Ruan Arendt

This book is has an essence of Love. It will remind you how much of it we are lacking in our lives. It teaches you about the power of kindness and how it tranforms a person into a beautiful soul. It has so many lessons that a few words can not do justice to its reviews. The compassion, forgiveness, pity, love, friendship and faith are some of the many things which Shams wants us to adapt. He doesn't give sermons or lectures, rather just a few simple and sweet rules which can change our whole lives and perspectives. It's only a matter of choice as to how we want to treat others or how we react to situations. My heart soared while reading this book, and I was uplifted by the Sufi wisdom contained throughout it. The 40 rules of love were so beautiful that I wanted to copy out each of them and save them for future reference. Both of the parallel stories in this book were fascinating: the modern American woman grappling with a loveless marriage, and the spiritual bromance between Rumi and Shams in Turkey in the 1200's. I loved how the author braided them together. Just as Hesse's "Siddhartha" is a mystical introduction to Buddhism, so is this novel a view into Sufi mysticism. And just as I felt emotionally transported by Hesse's masterpiece, so did I during The Forty Rules of Love. This is a rare accomplishment. I am very grateful to Elif Shafak for this gorgeous tale, so elegantly and masterfully told. It made me want to do further research into Rumi's poetry and Sufi thought in general. This book will grip your heart and if not completely, a part of you will definitely be a little more polite and soft.