DNF at 60%.

Shafak is a favorite author - The Island of Missing Trees remains one of my favorite books and I’ve been reading her backlist this year.


It pains me to say I didn’t like There Are Rivers in the Sky. While her writing is beautiful (as always) I didn’t really love any of the three storylines, and felt no real connection to any of the characters. I kept hoping I would enjoy it more, but when it became a chore for me to pick it up, I decided it was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought overall this book was beautiful, was it a bit long for me? Yes, but I get its hard to connect so many timelines in a shorter book. The way people in different times were connected and it's done in such a beautiful and lyrical way. Even though it felt long, I thought it was beautiful and I recommend it.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There Are Rivers in the Sky is a beautiful, poignant novel. Following three timelines that are linked through water and the story of Gilgamesh, Shafak creates a slow and powerful story.

Hopeful. Illuminating. Spanning from Nineveh to London, “There Are Rivers in the Sky” by Elif Shafak follows three characters across three different time periods.

Immediately thrown into the imagery of the world, this is a slow building book that tugs at your heart. It follows Narin, a young Yazidi girl from a family of water-dowsers; Zaleekah, a modern day hydrologist; and King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums, an archeologist with bedazzling memory searching for remains of the Epic of Gilgamesh. While unlike on paper, the three are connected in many ways as they overcome being misunderstood and treated unfairly. Restless hearts without a home, they each go on their own adventure of sorts.

It was interesting seeing how the past and present bleed into each other, with one rain drop bringing so much chaos. The book looks at what remains after destruction and how water is both a giver and taker.

I can tell the author did her research but felt like it was fact overload at times and unnatural to include. I definitely learned a lot though (like what ghost streams are) and it made me appreciate drops of rain more and the cycle they survive. “Water is the consummate immigrant, trapped in transit, never able to settle.”

In the ancient city of Nineveh, on the bank of the River Tigris, King Ashurbanipal of Mesopotamia, erudite but ruthless, built a great library that would crumble with the end of his reign. From its ruins, however, emerged a poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, that would infuse the existence of two rivers and bind together three lives.
Both a source of life and harbinger of death, rivers—the Tigris and the Thames—transcend history, transcend fate: “Water remembers. It is humans who forget.”

WOW..I don't know where to begin. I saw a description of this book often described as brutally beautiful and I find it appropriate. The ability of a great writer to bring to life those periods of history that need to be remembered humbles this reader. There are three main characters in this book: King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums who is born along the Thames River (1840); Narin and her grandmother both Yazidi and trying to make their to make her way back their way back to ancestral land along the Tigris (2014 now slowly under the control of ISIS); Dr. Zaleekah Clarke now living in a houseboat on the Thames and trying to prove if water has memory of history and events 2018). Oh course there are many other characters that intersect with each of the main three that assist (as well as hinder) the journey of each main character). Readers--I'll issue a tissue alert. There was a line that affected me to the point of needing to put the book down for a bit: "It takes two and a half minutes to execute sixty four human beings; the time for a drop of rain to reach the ground".

Elif Shafak is an incredible storyteller. Sadly five stars does not seem nearly enough.

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf for the eARC. Maybe the best read for me this year.

Wow! This book was incredible! I loved every minute of it and it just really came together at the end. The ending also broke my heart in so many different ways. What a book! Definitely will be on my top 10 of 2024!

Thank you so much for the ARC! Love you so much!

This was such a beautiful story. It was so well crafted & gorgeous writing.

It takes place over three different timelines and time periods. Water is the underlying theme and connects the three stories. The storytelling is filled with history of Mesopotamia & discussion of different cultures.

There is also two timelines that take place in present day & tackles current events/issues as well. Parts of it were gut wrenching, sad & heartbreaking to see.

The story was thought provoking, interesting, emotional. I really enjoyed reading this one & certainly recommend it!

“Water remembers. It is humans who forget.”

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love Elif Shafak, and her recent work combining environment and history has been so touching and lovely. There's a sense of homesickness to her characters, even the ones who never saw the country their families left that is so deeply felt and personal. I can't speak to everyone with family history in Turkey and around it, but for me, it voices that loss in such perfect, cathartic ways. This one took me longer to read than her others, both to start and finish, in part because I found the sadness so strong, but I'm excited for more people to continue discovering her!

“Water remembers. It is humans who forget.”

Do you believe that water holds memories?

