---
product_id: 633760830
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: "$32"
currency: NZD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/633760830-there-are-rivers-in-the-sky-the-beautiful-sunday-times
store_origin: NZ
region: New Zealand
---

# Rich cultural & historical depth Sunday Times bestseller & BBC Book Club pick 470 pages immersive read 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:** $32
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🌊 Flow into the currents of history and humanity with every page!

## 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?** $32 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/633760830-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

## Key Features

- • **Join a Sunday Times bestseller sensation:** Be part of the cultural conversation with a top-ranked, critically acclaimed novel.
- • **Engage with a 4.5-star rated literary gem:** Join over 10,000 readers who have embraced this profound and evocative book.
- • **Explore rich cultural heritage and history:** Discover Mesopotamian myths, Victorian life, and diverse characters woven into a stunning narrative.
- • **Dive into 470 pages of immersive storytelling:** Lose yourself in a beautifully detailed narrative that rewards slow, thoughtful reading.
- • **Experience multi-sensory literary craftsmanship:** Feel, see, hear, and even taste the world through Elif Shafak’s luxurious prose.

## Overview

There are Rivers in the Sky is a 470-page Sunday Times bestseller by Elif Shafak, blending rich historical research with multi-perspective storytelling. Celebrated for its lush prose and cultural depth, this 2024 release explores Victorian life, Mesopotamian myths, and human connections through the lens of three main characters. With a 4.5-star rating from over 10,000 readers, it’s a must-read for those craving literary fiction that educates and enchants.

## Description

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 : Shafak, Elif: desertcart.co.uk: Books

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: History, myths and humanity - all in one stunning book! - Absolutely loved and highly recommend ‘There are rivers in the sky’. Elif Shafak is amazing - I deeply appreciate the extensive research she has done in writing this book. The three main characters- Arthur, Zaleekhah and Narin and their unique connections with water are fascinating. Before reading this book, I knew nothing about Thames toshers, water-dowsers, subterranean streams, Nineveh, Lamassu, epic of Gilgamesh, Yazidis, and more. This book made me curious to look them all up. I loved how Shafak brought characters and stories from different timelines, cultures, myths and tied them all together so beautifully! “How can anyone assume they will please the Creator by hurting His Creation” and yet the repeated inhumanity towards Yazidis in the name of a religion without a book and most recently by ISIS in 2014 - horrified me. Planning a trip to the British museum soon to appreciate how lucky we are to have safe access to historical treasures and the incredible stories behind their discoveries. “ Life is full of the unexpected, my friend. As if we are walking in a river of mud, and we dare to dip our hands every now and then, searching for a button of hope, a coin of friendship, a ring of love. We are mudlarkers, all of us.”

## Features

- New Store Stock

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | 85 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 1 in Cultural Heritage Fiction 20 in Literary Fiction (Books) 57 in Contemporary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 10,387 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/81M9fSKYSML.jpg)

## 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.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ History, myths and humanity - all in one stunning book!
*by A***A on 27 September 2025*

Absolutely loved and highly recommend ‘There are rivers in the sky’. Elif Shafak is amazing - I deeply appreciate the extensive research she has done in writing this book. The three main characters- Arthur, Zaleekhah and Narin and their unique connections with water are fascinating. Before reading this book, I knew nothing about Thames toshers, water-dowsers, subterranean streams, Nineveh, Lamassu, epic of Gilgamesh, Yazidis, and more. This book made me curious to look them all up. I loved how Shafak brought characters and stories from different timelines, cultures, myths and tied them all together so beautifully! “How can anyone assume they will please the Creator by hurting His Creation” and yet the repeated inhumanity towards Yazidis in the name of a religion without a book and most recently by ISIS in 2014 - horrified me. Planning a trip to the British museum soon to appreciate how lucky we are to have safe access to historical treasures and the incredible stories behind their discoveries. “ Life is full of the unexpected, my friend. As if we are walking in a river of mud, and we dare to dip our hands every now and then, searching for a button of hope, a coin of friendship, a ring of love. We are mudlarkers, all of us.”

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting historical facts
*by S***E on 27 September 2025*

Beautifully written and very descriptive- can be hard to follow as switches between characters and times but worth sticking with it . Nearly 500 pages

## Frequently Bought Together

- There are Rivers in the Sky
- The Forty Rules of Love
- Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak - Paperback

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*Product available on Desertcart New Zealand*
*Store origin: NZ*
*Last updated: 2026-02-27*