Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold
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- Create Date：2021-04-18 09:50:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Bolu Babalola
- ISBN：006307849X
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Summary
A high-born Nigerian goddess， who has been beaten down and unappreciated by her gregarious lover， longs to be truly seen。
A young businesswoman attempts a great leap in her company， and an even greater one in her love life。
A powerful Ghanaian spokeswoman is forced to decide whether she should uphold her family’s politics or be true to her heart。
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。
With an eye towards decolonizing tropes inherent in our favorite tales of love， Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives， continents， and genres。
A young businesswoman attempts a great leap in her company， and an even greater one in her love life。
A powerful Ghanaian spokeswoman is forced to decide whether she should uphold her family’s politics or be true to her heart。
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。
With an eye towards decolonizing tropes inherent in our favorite tales of love， Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives， continents， and genres。
Reviews
Carrie Nation
，
This collection is stellar！ I picked it up as a whim in this month's Book of the Month haul and it is a total delight。 Every story in the collection is about a woman taking control of her life and situation， making a decision to choose love。 Similarly， almost every story is named for the heroine （barring one where all characters are nameless。） Empowerment pulls through as a key theme。 The reinvention of the selected myths are impeccably done， reimagining with a modern lens that lends itself well This collection is stellar！ I picked it up as a whim in this month's Book of the Month haul and it is a total delight。 Every story in the collection is about a woman taking control of her life and situation， making a decision to choose love。 Similarly， almost every story is named for the heroine （barring one where all characters are nameless。） Empowerment pulls through as a key theme。 The reinvention of the selected myths are impeccably done， reimagining with a modern lens that lends itself well to hilarious touches。 Example: Pyramus and Thisbe are reenvisoned as college dorm neighbors and they communicate through 2000's R&B songs played on their laptops。 Babalola slides in a chuckle-worthy line about Pyramus discovering his own dysfunction in his Intro to Psych class。 XD Of course！And the writing style， damn！ Babalola's writing invites you to sink in， to revel in the descriptions， to feel the comfort within the scenes。 Genuinely compelling - and while many of the endings feel rote， pulled from romantic comedies of olde， the author's writing style makes them feel fresh。 Top picks from this collection:ScheherazadeNefertitiAttemNaleli TiaraHonestly， though， it's hard to distill my top list down any further - all spectacular。 。。。more
Scott Pomfret
，
This collection of stories has a great concept， but the execution is very uneven。 Each of the stories is a modern retelling （in the form of a love story） of an older myth/legend （mainly from Africa， with a smattering of others， including Greek and Persian）。 They put women at the center of the tales， even if they were not in the original， and the women are uniformly strong， a little self-deprecating， surprised by finding love， and， for those set in the near-present， immersed in cool， artsy enterp This collection of stories has a great concept， but the execution is very uneven。 Each of the stories is a modern retelling （in the form of a love story） of an older myth/legend （mainly from Africa， with a smattering of others， including Greek and Persian）。 They put women at the center of the tales， even if they were not in the original， and the women are uniformly strong， a little self-deprecating， surprised by finding love， and， for those set in the near-present， immersed in cool， artsy enterprises （photography， music， writing） with nary a humdrum job among them。 The initial few stories seemed a little facile and predictable。 I craved more magic。 I loathed the "kisses that reached all the way to the heart" and other trite descriptions。 All of them could have been shorter than they were and included egregious copyediting failures （as well as baffling British-isms， such as "disorientated" when disoriented would have sufficed）。 Women with more actual flaws， bad boyfriends with more goodness in them， and marriageable men who were less noble and handsome would have been welcome。 As it was， the characters were largely flat and caricatures （as flat to modern sensibilities as characters from legend and myth can sometimes be）。 As a result， I almost put the collection down mid-stream， but I'm glad I didn't because some of the later stories so brimmed with heart， energy， and a more authentic love that they literally put a smile on my face I couldn't shed。 Among them: "Psyche，" "Orin，" and "Alogomeji。" Also， the story "Siya" about a warrior-commander had an unexpected ending AND a bit of magic that made it fly （got to read the story to get the pun）。 。。。more
