What a soaring epic! The way Elif Shafak writes is achingly beautiful and I was hooked from the very first description of the water and the memory and history carried in water. It moves between time periods and locations without ever seeming confusing or overwhelming and it all comes together in the end perfectly. Absolutely gorgeous from start to finish.

Amazing!!!

If I can give it 6 stars, I would.

After "The forty rules of love", this one is my second-favorite from this author!

Water as a source of life, water as a killer, water as a connection between people, places, and times. This book surpassed my expectations!!

The story is about 3 people, 2 rivers, and 1 poem - the Epic of Gilgamesh. They are all connected by the same drop of water. This drop comes in the form of drinking water, snow, rain, and tears. Their stories are as interesting as they are heartbreaking. The author has gone through a lot of trouble to research ancient Mesopotamia, Victorian London, today's area between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, water and it's qualities, and human nature.

I flipped the pages as fast as I could, and at the same time savored and re-read most sentences to enjoy them longer.

Highly recommended!!!

What a book. This is a new to me author and this book is so hard to describe. It's definitely going to be at the top of my favorite books for this year. This is such a good one. One you won't want to put down and you definitely can not just skim through it and understand what is going on.(in case you do that)

This book is told from three timelines and about three people. In 1840 when a baby boy is born on the banks of the River Thames. Named King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums by his people. He is destine to do some very important things. Author has a memory like no other. He never forgets anything thus is considered a genius. He is obsessed with the sacred tablets that hold poems dating back centuries to Mesopotamia. He starts out with a job in a publishing house and eventually is dedicated to deciphering the sacred tablets in the museum. He travels to Mesopotamia to find the missing tablets. The rest of a poem. His story is sad and exciting. He is such a good young man. I loved this character.

Then in 2014 we meet 9 year old Narin. A Yazidi girl who lives with her grandmother. The Yazidi people are called devil worshippers and treated bad. As you learn more about this young girl your heart will be broken. The things that happened to these people. I had no idea. From ISIS taking them. Killing the men and boys and selling the girls to be used as sex slaves. The older women buried alive just to save on a bullet. You learn what happened in to Narin.

Then you jump into 2018 and meet Zaleekhah, a young water scientist. She was raised by her uncle after the tragic deaths of her parents. Zaleekhah lives on a house boat. She is a very smart woman who has taken her life in her own hands and decided to live for herself. Though she does plan to end her life in one month. A lot will happen before that. She is separated from her husband of three years and her uncle really wants her to go back and try to make things work. Do whatever she has to to get things back the way they should be. But Zaleekhah has other plans.

This all starts with a drop of water. A snowflake. A tear. How water plays a role in this story is told in a beautiful and heartbreaking way. What is happening in the world is the name of progress is sad. Buried cities. Buried people. Whole areas just wiped out. Yet in the midst of all of this you meet these three people and they give you a lot to think about. Or they did me. This book is just so good. Easy to read and easy to keep up with all that is going on. It's long but also a fairly quick read. One I highly recommend.

Thank you #NetGalley, #Knopf, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

FIVE huge stars.

There is no other author that I’ve read that writes a whole book in such a melodic but melancholic way. This book is heavy, and sad, but also so informative and emotive and complex. An ode to water and the ways it sustains us even when we destroy, divert and pollute it. This story weaves together 3 separate time frames and characters to explore the history of water and important relics of history. This story kept me interested throughout, but it may be slow in parts for others. Characters are held at arms length, but I think that is purposeful and important to the execution of this story. I was left with a curiosity to learn more about the people and places in this book. And it really made me think about who “owns” historical relics. @aaknopf @vintageanchorbooks

Elif Shafak is one of my favorite authors writing today — she combines lush, gorgeous storytelling with incredible research and a drop of the fantastic to give us a reading experience like no one else. And There Are Rivers in the Sky is no exception. In fact, it’s my favorite of her novels to date.

