This was such a good read that I found myself not able to put down. The characters are well developed, the story line is interesting and I loved the different timeline element. I would highly recommend

This was a total departure from my usual reading genre and I really didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be a great read - the story of a woman in a loveless marriage and feeling she’s just existing when she starts reading about the 40 rules which transports her back centuries. I enjoyed the two timelines. Highly recommended

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for this eCopy to review

The Forty Rules of Love is everything I want in spiritual fiction lyrical, layered, and soul-stirring. From the quiet suburbs of Massachusetts to the mystic streets of 13th-century Konya, this novel swept me into a dual narrative that explores love in its most transformative form. It’s a story about faith, freedom, and the courage to follow the heart’s deepest calling.

💖 Plot Summary
Ella Rubinstein is a forty-year-old housewife whose life feels stagnant, her marriage is loveless, her children distant, and her sense of self fading. When she takes a job as a reader for a literary agency, her first assignment is a novel titled Sweet Blasphemy by Aziz Zahara. As she reads, she’s drawn into the story of Shams of Tabriz, a wandering Sufi dervish, and his spiritual bond with the poet Rumi.

Through Shams’s forty rules of love, each a philosophical gem, Ella begins to question everything she thought she knew about love, religion, and identity. As her correspondence with Aziz deepens, so does her inner transformation. Meanwhile, in the historical narrative, Shams and Rumi’s friendship challenges societal norms and ignites a spiritual revolution, even as it draws hostility from those closest to Rumi.

🌙 What Worked

Dual Narratives: The parallel stories of Ella and Rumi are beautifully interwoven, each reflecting the other’s journey toward awakening.
Shams’s Rules: Each rule is a meditation on love, compassion, and divine connection. I found myself pausing to reflect after nearly every one.
Emotional Resonance: Ella’s quiet rebellion and Rumi’s poetic evolution are deeply moving. Their transformations feel both personal and universal.
Cultural Richness: Shafak’s portrayal of Sufism is respectful, vivid, and enlightening. It’s a celebration of spiritual diversity.
Language: The prose is elegant and evocative, with moments that feel like poetry.

🧾 Final Thoughts
The Forty Rules of Love is a luminous novel that invites readers to look inward and embrace the radical power of love. It’s about breaking free from fear, embracing the unknown, and finding divinity in connection. Elif Shafak has crafted a masterpiece that lingers long after the final page.

If you’re drawn to stories that blend history, spirituality, and emotional depth, this one’s for you.

Observing a Sufi religious ceremony in Turkey is one of the highlights of my travels to date. It was a mystical, absorbing, fascinating, and deeply spiritual experience. [It bore no resemblance to the faux Sufi ‘dancers’ we later saw on board a cruise ship.]. I was therefore drawn to this book as it offered the opportunity to learn more about Rumi, the 13th century poet and Sufi mystic, whose profound relationship with Shams I-Tabriz enabled him to reach his true potential.

I am not always a fan of parallel timeline books. It’s rarely the case that both strands of the story are equally interesting and that’s what happens here. I couldn’t warm to Ella at all. She is given a book called Sweet Blasphemy to read by her employer, a literary agent. The author, Aziz Zahara, is unknown. As she is drawn into the novel, Ella reflects on her own life and feels compelled to write to Zahara. Their relationship develops and to say more would be a spoiler. Meanwhile, back in the 13th century, we are drawn into the development of Rumi’s relationship with Shams and his Forty Rules of Love.

Normally, I would love a story with such deeply spiritual messages but it just didn’t work for me this time. I think it’s because Ella’s story disrupted the flow of the narrative for me to the point where I became impatient every time we turned back to her. In the end, I’m afraid I ran out of steam and stalled. This is my first Elif Shafak but I’m not put off by this experience as her subject matter is always interesting so I’ll try again.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for a review copy.

Book within (Rumi, Shams) far more interesting than the 21stC wraparound

The thirteenth centre story of two Sufi mystics, Shams of Tabrizi and the more widely known Rumi, was fascinating and absorbing, providing much food for reflection, and fleshing out historical figures and known real events, making the reader (well, this one) think, feel and reflect a lot about what it might have been like to be the children or the wife of someone, in this time and place.

