Welcome to Litsy!

read There Are Rivers in the Sky in record time—it completely drew me in. It‘s a fascinating account of how water has shaped lives, cultures, and history. The characters and settings were vivid, and I especially loved learning about Mesopotamia and the modern countries that now exist in that region. The multiple timelines were equally compelling, and the depiction of the atrocities people endured was heartbreaking. A powerful, immersive read.

A sprawling tale starting in 600BC and then through 1840, 2014 and 2018, on the banks of the rivers Thames and Tigris. This was a very slow burn for me, taking me an age to get into and I did find the interweaving stories differed in strength. That said in the final third all strands pull together in a really beautiful way. Largely a great read, huge amounts to learn and think about, but something held me back from truly loving it.

Heartbreaking and beautifully written story about three people whose lives and fates intertwine throughout time, history and the Epic of Gilgamesh. I‘m enamored with Shafak‘s prose —I will definitely read more of her backlist. My only criticism would be that the ending felt a bit too abrupt after 430 pages of build up to find out how and why all three characters were connected.

I don‘t drink alcoholic beverages, and I particularly dislike wine and beer. Recently discovered Töst, a non-alcoholic sparkling beverage made from white tea, berries and ginger. It‘s lovely and very refreshing! (Not to sound like a commercial—I really do not have any stock in this company. ?) Just putting it out there in case others are interested.

Hubby is working 48 hours in a row (2 24-hour shifts back-to-back) so I took myself to the state park at the beach for a little bit of Vitamin D and a nice view for reading my book.

A common science essay: “describe the journey of a water molecule” is transformed into an epic POV novel based in Nineveh, London, and Iraq. I rooted for each main character for different reasons. Each POV had their own strengths and I loved the history lesson of the Yazidi faith and history. Narin‘s grandmother had wonderful nuggets of advice and one-liners that made the novel worth reading in itself. Wonderful.

4 star book. Really sad.

I found this harrowing and so so sad. Also, I will say it touched my heart and I learned a lot; I am glad that I have read the Epic of Gilgamesh (tho it isn‘t necessary for understanding this story and the characters.)

Had to pull a pic from the archives; this glorious rushing stream is near Gunnison Colorado.

#July2025 Book64 #ToF

“To write is to free yourself from the constraints of place and time.”

This book is taking me forever and I think it is because I fear disaster in the ending 🫣

“Women are expected to be like rivers—readjusting, shapeshifting.“

Up next and I am so excited and hopeful that I will love it that I‘m almost scared to begin 😱

#ToF #LibraryBook so I best get started.

#WhereAreYouMonday

Mesopotamia 631 BC
London 1840
Turkey 2014

How else could I experience theses places in these times if it weren‘t for stories? How bereft my life would be without books. How thankful I am to be a reader!

@Cupcake12

Another beautifully written novel by Elif Shafak. Humanity is united by water as this story illustrates in the telling of Arthur who lives near the River Thames in the 1840s, Narin who lives by the River Tigris in 2014, Zaleekhah who lives in a houseboat on the River Thames in 2018.

I loved this one. It‘s about how one drop of water can connect us. It‘s told via the unique voices of three people. Arthur who born very near the Thames, Narin who lives near the Tigris and Zaleekah who is renting a houseboat on the Thames. Beautifully written and very moving at times, I was very immersed in these characters‘ lives and found it a page turner.

A library book. I loved The Island of Missing Trees by this author so looking forward to this one.

#roll100 another absolutely beautiful novel from Elif Shafa - she has such a talent for description and drawing you into the lives of her characters. Heartbreaking that so much of this is based on true events.

Loved this story. Human connection through water. Told through 3 perspectives, set on the banks of the River Thames and the Tigris in 2014, 2018 and 1840 (and a bit beyond). My favorite character was King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums. Not one I‘ll soon forget!

I was at the House of Literature last night to hear Elif Shafak talk about her latest book

What a talk. She talked about so many aspects of the novel and the significance of different writing styles for the different POV. I now have a deeper understanding of the novel

And Sharif was so sweet. Taking her time for everyone wanting a signed copy and a selfie. I stood 50 min in a queue. I can‘t remember the last time I did that

I popped into the bookstore while my oldest son was with his tutor. This book jumped out at me and reminded me to check it out at the library. I did read the first few pages there. Is that stealing? I‘m not a bookstore person, at the library, this is encouraged!

Every once in a while you read the blurb of a book and think this could be a new favorite. Then you read the first paragraph and gets it confirmed. This was that book for me. I knew I was in safe hands and could just get lost in the story.

Arthur by the Thames from the 1840s, Narin by the Tigris in 2014 and Zaleekhah by the Thames in 2018. I preferred Arthur and Zaleekhah‘s stories and I post under a spoiler why

And that ending

It occurs to him, in that moment, that poverty has its own scent, an odour that emanates from his pores, easily detected. It is an awful, debilitating thought.

(This quote has my thinking of “Parasite” right away)

A day late because I wasn‘t very well yesterday.

