I was very much disappointed by this book. The author is apparently a Rumi scholar, renowned for her translations of Rumi's poetry into French. The story of Rumi and Shams of Tabrizi is one of the most fascinating and captivating stories in literature. How did a vagabond turn a top 13th century religious jurist into not only a poet, but a prophet of love. Though their union is wholly fascinating not much in this book held my attention. Firstly and most importantly, Rumi did not come alive as a character, neither did Shams, and most certainly not their union. The author also assumed they had a sexual relationship. This is not proven, and it's unfortunate because the way she depicted their relationship demeaned their soul friendship. Their bond was vague and sexual and didn't explore the ultimate mystery of their dynamic, the soul friendship.
For those readers that do want a taste of what this soul friendship was and the true connection between Rumi and Shams, they should read the brilliant Coleman Bark's book Soul Fury. In my opinion Barks is the best living translator of Rumi, and he has compiled a book of poems, half of it written by Rumi for Shams, the other half written by Shams for Rumi. It is in their own words ultimately that we can see the depth and poetry of what they shared.