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A review by bittennailbooks
Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"Do a person's wishes matter? Or is it their actions on which they should be judged?"
Goddess of the River is a rich retelling, of the often glossed over, tale of Ganga and her mortal son. From the epic of the Mahabharata, Patel's retelling feels heavy and course with the navigation of love and oath.
This is my first exposure to a Mahabharata story so I am by no means an expert lens in which to view Patel's retelling, so I will solely focus on the execution through a fantasy lens. Patel is a gifted storyteller: her creation of strong characters really shines in Goddess of the River. A dialogue and historical heavy hitter with little focus on the traditional fantasy notes (romantic love, sex, violence). Certainly for fans of heavy political drama.
What I do enjoy about Patel's writing that she had echoed on her own social media channels is her rejection that every fantastic novel needs to involve a romance. I thought it is a very potent rejection of what the current publishing trends are and commend her for sticking to her literary guns.
A dense read but I feel better for reading it. 3.9/5 stars.
Goddess of the River is a rich retelling, of the often glossed over, tale of Ganga and her mortal son. From the epic of the Mahabharata, Patel's retelling feels heavy and course with the navigation of love and oath.
This is my first exposure to a Mahabharata story so I am by no means an expert lens in which to view Patel's retelling, so I will solely focus on the execution through a fantasy lens. Patel is a gifted storyteller: her creation of strong characters really shines in Goddess of the River. A dialogue and historical heavy hitter with little focus on the traditional fantasy notes (romantic love, sex, violence). Certainly for fans of heavy political drama.
What I do enjoy about Patel's writing that she had echoed on her own social media channels is her rejection that every fantastic novel needs to involve a romance. I thought it is a very potent rejection of what the current publishing trends are and commend her for sticking to her literary guns.
A dense read but I feel better for reading it. 3.9/5 stars.