Cover of There are Rivers in the Sky

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

By: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Olivia Vinall, Elif Shafak
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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 Fiction World Literature
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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)
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Most relevant
This was so overwhelmingly beautiful! The poetic storytelling, the historical context so objectively put and the narration so fluently enrolled, really an amazing experience. Thank you for this unforgettable story.

One of the best books I have ever read (listened to)

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Some “difficult” contemporary and persistent topics facing humanity throughout the ages. Skilfully woven into a relevant and compelling novel by Elif Shafak.

A thought-provoking and relevant narrative

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Mrs Shafak's best novel so far! Profound, moving, interesting at many levées.
The actor's reading is perfect as well

Brillant!

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A great story that covers characters who live at different times. The stories reexplain each time what the purpose of the story is, which makes it repetitive and boring. Otherwise the characters are interesting and at times really enticing. The book could have avoided all the repetitions and been really excellent.

An obsession that runs a life

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