Alicia
，
I meant to read half one night and half the next。 I could not put it down。 Lovely collection of stories you might know from fairytales as well as one that seems inspired by her parents。 The theme is love。 My heart is full。
Eavan Prenter
，
I really enjoyed this - a lovely selection of stories beautifully told。 I think some of them would have benefitted from being a bit longer and at times the stories felt a bit similar， but I recommend to anyone looking for a slightly different take on romance， and I can't wait to see Babalola's first romcom！ I really enjoyed this - a lovely selection of stories beautifully told。 I think some of them would have benefitted from being a bit longer and at times the stories felt a bit similar， but I recommend to anyone looking for a slightly different take on romance， and I can't wait to see Babalola's first romcom！ 。。。more
Em
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man。。。。。 i really love love。 personal standouts were scherezhade， nefertiti， siya， psyche， zhinu and orin。 ugh just read it
Amethyst
，
Like Babalola， I love love。 And I love how she writes about intimacy， romance， and love; knowing the essence of someone and being seen， being equally matched。 It was a joy to read stories that center women of color with agency and ambition being loved for their full selves。 2 of her （3） original stories were among my favorites of the collection。 I would happily have read standalone books about Tiara and Orin。 And I got a little emotional learning that Alagomeji， the final one in the collection， Like Babalola， I love love。 And I love how she writes about intimacy， romance， and love; knowing the essence of someone and being seen， being equally matched。 It was a joy to read stories that center women of color with agency and ambition being loved for their full selves。 2 of her （3） original stories were among my favorites of the collection。 I would happily have read standalone books about Tiara and Orin。 And I got a little emotional learning that Alagomeji， the final one in the collection， is about Babaloloa’s parent’s love story。 While I enjoyed each of the 10 retold mythical tales from around the world， there were some standouts: Osun， Scheherazade， Yaa， Psyche。 I took in one story at a time in various sittings because each story deserved time to sit with and learn the original tale。 Unlike other reviews I read， I felt that each story was unique and unpredictable （as a romance can be; a happy ending is expected）。 The context for each story was remarkably different。 Cannot wait to read what Babaloloa writes next。 。。。more
Neena Pereira
，
A lovely collection of stories based on myths from around the world。 I loved the unique retelling of each， however what I loved most is the writing。 There are lines so deliciously written I found myself reading them slowly or repeatedly to savour them。 I didn't read this all in one go so that each story could sink in better。 Obviously finished with a few favourites but I can see myself reading them all again at some point。The final paragraph， closing her parents' story， made me feel so warm and A lovely collection of stories based on myths from around the world。 I loved the unique retelling of each， however what I loved most is the writing。 There are lines so deliciously written I found myself reading them slowly or repeatedly to savour them。 I didn't read this all in one go so that each story could sink in better。 Obviously finished with a few favourites but I can see myself reading them all again at some point。The final paragraph， closing her parents' story， made me feel so warm and wonderful。 It's really a beautifully written collection。 。。。more
LaCricia A`ngelle
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This book seemed to be a mixture of sweet love stories and tragic love stories。 Some of the language was off putting for me。 It seemed inappropriately placed as it didn't add to the stories。 Although， some stories I wanted to speed past， there were others that I thought were very sweet and heart felt。 My main recommendation is for readers to read this book and form your own opinion。 The variety of stories is sure to offer something the reader will enjoy。 I just reviewed Love in Color by Bolu Bab This book seemed to be a mixture of sweet love stories and tragic love stories。 Some of the language was off putting for me。 It seemed inappropriately placed as it didn't add to the stories。 Although， some stories I wanted to speed past， there were others that I thought were very sweet and heart felt。 My main recommendation is for readers to read this book and form your own opinion。 The variety of stories is sure to offer something the reader will enjoy。 I just reviewed Love in Color by Bolu Babalola。 #LoveinColor #NetGalley 。。。more
