What do you think?
Rate this book
A Migrating Bird: A Short Story from the collection, Reader, I Married Him
A short story by Elif Shafak from the collection Reader, I Married Stories inspired by Jane Eyre.
In ‘A Migrating Bird’, a young Turkish woman is drawn to a Dutch student on foreign exchange at her university.
Edited by Tracy Chevalier, the full collection, Reader, I Married Him, brings together some of the finest and most creative voices in fiction today, to celebrate and salute the strength and lasting relevance of Charlotte Brontë’s game-changing novel and its beloved narrator.
In ‘A Migrating Bird’, a young Turkish woman is drawn to a Dutch student on foreign exchange at her university.
Edited by Tracy Chevalier, the full collection, Reader, I Married Him, brings together some of the finest and most creative voices in fiction today, to celebrate and salute the strength and lasting relevance of Charlotte Brontë’s game-changing novel and its beloved narrator.
20 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2016
23 people are currently reading
398 people want to read
About the author
Elif Shafak
58 books33.3k followersElif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist and the most widely read female author in Turkey. She writes in both Turkish and English, and has published seventeen books, eleven of which are novels. Her work has been translated into fifty languages. Shafak holds a PhD in political science and she has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK, including St Anne's College, Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow. She is a member of Weforum Global Agenda Council on Creative Economy and a founding member of ECFR (European Council on Foreign Relations). An advocate for women's rights, LGBT rights and freedom of speech, Shafak is an inspiring public speaker and twice a TED Global speaker, each time receiving a standing ovation. Shafak contributes to major publications around the world and she has been awarded the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. In 2017 she was chosen by Politico as one of the twelve people who would make the world better. She has judged numerous literary prizes and is chairing the Wellcome Prize 2019. www.elifshafak.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 30, 2022
Oh my goodness! This story is perhaps only 28 pages long, yet it packs in so much feeling.
In Elif Shafak's beautiful style, we get the mix of emotions and difficulty faced when love is perhaps waiting to unfold between two people with lives that are as different as their complexions. And yet, and yet...isn't true love blind?
The setting is the beautiful City of Ankara, Turkey. In a university canteen Ayla locks eyes with Gerard, an exchange student from the Netherlands. Their friendship grows over a love of books, and many long conversations about things that matter, as Gerard practices his Turkish.
"I find myself revealing things I never thought I would share with another person- least of all a stranger."
The ending took me by surprise, even though it shouldn't have. Such is the power of Ms.Shafak's writing. I felt my heart had been stung with an icicle. Even though Ayla's beloved Grandma tried to let her know gently to not hope for more.
" 'Don't bind your heart, my lamb,' Grandma says.
'Because he is a Christian?'
'Because he is a migrating bird,' Grandma says. 'Here today, gone tomorrow.'"
As that is the nature of migrating birds.
In Elif Shafak's beautiful style, we get the mix of emotions and difficulty faced when love is perhaps waiting to unfold between two people with lives that are as different as their complexions. And yet, and yet...isn't true love blind?
The setting is the beautiful City of Ankara, Turkey. In a university canteen Ayla locks eyes with Gerard, an exchange student from the Netherlands. Their friendship grows over a love of books, and many long conversations about things that matter, as Gerard practices his Turkish.
"I find myself revealing things I never thought I would share with another person- least of all a stranger."
The ending took me by surprise, even though it shouldn't have. Such is the power of Ms.Shafak's writing. I felt my heart had been stung with an icicle. Even though Ayla's beloved Grandma tried to let her know gently to not hope for more.
" 'Don't bind your heart, my lamb,' Grandma says.
'Because he is a Christian?'
'Because he is a migrating bird,' Grandma says. 'Here today, gone tomorrow.'"
As that is the nature of migrating birds.
April 2, 2020
"Because he is migrating bird." grandma says. "Here today, gone tommorow."
