REVIEW: Love In Colour (Bolu Babalola)

Book: Love in Colour

Author: Bolu Babalola

My rating: 3/5.

Premise: In her debut collection, internationally acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with incredible new detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places.

I'm not a romance person but I really liked this book. We have about 10 short stories centered on love. But what I loved was the strong female characters and the cultures represented. Bolu has taken some stories from Africa, the Middle East, Greece and China, then imagined them in a slightly more modern setting and with more of a feminist stance. I love how the meek female characters are turned into warrior princesses and notorious criminals. But I also liked how some of them are just ordinary women becoming confident in themselves and in their feelings. Also, each story picks out important things for a relationship to work (e.g. self confidence, self worth, respecting each other's dreams, trust). In terms of the stories, this book has made me interested in folk tales from Africa and the Eurasian area. I liked how at the back there was a list of the original tales and as well as notes from Bolu on her reimaginings. A very lovely read!