Akintunde
，
Bolu Babalola strikes a chord with her first anthology。 This is a collection of short stories revolving around mythical tales enjoyed over time around the world。 These mythical tales have been reworked by Bolu Babalola， all dipped in the sauce of love。 Albeit being utterly predictable， the stories have a connecting narrative， gives the characters depth and makes you want to know more than what each story is saying about its characters。 All in all， it is a good read。
Livey
，
For an honest review I was given this book from NetGalley。 I was attracted by the cover， I adore it。 The stories are written by one author and the tales of love coming from all over the world are not ones that I am familiar with。 Three stories stood out for me and were pleasing and definitely displayed depths of emotion; Scheherazade， Attem and Yaa。 The writing style is rich and active。 I also like the Nefertiti story， the tone and the contemporary cadence of bad azz thug/vigilante was amusing t For an honest review I was given this book from NetGalley。 I was attracted by the cover， I adore it。 The stories are written by one author and the tales of love coming from all over the world are not ones that I am familiar with。 Three stories stood out for me and were pleasing and definitely displayed depths of emotion; Scheherazade， Attem and Yaa。 The writing style is rich and active。 I also like the Nefertiti story， the tone and the contemporary cadence of bad azz thug/vigilante was amusing to me。 I would love to read another book by the author as short stories aren’t long enough for me to submerge myself。 。。。more
Kophen
，
This book has been such a great read。 It is beautiful。It painted love in such a beautiful light that makes you want to feel it， be part of it and experience it。 It takes you on a journey that is out of this world。 I love it and cannot wait to discuss it。
Maggie McVey
，
I’ve followed Bolu for years on Twitter and have been chomping at the bit to get my hands on this！ I’m so amazed and astounded at her writing。 My only issue is that I wish each story were a full-length book in and of themselves， so that we could have even more of her luscious descriptions。 It is clear that this was a true labor of love， and I could feel that emanating from each page。
Tonisha
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Beautiful retelling of ancient love stories。 Scheherazade reminded the most of myself when it comes to relationships。 I loved Thisbe because it was so sweet and innocent。 Siya was a favorite of mine because that one wrecked me the most。。。in such a beautiful way though。
Woowott
，
Thank you to the publishers， William Morrow， for an advanced reader's edition of this book。I received not that long ago and finished it this morning。 At first， I wasn't sure I liked it。 The first story didn't grab me， felt a little unfinished。 The second story， Scheherazade， got better。 And then I discovered that each story got better as I went along。 Babalola is at her best when she's doing a contemporary romance with an HEA， rather than something that has an element of speculative fiction。 Tha Thank you to the publishers， William Morrow， for an advanced reader's edition of this book。I received not that long ago and finished it this morning。 At first， I wasn't sure I liked it。 The first story didn't grab me， felt a little unfinished。 The second story， Scheherazade， got better。 And then I discovered that each story got better as I went along。 Babalola is at her best when she's doing a contemporary romance with an HEA， rather than something that has an element of speculative fiction。 That being said， there is one story in here， "Attem，" that feels more like the folktale from which it was derived， and that one is quite good。 But the most complete stories are the modern ones。 And her three original stories at the end are *chef's kiss*。 Especially the last one， a simple， beautifully told tale about her parents。 That was actually my favorite piece。 It is just wonderful。 And relatable， since I married not a childhood friend， but a college friend whom I'd known for twenty years and with whom I find myself creating a life。 The story of her parents is just perfectly handled。 Ugh， so precious！Anyway， I digress。 My only real complaint is honestly purely subjective。 It was too het for me。 There is one queer story， and I could have used more。 But honestly， I'm queer， and that's what I prefer。 I'm also not entirely into het love at first sight， but again， that's me。On the whole， this was a good collection of stories capped off by a perfect， true tale。 I'll be excited to see what Babalola does next。 。。。more
Chelsey Saatkamp
，