Unfortunately (for this reader) the device used by Shafak is to relate the philosophy of Shams and his ‘Forty Rules of Love’ which is, in essence, about love in a far, far broader way of living and being than purely ‘Romantic Love’ to the relationship which develops between Aziz, the author who has written a novel (this novel) and Ella, the American editor who is charged with reading the book and writing an account of it for a prospective publisher.

I have to say, the trajectory of the story of Aziz, a free spirit photographer and mystic and the disillusioned Ella, whose life has come to feel somewhat empty, with a cheating husband and the children she has abnegated herself to, is pretty predictable and felt quite cheesy. I also had a far greater sense of the reality of those long dead 13th century people – including the many invented ones – than I ever did to Aziz and Ella.

It was a little disappointing, given the breadth of Shams ‘Rules’ and the thoughts arising from them, to have them pretty curtailed down into that more prosaic ‘romantic love story’

This was quite a change from my normal reads, but I've heard so much about Elif Shafak's work I wanted to read it.

It was hard going for me, I think I struggled to finish, but it wasn't down to the writing which was amazing, I'm not sure if the topic didn't hold me, I normally love multiple narration in books with different chapters done by different characters.

I can't explain it, but I don't feel the different timelines were written equally, both were enjoyable but had a very different style. And I feel i would've enjoyed each as standalone books but the switching kept taking a little bit of time to get used to each time.

As I said really beautifully written, I've seen other people say all of Elif's books are quite different so I definitely haven't been put off trying more.

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak is an exquisite literary feat — richly layered, emotionally resonant, and quietly transformative. I don’t usually gravitate toward literary fiction, but this novel completely captivated me. It’s one of those rare books that not only tells a story but alters the lens through which you view the world.

Told across two beautifully interwoven timelines — the modern-day life of Ella Rubinstein, and the 13th-century spiritual journey of Rumi and his enigmatic companion Shams of Tabriz — the novel explores the deeply human themes of love, longing, faith, and inner awakening. I thought I knew where it was going, but Shafak masterfully sidesteps predictability, delivering an elegant and unexpected emotional arc.

Ella’s story is one of quiet dissatisfaction and emotional numbness — a woman who, on the surface, has it all: a husband, children, a comfortable home. But it is through her encounter with the manuscript about Rumi and the transformative teachings of Shams that she begins to awaken. As Ella’s inner world shifts, so too does the reader’s. The love of Sufism that permeates the novel is infectious — gentle, poetic, and deeply humane.

The philosophical core of the book lies in Shams' "forty rules," each a meditative gem. As one quote reminds us: “Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven't loved enough...” That line alone captures the novel’s essence.

Shafak’s prose is lyrical without ever being overwrought. The blend of mysticism and realism is so seamless that the past and present don’t just mirror each other — they sing in harmony. The Forty Rules of Love is more than a novel; it’s a deeply felt spiritual journey and a passionate defense of love in all its forms.

This book will stay with me for a long time. Enlightening, moving, and quietly revolutionary — a superb read in every sense.

Elif Shafak has got to be one of my favourite authors at this point.

This novel tells the story of Ella Rubinstein, a middle class, middle age woman, who comes across a novel 'Sweet Blasphemy', which is about the relationship between Rumi and Shams of Tabriz in the 13th century. Not only do we get her story, but we also get to read this novel along with her.

The writing is beautiful and both storylines are captivating - I was equally engrossed in both. The way both intertwined was so gorgeous, each adding to the other. As Ella learns about Shams, Rumi and Sufism, so do we as the reader.

There is so much to unpack in this novel, but ultimately it is all about love. How love can be powerful and transformative and the importance of living a life full of love.

It is often said that Shark's books are all so different that a reader never knows what to expect. The downside of that is that one of her books may not suit someone who has loved her previous works and that is what happened to me with this one. I absolutely loved The Island of Missing Trees but the frequent moving across centuries and the multiple narrators of The Forty Rules... just lost me. I struggled to keep track of which of the 13th century voices was which and that made the experience very disjointed. I remained quite interested in Ella's story but didn't really manage to make the links with the older narrative. I am a big fan of Shark's writing but this one just wasn't for me.

Thanks to @netgalley, the author and publishers for the ARC.

