Harriett gilbert speaks to author elif shafak about her novel the forty rules of love. A novel within a novel, the forty rules of love tells two parallel stories that mirror each other across two very different cultures and seven intervening centuries. Throughout the last half of the book shams character is breaking many of the rules the author places earlier in the book and the whole 40 rules of love becomes a severely disjointed and amateur effort. Sometimes holding a book club discussion can be tricky, and thats where this book club discussion guide can help. Pretend like we are sitting together as a group, sipping tea and discussing this book.
She love to cook thats why she spends most of her time at the kitchen. Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. I ordered the forty rules of love after it was recommended to me by a friend and i had no idea what kind of book it was until i began reading it. A novel within a novel, the forty rules of love tells two parallel stories that mirror. John kennedy toole a confederacy of dunces discussion questions.
If god brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and blame welled inside us. No matter the genre, age, notoriety, or length of the book of the moment, book club questions can kickstart or enhance your group discussion. I create this group to discuss the forty rules of love written by elif shafak. The forty rules of love, by elif shafak the independent. Dec 08, 2011 discussion questions from the publisher. I think that some of us felt that the forty rules of love could very well have. Elif shafak, the most widely read female writer in turkey, has earned a growing fan base all over the world with her. The narrative follows her unlikely escape from what at first appears to be inevitable unhappiness. About the forty rules of love in this lyrical, exuberant followup to her novel, the bastard of istanbul, acclaimed turkish author elif shafak unfolds two tantalizing parallel narrativesone contemporary and the other set in the thirteenth century, when rumi encountered his spiritual mentor, the whirling dervish known as shams of tabrizthat together incarnate the poets timeless message of love. A cinematic production for the forty rules of love. It is a good idea to plan on finishing the book a little earlier than you might otherwise so that you have time to think about it and prepare before your book club meets. The forty rules of love is written by turkish author elif safak. Jun 01, 2017 the forty rules of love is a book about rumi and the shams of tabriz, rumis most trusted and beloved companion.
The forty rules of love by elif shafak park grove library book club. A novel about love, mysticism and the life of the sufi poet rumi. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. Elif shafak goodreads author topics about this book topics that mention this book. What is the original language of elif shafaks forty rules. The forty rules of love which is narrated by shams from time to time really maybe just for a while changed my perspective on life and on relations and obviously on god. With her daughter in college and her twins in high school, ella rubinstein has gone back to work as a reader for a boston literary agent. This post is a collection of extracts from the elif shafak book, forty rules of love.
The forty rules of love by elif shafak reading guide. I fell in love with elif shafaks the forty rules of love the moment i saw it. Forth rules of love is written in english by the author herself from the rules being touched in the turkish version. Its a book that encourages you to transform your life and fill it with love. Each month, we share top book picks from indie next and libraryreads, as well as the target book club title and pennies pick for costco. The perfect book club is made up of three key things.
What is shafak saying about the personal and imaginative potential of fiction. The forty rules of love takes sufism into blockbuster territory. It was a wonderful evening of discussion and the local cable channel was. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel. Book discussion with jan krulickbelin november 7, 2019. She is also a political commentator and an inspirational public speaker. What is the original language of elif shafaks forty. The forty rules of love by elif shafak, paperback barnes. The five love languages of children discussion guide alpha mom. Moving back and forwards smoothly between today and the thirteenth centaury we learn the forty rules of love of sufism are as relevant now as they were then.
In this lyrical, imaginative novel, author elif shafak unfolds two parallel narrativesone contemporary and the other set in the thirteenth century, when the sufi poet and mystic rumi encountered his spiritual mentor, the infamous wandering dervish known as shams of tabriz. The bestselling, controversial turkish author bastard of istanbul, 2007, etc. Finding my father through letters from world war ii. The forty rules of love deserves to be a global publishing phenomenon, independent enlightening, enthralling. Jun 17, 2017 this book is a cross between general fiction and historical fiction since the events that occurred between rumi and shams in the book are based on true events. Dec 14, 2017 my current book club group is much more casual, but perhaps too much so. Shafak has written a novel within a novelsweet blasphemy, set in thirteenthcentury turkey and iraq, within the forty rules of love, set in twentyfirstcentury massachusetts. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction.
How do the two stories relate to and illuminate each other. I decided to come up with a generic list of book club questions to compel us to dig deeper than did you like the book. The forty rules of love is a book about rumi and the shams of tabriz. This book is a cross between general fiction and historical fiction since the events that occurred between rumi and shams in the book are based on true events. A juicy threecheese lasagna can help the discussion of the driest novel. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. Her book is inspired by rumis message of love and his companionship with his spiritual master shams of tabriz. The forty rules of love, books discussion group 67 members. Good rules include dont interrupt another member, let everyone have a turn to speak, if you disagree do it politely, stay on. The forty rules of love elif shafak is one of turkeys most acclaimed and outspoken novelists.
