BOOK REVIEW ON “THE FORTY RULES OF LOVE” BY ELIF SHAFAK

From Rules of love to the strong believe in god everything is just mesmerizing about “shams of Tabriz” in the book “THE FORTY RULES OF LOVE” written by Elif shefak.

A French born Turkish writer. Elif Shafak is one of the most acknowledged and bravest of the authors and feminist in Turkey. The Forty Rules of Love is one of her best sellers. 

The style of the novel is a narrative one and although the sweet blasphemy Is really captivating the narrative of Ella somehow adds some weakness to the novel.

In the story Ella Rubenstein is forty years old and unhappily married women when she takes a job as a reader for a literary agent. Her first assignment is to read and report on SWEET BLASHPEHMY 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 lessons or rules that offer insight into an ancient philosophy based on the unity of all people and religions and the presence of live in each and every one of us. As she reads on she realize that Rumi’s story mirrors her own and that Zahara like shams has come to set her free.

The Forty Rules of Love brings together East and West, past and present, to provide a compelling, dramatic, and exuberant account of how love works in the world.There are forty rules mention in this book. One of my favorite rules is mention below

Rule 24

“Hell is here and now.  So is heaven.  Quit worrying about hell or dreaming about heaven, as they are both present inside this very moment.  Every time we fall in love, we ascend to heaven.  Every time we hate, envy or fight someone we tumble straight into the fires of hell”