The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi

The question is not "Is this a good book?"The question is "Are you good enough to read it?"I did not so much read The Forty Rules of Love as I marveled at the artistry of its construction and, I admit, as I turned the pages I congratulated myself on my ability to recognize that artistry. To hold this book between your hands and read it is to be in the presence of a master storyteller who has an important, possibly the most important, story to tell: the story of Love and how it manifests in this world.Elif Shafak, a writer famous for her novels in Turkish, wrote this book in English - flawlessly, beautifully, lucidly. Her use of the English language in its American variant reflects a masterful cultural sensibility. The book gains credibility by the use of cultural references that could only be known to and have meaning for cultural insiders. For example, a convert to Islam is said to have done so "after Kareem Abdul Jabbar and before Cat Stevens." The use of phrases such as "right as rain" and "talk the talk" indicates that Shafak does not use English as she was taught in school; she writes English as it is absorbed from years of deep conversation, wide reading and intense observation.As a true daughter of Turkey and lover of Istanbul, Elif Shafak is a bridge between East and West. Europe and Asia, Orient and Occident, reason and emotion, head and heart, scholar and mystic, left and right half of the human brain: to the materialist these are distinct entities and are doomed to endless conflict. Elif Shafak patiently assures us that, in the end, there is no difference. Running through her book like a leitmotif is the soothing and confident confirmation that dualism is an illusion and oneness is reality. All stories, characters, and plots tell of the struggle to realize truth and return once again to the state before knowledge of good and evil caused eviction from paradise.At one point in the novel the 13th century poet Rumi visits a tavern in Konya to teach and learn from its inhabitants. He says, "At the end of the day whoever wants to drink will drink and whoever wants to stay away from wine will stay away. We have no right to impose our way on others. There is no compulsion in religion." I love the way Elif Shafak slipped my favorite quote from the Qur'an (La iqraha fi din: There is no compulsion in religion, Sura 2, Line 256) into the story without reference. Muslims will know the quote and realize that it adds authority to Rumi's point. But those who are unaware that this is a Qur'anic quotation will receive the teaching fresh and pure, as if this is a new and fanciful notion of a novelist who merely wishes to bring harmony from conflict. That is what great art does: it brings harmony from conflict.Ultimately, there is only one book with one message. Each author writes that one book to explain that one message for a different audience so that all may learn and know about the primacy of love and the unity of humanity. Some books distinguish themselves and rise above the mass of others by the sheer quantity of light, truth, and goodness they convey. Mikhail Naimy's The Book of Mirdad is one example. The Forty Rules of Love is another.One sure way to tell whether a work of art is great, any work of art - a book, a film, music, painting, is whether it moves you to tears. I burst into tears on page 172, but that does not mean you will do the same. Each person will be moved by something different. It is the ability to touch the heart and stir the deepest emotions that makes a work of art powerful and beautiful and valuable. This book has that ability. There is nothing more to say.

This tale expands through 800 years since the time of Full and shams of Tabriz. The historical perspective as well as the education about Sufism were unigue. The family drama, daily activities in separate timelines emphasize the false belief that life was better. They are simply the same and different. Well written and the best contexts for Ruins transition.

This is probably not the single greatest book you will ever read. The writing can be a bit florid and sometimes the plot, especially when it concerns the modern day portion of the story, can be somewhat contrived. Okay. Leave that aside for a minute. If you allow yourself to actually get into the flow and rhythm of the book and to read and actually process the rules of love that the characters put forth, The Forty Rules of Love will amaze you. I'm a big fan of Turkish writer Elif Shafak's work, so I came to this with high hopes and a positive frame of mind. I wasn't disappointed. NOT AT ALL. In reading about the incredible story of 13th C Sufi poet, Rumi, and his relationship with the enigmatic and brilliant Shams of Tabriz (a true story), I fell into the lush, fascinating spell cast by Shafak. I savored the last forty or so pages and was genuinely sorry to see this book end. This is a book that will make you think and make you consider love and wisdom in new and interesting ways. Now I'm reading Rumi! Highly recommended read. Great book club selection.

In a local book group where we are discussing the poetry of Jelaluddin Rumi, someone asked if I had read ‘The 40 Rules of Love, a novel of Rumi,’ by Elif Shafak. I invariably read non-fiction, but made an exception.Two parallel stories unfold for the reader and the way Shafak inter-twines them is brilliant. That said, the tale of Rumi and Shams could have been told thoroughly and well without having included the story of Ella. Yet, with its inclusion, it may attract some readers who would not necessarily be drawn to the more substantial tale of Rumi and Shams; thereby serving to educate.The essence of this book is the story of Rumi and Shams, and the ‘rules of love.’ Both Shams and Rumi are passionately drawn to intimacy with God, Love, Oneness; Truth, and the remembrance that everything is God. Shafak sharply captures the colors, smells, sights, sounds, and essence of the characters and times surrounding Rumi and Shams in 13th century, Turkey. Uniquely, each chapter is told from the vantage point of the principle character apparent in the chapter title, thus allowing the reader/observer a ring-side and intimate seat into the thinking of that individual. This certainly adds intrigue.The story of Shams and Rumi is carried out deftly, and the rules of love, such as, “When a true lover of God goes into a tavern, the tavern becomes his chamber of prayer; but when a wine bibber goes in, it becomes his tavern.” So it is that the author speaks truisms, as she sees them, and also feeds the imagination.I would like to believe that this is an historical treatment, mostly, of Rumi and Shams. Certainly, we do not have the cast of key individuals to ask, but this book certainly rests upon some historical research.The story of Ella a 40 year old wife and mother, who becomes increasingly involved with the writer, Aziz, whose narrative of Shams and Rumi, she has been hired to review, is a kind of mildly interesting, if not so believable, novelette. On the plus side for it are ‘the rules of love’ and reflections that foster insight. And although I would not use the character of Ella as a model for life, I can see her as the fictional character she ‘is’ and can see what it is that she chooses that would suit, or not suit my particular life. Therein is the power of this piece for me.I am the author of the memoir, 'Braving Time' published in 2012, by Balboa Press