There are Rivers in the Sky: The beautiful Sunday Times bestseller from the author of The Island of Missing Trees & BBC Between the Covers Book Club pick Paperback – 3 April 2025

I've read several books by this author and have enjoyed them all so was keen to read her latest when it was published in paperback. Whenever I hear Elif Shafak is being interviewed I always try to listen as I love her voice - it has a gorgeous velvety quality that always sounds soothing.This book was first published in 2024. It has 470 pages split into five parts. We see the story from the perspective of three (four?) characters who take turns to be the main focus of the narrative.The writing is beautiful and you can sink into it - soaking up very glorious detail. And detail is a huge part of this author's style, taking time to show us in luxurious depth. Along with seeing, you also smell, feel, hear and sometimes even taste what is around.As you are reading there is a temptation to speed ahead to find out more but take your time and go with the flow of the narrative. Every so often the author gives lists of words which always seem to demand that you slow down and that will make the book seem at its best.Amongst the rich language there is also plenty of perceptive observations from the natural world and the humans that inhabit it. I often paused to contemplate a particular sentence. This is a perfect book to read slowly and thoughtfully - encouraging heart rate and blood pressure to reduce.Wound through the main narrative there is much for the reader to learn. The portrait of Victorian life is very visual and the Mesopotamian history is fascinating.We get to know each of the three characters gradually. All are in their separate worlds and very different from each other. Time and locations become closer as connections are revealed showing the beauty of humanity if we take the time to look. Of course, water is used for many metaphors and remains as a strong theme throughout the novel.I loved researching some of the ancient stories as I worked my way through the book - it is almost unbelievable that this civilisation existed such a long time ago but the proof is there.The book is a perfect example of fiction's ability to explain facts. At the end of the book, the author opens up her research and tells how she has used real documents by bending their stories for the narrative of the novel.I love this book and eagerly await her next one.

This is a wonderful book, interesting characters all tied together by the magic of water over time.Lots based on fact and insightful to what happened in the Middle East. Beautifully written.

Spellbinding, poetic historical book with three interlocking time scales. Really enchanting. Oddly instances of stylistic unevenness as the present-day episode unfolds: there are a few grammatical errors which a good editor or literary-minded proofreader might have spotted. Lovely evocation of ancient Nineveh, however, and of a pauper genius in nineteenth century London. A memorable communication of the tragedy of the Yazidis in our own century.

One of the best reads.The characters were full and interesting. The book was very informative and I learnt lots of new information of Turkey/Iraq & rivers. I looked forward to reading it everyday

What an incredible story, painful in its truths, yet stunning in the way the lives of its characters connect and intertwine. The reader is taken on a journey through centuries all the way back to the beginning of civilisation, art, poetry and literature., Awakening to the ugliest side of humanity, whilst appreciating its resilience and beauty.

So beautifully written that even when describing the darkest genocides one can continue reading. Amazing using the travels of a drop of water to link time and place.

The concept of this story is really interesting and unusual with a gripping beginning. The way that the three characters link is clever but I found that it became a bit strung out and I was bored by the middle.

Good book - was hooked! I loved 2/3 of the stories, one was a little too boring for my liking but still a very thought-provoking book.