The Forty Rules of Love

     Author                       Elif Shafak

     Country                     Turkey

     Genre                         Spiritual (Sufism)

     Publication Date       February 2010

     Pages                         350





For the first time in a long time, I am finding it hard to pen down my thoughts on a book - and that's probably because this book has meant so much to me! It is indeed one of the most spiritually and conceptually rich books I have read in a long time and hence, the dilemma.

Elif Shafak's 'Forty rules of love' portrays Ella, a housewife who, despite having a seemingly perfect life finds something terribly missing. As part of her new assignment as a reader to a literary agent; she reads a novel by the mysterious Scottish author, Aziz Z Zahara, only to be plunged back into the thirteenth century Anatolia, where the fabled poet Rumi is transformed by the dervish Shams of Tabriz' forty rules of life and love. In her parallel life story, Ella is intrigued by the author Aziz and starts interacting with him via email and phone, only to fall in love with him.

Through the book, Elif has done a tremendous job in conveying the exquisite forty rules of love while also bringing these to life through Ella. The power of love, faith, spirituality and finding soul mates are some of the central themes of the book. Ella's practical and planned outlook to life is contrasted with Aziz's emotional, living in the present and full of love world view; as also depicted by the Rumi and Shams.

Some of my favourite quotes from the book are as below:

'Your destiny is the level where you will play your tune. You might not change your instrument but how well to play is in your hands.'

'People who cannot open up to love and follow its path the way a sunflower follows the sun are not really alive.'

'I believe we each make a covenant with God. I know that I did. When I became a Sufi, I promised God to do my part to the best of my ability and leave the rest to Him and Him only. I accepted the fact that there are things beyond my limits.'

'The totality of religion is far greater and deeper than the sum of its component parts. Instead of searching for the essence of Quran and embracing it as a whole, the bigots single out a specific verse of two.'

'If God had wanted everyone to be the same, he would have made it so.'

This book has meant a lot to me and I would highly recommend it to each and everyone of you! Have fun and be spiritual!

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So, do check it out and Happy Reading!