My first time reading Elif Shafak works and I begin reading from her short story. It's short but full colorful and meaning full story about life lesson. I know if its will be sad ending in the end.
"If we read the same book at the same time, we'll still be connected. And then, when we meet again. We can talk about the expert."
My first time reading Elif Shafak works and I begin reading from her short story. It's short but full colorful and meaning full story about life lesson. I know if its will be sad ending in the end.
"If we read the same book at the same time, we'll still be connected. And then, when we meet again. We can talk about the expert."
January 19, 2021
“Don’t bind your heart, my lamb,” Grandma says.
“Because he is a Christian?”
“Because he is a migrating bird,” Grandma says. “Here today, gone tomorrow.”
Migrating bord is een kortverhaal van Elif Shafak over een ontluikende vriendschap tussen twee heel verschillende mensen. Ondanks dat het verhaal weinig woorden telt, weet Shafak levendige personages neer te zetten in een sfeervolle omgeving. Een fijn verhaal voor tussendoor, al bleef ik ook wel een beetje op mijn honger zitten. Ik had nog veel meer willen lezen over de Turkse Ayla en de Nederlandse Gerard.
People look at us. A blond European and a headscarved girl walking side by side – close enough to whisper secrets – is surely not a sight to miss.
“Because he is a Christian?”
“Because he is a migrating bird,” Grandma says. “Here today, gone tomorrow.”
Migrating bord is een kortverhaal van Elif Shafak over een ontluikende vriendschap tussen twee heel verschillende mensen. Ondanks dat het verhaal weinig woorden telt, weet Shafak levendige personages neer te zetten in een sfeervolle omgeving. Een fijn verhaal voor tussendoor, al bleef ik ook wel een beetje op mijn honger zitten. Ik had nog veel meer willen lezen over de Turkse Ayla en de Nederlandse Gerard.
People look at us. A blond European and a headscarved girl walking side by side – close enough to whisper secrets – is surely not a sight to miss.
February 21, 2022
'Nothing has changed in life. Yet nothing is the same' - Isn't that the story of all unfulfilled love? Elif Shafak once again manages to pack a punch with this short story. The plot isn't anything new. But the way it tugs at your heart is just enough reason to give it a read.
August 11, 2017
I don't think Elif Shafak believes in happy endings because her books never have them. This was no different. Mini RTC after I stop crying. You own my soul Elif Shafak.
December 7, 2019
Magic
A superb short story with some beautiful imagery. I thought I knew where the story was going but I was surprised by its conclusion.
A superb short story with some beautiful imagery. I thought I knew where the story was going but I was surprised by its conclusion.
February 5, 2020
Short and sweet.
Perfectly describes the expectations and culture clash that occurs when Middle Eastern, Muslim women, fall in love with someone from outside their culture. I have witnessed this story over and over again, and Elif Shafak captures its essence quintessentially.
The words, “like a shutter in a rainstorm, banging against a window, I venture forth, retreat back, try afresh, retreat again. Nothing changes in my life and yet nothing is the same” in their expression of how life-altering an experience of love can be, are universal.
Perfectly describes the expectations and culture clash that occurs when Middle Eastern, Muslim women, fall in love with someone from outside their culture. I have witnessed this story over and over again, and Elif Shafak captures its essence quintessentially.
The words, “like a shutter in a rainstorm, banging against a window, I venture forth, retreat back, try afresh, retreat again. Nothing changes in my life and yet nothing is the same” in their expression of how life-altering an experience of love can be, are universal.
February 20, 2020
I've been reading the stories in Reader, I Married Him one by one, and the impression it's given me is that this is too tenuous a reason to have a collection of stories either written for this purpose or repurposed, most of them are far too lightweight, despite the inherent talent of the writers.
July 27, 2020
Just lovely.
Discovered this gem by error and it has made me adore Elif Shafak even more. The language, the conflict of cultures, the imagery are all present in these few pages as they are in all of Elif's spectacular novels.