In this lyrical, exuberant followup to her novel, the bastard of istanbul, acclaimed turkish author elif shafak unfolds two tantalizing parallel narrativesone contemporary and the other set in the thirteenth century, when rumi encountered his spiritual mentor, the whirling dervish known as shams of tabrizthat together incarnate the poets timeless message of love. A cinematic production for the forty rules of love novel prezi. The forty rules of love taught me that weve been asking. Aug 21, 2017 ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. Fortyyearold ella rubenstein is an ordinary unhappy housewife with three children and an unfaithful husband, but her life begins to change dramatically when she takes a job as a. The forty rules of love is a book about rumi and the shams of tabriz, rumis most trusted and beloved companion. The book tells the story of ella rubinstein, a woman in her late thirties who has settled into the complacency of a life. She writes in both turkish and english, and has published 15 books, 10 of which are novels, including the bestselling the bastard of istanbul and the forty rules of love. She was born in 1971 and is the author of six novels, including the forty rules of love, the bastard of istanbul, the gaze, the saint of incipient insanities and the flea palace, and one work of nonfiction. Ella shes a 40ish jewish women lives in northampton, usa. Also, keep mortie out of it your cousin mortie from montana may be in town for the week, but that doesnt mean he should come with you to book club. The forty rules of love is a 2009 novel by elif shafak.
It interweaves ellas quest to find love with shamss and rumis quest for beatitude through friendship, as told by a range of. The problem with the forty rules of love is not that two disparate storylines are. It is about maulana jalaluddin, known as rumi and his spiritual teacher shams tabrizi. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Our 23 hour meetings are primarily a social gathering with a mere 10 minute discussion about the book snuck somewhere in the middle. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. In this lyrical, exuberant followup to her novel, the bastard of istanbul, acclaimed turkish author elif shafak unfolds two tantalizing parallel narrativesone contemporary and the other set in the thirteenth century, when rumi encountered his spiritual mentor, the whirling dervish known as shams of tabrizthat together incarnate the poets timeless. I remember there were several moments while reading when a light bulb would go off and i wanted to smack myself on the forehead for missing what seemed, in retrospect, so obvious. Reading the forty rules of love during ramadan was the cherry on top. Join us for a conversation about ask forty rules of love written by internationally acclaimed turkish novelist, elif shafak dubbed by the times uk as a gorgeous, jeweled, luxurious book where the past and the present fit together beautifully in a passionate defense of passion itself, forty rules of love tells the tale of two parallel journeys towards love one set in. The tale of the fated meeting, spiritual companionship, and tragic parting of rumi and shams of tabriz is beautifully recounted in the forty rules of love. The forty rules of love is about the transformative power of reading, as it is a. She only cared about her family she was a perfect housewife. Bookclub, elif shafak the forty rules of love bbc radio 4.
Youll also find printable book club questions at the end of this post to bring to. Elif shafak portrays the deepest empathy found between human beings, deeper by far than most of us can even dream of. The first narrative is about ella, who works for a literary agency and she was given a book entitled sweet blasphemy and yep, the sweet blasphemy is the second narrative of this novel. This book has transformed my life and made considerable changes in it, and. This may seem obvious, but it is the most important step, so it is worth stating.
As a member or leader of a book club, you are likely to be reading books on a wide variety of topics, both fiction and nonfiction. When i read the 5 love languages of children years ago it truly revolutionized the way i parented my children. Here are a few discussion topics and questions ive put together for sunday. The forty rules of love taught me that weve been asking ourselves. World book club, elif shafak the forty rules of love bbc. The 40 rules of love, conveyed through the character of shams, were so beautiful that i wanted to copy out each of them and save them for future reference. Dec 05, 2014 the forty rules of love which is narrated by shams from time to time really maybe just for a while changed my perspective on life and on relations and obviously on god. Twenty questions to test your knowledge of margaret atwoods famous novel. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Sufism is huge theme in this book, and this was what made it special.
Whether you are discussing characters and their actions, setting, theme, or images, having a guide to questions that will. Elif shafak is an awardwinning novelist and the most widely read female writer in turkey. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. What is the original language of elif shafaks forty rules of love. General book club questions for study and discussion. Buy the forty rules of love book online at low prices in. My heart soared while reading this book, and i was uplifted by the sufi wisdom contained throughout it. The forty rules of love deserves to be a global publishing phenomenon, independent. Forty rules of love is a book that will stay with me for a long time. Shafak draws on facts from rumis and shams biographies and brings them to life with deft storytelling. Members have a relationship with one another that changes when new people enter. The book tells the story of ella rubinstein, a woman in her late thirties who has settled into. The rule of four by ian caldwell and dustin thomason.
Her life is so cold that she reached a level that she doesnt care about her husband. Group questions quick tips for your group if you want to play music in the background, here are some groovy options. At first glance i thought it was purely religious, and, not being religious myself, i thought i had made a mistake, but how wrong i was. A gorgeous, jeweled, luxurious book, the times shafak will challenge paulo coelhos dominance. Apr 15, 2020 elif shafaks the forty rules of love questions. In a sense, the forty rules of love is about the transformative power of reading, as it is a novelsweet blasphemythat begins to change ellas life. The kjzz book club met at the offices of the better business bureau arizona to chat with local author jan krulickbelin about her book, love, bill. The first two things are easy to accomplish just read anything by. This books has sold more than 750,000 copies in turkey and in france. Rule 1 how we see god is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves.
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