Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - The Girl and the Goddess: Stories and Poems of Divine Wisdom

Simply hermosa. An enchanting expression of Hindu mythology, Indian culture and its clashing views (even the incongruous ones within the Hindu belief system where many queer gods and goddesses exist, but stigma and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community remain) throughout the last century to the present day, through the perspective of a girl visited by true goddesses to help her navigate her dharma, as the book puts it. Nikita Gill is her own brand of divine, dancing in the footsteps of the goddess Saraswati herself, and always lifting up her readers with her incredible talents to find the divine in themselves. As the goddess Ratri says to Paro,

“You don't see the wind . . . But you do know it is there. You know it exists. You feel it. Faith works the same way.”

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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.5

A beautiful poetry collection telling the coming of age story of Paro. I learned a lot about partition and the Hindu Gods and Goddesses! Gill remains one of my favorite poets and this collection was a unique one

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hannahrogers's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

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melinabarbuto's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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? N/A

4.5

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jennamcclendon's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

This was such a stunning book. I annotated it in pencil in my copy, so most of my thoughts for individual poems and stories are in there. There were so many incredible quotes and themes and messages these poems brought. I wasn’t expecting it to be told as a continuous story, but to be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect because I haven’t read a legitimate poetry book before. This one was so unique and empowering and I absolutely loved it.

Everything she wrote about, even though I’m pretty sure Paro was just a character (I’m not sure if it was based on her own life or not), seemed so real. Her work brought to life some of the things that the world is afraid to talk about that can be best conveyed through personal experience, like sexual assault and coming to terms with your femininity and sexuality and the path you want your life to go on. Some of these poems and quotes hit really close to home, which is what poetry is supposed to do to you. Make you feel. I can only hope that my future is as promising and as happy as Paro’s in the end when she is surrounded by her friends/sisters, a boy she likes that likes her, and her family while also being true and honest with herself. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there, but I can hope.

I also loved how religion and Hindu mythology were such a huge part of this book. Paro had a real gift when she was able to communicate with the Gods and Goddesses and heroes and listen to their stories. I learned a lot about the different deities and where they came from and what they stood for and what they had to teach. I may legitimately look back on these stories and poems for advice and quotes in the future. Shikhandi and Kali were probably my favorites and I want to know more about them the most, but I loved them all. Paro’s connection with them and the Tarot they speak through makes me want to grow closer with my divine self (and also makes me want Tarot cards more lol).

This was a book about divinity within yourself, especially the divine feminine and the energy of femininity, and discovering parts of yourself as you live your life. It was incredible to see Paro’s story develop this idea and also read it in such a poetic format. The stories AND THE ILLUSTRATIONS really made this book special. It was such a great read. :)

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