and kept me interested and was eerily appropriate for this time of my life and also with other books I have read recently.
    • 3/5
      Elif attempts to weave a story filled with two very complex narratives. One is a housewife name Ella; the other is the Suft poet Rumi and Shams. What we get thought is a buttoned shirt at the end which has skipped a button somewhere leaving you slightly disgusted. Personally, the Rumi segments are simply brilliant. The spiritual quest, which Ella is on, leaves you wanting more. If I were to read just the Rumi segments the book would get five stars.
    • 4/5
      "The Forty Rules of Love" tells of a modern day literary agent reader who must evaluate a manuscript called "Sweet Blasphemy" and falls in love with the author of said manuscript. The novel is written in the modern style of switching narrators and viewpoints, and also serves as a platform for introducing the works of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz to a 21st century audience.We chose this book for the Ill Fated Muslim book club, as well as my Neighborhood book club.In general, the book was well received. Everyone liked the pearls of Sufi wisdom. Muslms and non-Muslims did not like the way Shams of Tabriz treated his wife. The Muslims were not happy about Shams sending Rumi out to a bar to buy wine. The Neighborhood Ladies didn't care about the alcohol, but they were all incensed by Ella's extramarital affair.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this novel with two intertwined stories of different textures. One story is set in the 13th century and includes a lot of discussion among characters of Sufism and mysticism. Well done and of interest to me; other readers may have a different level of interest. The other story is set in the early 21st century, but somehow feels less fully realized. Scribd subscribers risk nothing to give it a try. If nothing else, it may give an easy introduction to Rumi.
    • 5/5
      In searching/reading from different teachers in various world religions, I have often come across the name, and the poetry, of Rumi, but had never before encountered the works of Shams of Tabriz, who is said to have been the teacher and close friend of Rumi. In this novel, the author builds her story around that friendship, and the wisdom taught by Shams to Rumi. The book is structured as a novel within the novel; Ella Rubenstein takes an assignment to read and critique a book that is a fictional account about Rumi and Shams; Ella, like me, knows very little about Islam, or Sufism, but begins to learn as she reads this book. Ella is also dealing with a crisis in her personal life, and her reading begins to have a great impact on her decisions and behaviors. The contemporary chapters about Ella are interspersed throughout the book, but what held my interest the most were the chapters that were part of “Sweet Blasphemy”, the novel within the novel, as I read it along with Ella. The 40 Rules of Shams are spiritual teachings that reflect wisdom that makes this novel a true jewel.
    • 5/5
      It's an amazing book! Would recommend everyone to read? loved it!
    • 2/5
      This one languished on my bedstand for several months, so I'm reselling it. I wanted to read something of a Turkish female author, but not about divorce, family life, misery, stasis... My determination to get past the description didn't get me beyond the first couple chapters, I'm afraid. No hook.
    • 4/5
      The book was very interesting and it was one of the ones that really made me think for the facts it provided. I could not find a connection to Ella tho and kinda felt that her character needed more development instead of improvisation in some parts.
      All in all, a great book. One of the “must to read” ones.
    • 3/5
      I love Elif Shafak’s books, this one being the fourth I’ve read. But I was somewhat disappointed as I think it did not measure up to her other works. The story goes back and forth in time and is narrated by various personalities. Although I loved the actual forty rules of love described in the book and enjoyed the story of Rumi and Shams, I found the modern story of Ella and Aziz simplistic and their characters not well developed. I think the story would have been stronger if the characters of Rumi and Shams and their interaction had been more deeply explored. The narrator’s attempt at different accents was lame and many non-English words were mispronounced.
    • 4/5
      New kind of read for me. This is not a book with a plot, this is a book that explores our spirituality. It refers to the poet Rumi so I tried to read his works. Not so great. But Safak weaves his ideas into a story that transcends time and country. I enjoyed her choice of words and descriptions of the settings. My advice is to abandon plot and look at theme. I intend to read all of her books.
    • 5/5
      I was deeply touched by this book in many ways and I think any one with the heart of a mystic should read it. Just stunning and I had to go back and listen to it a second time.
    • 2/5
      Nope. Not gonna bother finishing it. This is a Harlequin Romance with a thin patina of Rumi swished on top of it.

      I have other stuff I'd rather spend my time with.
    • 5/5
      Listened to audiobook. The narrator/reader was really good - different voices for the different characters in the book.

