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Love in Colour: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola
7 reviews
withlivjones's review
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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? No
4.0
A wonderfully written collection of short stories. Babalola excels in all kinds of settings, genres, and narration styles, and each tale is packed with heart and prose that reads like poetry. Although I wasn’t familiar with a lot of the original myths, I was impressed by how easy it was to follow the stories regardless. I love how the women in these retellings are given the agency that they lack in the original versions so that even the stories written in a historical setting feel modern. I also really liked the full circle moment of the final story.
I only wish that these short stories were longer - sometimes things moved quite quickly, and for a book that is about the intricacies of romance, I would have loved for some of these romances to have been explored in more depth and detail. I would honestly read an entire novel about Babalola’s version of Nefertiti!
I only wish that these short stories were longer - sometimes things moved quite quickly, and for a book that is about the intricacies of romance, I would have loved for some of these romances to have been explored in more depth and detail. I would honestly read an entire novel about Babalola’s version of Nefertiti!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
Minor: Racism and Car accident
khakipantsofsex's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Violence, Car accident, and Police brutality
Minor: Miscarriage and Domestic abuse
spinesinaline's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was so delightful! It’s billed as romance short stories, though heads up that these aren’t all straight romance as they don’t all have happy endings.
I love retellings and Babalola has such an immersive and creative way of retelling these stories, not to mention the added agency that she gives the female characters. Her intention in empowering the women in these tales is immediately clear and it gives the stories so much more depth. She also highlights a lot of folk tales that aren’t well-known in the Western world, particularly African legends, so it’s a chance for new audiences to engage with these stories.
Personal favourites were “Naleli” for a truly inventive take on the original and “Thisbe” for the cute university twist on the crack in the wall.
I love retellings and Babalola has such an immersive and creative way of retelling these stories, not to mention the added agency that she gives the female characters. Her intention in empowering the women in these tales is immediately clear and it gives the stories so much more depth. She also highlights a lot of folk tales that aren’t well-known in the Western world, particularly African legends, so it’s a chance for new audiences to engage with these stories.
Personal favourites were “Naleli” for a truly inventive take on the original and “Thisbe” for the cute university twist on the crack in the wall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Car accident
jencolumb0's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed the exposure to myths that were not familiar and I loved the rendering of them such that the women at the center of them have power and agency. I also really loved the author’s framing of love as resting (in substantial part) on being seen. A lovely read, full of diverse storytelling approaches (all of which were executed strongly) and I hope the author is working on a novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Car accident
emfass's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? Yes
4.25
I am a HUGE fan of fairy tale/mythology retellings, so there was a good chance I was going to like this anyway. But I was introduced to so many tales I didn't know, PLUS I absolutely adored the way Babalola rewrote stories that are originally misogynistic and occasionally devastating to be hopeful and honor the love story at the center.
I read through the first half of the book rather quickly, trying to meet the deadline for the Bad Bitch Book Club meeting, but over the last few days I have savored the latter half, reading one or two stories a day, and that's my recommendation for anyone else picking this up. (I don't read a lot of short story collections, maybe that's the general approach??)
My favorite stories were:
Scheherazade
Nefertiti
Yaa
Naleli
Thisbe
Tiara
Orin
A few quotes from the introduction that floored me:
I read through the first half of the book rather quickly, trying to meet the deadline for the Bad Bitch Book Club meeting, but over the last few days I have savored the latter half, reading one or two stories a day, and that's my recommendation for anyone else picking this up. (I don't read a lot of short story collections, maybe that's the general approach??)
My favorite stories were:
Scheherazade
Nefertiti
Yaa
Naleli
Thisbe
Tiara
Orin
A few quotes from the introduction that floored me:
Love is the prism through which I view the world. I truly believe it binds and propels us. This isn’t a naive denial of the darkness that we know exists in the world; rather it is a refusal to allow the devastation, the horror, or the heartache to consume us. It is affirming the knowledge that there is light. Love is that light. Romance sweetens the casual bitterness we can encounter; it heightens the mundane and makes the terrestrial supernatural.