Nothing but smiles on my face while reading this。 Getting an organ removed （again） is no joke， but the recovery was made a little easier with these lovely， lovely love stories。Bolu has always been one of my favorite Twitter follows， and the delight I get in reading her tweets was carried over to this short story collection。 Most of the love stories are adapted from myths or fables from various cultures around the world。 I do wish I knew more of the original stories going in， but these stories ar Nothing but smiles on my face while reading this。 Getting an organ removed （again） is no joke， but the recovery was made a little easier with these lovely， lovely love stories。Bolu has always been one of my favorite Twitter follows， and the delight I get in reading her tweets was carried over to this short story collection。 Most of the love stories are adapted from myths or fables from various cultures around the world。 I do wish I knew more of the original stories going in， but these stories are great on their own and I appreciated the feminist spin she gave them while still making them extremely romantic。 My favorite story though was honestly one of her new ones， titled “Orin。” I really identified with her and loved her quips about terrible first dates。Highly recommend this for all love story fans。 。。。more
Toya （the reading chemist）
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What an incredible collection of short stories that unapologetically and boldly features Black people。 LOVE to see it。 More thoughts to come！
Michelle
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umm so i would actually rate this a 3。8 maybe？ i thought the retold stories were written so beautifully， particularly Osun and Attem。i felt like the magic of the book waned slightly when there were references to modern-day pop culture， they seemed very awkwardly placed in my opinion。 i also did find the book to be repetitive — it was an anthology of love stories so it did get predictable after a while。 i think it would have been more interesting （and less repetitive） if more types of love were e umm so i would actually rate this a 3。8 maybe？ i thought the retold stories were written so beautifully， particularly Osun and Attem。i felt like the magic of the book waned slightly when there were references to modern-day pop culture， they seemed very awkwardly placed in my opinion。 i also did find the book to be repetitive — it was an anthology of love stories so it did get predictable after a while。 i think it would have been more interesting （and less repetitive） if more types of love were explored。 overall， while it was repetitive and some stories paled in comparison to the others， the prose was delightful to read and the concept extremely refreshing。 i’m looking forward to reading more from the author！ 。。。more
Latoya Jamaicangirlreads
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:This book is the epitome of Love。 It's so uniquely written and once I found my groove with the writing style， it became an absolute pleasure to read。 So aptly named， we get to explore Love in all its complexities， fierceness and power。 Black Love; it's in the doing， the making， the accepting， the questioning， the messiness， the unequivocal understanding that Love is multifaceted and can mean so many things， represented in many different ways。 We get all of that here。In Love in Color we find 13 :This book is the epitome of Love。 It's so uniquely written and once I found my groove with the writing style， it became an absolute pleasure to read。 So aptly named， we get to explore Love in all its complexities， fierceness and power。 Black Love; it's in the doing， the making， the accepting， the questioning， the messiness， the unequivocal understanding that Love is multifaceted and can mean so many things， represented in many different ways。 We get all of that here。In Love in Color we find 13 short story romance collections described as magical folktales and mythology。 These stories are filled with crafty， ingenuine twists that you do not see coming。 We meet characters who give up their livelihoods， challenge societal norms， fight patriarchal standards， showing that love is more of the doing than the saying。 We see how girlfriends show up and show love for each other。It's going to be really hard for other short story collections to capture my attention the way this one did， it's truly exquisite。 I hate to do this， because these stories were all unique in their own right but if I should choose a favorite it would be my girl Siya！ Psyche was also a badass and leaves no question about what female empowerment should look like， then there's Naleli who resurfaced all my teenage butterflies and showed us that the greatest love of all is self love。 。。。more
Sam Brew
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4。5*
Tee
，
