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charvi_not_just_fiction's review
Sort of DNF
I have issues with anthologies. Like every anthology this one has good stories and stories I couldn't get into at all. It had stories written by friends, professors and people I know so I read some of those and then decided to give up because it's almost been a year since I've been pushing myself to read this book and failing to pick it up.
I have issues with anthologies. Like every anthology this one has good stories and stories I couldn't get into at all. It had stories written by friends, professors and people I know so I read some of those and then decided to give up because it's almost been a year since I've been pushing myself to read this book and failing to pick it up.
carolinevogt's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
DNF'ed at page 104.
I want to love this book so much, and I simply don't. I can't.
There's a couple of reasons I simply cannot finish this. Many of them, I think, have to do with the editor. Some of the short stories I really enjoyed, others didn't really speak to me. Overall I was missing a red thread connecting the stories. A preface or a short introduction to each story would have been great, and is something the last anthology of short stories I read greatly benefited from. Additionally, the editor has chosen to shorten many names to simply letters; A said this, T did that, and S did not appreciate it. I don't know if this was done to protect the privacy of each individual author, or as a personal preference - either way, it severely reduces reading flow.
This next part is difficult, and yet I find it important to address.
The book is very Indian, and it hurts the experience for uneducated readers about Indian culture, like myself. Many terms, from names and locations to food and feelings, are thrown around without any context or explanation.
I want to know. To learn. I want to educate myself, to appreciate the opportunity of learning something my background never provided. However, when looking up 10-15 terms per page -most having no direct translation-, the reading immersion is completely broken. Alternatively, when not looking up anything at all and rather hoping context will teach, confusion is inevitable. In an unfortunate turn of events, the book almost gatekeeps Indian culture - which is such a shame, because I'm sure this was absolutely not the intention by neither the authors nor the editor.
It does get an additional star because some of the short stories were genuinely interesting, and one even made me cry. I found quotes from many of the short stories which touched me deeply.
🌸 Full review can be found on my bookstagram, @softcover_cat_reads 🌸
I want to love this book so much, and I simply don't. I can't.
There's a couple of reasons I simply cannot finish this. Many of them, I think, have to do with the editor. Some of the short stories I really enjoyed, others didn't really speak to me. Overall I was missing a red thread connecting the stories. A preface or a short introduction to each story would have been great, and is something the last anthology of short stories I read greatly benefited from. Additionally, the editor has chosen to shorten many names to simply letters; A said this, T did that, and S did not appreciate it. I don't know if this was done to protect the privacy of each individual author, or as a personal preference - either way, it severely reduces reading flow.
This next part is difficult, and yet I find it important to address.
The book is very Indian, and it hurts the experience for uneducated readers about Indian culture, like myself. Many terms, from names and locations to food and feelings, are thrown around without any context or explanation.
I want to know. To learn. I want to educate myself, to appreciate the opportunity of learning something my background never provided. However, when looking up 10-15 terms per page -most having no direct translation-, the reading immersion is completely broken. Alternatively, when not looking up anything at all and rather hoping context will teach, confusion is inevitable. In an unfortunate turn of events, the book almost gatekeeps Indian culture - which is such a shame, because I'm sure this was absolutely not the intention by neither the authors nor the editor.
It does get an additional star because some of the short stories were genuinely interesting, and one even made me cry. I found quotes from many of the short stories which touched me deeply.
🌸 Full review can be found on my bookstagram, @softcover_cat_reads 🌸
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