Ella Rubenstein is 40 years old and after an unhappy marriage, she takes a job as a reader for a literary agent. Her first task was to read and report on the novel “Sweet Blasphemy, “written by a man named Aziz Zahra. Ella is fascinated by Shams’ search for Rumi and Dervish’s role in turning the successful but unhappy clergy man into a devoted mystic, passionate poet, and advocate of love.
She is also captivated by Shams’ teachings, or rules, which offer insight into an ancient philosophy based on the unity of all people and religions and the presence of love with in each of us. As she reads, she realizes that Rumi’s story overlaps with her own and that Zahara, like Shams, has come to set her free.
About the Book
In this lyrical and uplifting story, acclaimed Turkish author Elif Shafak, author of The Island Where the Trees Disappeared (Reese’s Book Club Pick), embodies Rumi’s timeless message of love. The Forty Rules of Love explores the enduring power of Rumi’s work in a parallel narrative set in the 13th century, when Rumi met his spiritual mentor, Shams of Tabriz, and in the presentday.
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