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Description edit
An American housewife is transformed by an intriguing manuscript about the Sufi mystic poet Rumi In this lyrical, exuberant follow-up to her 2007 novel, The Bastard of Istanbul , acclaimed Turkish author Elif Shafak unfolds two tantalizing parallel narratives- one contemporary and the... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Ella Rubinstein: An unhappy forty year old American who takes a job as a reader for a literary agent.
- Ella: Wealthy, discontented American wife and mother who finds love in reading a novel about Rumi's life in the 1200's.
- David: Ella's husband. Privileged and shallow.
- Aziz Z. Zahara: Author of the book, SWEET BLASPHEMY, which Ella is assigned to review by a literary agency.
- Ayse: Beautifully written...
- Shams: Shams-i Tebrizi... Such a powerful character... yet a human being and could not stop the sad ending... All through the book, parts from Shams were my favourite parts to read... read again and again...
- Kimya: A beautiful heart...
- Shams of Tabriz: I love his character. Unconventional and so full of wisdom. I salute him and he was responsile for the eventual Rumi
- Scott: Add a description of this character.
- Michelle
- Kerra
- Baba Zaman
- Margot
- Muslim
- Mother Mary
- Baybars
- Mawlana
- Esther
- Genghis Khan
- Kaykhusraw
- Layla
- Aladdin
- Master Sameed
- Hristos
- A.Z. Zahara: Author of Sweet Blasphemy, the book that Emma needs to review.
- Shams of Tabriz: A Sufi mystic and dear friend of Rumi
- Rumi
- Desert Rose the Harlot
- Suleiman the Drunk
- The Killer
Quotes edit
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“When I was a child, I saw God,I saw angels;I watched the mysteries of the higher and lower worlds. I thought all men sawthe same. At last I realized that they did not see...”
Shams of Tabriz
- Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
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Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?
Highlighted by 103 Kindle customers -
If you want to change the way others treat you, you should first change the way you treat yourself. Unless you learn to love yourself, fully and sincerely, there is no way you can be loved. Once you achieve that stage, however, be thankful for every thorn that others might throw at you. It is a sign that you will soon be showered in roses.”
Highlighted by 97 Kindle customers -
“Fret not where the road will take you. Instead concentrate on the first step. That’s the hardest part and that’s what you are responsible for. Once you take that step let everything do what it naturally does and the rest will follow. Do not go with the flow. Be the flow.”
Highlighted by 95 Kindle customers -
Patience does not mean to passively endure. It means to be farsighted enough to trust the end result of a process. What does patience mean? It means to look at the thorn and see the rose, to look at the night and see the dawn. Impatience means to be so shortsighted as to not be able to see the outcome. The lovers of God never run out of patience, for they know that time is needed for the crescent moon to become full.
Highlighted by 92 Kindle customers -
Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem, do not enter the neighborhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful! It is easy to be thankful when all is well. A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has been given but also for all that he has been denied.
Highlighted by 90 Kindle customers -
The past is an interpretation. The future is an illusion. The world does not move through time as if it were a straight line, proceeding from the past to the future. Instead time moves through and within us, in endless spirals. Eternity does not mean infinite time, but simply timelessness. If you want to experience eternal illumination, put the past and the future out of your mind and remain within the present moment.
Highlighted by 81 Kindle customers -
Loneliness and solitude are two different things. When you are lonely, it is easy to delude yourself into believing that you are on the right path. Solitude is better for us, as it means being alone without feeling lonely. But eventually it is best to find a person, the person who will be your mirror. Remember, only in another person’s heart can you truly see yourself and the presence of God within you.
Highlighted by 78 Kindle customers -
East, west, south, or north makes little difference. No matter what your destination, just be sure to make every journey a journey within. If you travel within, you’ll travel the whole wide world and beyond.
Highlighted by 76 Kindle customers -
It’s easy to love a perfect God, unblemished and infallible that He is. What is far more difficult is to love fellow human beings with all their imperfections and defects. Remember, one can only know what one is capable of loving. There is no wisdom without love. Unless we learn to love God’s creation, we can neither truly love nor truly know God.
Highlighted by 70 Kindle customers -
Destiny doesn’t mean that your life has been strictly predetermined. Therefore, to leave everything to fate and to not actively contribute to the music of the universe is a sign of sheer ignorance. “The music of the universe is all-pervading and it is composed on forty different levels. “Your destiny is the level where you will play your tune. You might not change your instrument but how well to play is entirely in your hands.”
Highlighted by 68 Kindle customers
First Sentence edit
Between your fingers you hold a stone and throw it into flowing water.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Elif Shafak (Author)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PS3619.H328 F67 2010
- Dewey: 813.6
Subjects edit
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