Discovered this gem by error and it has made me adore Elif Shafak even more. The language, the conflict of cultures, the imagery are all present in these few pages as they are in all of Elif's spectacular novels.
November 14, 2017
Nice story.
August 22, 2018
Short but Colorful.
I could feel both sides of the story, Ayla's and Gerard's. I understand scepticism, Neither of the characters are skeptic but the story is and that is the beauty of it.
I could feel both sides of the story, Ayla's and Gerard's. I understand scepticism, Neither of the characters are skeptic but the story is and that is the beauty of it.
November 6, 2019
Nice story.
July 28, 2025
i am incapable of hating anything Elif writes
February 22, 2022
Shafak never fails in impressing me. She is one of my beloved writers. Every time she holds her pen and starts jotting something, she ultimately ends up with producing a masterpiece. I deeply love the spiritual touch that dominates her narrative. She always asserts herself; she is the driving force of her narrative. All of her own stories have their own memorable lines, their own truths, and their own happy, wry or devastating endings.
Ayla, a young Turkish girl, who studies at the university, grew up in a religious family and she doesn't accept shaking hands with strange men. Her dad shares a strange relationship, full of fear, with her. When we build a relationship based on fear, it collapses at the end. Love heals all the wounds and all parents must surround their kids with love. Every dad has a crucial role in his daughter's life, when he raises her in a loving environment and lets her has her own space, she'll never be fooled in her environment. Ayla has an emotional emptiness, full of devoid, she fails to distinguish love from ordinary talk. She mixes being kind towards someone with having feelings for them. That's the most logical interpretation of her misunderstanding of Gerard's feelings.
"𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎"
One- sided love always ends up by shattering your heart into small pieces. Don't fool yourself, don't drain your energy on an imaginary world. Love is rational, it never occurs without the consent of the two partners.
Ayla, a young Turkish girl, who studies at the university, grew up in a religious family and she doesn't accept shaking hands with strange men. Her dad shares a strange relationship, full of fear, with her. When we build a relationship based on fear, it collapses at the end. Love heals all the wounds and all parents must surround their kids with love. Every dad has a crucial role in his daughter's life, when he raises her in a loving environment and lets her has her own space, she'll never be fooled in her environment. Ayla has an emotional emptiness, full of devoid, she fails to distinguish love from ordinary talk. She mixes being kind towards someone with having feelings for them. That's the most logical interpretation of her misunderstanding of Gerard's feelings.
"𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎"
One- sided love always ends up by shattering your heart into small pieces. Don't fool yourself, don't drain your energy on an imaginary world. Love is rational, it never occurs without the consent of the two partners.
May 31, 2020
I wanted to read some Elik Shafak before I watched her speak at the Virtual Hay Festival though the short story actually didn't become available on my library app before now. Needless to say, it was worth the wait. Also needless to say, I will be reading more of her work as soon as I can get my hands on it (pretty embarrassed I haven't read very much so far really). But I am glad I started with this sweet, articulate, heartbreaking 11 pages packed full of emotion and delicacy. It is always important to hear the voice of a young woman who feels powerless against her family, religious boundaries and men. To me, they should have a reader. And that's how I'm interpreting this fitting in with the collection.
July 30, 2024
As much as I love Elif's books and short stories, this one left me feeling not fully satisfied. It's as if some essential element of the story was missing. Maybe the male character's perspective? Usually, the reader receives a wide range of characters that take turns in telling the story.
This one felt like it had more depth to explore than the surface level storyline, created by the author.
This one felt like it had more depth to explore than the surface level storyline, created by the author.
September 6, 2018
I enjoyed this story so much it made me buy the whole book as well as several more books by Elif Shafak. An Istanbul writer.
July 15, 2019
Nope! Boring.
September 5, 2019
I love Elif Shafak’s writing but this story was nothing more that the usual soap opera.
