Reviews

Liefde in kleur by Bolu Babalola

imaginefishes's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I deeply enjoyed the book's content and how it showcases various forms of romantic love as expressed in mythology, but in a more modern way which emphasises on female characters and their agency. Despite that, after a while, the characters end up feeling a bit same-y, where many of the female characters are empowered girlbosses successful in their life pursuits. They're focused, driven, and to a certain degree, selfish. Those of them already involved in a poor romantic relationship, by serendipity, always come across a new male character who understands them from the get-go.

My issue is not with the characterisation nor the plot, but with the lack of variety across all of them. Despite the varied origins of these tales (which I appreciated focusing greater on African myths due to my limited exposure to them), they feel like the same story rewritten with different names and slightly different contexts. What I would have preferred was for the female characters to express a wider range of personalities and traits, and for other romantic tropes to be explored. While there is some variety (eg. female insecurity, controllingness, and the friends-to-lovers trope), too large a portion of the book focuses on the girlboss and soulmate tropes. If these stories were diluted in favour of other characterisations and tropes, perhaps that would've allowed me to enjoy this book more.

Regardless, the overall writing style is beautiful, and I recommend reading this book to others interested in love, soulmates, mythology, and the female gaze.

h_reads's review against another edition

emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Artfully written collection of short stories and retelling of myths centering the woman perspective. Would have loved a couple more queer retellings, but appreciated the one that was in the selection. I found it useful to read the afterword and acknowledgements by the author as well.

bobbielb's review against another edition

The stories didn't feel interesting enough for me and they all felt very far fetched and not very realistic. I guess it's probably supposed to feel far fetched as it's modern retelling of folklore and myths.

carsonelainee's review against another edition

4.0

as much as i love anthologies, it is really hard to give them an accurate rating because the content is often so varied. there were definitely stories that i liked more than others, but i think overall, babalola has a very distinct writing style that comes through in every tale.

nefertiti and attem were definitely my two favorite tales. thisbe and psyche were close runner-ups.

i just think that this was such a fun way to hear both famous and lesser-known stories retold. it made me want to look into the ones i didn’t know because babalola’s version was so good!

after reading this, i definitely want to read honey and spice now.

keelinreads's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

ruwedanur's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

emilyb_chicago's review against another edition

3.0

This is a group of well written stories reshaping fables from around the world into stories of strong women. I enjoyed reading this, but didnt' have one short that jumped into my soul the way some short stories do. While it's definitely an adult book, the love stories are gentle and the women are strong. I would hand this to any reader - including tweens who are just making that jump into adult books.

Some standout stories to me are: Nefertiti for the complex friendship relationships; Zhinu for the Taylor Swift vibes; Orin for the perfectly described bad date; and Thisbe was my favorite. It which contained the perfect amount of star crossed vibe for me.

katsbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“What matters most is that you feel like you are at your fullest.”

“Time was constructed with love in mind. / Time and love are intertwined, they are both measures of life, they are the two clocks.”

“She is fascinated by how much romantic love can soften a hard life, highlight the best of you, not condemn the worst of you.”

kiaw's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

sarahhj's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0