There are Rivers in the Sky cover art

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

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There are Rivers in the Sky

Written by: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Olivia Vinall, Elif Shafak
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₹199.00 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹896.00

Buy Now for ₹896.00

This audiobook is read by Olivia Vinall, and Elif Shafak reads the Note to Reader at the end of the story.

The new novel from the Booker-shortlisted, internationally bestselling author of The Island of Missing Trees and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

There Are Rivers in the Sky is a rich, sweeping novel set between the 19th century and modern times, about love and loss, memory and erasure, hurt and healing, centred around three enchanting characters living on the banks of the River Thames and the River Tigris – their lives all curiously touched by the epic of Gilgamesh.

FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION
WINNER OF THE GORDON BOWKER PRIZE 2025
WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL GOOD HOUSEKEEPING GOOD BOOKS SPRING COLLECTION

‘Elif Shafak is a unique and powerful voice in world literature’ Ian McEwan

'Shafak makes a new home for us in words' Colum McCann

'One of the best writers in the world today' Hanif Kureishi

© Elif Shafak 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

 Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction World Literature
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Critic Reviews

It will make you think, cry, rage – and hope. It is Elif Shafak at her best
Gloriously expansive and intellectually rich... a magnificent achievement
Richly evocative. A fascinating stream of storytelling.
Engrossing. I turned the pages hungrily, carried by Shafak’s energetic prose and confident that it was heading towards a coherent and rewarding ending. As ever, Shafak did not disappoint.
An absorbing novel. Shafak is a novelist whose interest in mapping the intricately related world and its history goes beyond literary device.
Elif Shafak is a unique and powerful voice in world literature (Ian McEwan)
Shafak makes a new home for us in words (Colum McCann)
A writer of important, beautiful, painful, truthful novels (Marian Keyes)
A brilliant, unforgettable novel, which raises big ideas of 'who owns the past' with nuance and complexity. Elif Shafak ties together diverse time periods and places in a way that seems both natural and wonderfully unexpected. (Mary Beard)
Bright, vivid and timeless like rivers. (Philippa Gregory)
All stars
Most relevant
Can't describe in words how beautifully written this book is..
A tale that blends ancient history with modern history, water crisis, climate change, the sheer lunacy of war, the horror of religious persecution and genocide and love and humanity that still prevails amidst it..

Beautifully written and a must read..

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Elif Shafak has given one more wonderful read. Combining history and her imagination, this book is a journey of 3 people in different timeline and their connection.

Amazing read

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Elif Shafak ties history and culture with memories of people and shows us how we are intertwined with each other and the nature around us. A beautiful and haunting story, with detailed descriptions that give a full 360° view of the place. The story covers poverty, hardship, grief, loss, pain, quiet moments with loved ones, all of which are human experiences, and the narrative highlights how water is a witness to all these emotions.

Highly descriptive and beautiful

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I love stories based the mystique land of the middle east...with their rich history and sufferings through the ages. This story didnt disappoint also. Stays with you even after you finish the brilliant piece.

Thought provoking brilliant storyline

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What a powerful, poignant and poetic book about one lost epic Poem ( Gilgamesh) two great rivers, (Tigris and Thames) and three remarkable lives (The genius savant Arthur and from England, Zaleekhah, a hydrologist, and a Yazidi girl in Syria and Iraq) all of them interconnected by a single drop of water. This fascinating narrative spans centuries, continents, cultures, communities that are all magnificenty entwined.

Brilliant

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