4 stars。A giant thank you to the Hear Our Voices Team， Harper Collins and Bolu Babalola and her team for allowing me the opportunity to read an e-copy of this story。 This in no way affects my review。LOVE IN COLOUR is， simply put， an anthology of love stories。 I first heard of this book as I do many of my TBR choices – through twitter。 I’ve been following the author， Bolu Babalola， for a couple of years now because her tweets of pop culture， specifically romcoms and the tv series New Girl， are wh 4 stars。A giant thank you to the Hear Our Voices Team， Harper Collins and Bolu Babalola and her team for allowing me the opportunity to read an e-copy of this story。 This in no way affects my review。LOVE IN COLOUR is， simply put， an anthology of love stories。 I first heard of this book as I do many of my TBR choices – through twitter。 I’ve been following the author， Bolu Babalola， for a couple of years now because her tweets of pop culture， specifically romcoms and the tv series New Girl， are what I would call perfection。 From her tweets and the articles of hers that I’d read， once I saw she was releasing this anthology based on different myths and folklore from around the world I was immediately invested。 I knew I would enjoy her writing and that the stories would have everything that makes a good love story， and boy was I right。I’m not used to reading anthologies and short stories but getting through LOVE IN COLOUR was a breeze。 The writing was accessible and consistent without feeling stagnant across its 300-odd pages。 Each story felt like it had its own narrative voice， while still staying true to Babalola’s writing style。 I must say， Babalola’s way of writing dialogue brought me a great sense of joy。 It was never stilted or stiff， every conversation felt believable and real， and the dialogue really delivered a sense of care or distance between characters when it called for it。The pacing of each story is also a big highlight for me as none of the stories felt unnecessarily long or unfortunately short。 While I wish I had more time with certain characters it never felt as though the stories were done a disservice by the length of the chapters。Through 12 stories， Babalola weaves tales that are modern， mythical and fantastical， soft and cozy， and even a little funny。 Each story shone in its own way， and while I enjoyed some more than others， LOVE IN COLOUR excels in maintaining a level of enjoyment throughout。 None of the stories bring down the group average in terms of narration， writing， and feeling。 I enjoyed getting to know each of the character’s stories and loved the way Babalola managed to make this information feel like a smaller story within the story unfolding。Short stories are difficult for me because I never feel like I can connect to the characters well enough to genuinely care about their happenings。 This was not the case with LOVE IN COLOUR。 Each story felt like a filler episode of your favourite show， in the best way。 Think The Tales of Ba Sing Se （Book Two Chapter 15） or The Beach （Book Three Chapter 5） episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender。 We get to spend some extra time with our characters in a more intimate setting。 We learn more about them in a way that is full of heart and feeling， and it’s simply a good time。 These stories are simply a good time。Ranging between teenagers and adults， modern and traditional settings， contemporary and fantastical worlds， LOVE IN COLOUR tells 12 stories rooted in love that is never at the expense of our characters。 While the tales are not without their complexities， love takes centre stage each time。 Each of our protagonists finds a love that is full and considerate， a love that sees them， a love that allows them to find and return to a true sense of self。 These are love stories in their element。Babalola states in her introduction， “Love is the prism through which I view the world，” and it is evident in her writing。 She just gets love and these tales feel like the best parts of my favourite romcoms and tender moments of pop culture。 I am thrilled to see what other works we get from her in the future。 。。。more
Lauren loves llamas
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Content warnings: （view spoiler）[cheating， death （mostly violent）， gun violence， alcohol， threats of and reference to sexual assault （hide spoiler）]I adore fairy tale retellings and I was already familiar with the author from following her on Twitter， so of course I wanted to read this book。 Add in the gorgeous cover art and I was completely sold。 And this anthology is excellent， full of thoughtfully reimagined tales with strong women and varied settings， and how love unites us all。“So， what was Content warnings: （view spoiler）[cheating， death （mostly violent）， gun violence， alcohol， threats of and reference to sexual assault （hide spoiler）]I adore fairy tale retellings and I was already familiar with the author from following her on Twitter， so of course I wanted to read this book。 Add in the gorgeous cover art and I was completely sold。 