I am going to have to admit that I found this book hard going, and I have struggled to finish it. I think the only reason I didn't DNF was because it was an ARC.
It's not like @shafakelif 's usual books, I've enjoyed them in the past, but this one, I just didn't enjoy the story. It felt like it was two stories/books in one, and the jumping about frustrated me, as did the modern-day part, which felt unbelievable at times.
The writing however was good as you'd expect, but I felt no affinity with the characters at all and even if the book was written as two different books, I don't think I'd enjoy it.

This book was a step away from my usual picks, so I wasn’t sure what to expect and had to take a moment to reflect after finishing it.

I really enjoyed the read, the story was beautifully written and though across two timelines and multiple perspectives, easy to follow and engaging throughout. The characters are written in such a way that you feel like you understand them all and can empathise with them. It’s a story that feels like it gives you clarity on every day life where you may not have felt like you were missing it before and where whilst reading, you don’t realise you’re thinking in such a way.

I’d highly recommend this book and I’ll be looking for more from this author. The acknowledgements and the note from the author at the end about her methods for writing and translating was especially beautiful. I’m glad I read this book. The only thing I would change would be for a little more from the ending as it felt a little abrupt and left me wanting some closure for some of the characters, but maybe that was the whole point.

I tried, I really tried, but this was a DNF for me.

The framing story try felt didactic and clumsy, nowhere near the fluidity and poetry of the Sweet Blasphemy sections, so it was clearly an authorial choice and not a lack of skill.

There were some lovely sentiments, themes, and ideas discussed: “The sharia is like a candle,” said Shams of Tabriz. “It provides us with much valuable light. But let us not forget that a candle helps us to go from one place to another in the dark. If we forget where we are headed and instead concentrate on the candle, what good is it?”

I just didn’t find it at all compelling, and having stalled at the 75% mark couldn’t muster the vim to pick it back up.

Clearly not a book for me..

I think I would have found a literal list of the 40 rules of love more enjoyable.

This is two stories in one. I enjoyed the current day one but found the other drawn out and for me it detracted from the books overall enjoyment.
I struggled to finish it.

This felt like two separate, interleaved stories. Each was interesting in it’s own right but this just resulted in a frustrating read jumping from one time frame and topic to the other. I’m not sure what was achieved by this. I think I am not the right audience for this novel.

Told across two time lines, Rumi and Shams of Tabriz in the 13th Century and modern day house wife Ella and Azziz, author of the book she is reading.

Beautifully told, both stories unfurl within each other.

If you haven’t read Shafak before I’d advise you to read and search out their other books.

Beautiful storytelling, thank you to NetGallwy and the publishers for the copy to review.

A beautifully written novel that blends spiritual insight with storytelling. The parallel narratives - Rumi and Shams in the 13th century and Ella in the modern day - explore love, faith, and transformation. The historical storyline is especially powerful, though the contemporary plot is a little bit predictable. Still, Shafak’s prose is lyrical and thought-provoking making this a soulful, inspiring read.

This is a book of two stories. One about Ella Rubenstein who is unhappily married and currently working on reviewing a book called "Sweet Blasphemy" and develops an email relationship with Aziz. Z Zahara, the author. The other story is about the book which explores the relationship between dervish Shams of Tabriz and scholar and poet Rami in thirteenth century Turkey.
There is no doubt that Elif Shafak writes poetically but I wanted to hear more of the story of Ellie and Aziz

I enjoyed the historical elements of this book and the unfolding stories of love throughout. I’ve listened to two other books of Shafak and I loved listening to them, I think I would have got on better with an audio version of this book. It was quite a complicated read going for historical to present day chapters, chapters were also written from different perspectives. It was great to read about a historical time of which I knew very little. It’s a very beautiful book which I think Shafak has a gift with words to create the books she has.

An interesting and thoughtful read about friendship, love and finding yourself. Another masterpiece by a great author.

This is a fascinating novel, told in two distinct timelines, each one with their own distinctive and appropriate "voice". I think of it as metafiction: the reader learns about mystical thought in the thirteenth century in tandem with the main present-day protagonist, Ella, as she reviews a book for a publishing house. The novel is complex, considering events and emotions from the points of view of two very different cultures hundreds of years apart, and shows how the power of love can transcend everything wherever and whenever people live.