This book gives us 4 timelines along 2 historic rivers, the Tigris and the Thames: King Ashurbanipal in Ninevah in the 7th century BC, Arthur in London in the 1800s, Narin in Turkey/Iraq in 2014, and Zaleekah in London in 2018. And all of them are connected by a single drop of water.

This novel is impeccably researched. The audiobook was gorgeously performed, and it was easy to follow that way. That said, as immersive and transportative as it is, it’s also acute — there’s a good deal of pain here. Arthur is impoverished and abused; Narin’s family finds themselves in grave, violent danger; Zaleekah is navigating divorce; and we are given an intimate look at the genocide and persecution of the Yazidi.

I’m a sucker for a book with multiple connected timelines across history, and with Shafak at the helm, there was no way I wasn’t going to love this book. Pick it up — I bet you’ll love it, too.




Content and Trigger Warnings:
Genocide, violence, and murder; Racism; Child abuse; Homophobia; Alcoholism (minor); Suicidal thoughts (minor)

So emotional and moving. Elif Shafak is great at creating these stories and characters that grab onto your heartstrings and never let you go. Just wonderful!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

3.5 - While I did really enjoy these characters and how all their stories intertwined, along with the mythology and storytelling, for some reason the changing periods threw me off. The writing was absolutely gorgeous, and I really connected with some of the later characters in the story, especially Narin and Zaleekah. I also loved the concept of the single drop of water connecting all humans and how all of our stories ebb and flow and come from the same start.

There Are Rivers in the Sky is an impressive feat of storytelling, telling the stories of three different characters, all who emerged from the Epic of Gilgamesh and the ruins of Mesopotamia. Arthur has suffered his entire life, having to deal with an abusive father and mentally ill mother from a young age, who tries to use his brilliant mind to escape the life he was born into. Narin lives in the 21st century, suffering from a rare disorder, and is waiting to be baptized in the river Tigres. Zaleekah is a scientist who is studying water. All three of these characters emerge out of a single drop of water and are connected by the concept of the ever flowing and changing water surrounding them.

As the story went along, I did find myself connecting to the characters more and really appreciating Shafak's storytelling ability. The focus on water and all that it encompasses was so unique. Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for providing me with this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

I *loved* THE ISLAND OF MISSING TREES and was sooo excited for RIVERS. Marketed as an epic tale, spanning centuries and countries.. I was *so* ready to be wowed. But, I wasn’t. And I’m so sad about it!

I don’t think this was bad, per se. But it wasn’t great all the time. There were 3 main POVs and timelines (Arthur in Britain in the 1800s, Narin in Iraq in 2014 and Zaleekah in Britain in 2018) and Shafak sets the scene and stage for them all to come together. Unfortunately, she took approximately 60% of the book to slowly set the scene. It was a lot of work for what was, IMO, a small reward. I keep chugging a long because I thought I would be wowed at how she made it all connected in the end but I wasn’t.

I will say, Shafak’s writing is undoubtedly beautiful. The storytelling, when I wasn’t bored to death, was quite good. For example, the beginning of Arthur’s story and the end of Zaleekah’s were both great but the flip side of both were painfully slow. (Of note, sweet Narin’s story was always very good and always very heartbreaking). There were even some very important and informational parts - especially Narin’s - that I think a lot of people should read about! But the pacing took away from me loving this one.

It kind of sounds like I hated it but I didn’t. I think it’s a solid book with a lot of good parts. But from all of the RAVE reviews, I thought I would love it.💔I don’t want to dissuade people though because I think I’m in the minority for sure!

If you can vibe with a blend of literary and historical fiction with elements of magical realism, you just might love this. Shafak is known for beautiful prose and unique stories. This meets that expectation. It didn't beat The Island of Missing Trees for me but it's still great and I recommend it.

I admit that it did take me a couple of tries to get into it, but I think this is just one of those books you have to be in the right headspace for. And for some sections, I used the audio version as well to push through. It's not a light book you just pick up here and there. But, when the reader is ready and focused (yes, I think her books require focus and true attention) the experience is enchanting and memorable.

