--- product_id: 528748458 title: "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" price: "¥14264" currency: JPY in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.jp/products/528748458-there-are-rivers-in-the-sky-the-beautiful-sunday-times store_origin: JP region: Japan --- # 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 **Price:** ¥14264 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** 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 - **How much does it cost?** ¥14264 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.jp](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/528748458-there-are-rivers-in-the-sky-the-beautiful-sunday-times) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description THE TOP FIVE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER This is the story of one lost poem, two great rivers, and three remarkable lives – all connected by a single drop of water. ***** In the ruins of Nineveh, that ancient city of Mesopotamia, there lies hidden in the sand fragments of a long-forgotten poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh. In Victorian London, an extraordinary child is born at the edge of the dirt-black Thames. When his brilliant memory earns him a spot as an apprentice at a printing press, the world opens up far beyond the slums and across the seas. In 2014 Turkey, Narin, a Yazidi girl living by the River Tigris, waits to be baptised. The ceremony is cruelly interrupted, and soon she and her grandmother must journey across war-torn lands in the hope of reaching the sacred valley of their people. In 2018 London, broken-hearted Zaleekhah, a hydrologist, moves to a houseboat on the Thames to escape the wreckage of her marriage – until an unexpected connection to her homeland changes everything. A dazzling feat of storytelling from one of the greatest writers of our time that spans centuries, continents and cultures, entwined by rivers, rains, and waterdrops. ***** ‘ Elif Shafak is a unique and powerful voice in world literature’ Ian McEwan 'An extraordinary novel, fresh and cleansing, like the rain bouncing off the metal roof of our lives' Colum McCann 'Make place for Elif Shafak on your bookshelf. Make place for her in your heart too. You won't regret it' Arundhati Roy 'One of the best writers in the world today' Hanif Kureishi 'A brilliant, unforgettable novel' Mary Beard Elif Shafak, a Nielsen bestseller of 2023 Review: Fiction used to make facts accessible - beautifully created! - 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. Review: 3 books in 1 - Thoughtful book and a different style of writing from my normal reads. I would recommend it. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 24,003 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 1 in Cultural Heritage Fiction 61 in Literary Fiction (Books) 101 in Contemporary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 14,771 Reviews | ## Images ![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 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91QgMeH-nsL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fiction used to make facts accessible - beautifully created! *by J***U on 22 September 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. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3 books in 1 *by P***R on 22 June 2026* Thoughtful book and a different style of writing from my normal reads. I would recommend it. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Epic *by G***R on 3 September 2024* For me Elif Shafak is one of the best novelists writing today. This too is good: intricate plot, fascinating characters, timeless themes, a profound humanity. Its elements of the fantastic bewitched this reader. “This story is a truth through which truth breathes”. She begins with a single drop of rain falling on the head of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in 630 BCE. The same drop is recycled through the novel. It falls as a snowflake on the lips of Arthur in Victorian London, moistens the parched lips of the Hazidi child Narin in Iraq in 2014 and slips as a teardrop from the eye of scientist Zaleekhah in 2018. The narrative weaves together the lives of man, woman and child, east and west, past present and future. It is an elegy to water which flows in and out of all their lives. It gives and it takes. Two mighty rivers, the Thames and the Tigris, link the characters. There is a desperate sadness to much of the story. The trials of Narin are heart-breaking. The final pages pack an emotional punch that takes the breath away. Rivers is a long novel that moves back and forth in time between Zaleekhah, Arthur and Narin. One or two of the supporting characters I found a little weak – well one in particular. The potency of whole picture, the whole truth, is undeniable. Elif signs off her novel to Nisaba. Nisaba was the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of stories. ## Frequently Bought Together - 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 - The Island of Missing Trees: Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022 - The Forty Rules of Love: The magical tale of love and self-discovery from the bestselling author of The Island of Missing Trees --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.jp/products/528748458-there-are-rivers-in-the-sky-the-beautiful-sunday-times](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/528748458-there-are-rivers-in-the-sky-the-beautiful-sunday-times) --- *Product available on Desertcart Japan* *Store origin: JP* *Last updated: 2026-09-22*