THE FORTY RULES OF LOVE

24 Mar THE FORTY RULES OF LOVE

This book was all over Instagram for past couple of months for all the good reasons. An international best seller!

This is my first book of Elif Shafak. I had no idea that an author of this magnitude existed and I am so glad that we live in the 21^st century where we can read, write and share all over the world!

A few details about the author, maybe you already know her and her works, or like me have no clue. She has nine novels under her kitty and she is also an acclaimed writer in Turkey (sounds so exotic right! Even her books are) She has a website of her own www.elifshafak.com

So now let’s dive into the best part, the review of the book:

‘What you are Seeking is seeking you’- Rumi

Who is Rumi? What are his works and where did he come from? A great Persian poet , scholar who lived in the 13^th century(30^th September 1207 – 17^th December 1273). His poems are widely translated into many other languages and his legacy still lingers in the hearts of those who truly love the art of poetry and sufism. His life is a true testimony that people can live in harmony no matter what their religion or social status is!

Why am I going in detail about a poet? Is there any significance in this book.? Yes there is.! The book is about a 40 year old housewife with a dentist husband and three children. Her name is Ella Rubinstein. She is absolutely content in life or so she thinks and believes that what she is doing is the absolute reality! Her husband advices her to take a job of reviewing to spend her free time rather than cooking and taking care of her dog. It is through this new venture that she gets a manuscript that she did not know will change her life forever. She not only falls in love with the book but all with its author, A.Z Zahara.

The forty rules of love contain 2 stories, one that is the ongoing life of Ella and the other Sweet Blasphemy the book that she is reading. So, we can see both the centuries which is the specialty of the book. Here we also read about Shams of Tabriz and his journey becoming the companion of Rumi. The book is a work of fiction because no one truly knows what happened to Shams of Tabriz in the end. The story takes not only Ella but also us into the depths of the exotic mystery of Sufism and Divine love. The forty rules of love are not related to lust but the purest form of love that can exist in each one of us. I was able to complete this book in 2 days. If you are a slow reader the book will not exceed more than a week! It is truly a good read and I recommend this one. The book may touch many people’s life as it has the sufi mystic attached to it. The rules truly will change your outlook towards life!

I will share the 40^th rule before ending this review which is my favourite!

‘A life without love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western… Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is , pure and simple.

“Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water.”

RATING: 5 out of 5