The events of this sweeping, gorgeous novel span from Mesopotamia where King Ashurbanipal hoards in his vast library copies of the Epic of Gilgamesh while his people struggle to survive; to turn-of-the twentieth century London, where one marvel of a man decodes cuneiform at the British Museum; from modern-day 2014 Turkey, where a young Yadizi woman and her grandmother seek a cure in ISIS-controlled Iraq; to 2018 London where a hydrologist struggles to come to terms with heartbreak and calamity. All four stories intersect where life-nourishing water flows.

This was an amazing story. I underlined so many passages that resonated with me–Shafak is a poet and master storyteller. I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction and complex, thought-provoking, pithy storytelling. This was my favorite book of the summer, so far the best book of 2024 for me.

Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for access to the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are my own, and I’m not compensated for my review.

In this sweeping epic we follow 3 protagonists. In 2014 we read of Nira, a 9 year old, hearing impaired, Kurdish girl from a small village in Turkey, traveling to dangerous Nineveh amid Kurdish extermination in order to be baptized in the river there. In 2018 London, Zaleekhah, a stoic, melancholic doctor of water amid a marriage breakup and life implosion of her own self pitying making. In 1850-1876 King Arthur Smyth of the Slums is an extremely impoverished, brilliant, eidetic young man who becomes a self taught scholar and renowned expert on ancient Mesopotamian writings, who finally travels to Nineveh in search of a tablet with 17 missing lines to a lost poem. This poetic story is infused with historical and research facts in addition to parables and ancient stories woven throughout. It is richly character driven with these varying rivers from England to the Middle East. Seeded throughout is the continuity and memory and rebirth of water, down to droplets of rain. I found I was impatient for each of their stories to materialize. It was a lovely written book. Thank you to NetGalley and Alfred A. Knopf of Borzoi Books.

There Are Rivers in the Sky is a big book in terms of ideas, writing style and plotlines. It combines science, religion, history and literature. It’s the very definition of epic. It’s like a huge tapestry, weaving people and objects across the time periods. And through each story, the power of water.
The story jumps back and forth between the Middle East, specifically the Tigris River in Turkey and Iraq and the River Thames in London, between 660 BC,1840, 2014 and 2018 and between three diverse characters.
In 1840, Arthur lands a job at a publishing house in London thanks to his photographic memory. He develops a fascination with the book, Nineveh and Its Remains, which in turn leads to him translating cuneiform tablets. Arthur is based on the real life George Smith, the first man to translate the Epic of Gilgamesh into English. His story was the most appealing, covering the discoveries of that time period.
In 2014, Narin, a 10 year old Yazidi girl, is slowly going deaf due to a genetic disorder. Her grandmother is determined that she be baptized in the temple in Iraq. This section taught me about the Yazid faith and the persecution of their sect.
And in 2018, Zaleekah is a hydrologist in London studying the effects of climate change on water. She has just left her husband, moved into a houseboat on the Thames and is looking to find meaning in her life. I loved learning about hidden rivers in her section.
All three of these characters and their stories immediately drew me in. And I was entranced by Shafak’s ability to interweave these stories together into a meaningful whole. The ending has literally left me a bit shellshocked.
Each different section taught me something new. It combines the best parts of historical and literary fiction. As much as it taught me, it also sent me down numerous rabbit holes trying to learn more. This may end up being my number one favorite book of 2024.
This is a book that begs to be read by a book club. I will also be amazed if it doesn’t end up on the lists for all the big prizes.
My thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.

This was easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. The prose is gorgeous, the storylines blend magically, and the level of class analysis and advocacy for the global south is loud. This is literature at its finest.

Elif Shafak is an absolute magician. This book was so intricate, interesting, and well-researched. I loved the little clues in each character's story that linked them to other characters and story lines. Most were inconsequential to the overall plot, but the little symbols were there for the attentive reader. Each of the three (well...four if you count the opening chapter in Nineveh) characters' stories could almost stand alone, but yet they were all tied together. Symbolism of and working with water abounds -- rivers, droplets, water dowsers, water scientists, potable water, mudlarks, and more. You know it's a good novel when you find yourself googling background information -- cuneiform, was Arthur Smyth real, lamassu, Nineveh, maps of Mesopotamia,. British museum, Mosul, Yazidis, etc etc. I learned a lot.