And this anthology is excellent， full of thoughtfully reimagined tales with strong women and varied settings， and how love unites us all。“So， what was our beginning？ When we first met？ When we first fell in love？ But falling in love is continuous and perpetual， an activity that abides under the aegis of capital letter Love。” While I wasn’t familiar with the source material for many of the tales， I didn’t find it affected my enjoyment of them， though I’m sure I missed nuances。 For the ones I was， I loved the way the retellings bent the tale， Scheherazade being my personal favorite。 In this version， her storytelling is for the benefit of fixing politicians’ messes， and it takes 1001 nights for her to let herself fall in love， to accept the protection and possible heartache that comes with that。 “Nefertiti，” the sole f/f story， was another gem， setting her as the widowed owner of a cabaret and all-women gang， dedicated to protecting women from the corrupt government and the men who would prey on them （often one and the same）。 “Psyche” sets Mt。 Olympus as a Devil Wears Prada situation in a skyscraper and involves a sweet friends-to-lovers trope。 “Yaa” explores the main character freeing herself from parental – and societal – expectations。 To be completely honest， there weren’t any stories that I didn’t like。“I’m pretty sure you’re the love of my life。 I， uh， like your face and I like when words come out of your face。 Sorry， that didn’t sound romantic at all。” This collection’s biggest strength is also its weakness: so many of the stories are about powerful women being truly seen， about owning that power， about their partner respecting that power and seeing them。 Gobbling up all thirteen stories in a row is probably not the best way to read this。 I wish I’d had the willpower to put the book down between tales and reflect on each individually。 The author has an amazing way with words， just the most gorgeously evocative prose， and a great ability to pack a book’s worth of feelings into a short story。 I’d love to see what she could do with a full length novella or novel！“We of all people can’t afford distraction。”Maadi shifted closer。 “With all due respect， Siya， I’m not distracted。 I’m focused on what matters most。” Overall， I very much enjoyed this anthology and will be looking forward to wherever the author goes next！I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 。。。more
Kiersten
，
I absolutely loved this book！ Babalola describes herself as someone who “loves love。。。[in the same way] that [she is] quite fond of inhaling oxygen”， and the stories in this collection illustrate that beautifully。 Love in Color is an anthology of Babalola’s retelling of myths about love from around the world， as well as a couple of her own tales （with one telling the story of her own parents）。 Some of the stories Babalola tells include 1001 Nights， Eros and Psyche， and Pyramus and Thisbe （there’ I absolutely loved this book！ Babalola describes herself as someone who “loves love。。。[in the same way] that [she is] quite fond of inhaling oxygen”， and the stories in this collection illustrate that beautifully。 Love in Color is an anthology of Babalola’s retelling of myths about love from around the world， as well as a couple of her own tales （with one telling the story of her own parents）。 Some of the stories Babalola tells include 1001 Nights， Eros and Psyche， and Pyramus and Thisbe （there’s a complete list of each myth and the corresponding story at the end of the book）。 While each of the retold myths center on the same people and regions， Babalola has modernized them， so that they take place in a more current setting， such as a publishing conglomerate， a first date at a bar， and a high school graduation party。 Despite their brevity， each story feels complete and their characters richly described。 Each story was beautifully written， and to say I loved this collection would be an understatement in the same way that saying Babalola “loves love” is an understatement。 Among my favorites were Nefertiti， Attem， Psyche， and Thisbe。 I also loved Orin， which rather than being based on a myth， was a story of Babalola’s own creation。 。。。more
The Litt Librarian
，
