You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
_askthebookbug 's review for:
Preeto and Other Stories: The Male Gaze in Urdu
by Rakhshanda Jalil
Preeto & other stories.
~
Thank you for sending this book over @niyogi_books :)
~
Urdu stories are like poetry; an art in itself. They are melodious, intense and beautiful like a crystal clear pond. Preeto is a book comprising of 13 short stories which are translated from Urdu. A book that talks about women from male perspective. A book that puts forward stories from 13 different writers, worked on closely and edited by Rakshanda Jalil.
~
The reason behind this book was to understand how men perceive women and Rakshanda has collated stories aptly to portray the same. In this world of modern times where women are voicing their opinions, stopping people from taking advantage of their ideas and opinions and are capable of being independent, these stories talk about how over the years women haven't had the chance to just be themselves. There are few stories which I absolutely loved, one of them is 'The Heavy Stone' in which a woman had to go through abortion against her wishes. She imagines her unborn child calling out to her but she is held back by societal and husband's pressure.
~
In another story written by Gulzar called 'Man', a woman who comes out of an unhappy marriage and is still not free to find love post her divorce. There's a line which struck a chord with me in which she says 'No matter what a woman might do, she always has to offer an explanation to a man. To a father, sometimes to a husband, and sometimes to a son.' This book is an anthology which talks about forbidden things like a woman's desire for another man even though she's married, unhappy marriages and loveless lives, bound by the shackles of society. Every story portrays a different shade of woman.
~
Rakshanda Jalil has done a tremendous job in bringing these stories together and making them perfect. Though there were few stories that I could not connect to, this book overall is a beautiful and intense read that I really enjoyed. Any story about women and their lives hold a special place in my heart.
~
I would rate this book 4.2 / 5.
~
Thank you for sending this book over @niyogi_books :)
~
Urdu stories are like poetry; an art in itself. They are melodious, intense and beautiful like a crystal clear pond. Preeto is a book comprising of 13 short stories which are translated from Urdu. A book that talks about women from male perspective. A book that puts forward stories from 13 different writers, worked on closely and edited by Rakshanda Jalil.
~
The reason behind this book was to understand how men perceive women and Rakshanda has collated stories aptly to portray the same. In this world of modern times where women are voicing their opinions, stopping people from taking advantage of their ideas and opinions and are capable of being independent, these stories talk about how over the years women haven't had the chance to just be themselves. There are few stories which I absolutely loved, one of them is 'The Heavy Stone' in which a woman had to go through abortion against her wishes. She imagines her unborn child calling out to her but she is held back by societal and husband's pressure.
~
In another story written by Gulzar called 'Man', a woman who comes out of an unhappy marriage and is still not free to find love post her divorce. There's a line which struck a chord with me in which she says 'No matter what a woman might do, she always has to offer an explanation to a man. To a father, sometimes to a husband, and sometimes to a son.' This book is an anthology which talks about forbidden things like a woman's desire for another man even though she's married, unhappy marriages and loveless lives, bound by the shackles of society. Every story portrays a different shade of woman.
~
Rakshanda Jalil has done a tremendous job in bringing these stories together and making them perfect. Though there were few stories that I could not connect to, this book overall is a beautiful and intense read that I really enjoyed. Any story about women and their lives hold a special place in my heart.
~
I would rate this book 4.2 / 5.