Although I loved this book a few things that I wish were different. I wish there was more story line based in ancient Mesopotamia. The opening chapter got me hooked but then there were no more chapters set in that ancient timeline. Maybe that is deliberate -- it's an unknowable time period in many ways, but the civilization keeps popping up in different ways in the modern story lines. The book also just felt long to me. I also don't know what I would cut out? Go into it knowing it will use your full brain and attention. The reward of this special novel is there if you are paying close attention.

I am not the biggest fan of literary fiction but I do appreciate the historical elements that Shafak weaves into her novels. I really liked the characters and their journeys in this novel. The three different POVs were well done and thought out - Arthur was my favorite - but I probably would liked just one singular story about any of the characters. The book has beautifully written sections of it, especially when the grandmother is talking about her ancestors and the stories of her people. These parts felt like I was reading a whole different book. Ultimately though, I have to get through so much fluff and uneventful parts just to get to the last section of the book to really have enjoyed it. It could have easily been a shorter book and gotten to the end much faster.

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak is an extraordinary literary journey, and I am beyond excited to give it 5 stars. This epic narrative spans different time periods and continents, connecting seemingly disparate lives through the profound symbol of water. With stunning prose and meticulous research, Shafak masterfully weaves together the stories of three characters—Arthur Smith, Zaleekah, and Narin—united by the ancient city of Nineveh and the timeless flow of water. The brilliance of this book lies not just in its intricate storytelling but also in the emotional depth Shafak brings to each character and their journey.

Arthur Smith, modeled on the real-life Assyriologist George Smith, is a standout in the novel. Born in London’s slums, his journey from a publishing house to the exploration of Nineveh’s lost treasures is awe-inspiring. The way his intellectual curiosity transforms into a passionate quest for understanding the ancient world is both gripping and emotionally resonant. His fascination with the lamassus sculptures and cuneiform tablets adds a layer of historical intrigue that deepens the connection between past and present.

Zaleekah, living in more recent times, offers a fresh and deeply personal perspective. Her fascination with water’s life cycle and her eventual move to a houseboat give the narrative a meditative quality. I found her reflections on life, choice, and connection to history compelling. Through her, Shafak introduces a philosophical lens, exploring the cyclical nature of water and memory, and how both shape human history.

Narin, the young Yazidi girl living along the Tigris, adds a layer of urgency to the novel, as her story intertwines with the rise of ISIS and the destruction of ancient landscapes. Shafak’s portrayal of Narin’s journey with her grandmother to be baptized in the sacred Valley of Lalish is deeply moving. It highlights the resilience of Yazidi culture and the devastating impact of modern conflicts on ancient traditions.

Shafak’s ability to bring these three timelines together in a cohesive, emotionally charged narrative is a testament to her storytelling prowess. The history of Nineveh, from its grand libraries to its fiery destruction, is seamlessly interwoven with the characters’ lives. I found myself completely immersed in this vast, multilayered world, moved not only by the characters but by the overarching themes of destruction, memory, and survival.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with an advance review copy. This book is an absolute masterpiece, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Five stars truly don’t feel like enough to capture the brilliance of There Are Rivers in the Sky.

Elif Shafak’s "There Are Rivers in the Sky" is an extraordinary work of art, effortlessly weaving together multiple timelines and cultures with a lyrical beauty that makes it truly unforgettable. The novel, centered around the Tigris and Thames rivers, explores the fluidity of memory, history, and human connection.

The story spans centuries, linking the lives of Arthur, a poor London boy in 1840, Narin, a Yazidi girl in war-torn Turkey, and Zaleekah, a modern-day hydrologist facing her own existential crisis. Each of these characters is deeply affected by the rivers that define their landscapes, and Shafak masterfully connects their stories through the enduring power of water and the Epic of Gilgamesh. The novel profoundly explores themes of trauma, displacement, and the longing for home. Narin’s struggle to hold onto her heritage in the face of war, and Zaleekah’s journey of rediscovery after personal loss, are deeply moving.

