The Forty Rules of Love (HB) Hardcover – August 1, 2022

I know Rumi’s poems- knew nothing of Shams. This book is not for everyone, but for those seeking meaning in the changes of life and the world- very engaging and a great opportunity for thinking in positivity. Embrace love ❤️

Ella is unhappily married when she obtains a position as a reader for a literary agency. Her first assignment is to read and report on a manuscript titled Sweet Blasphemy by an amateur writer. It is about Rumi, a poet and a spiritual leader in the history of Islam, who is also an unconventional dervish full of scandals and surprises. As she reads about his transformation, it sets her on her own revolution.Turkey, 13th century. Following God’s guidance, Shams of Tabriz, a wandering dervish, embarks on an inner journey of Love by traveling to Baghdad to fulfill his destiny to pass on his knowledge to another person. His journey takes him farther to Konya where he meets a respected scholar named Rumi. Shams sees the suffering of ordinary people and questions if Rumi sees them or if he is one of those scholars who fail to see those suffering “while sitting in their ivory towers.”Shams puts Rumi through “trial and tests, states and stages, each of which make Rumi look more deranged in the eyes of even his most loyal followers.” But Rumi understands a purpose of all that and it’s a purpose to serve him to become a better person. “Shams deliberately fanned the flames of gossip, touched raw nerves, and spoke words that sounded like blasphemy to ordinary ears, shocking and provoking people, even those who loved him.”Their story is intertwined with secondary characters whose sufferings enforce the powerful message of the story which is loving oneself first, to be connected with the One, to mirror what we expect in return. Everything serves a purpose. Behind all hardships there is a larger scheme. There is a group of loving supporters of Rumi and there are those who despise him. A leper questions “Why was God so unfair? To me He had given poverty, sickness, and misery. To Rumi, riches, success, and wisdom.” Why?The 13th century story is a testament to author’s incredible knowledge to weave such story with so much wisdom, wisdom you can reflect on. And it also proves the author’s incredible talent for writing, weaving seamlessly the knowledge with all the characters. Touching story, engrossingly imagined and beautifully written.P.S. I’m one of those readers for whom modern timeline doesn’t work within historical fiction; however, most of this story is set in the 13th century.

I loved this book which had alternating storylines in 2017-18 in Boston, and in the thirteenth century in the Middle East. Rumi’s poetry has always moved me with it’s beauty and mystery. This is the story of Rumi and his Sufi guide. The other main character, living in this century, is a woman book editor who is disillusioned with her life and falls in love with a Middle Eastern author whose book she’s reviewing. There were many beautiful quotes from Islam and allegories that provided spiritual guidance to those searching.

I am only 1/3rd of the way through this book and only put it down to write this review. I chose this book because friend of mine had given me a book of Rumi poetry and I wanted to understand more about this man. I have read other books and watched some YouTube videos, but this book is by far the most engaging. I am glued to it.If you want to understand Rumi, you must meet Shams of Tabriz. If you want to understand love, read this book.

The story is told from the perspective of many characters. Each chapter has a different point of view than the one before. The characters are as diverse as a 13th Century leper in Turkey, and a 21st Century housewife in New England. The author does a fantastic job of writing each of these characters, and at the same time making the overall story coherent. I believe that, ultimately, is one of the main points of the book: we are not isolated beings, we are all part of the whole.The book is largely about the process of spiritual growth. It is a great story and challenges the readers to think about how it applies to their own lives, even when they are done reading. But, as the title says, it is a "novel." It is not a "how-to" book. So, if after reading this, you are inspired to grow spiritually (and most of us could stand to do so more), then there are many actual "how-to" books. I would suggest starting with any book by Thich Nhat Hanh. He was a Zen monk, not a Sufi, but many of the basic spiritual truths are common across all traditions. In fact, some of the stories told in this book are similar to stories told in other traditions. For example, I have read the story of the holy person that carries the woman across a river, in many traditions.As Confuious said, "What I hear I forget, what I see I remember, what I do I understand." If we really want to understand the 40 Rules of Love in this book, we need more than just a quick reading of them, we need to do them.