40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak Summary

Championship: The Forty Rules Of Love The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak

Writer: Elif Shafak

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Historical Fiction

Publisher: Penguin Publisher

Language: English

Setting Place: Northampton, Massachusetts; Baghdad, Iran

Major Characters: Ella Rubenstien, Shams of Tabriz, Rumi

Theme: Love, Spiritual, History, Pain

Narration Type: First person narration by several characters.

Book Summary: The Forty Rules of Beloved

The 40 Rules of Love is a delightful entanglement of two narratives – one gear up in the contemporary times with Ella, a housewife as the protagonist. Hers is a story of lost love and hope, till she finds herself changed because of a book she must read as a part of her new job's obligations. The second narrative is that of the book 'Sweet Blasphemy', fix in the 13^th century, which portrays the lives and relationships of Shams of Tabriz and Rumi.

Equally the plot unfolds, Ella goes finds herself mesmerized with the tale she is currently reading and decides to have lessons from the philosophy of the xl rules of beloved, laid downwards by the Shams of Tabriz.

She is ultimately led to believe, her human relationship and lives are meant to be contradistinct by the author of the book, Aziz Zahara – as was Rumi'south life altered by the Shams of Tabriz.

Book Review: The 40 Rules of Dear

Ella Rubenstein, an unhappy forty-year old housewife with a cheating hubby and 3 children; e'er the kind of person your female parent would corroborate of! She couldn't comprehend why she had these misgivings. Over the time, she has grown complacent with her agonised life, giving upward on love and hope. She continues to atomic number 82 her day-to-day life, drowning herself with household chores and fugitive conflicts.

Beingness a housewife for several years, her life finally takes a turn when she must review a book – 'Sweet Blasphemy', every bit a part of her new job'southward obligations, as a literary reviewer. Always since she read the get-go judgement, the book binds her as its own. She sets the ball rolling with a series of heartfelt conversations through emails with none other than the author Aziz Zahara himself.

"Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means nosotros haven't loved enough."

Fix in the 13th century, information technology portrays the journey of a rather famous pair – Shams of Tabriz and Rumi.

Shams of Tabriz, a wandering dervish and thorough Sufi, frames the forty rules of beloved which he imparts to fellow Sufi enthusiasts. By virtue of his gift of having visions most future, he foresees his own expiry. He decides to pass on his wisdom to someone at par with him, someone every bit soulful and in beloved as he is.

He travels all the mode to Baghdad to find Rumi, a cleric with an unsettled soul. On the course of his imparting knowledge, he faces hatred and disappointment from other people, especially Rumi's family. Despite all odds and dangers, he shows the path of low-cal and dearest to Rumi; thus attributing to his becoming one of the well-nigh sought-after Sufi and poet of all times.

"If we are the same person before and later on we loved, that means we haven't loved plenty."

Shafak, beingness a staunch feminist herself, makes certain her female person characters are the strongest and gripping. The 13th century plot is particularly polyphonic, thus guiding us to the various perspectives of people around and not just the Shams of Tabriz, be it the arid harlot, the roadside leper or the amateur intern at a madrassa.

There are symbolic parallels between the plot in the 13th century and the one in current times – The era of social turmoil, people disagreeing on religious beliefs of others, the 40 rules with the age of the protagonist(and why it'south the all-time time of her life, in fact), the unsettling, lovelorn eye of Rumi equally is Ella'due south, the guiding light that Shams is for Rumi, as Aziz is for Ella; and the significant outcomes of these unnamed associations. The plot with Ella, is probably the weaker story-line of the two; with only Ella'south thoughts beingness voiced and not whatsoever of the other characters in her life.

This is a recommended read for all poetry aficionados and Rumi admirers like me. This 1's for the soul!

40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak Summary