"There Are Rivers in the Sky" is a masterful, meditative exploration of life, loss, and the ties that bind us across time and space. This is an absolute must-read!

Pathed Waters, Dreamed Shores

“Later, when the storm has passed, everyone will talk about the destruction it left behind, though no one, not even the king himself, will remember that it all began with a single raindrop.” So begins “There are Rivers in the Sky.”

Thousands of years ago, on the banks of the Tigris River in Nineveh, the world’s largest and wealthiest city, a single raindrop fell on its king, Ashurbanipal. The raindrop, before dissolving and returning to the sky, bears witness to the king cruelly setting fire to his mentor, a man who has betrayed him.

This drop of water falls, thousands of years later, on a newborn, Arthur, in 1840, on the banks of the Thames. Springing ahead to Turkey in 2014, a young Yazidi girl, Narin, touches a drop of water which was to have been part of her baptism in the Tigris. Finally, in 2018, a hydrologist by the name of Zaleekhah, is moving into a houseboat on the Thames. A tear falls from her eye– water once a snowflake or a wisp of steam. These three characters are all connected by the endless threaded journey of a single drop.

Aquatic memory. “Water remembers. It is humans who forget.”

Arthur’s people christened him King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums. Based on a historical figure, George Smith, Arthur is born into the most adjunct poverty. He has hyperthymesia, an extremely rare condition which allows tremendous amounts of sharply edged details to be recalled. He becomes obsessed with a book, “Nineveh and Its Remains,” and stumbles onto Assyrian tablets in the British Museum, tablets he alone seems able to decipher. His life’s goal focuses on chasing the completion of “a poem.”

A substantial amount of Elif Shafak’s message on water is brought out by Zaleekhah. As a water scientist she gives voice to climate crisis - water crisis issues. Man has sought to control river shapes– burying rivers by boxing them in concrete, covering them with dirt, and building over them. Water has been weaponized, too, throughout history, reshaping the flow of rivers in order to benefit, as well as to devastate.

Young Narin’s passages stress the suffering her people have been subject to throughout history. Dehumanized with labels like “devil worshipers,” it is said the Yazidis have been massacred seventy-two times… from antiquity to ISIS. At one point Arthur is sickened when he hears an official judgment on breaking promises to these infidels, ’‘...the Yazidis are kaffirs. Therefore, you do not need to worry about lying to them. In the eyes of God, it is lawful to snare a heathen; you can deceive them into thinking you mean them no harm and then do with them as you please.’

Sprawling? Absolutely. A lot of ground is covered, a lot of history. This is all tied together with more than just that traveling drop of water. The amount of research required here is staggering, but the characters, the information, and plot twists prevent it from sinking under its own weight. There is so much fascinating world history here, presented in a way rarely uncovered in the classroom.

“And what is passion if not a restlessness of the heart, an intense yearning to surpass your limits, like a river overflowing its banks?”

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #ThereAreRiversintheSky #NetGalley

I was first introduced to Shafak when I read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World - a book I LOVED and remains on my “Favorites“ shelf. Though I haven’t read any of her other novels, I was so happy to receive this one in the mail and couldn’t read it fast enough. Though slightly intimidated by the size and scope of the book, I was instantly invested in the story and couldn’t put it down.

It starts with a single drop of water. That drop begins a tale that weaves through three main characters, several different countries, and through centuries of time. Ultimately, we learn about the ancient city of Nineveh and Mesopotamia - believed to be the center of civilization.

Once again, Shafak stuns her readers with lyrical prose; themes of connection and love; and a belief that we must learn from the past to change the future. Even though this book was about 500 pages long, I could have remained with these characters and in this story for much longer.

Reminiscent of The Convent of Water, this one will be a favorite of the year!