#HudaNama Review: Rumis' Daughter by Muriel Maufroy.

A mystical journey of a girl named Kimya, who was destined to meet Maulana Rumi and his beloved friend Shams Al Tabraiz in Konya.

Title: Rumi's Daughter (dost)

Writer: Muriel Maufroy

Publishing year: 2004
Publishers: Rider Books UK

#HudaNama's Review:

It was an impulse purchase, details in this POST, but I was so eager to read it that this can be termed as the only book I read/finished in the same month of purchase, lol allowed. Well let's share my view about this book. Please note its my personal opinion, may vary from others. I can understand the task the writer chose for herself, wasn't easy. She was writing about giant figures of Muslim Sufism history; Maulana Jalal ud din Rumi and Shah Shams of Tabraiz. Here she has no margin of building the characters already that huge, hence she used a lot of historic incidents, well knitted in her plot though. For me the first half is far more richer and captivating as the writer builds on the character of Kimya, the girl born in a valley near Anatolia where Muslims and Christians live in harmony, in the trying times of Mongol invasions. Kimya is a different child, as predicted long before she was born by a stranger travelling through the village. She is shown lost in dream sequences where she has no sense of reality, and through such dreams she finds her happy place, the guardian she actually belongs to, long before she traveled to Konya to finally live with Rumi. Here the second half of plot starts, which is very quick in unfolding events, only the secluded meeting of Rumi and Shams seems as long as eternity. But I can understand writer was bound by the history and couldn't do much except developing and evolving Kimya, the only character purely in her own hands. Kimya had an unconventional married life with Shams when he returns after a long absence. Things rapidly change the giants became even huge and nothing much was left for Kimya, she observed, learned, evolved and finally died. According to the character of Rumi, her task was completed, but I as a reader wondered: what her actual task was.
Nay I am not saying that its an average book, its good by all means, the description of scenic views, cities, villages, people, religion, peace, war and above all it is historically correct. But its comparison with The AlChemist by Paulo Coelho is a bit unfair, The AlChemist was a complete circle, things end where they started, writer finishes the protagonist's task, the message is fully conveyed, not much is left to readers' worry, but in this book that's not the case. As a reader, who has read The AlChemist and had a comparison in her mind, as suggested by this book's cover IN THE BEST SELLING TRADITION OF THE ALCHEMIST, I felt uneasy by the time the story ended, as the TASK which is considered done in the book, is actually incomplete or may be unknown at all. Yet I term it as a detailed look in to Rumi's times, his household, his companion Shams and others. I really enjoyed the characterization of Kimya, magical and imaginative.

Do give Rumi's Daughter a read and share your feedback, if you have read it already, how you found it? I must say that it didn't completely sweep me off my feet.

Keep reading #HudaNama
RABB RAKHA!

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