      Mix of characters in the book w/ the present and past intertwined made for great listening. I have read Rumi so I liked this “reimagining” of his life. You ended liking most of the characters. Author was able to mix Christian and Muslim cultural references seamlessly.
    • 5/5
      Forty Rules of Love is developed through the Sufi dervishes rules, eye opening glimpse into the Islam Religion that I did not know was there. LOVE the center of the Sufi's as well as the center of Christianity, Jewish communities is displayed in this novel rhythmically revolving back and forth between 1240's and the 2010. Revolving from Konya in Anatolia to Massachusetts USA. A story of LOVE abiding beyond the ego.
    • 3/5
      I have been putting off the review, one that I could have written midway through the book. I love Elif Shafak's writing in Turkish and in English, and I have read many of her books, sometimes in both languages. With that said, I have a hard time writing a review for The Forty Rules of Love without it sounding like a criticism of "spirituality" (in this case, Sufism, but really, can be applied to all spiritual practices) So perhaps that says it all: If you are not into spirituality, maybe this is not the book for you.
      As I was reading this book, I often thought "A Doll's House meets self-help" I liked the modern day story with Ella, the 40 year-old homemaker who is having a mid-life crisis. Ella will surely search for a new life, one thinks, from the very beginning. How that new life comes about, or rather more importantly how the old one is evaluated by Ella along the way is what makes the story interesting. The other half of the book is made up of another book written by a mysterious guy about the relationship of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz. And this second book is what bothered me. The writing style is certainly distinct from that of Ella's story, and certainly from that of anything Elif Shafak has written before, perhaps trying to capture a simple, more "folksy" way of speech. The story is supposed to be inspiring, I suppose. And if you are a cynical atheist like me, you will find most of it painfully hypocritical and banal. Again, I do not mean this to be a judgement on any particular religion or belief, perhaps a judgement on how humans practice their beliefs, sort of, but as I said, it is hard to review this book without voicing your opinion about the spiritual beliefs it contains. The 40 rules certainly make up a good self-help book on their own. The attitude of both Rumi and Shams are ignorant, thoughtless, selfish, and sometimes very confusing. The feelings of one of Rumi's sons and those of Rumi's wife have a voice, but the other voices are so overwhelming that even though these two people have perfectly legitimate complaints and highlight certain problems that directly point at the hypocrisy and hedonism of Rumi and Shams' behaviors, I could not help but feel that the writer tried very hard for me to still sympathize with Rumi and Shams and not the son and the wife.
      And in the end, what is it that we should think about when we leave this book? Should we have learned that love is the only thing worth pursuing in life? Is it really? I am not convinced.
    • 3/5
      Initially I found the Forty Rules of Love to be quite an engaging read. Unfortunately, the further I ventured in, it began to seem like there was just too much going on. This is a tale of multiple characters, stories, voices and messages. Although many of the characters were interesting in and of themselves, we only get very brief snapshots before we move onto the next story or place, making it difficult to stay engaged. As a result, the pearls of real and thought-provoking wisdom scattered throughout the story get rather muddied by the context. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book. I hope it will be successful.
    • 5/5
      Before I write my review of this book, I need to clarify a few points that I believe they're wrong in the book.

      Islam in itself is a unity and oneness, all devoted to Allah, some people in later years fell in "love" with Allah, and called themselves Sufis. Sufism in itself isn't Islam, it's actually quite extreme and Islam is a religion of moderation.

      The "love" that's repeated throughout the book should have been clarified as the "love" of Allah. Sufi people aren't all dervishes. And the word "Dervish" درويش is used in Arabic as دروشة which means going to a high state of طرب/Tarab which means going into a high state of rapture, mirth and glee for Allah, so they either twirl which is common or sing, or write. But mostly twirl.

      With that said, I feel better about starting my review.

      I've always been fascinated with sufism as a kid, the twirling dervishes with their skirts and dishdashas flying around in circles for such along time while they sang to Allah with tambours players repeating "God is alive" gave me a thrill in the bit of my stomach and heart... till this day, they mostly come out in Ramadan or events, and visit local malls and such bringing with them a hint of the past with their customs.
    • 3/5
      Really good, very interesting. I have lived in Turkey and I am of the age of the main character so I identify. There is however something narcissistic about the forty rules of love and the belief system. This book is thought provoking and worth a read.
    • 5/5
      I was very much looking forward to reading this, aside that it was recommended, it is also about the story of the legendary poet, Rumi -- whose poems I enjoy and have high regard. Some of the mystical wisdom contained herein, are quite similar to the esoterism of Judaism. In particular, there is mention of the four levels of interpreting the holy scriptures, which is identical to that which is mentioned in the 'Hebrew Book of the Dead' (it's not as creepy as it sounds). Even as a story, it contains a lot of spiritual wisdom. It is a story of love over fanaticism. Forgiveness over zealousness. Nonetheless, it is not a 'preachy' book, but that of changed lives.