Through one single drop of water - originally falling as a raindrop onto the head of King Ashurbanipal of Mesopotamia in the ancient city of Nineveh as he is about to murder his counselor; the same drop evaporating and eventually returning to earth as a snowflake by the river Thames at the birth of Arthur Smyth, a boy with a remarkable mind born into poverty in 1840’s London and fascinated from an early age by all things Mesopotamian; returning once more as a drop of water from a sacred temple in Iraq to Narin, a nine-year-old Yazidi girl about to go deaf living by the river Tigris in Turkey and preparing to travel to Iraq to be baptized; and finally, as a tear shed by hydrologist Zaleekah, living on a houseboat on the river Thames in London in 2018 - the stories of Arthur, Narin, and Zaleekah are all masterfully connected and intertwined in [author:Elif Shafak's|6542440] most ambitious and rewarding work to date.

Not surprisingly, water plays an essential role in this stunning novel, being both a source of life as well as „the messenger of death“, a carrier of disease and destruction, even flooding entire ancient cities. Looming large, too, are ancient Nineveh and its wonders, among them the oldest poem in the world, "The Epic of Gilgamesh", found on clay tablets from King Ashurbanipal’s library.

The amount of research that must have gone into this novel is breathtaking, yet it reads as seamlessly as if it were an entirely fictional account. It also poses the intriguing question - investigated by Zaleekah as a scientific theory, though sadly we don’t hear much more about that - of water being able to hold memories.

This book has cemented why Elif Shafak is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors: while I loved her previous works, „There Are Rivers in the Sky“ feels grander both in scope and in depth, and is even more beautifully written than her other books. It is a long, epic tale - and every one of the three storylines could have been its own book, so rich in detail are they, though Zaleekah’s storyline felt the most undeveloped to me - but it never feels excessive, the story flowing seamlessly between the protagonists and taking the reader along.

Expertly crafted, mesmerizing, and written in heartbreakingly beautiful prose, „There Are Rivers in the Sky“ is one of my favorite books this year.

TW for mental health, suicide, suicidal thoughts, sexual abuse, murder, genocide, ISIS.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"There Are Rivers in the Sky" is slated to be published in August 20, 2024.

There Are Rivers in the Sky takes place over three separate timelines (plus an intro in ancient Mesopotamia), with water serving as a theme and loosely connecting thread (as well as metaphor for topics like immigration). Arthur, a London pauper turned cuneiform scholar, ends up traveling from England to the Ottoman Empire in search of missing tablets of the epic poem of Gilgamesh. Narin, descended from seers in Turkey, is part of the long-persecuted Yazidi people. And Zaleekhah, a divorcing hydrologist in London, is on a personal journey that improbably ends up crossing paths with Narin's. The stories mix together reasonably successfully, although the ending seemingly comes out of nowhere; it's not that it's totally improbable, but more that neither of the contemporary narratives suggest that it would be possible.
The book did give meaningful attention to the areas once in Mesopotamia AND to recent/current atrocities of ISIS and others, including (to put it generously) the indifference of Western nations to destruction of cultural inheritance. That alone made it worth, at times, wading through some draggy parts and cringey dialogue.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Elif Shafak's There Are Rivers in the Sky is a masterfully crafted novel that showcases her remarkable erudition, her ability to create compelling characters and her unique poetic style . The narrative unfolds over different timelines and perspectives, weaving together the lives of three protagonists: Arthur, a Victorian-era scholar in London obsessed with finding the lost poems of the Epic of Gilgamesh ; Narin, a young girl navigating the unrest of 2014 Turkey during the rise of ISIS, with her wise and sensible grandmother ; and Zaleekah, a young water scientist that after getting a divorce moves into a houseboat on the Thames and is struggling to reconcile with her past.

What I found interesting is the what binds these characters together is their connection to the ancient stories carried by the waters of the Tigris and Thames rivers . Shafak's storytelling is not only atmospheric but also rich in historical and cultural layers, where each character in the book is inexorably drawn to these ancient narratives that pierce through their lives in unimaginable ways. I like this idea of stories bringing people together, even across time and place.

The novel stands out for its beautifully written prose and for the depth and resonance of its themes. Shafak explores the weight of history and the ways in which the past continues to shape the present. The shifting timelines and perspectives create a tapestry of connections, highlighting the timelessness of human experience.

It’s a fantastic novel and one of the most memorable and anticipated books of the year. Shafak's ability to blend history, mythology, and contemporary issues into a compelling narrative makes this book a must read if you’re interested in literature that challenges and enriches the mind.

Beautiful read. It took much some time to get into it, but once I did it became totally worth it. Lovely and lyrical.

𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐮𝐫𝐲

So much to think about in the almost-500 page epic novel:

What I Liked:
Gorgeous writing - Shafak paints pictures with her golden pen
Unique use of settings and time periods, moving from Victorian period of colonialism and theft, to the genocide of the Yazidi people, to London 2018.
cool theme of water drops through history, and how history impacts us all

What I Didn’t Like:
Characters not flushed out deeply enough for me, particularly the 2018 timeline - most interested in Narin, the young Yazidi girl, and she got the least attention /Arthur more interesting in his childhood as Dickensian character, less so as adult, needed further understanding
just too long for me, with not enough tension to pull me forward
wanted more in the ending, to connect the theme of water, felt some disappointment

There Are Rivers in the Sky is truly a love letter to water! It follow a single drop through centuries, weaving together the stories of three characters living in drastically different times under drastically different circumstances.