December 13, 2021
A bittersweet, multi-cultural love story and touching tribute to Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre'. Short, yet highly enjoyable. Definitely the moment I decided I would read anything by Elif Şafak ❤️
March 15, 2022
A short story of first love and lose, expectations and misunderstandings.
January 18, 2025
“Don’t bind your heart, my lamb,” Grandma says.
“Because he is a Christian?”
“Because he is a migrating bird,” Grandma says. “Here today, gone tomorrow.”
Why an outsider would move to a place everyone is trying to get away from is a mystery to me.
A shade of pink creeps up his cheeks, which are spattered with freckles, like the cinnamon powder we sprinkle on hot milk on such bleak days as this. I have never seen a man blush before. And that, more than anything, endears
He is simply too light for this part of the world. Strangely, he invokes in me a desire to protect him, though from what or whom, I cannot tell.
This pale foreigner reminds me of that yellow ball of down. I want to cup my hands around him, without touching, just to make sure he is safe.
She doesn’t need to complete the sentence. She can just leave it like that, as though it were an unwrapped candy no one wanted to taste.
Under that easily bruised skin and blushing face, he hides a strange confidence – like an underground city within a city.
I find out that it is possible to erase months in the scope of an hour.
Mother was the most frightened of him, and her fear, like a contagious virus, had passed on to us children.
Like a shutter in a rainstorm, banging against a window, I venture forth, retreat back, try afresh, retreat again. Nothing changes in my life and yet nothing is the same.
“Because he is a Christian?”
“Because he is a migrating bird,” Grandma says. “Here today, gone tomorrow.”
Why an outsider would move to a place everyone is trying to get away from is a mystery to me.
A shade of pink creeps up his cheeks, which are spattered with freckles, like the cinnamon powder we sprinkle on hot milk on such bleak days as this. I have never seen a man blush before. And that, more than anything, endears
He is simply too light for this part of the world. Strangely, he invokes in me a desire to protect him, though from what or whom, I cannot tell.
This pale foreigner reminds me of that yellow ball of down. I want to cup my hands around him, without touching, just to make sure he is safe.
She doesn’t need to complete the sentence. She can just leave it like that, as though it were an unwrapped candy no one wanted to taste.
Under that easily bruised skin and blushing face, he hides a strange confidence – like an underground city within a city.
I find out that it is possible to erase months in the scope of an hour.
Mother was the most frightened of him, and her fear, like a contagious virus, had passed on to us children.
Like a shutter in a rainstorm, banging against a window, I venture forth, retreat back, try afresh, retreat again. Nothing changes in my life and yet nothing is the same.
July 15, 2025
This is a short story that is part of the book Reader, I married Him, a collection of stories inspired by Jane Eyre. I read this to try to get a feel for Elif Shafak (I'm trying to find an accessible Turkish writer for my students. I LOVE Orhan Pamuk, but haven't found a usable short story yet. and Elif Shafak was suggested.
The story is just okay, not great, but I don't think, given the collection it was written for, that it's a valid indication of Shafak's writing. If anyone has suggestions for a good novel of hers to start with, please make that suggestion below!
The story is just okay, not great, but I don't think, given the collection it was written for, that it's a valid indication of Shafak's writing. If anyone has suggestions for a good novel of hers to start with, please make that suggestion below!
June 15, 2022
This is a short read, just twenty pages, yet it broke my heart as much as a 900 page novel has. Young love is scary, especially when there are major differences in race and religion. Elif Shafak lays it all out for you.
January 6, 2024
If it weren't implied in the title or explicitly stated in the introduction, I wouldn't have guessed that this is related to Jane Eyre.
The story itself was fine but too brief to leave any impression.
The story itself was fine but too brief to leave any impression.
March 21, 2020
Highly Recommending!
October 30, 2020
Short but well written.
March 12, 2021
Accumulated short stories that give huge insight.
July 4, 2022
Nice story but quite thin …
March 17, 2024
as true as it's story title, the ending gutted me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews