Title: 10 Love Stories - An Indiblogger Selection
Author: Various
Paperback: 184 pages
Publisher: Harper Vantage (28 July 2015)
Genre: Romance, Short Stories
Read: eBook
Stars: ***/5
Buy On: Amazon India | Amazon US
Summary:
(Goodreads)
A brief fling between ex-flames ends up all in a jumble. A Chinese dentist who swears by his crocs strikes up a rare friendship with a quiet photographer. On a cold winter's day, amidst the romantic grandeur of old Delhi, something is brewing between two strangers brought together by their parents. This IndiBlogger-HarperCollins collaboration is a collection of the ten best love stories selected by some of contemporary India's finest writers and editors from a list of over 500 entries. These stories are a window to how a new generation of young men and women negotiate matters of love and life in the age of Whatsapp and Facebook. The peppy-dynamic prose within these pages radiates a youthful vitality that perfectly captures its unabashedly urban and modish characters.
My Review:
Cover: Simple and Pleasing
Paper and font: Ebony & Ivory
Readability, language: Easy on the eye and mind
Why did I choose this book: Somewhere deep down all blogger hope to someday write a book, so when a few get a chance to do that I'd like to show my support.
This is a collection of short love stories as diverse as it gets, from WhatsApp to dental clinics, this is a coming together of a variety of writing styles, storytellers and stories.
The title is bang on in terms of description as a collection of 10 Love stories created by Indiblogger. The cover is simple and pleasing with limited colours and basic illustrations. The blurb doesn't say much about the stories, rather it talks more about the Indiblogger-HarperCollins collaboration.
The book is edited and formatted well, and the reading experience is good with a comfortable font and feel-good paper. The layout of the stories and their order also make of pleasant reading.
A collection of short stories this book doesn't have a specific plot, setting or characters but rather a wide selection as the stories move from arranged marriages to love on WhatsApp, from Mumbai to Kolkata and from dentists to air force pilots.
All the stories were engaging and enjoyable but three stories stood out for me as my favourites. Crystal Cacophony by Jenny Sarto, At The End of The Parade by Nilanjana Bose and Speechlessly In Love by Varsha Dutta.
Crystal Cacophony is the story of Ahaana and the innocence of love, it's purity and naiveté. It is also about the little joys and big heartbreaks of love. My favourite part of the story was the good-natured banter between Ahaana and her brother Pavan.
At The End of The Parade is about a mature love, one that transcends age and time. A love that bypasses tradition and logic, it's weird and yet it makes you smile. I was drawn to the heroine Pallavi as I watched her stand up for what she was wanted and fight with a resilience that made me want to pat her back with an atta girl.
Speechlessly in Love is the story of Ananya and Aakash, their diverse motivations for marriage and the finding of love. A quite simple love that lies in the small little things. I enjoyed the writing of Dutta; she kept me hooked as the story looped to start and end with insipid tea.
I enjoyed the book and would recommend you read it. It's suitable for all ages. And of course in reading, buying and sharing this book you'd be supporting fellow bloggers. :)
Buy On: Amazon India | Amazon US
The Authors:
JENNY SARTO - "Crystal Cacophony"
DEEPIKA ASTHANA - "Delhi Times"
NATASHA GAYARI - "For Love of the Written Word"
MEENA BHATNAGAR - "Love? Bah! Humbug"
KOBITA BANERJEE - "Mind The Gap"
NILANJANA BOSE - "At the End of the Parade"
PARMITA BORAH - "The Transitional Boyfriend"
SUMMERITA RHAYNE - "Right or Wrong"
VARSHA DUTTA - "Speechlessly in Love"
PALAK KAPADIA - "WhatsApp-ening to Me?"
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