Each character’s plot line is done extremely well, although I found myself the most intrigued by Arthur and waiting impatiently at times to find out what happens next in his story. Shafak does a breathtaking job of gradually interlacing the three storylines, until they all come together in a powerful, thought-provoking ending.

I’m in love with the underlying theme of the interconnectedness of us all, regardless of any & all differences that we may use to set ourselves apart. I also learned a lot of intriguing information about each setting/time period (and water itself), without it feeling like a college lecture. That’s one of my biggest benchmarks for a good historical fiction and it’s done very well!

This is a book that I’ll be ordering a physical copy of to add to my bookshelf! To all of my fellow historical fiction lovers, this one is a must read.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Knopf publishing for the gifted ARC!

‘Where you have set your mind begin the journey Let your heart have no fear, keep your eyes on me.” -Epic of Gilgamesh

I’m giving it a high 4 ⭐️ because it was good, sad but good. It was a realistic fiction that ripped off the band-aid and showed me the actual events. The author presented the characters life in vivid detail and their survival was uncomfortable in a real way. There was heartache and determination that she wrote beautifully. But this novel was also about water. I have never thought about H2O in such a way, nor did I realize how many rivers are running through our towns that we have simply rerouted or buried. It was all fascinating and heartbreaking. It had three POV that came together for the conclusion.
Thanks Knopf via NetGalley.

This is not my usual genre but I am so happy I picked up this one. Rivers haven been important for human life and civilizations and will remain to be forever. Here in this case, we see how a drop of water goes through different stages, periods and places making the lives of three people interconnected across time periods. I was completely invested in stories of Narin, Arthur and Zaleekah and would have been more than happy to read how their lives go on further than the plot. The settings of Mesopotamia, Turkey and London near their famous rivers was fascinating as well. I deeply felt for the Yazidi people and others like them who were oppressed by others and feel very strongly now about how museums in western countries have become a joke displaying other people's artefacts without their consent. Narin's life with her grandma and their old tales kept the plot intriguing. I strongly recommend to pick up this timeless tale!

This is my first Elif Shafak novel (though I have others of hers that I would like to read) and not my normal preferred genre. That being said I was a little nervous to read this. But overall I find this to be a beautiful novel. Shafak’s writing is lyrical and absorbed me. I was captivated by things I didnt know I would have interest in. I did hope for a bit more connection between the main sections but overall really enjoyed it.

Three characters lives..in different time periods… in different parts of the world…all connected by a single raindrop. From London, ancient Mesopotamia, Turkey, and Iraq.
I loved this big book!
(A totally different experience for me with this author than a book of hers that I tried to read with a talking tree)!

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the ARC

Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC. There Are Rivers in the Sky is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. I love the way Elif Shafak interwove the stories of Arthur, Narin, and Zaleekah. I really enjoyed following along Arthur's discoveries and his search for the missing tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh. I really felt for Narin's story, I loved her bond with her grandmother and their resilience despite being ostracized for their religion. I also really enjoyed Zaleekah's story as she moves out of the place she shares with her husband to a houseboat on the river Thames and goes on a journey to find herself. The emotional journeys and themes of the story leave me with a lot of feelings. Shafak has a really beautiful way of writing, her prose is beautiful and profound, and the narrative really makes you feel for her characters and feel grateful for water. I highly recommend every one read this,

📚There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak 📚

Thank you netgalley and knopf for this advance copy.

This is only the second book I've read by this author after The Island of Missing Trees, which was also really good. I liked this even more.

Water, and the memories it carries, and the cyclical nature of it and how it relates to time, is a major theme of the book. There are four timelines in the book, though one is less on page after the opening scene (Ashurbanipal).

The other three are compelling characters who I was invested in very quickly and couldn't stop reading after a certain point in the book because this book pricked all the curiosity points in my brain and had me reflecting on the fascinating things the characters were doing (translating ancient Mesopotamian tablets in the British Museum, studying underwater rivers in London and Paris, dowsing for water and explaining a line of healers in Turkey and Iraq), and also had me constantly googling the Yazidi people and zooming in on Google Maps to follow the journey of the Tigris past Nineveh.

The book starts a little slow but then it got so, so good. I learned a lot about Mesopotamia, I cried for the timeless story of oppressed people - in this case the Yazidi - and I cheered for the genius child of the London slums who journeyed so far from home and finally realized the imperial underside of archaeology.

I highly recommend it!