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Book Review : 40 Rules of Love

BOOK DETAILS:
Book Title : 40 Rules of Love
Author : Elif Shafak
ISBN : 9780241972939
Publisher : Penguin
Genre : Literary Fiction
Publication : 2015
Pages : 358
Format : Paperback

BOOK BLURB:
Ella Rubinstein has a husband, three teenage children, and a pleasant home. Everything that should make her confident and fulfilled. Yet there is an emptiness at the heart of Ella's life - an emptiness once filled by love.
So when Ella reads a manuscript about the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, and his forty rules of life and love, her world is turned upside down. She embarks on a journey to meet the mysterious author of this work.
It is a quest infused with Sufi mysticism and verse, taking Ella and us into an exotic world where faith and love are heartbreakingly explored...

RATING: 3.5 ☆'s

REVIEW:
Somehow buying books at the airport has always had a different kind of charm for me. With the limited selection, you end up discovering new authors that you might not have picked otherwise...
And that's how I came across this author and I didn't particularly enjoy my first book by her. But somehow she kept coming up every where I turned and I was determined to give the author another chance.
And thus, when I saw the opportunity I bought the book and when the girl gang suggested the book for a read along, I was more than happy to pick it up and it was a lot better read than the first one I had read.

WHAT I LOVED:
  1. The Applicability of Rules --- the rules will hold true irrespective of the era they are read in, that was the reality of our society in the times gone by, it's the reality of today and in all likelihood, it will be same in future and thus the rules will always be applicable
  2. The Philosophy and The Concepts --- the philosophy behind the concepts of love, religion and God have been beautifully explained and seem more relatable and plausible
  3. It's Not Your Typical Love Story --- the book explores the concept of love in so many different forms - of two equals, of husband and wife, of lovers, of father and son and many such relationships are explored


WHAT I DISLIKED:

  1. Slow Book --- the book with its long descriptions at times feels excruciatingly slow and there were many points where I had to force myself into continue reading the book
  2. Multiple Viewpoints --- although it's not really a negative once you get the hang of the book but jumping between two negatives - of the past and the present and then add to it the number of viewpoints, it does get a bit confusing at times


THE VERDICT:

The book, although a slow read, is a beautiful one especially if philosophy and Sufi-ism interest you. You might even consider this one as a crash-course in Sufi-ism. And if you have the patience to read slow books, definitely give this book a read because the ideas expressed in the book truly present you with food for thought and will force you to question, mull over and consider afresh, a lot of things.

READ, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR:

  • A Spiritual and Philosophical Journey
  • A View on Sufi-ism
  • A Sensational Book that Challenges Your Believes
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