Love is tender, tentative, brutal, and bold. It’s messy and magic! It can be the most frightening thing in the world, purely because it feels like safety, and that safety is reliant on total trust in another, with whom we share our hearts, expose ourselves, and allow ourselves to be seen for exactly who we are. But when we allow ourselves to trust like this, there is a freedom that we can attain—a glory. This book is about being seen in all your iterations, in every dynamic, brightly and in color. It’s about the joy and hope that accompany the celebration of that phenomenon.
And from the final story, which is inspired by how her parents met and fell in love:
The eldest of their daughters is so inspired by the king and queen that it forms how she sees the world. She recognizes the mundane mystique of romantic love that is ubiquitous at a glance, but, when you look closer, you notice the tessellation of understanding, patience, friendship, and attraction. She sees both the miracle of the spark igniting and also the working, because it takes work, and for the work to work, you have to respect each other, like each other. She is fascinated by how much romantic love can soften a hard life, highlight the best of you, not condemn the worst of you. It is a gift she cherished witnessing with the king and queen, and so she made it her mission to capture a little of it and gift it to others: the hope of it all, the light of it all.
Time was constructed with love in mind. It is why the moments before a desired kiss stretch, why when your lips are finally introduced with another pair, it feels as if they have wanted to meet for some time, and why a day with your loved one can feel like an eternity on turbo-speed. Achingly, deliciously slow, but too fast, over too quick, melting between too-hot fingers. Time and love are intertwined, they are both measures of life, they are the two clocks. And, for love to operate as it should, it is imperative that the timing should be right. Just as it is in this story.
Lastly, I think this is one of the most gorgeous covers I have ever seen. 😍😍😍
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
eloiseisreading's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
readingwithkt's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
"It was less about being chosen and more about their agency in allowing themselves to love and be loved" - Bolu Babalola.
This was a really enjoyable listen which I savored over the course of 6+ weeks. I've been wanting to read it since its release and thought it would be a good one to read alongside my partner who enjoys myths etc., but I got too impatient and ended up buying the audiobook. Maybe I'll revisit it together with him when the paperback comes out.
I love the centering of women in these tales. As a woman myself, I find a lot of the original myths really difficult reading and so I tend to stay away from them. Here, Bolu Babalola reframes classic tales with a feminist gaze. Maybe it's cliche, maybe it's been said before, but I felt understood in a very pure and wholesome way by some of the stories in this collection. Sometimes I even saw parts of myself in the characters, and other times it felt like I was listening to a friend recount their experiences.
My favourite story was Scheherazade (one that I'm certain I'll relisten to), but I enjoyed so many of the others.
Overall, this is a hopeful and varied collection that I'd really recommend. The audiobook narration made for lovely listening in my ears.
I can't comment on all content warnings as I read this over such a long period of time and I'm certain I've forgotten some - but I hope other readers have picked up what my memory has forgotten.
This was a really enjoyable listen which I savored over the course of 6+ weeks. I've been wanting to read it since its release and thought it would be a good one to read alongside my partner who enjoys myths etc., but I got too impatient and ended up buying the audiobook. Maybe I'll revisit it together with him when the paperback comes out.
I love the centering of women in these tales. As a woman myself, I find a lot of the original myths really difficult reading and so I tend to stay away from them. Here, Bolu Babalola reframes classic tales with a feminist gaze. Maybe it's cliche, maybe it's been said before, but I felt understood in a very pure and wholesome way by some of the stories in this collection. Sometimes I even saw parts of myself in the characters, and other times it felt like I was listening to a friend recount their experiences.
My favourite story was Scheherazade (one that I'm certain I'll relisten to), but I enjoyed so many of the others.
Overall, this is a hopeful and varied collection that I'd really recommend. The audiobook narration made for lovely listening in my ears.
I can't comment on all content warnings as I read this over such a long period of time and I'm certain I've forgotten some - but I hope other readers have picked up what my memory has forgotten.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Car accident
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