This one was by far and away my favourite book of 2024.

#FaveBk24
#25Alive
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs

#FirstLineFridays

This paragraph pulled me in and hooked me

“Water is the consummate immigrant, trapped in transit, never able to settle.”

The story spans multiple timelines, a story of a child born in London in the 1800s, a young researcher with a broken marriage finding her footing in present day London and about a young girl belonging to an unconventional religion in present times as well.The common denominator is a single drop of water caught in its never ending cycle of evaporation and precipitation.

Not just my favourite read of November, but the best book of the year for me. I adored it.

#12BooksOf2024
@Andrew65

I have read this book in the last 24 hours and feel a bit battered and broken.
It‘s amazing, a work of art, but brutal and honest.
I learned a lot and googled a lot!
Brilliant story telling.

Joining @TheAromaofBooks #Readouttheold readathon to finish all the books before the new year arrives. Read this one for a bookclub. I had a hard time getting into it and when I got in, it became very heavy.

I appear to have been on some kind of mission this month (called trying to catch up on my Goodreads challenge!), 12 books in a month must surely be a record for me.

Best by far was There Are Rivers in the Sky, a truly beautiful novel.

Worst by a huge margin was Starting Over (men who blame their own violence on others should never be considered as love interest material, in books or in real life).

#NovemberWrapUp

I love Elif Shafak as a person who speaks about pressing issues & as an author. I‘ve enjoyed the diverse characters & warmth of her previous books. I didn‘t get on with this one - it felt too slow & the fable-like tone & lack of plot tension made it hard to connect with the characters or care what happened. It‘s also a little overwritten or descriptive. I‘ve heard people raving about it, but I didn‘t have the patience to keep going.

Oh my goodness, this book ❤️. The writing is so beautiful. I loved the storytelling, I loved the characters. Book of the year for me

1. Sunday afternoon, the weather‘s dull, dark, rainy, but I‘m indoors with the fire on, a cup of tea on the go, and a good book in my hand ☺️

2. I‘ve just started reading the tagged book, which I‘ve been looking forward to diving into since I saw Elif taking about it at Cheltenham Literature Festival last month.

#WondrousWednesday
@Eggs

I got the ARC of this from #netgalley, long before it was published in August, but it had mixed reviews so I wasn‘t really tempted. It‘s recently been announced as being one of the BBC Between The Covers books so I picked it up, and absolutely loved it.

It‘s really devastating though so be warned, with some CW. Following 3 different people in different timescales, all linked by water, I loved how it all came together in the end.

This book broke my heart. Brutal and beautiful. A drop of magical realism. Three lives separated in time and place, connected by a drop of water, the Tigris, and the Epic of Gilgamesh. I found it a bit hard to get into the present tense narration, but all three narratives gripped me. (Content warnings, but the most horrific events are off page and there's nothing gratuitous.) I fully expect to see this listed for the Women's Prize next year.

What a book. This is a new to me author and this book is so hard to describe. It's definitely going to be at the top of my favorite books for this year. This is such a good one. One you won't want to put down and you definitely can not just skim through it and understand what is going on.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/09/there-are-rivers-in-sky-elif-shafak.html

@shafakelif
@aaknopf

When you have the perfect bookmark for a book. 💙

After really enjoying her previous 2 books, I am unsurprised that Shafak‘s latest is terrific. It follows 3 main characters in three different times and thus took me a little time to settle in, but I was absolutely rewarded for doing so. The storylines are all equally compelling and I had so much empathy for each of these characters. And I loved how she used water to show how truly connected we all are. Just superb.

It‘s almost unfair to other books in a square when Elif Shafak enters my grid. I find her writing so captivating that I‘m pulled into her stories every time.

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

Summer's over, as illustrated by soggy dog.

I'm really enjoying this book though.

Elif Shafak is a gorgeous writer and this story of 3 characters connected through time by a single drop of water pulled me in. 1870s Arthur and his love of learning - just cool. 2014, little Narin had my heart with a compelling story. (I‘m still down a google rabbit hole.) Zaleekah with her doctorate in hydrology (fascinating) and an appreciation of someone‘s love for Mesopotamian history pulled it all together (and more googling).

It's a bookmail kind of a day

5 Stars • I am a huge fan of Elif Shafak‘s novels, and have read most of what she has written. I think that this book, There Are Rivers in the Sky, is, hands-down, her best work to date. I don‘t know how she can top herself after this, but I am anxiously awaiting.

This novel spans centuries, continents, and cultures, entwining three main characters through the themes of rivers, rain, and waterdrops. ⬇️

I love this author. This is on the level of the missing trees imo. This is basically about a tribe in the Levant. But it is also about water. I feel like I learned things but the story is also amazing.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 8/20
#ARC #Netgalley

The narrative structure of this book is fantastically creative and hooked me on the storylines, the way they braided together and it was fun to look for all the connections between the plot-streams--reappearing objects and legends and history and lore. Some of it is deeply brutal and violent. Recommend but maybe read it in small doses. I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.