Babalola's goal was to "decolonize tropes of love" and showcase Black women loving without suffering。 I like that Babalola turned many of these retellings in favor of women。 When we hear anything based on Greek Myth or royalty， the men are always placed on a pedestal while women are constantly fighting for placement on the lower tier podium。 Not in this book！ I would boast women empowerment as the main subject throughout the novel， but I also think that a woman would know better about what a wom Babalola's goal was to "decolonize tropes of love" and showcase Black women loving without suffering。 I like that Babalola turned many of these retellings in favor of women。 When we hear anything based on Greek Myth or royalty， the men are always placed on a pedestal while women are constantly fighting for placement on the lower tier podium。 Not in this book！ I would boast women empowerment as the main subject throughout the novel， but I also think that a woman would know better about what a woman wants。 Her 13-chaptered book defines all types of love。 We have a little bit of tragedy， embarrassment， spontaneity， and a lot of self-worth realization。 But each woman found her version of a happy ending， and I think that's the most important about storytelling。 My favorite stories were "Nefertiti" （because I am a sucker for anything Egyptian）， "Psyche" （also a sucker for）， "Orin，" "Attem，" and "Tiara。"Check out the entire review on The Litt Librarian！ https://thelittlibrarian。wixsite。com/。。。 。。。more
Ahtiya （BookinItWithAhtiya）
，
I never know what to expect when heading into a collection of short stories， but I was absolutely blown away with the work Bolu Babalola executes in Love In Color。 While this collection is based heavily on different mythologies of love throughout histories and different cultures， even if you don't immediately recognize which myth is being retold， you are still able to appreciate each story on its own。 Love in Color centers women being autonomous and understood by their partners， while also being I never know what to expect when heading into a collection of short stories， but I was absolutely blown away with the work Bolu Babalola executes in Love In Color。 While this collection is based heavily on different mythologies of love throughout histories and different cultures， even if you don't immediately recognize which myth is being retold， you are still able to appreciate each story on its own。 Love in Color centers women being autonomous and understood by their partners， while also being unapologetic in their right to exist and take up space。 What is truly masterful is that this concept does not look the same for all the women， and I was immediately drawn in by the astounding variety of characters and love interests we meet throughout this collection。 Built upon beautiful， metaphor writing， Babalola presents a masterful collection that explores what it means to truly be seen in a relationship， so much to the point where you are able to let your guard down and call your partner 'home。' I definitely see myself picking up another work by Bolu Babalola。 。。。more
ShakilaMarie_Reads
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First， I must say going into this book I was immediately pulled in by the introduction。 It was was beautifully written and gave me what I was to expect going into reading these stories。“Love is tender， tentative， brutal， and bold。 It’s messy and magic！ It can be the most frightening thing in the world， purely because it feels like safety， and that safety is reliant on total trust in another， with whom we share our hearts， expose ourselves， and allow ourselves to be seen for exactly who we are。” First， I must say going into this book I was immediately pulled in by the introduction。 It was was beautifully written and gave me what I was to expect going into reading these stories。“Love is tender， tentative， brutal， and bold。 It’s messy and magic！ It can be the most frightening thing in the world， purely because it feels like safety， and that safety is reliant on total trust in another， with whom we share our hearts， expose ourselves， and allow ourselves to be seen for exactly who we are。” I haven’t read a lot of short story books， but I loved this one。 I went into this one reading only a couple stories in different sittings which I think it worked。 I was able to absorb and reflect after reading。 I loved that。 I loved the imagery used in some of the stories which made me interpret the stories into my own thoughts。 It painted the picture of the types of love being described in this stories and what it meant to me。 Each story was unique in the way the characters approaches and fell in love。 I enjoyed the mythical element of it and how the different approaches on love or falling in love took。 Reading the stories you feel and see each character going into love whether they are for or against it。My favorite stories out of the book were:♡︎Osun ♡︎Scheherazade ♡︎Yaa♡︎Siya Thank you to Hear Our Voice， Harper Collins Williams Morrow for my gifted copy。 。。。more
KB_615
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I’ve a soft spot for the fractured fairytale or myth。 Something about spinning an old yarn into a new tapestry strikes me as wonderfully creative。 As a tween， I satiated this love by devouring books by Shannon Hale， Gail Carson Levine， and Rick Riordan。 Nowadays， I rarely seek this genre—until I heard about Love in Color。In Love in Color， Bolu Babalola presents “mythical tales from around the world， retold。” Each chapter transports the reader to a different mythos， from Yoruba religion to Ovid’s I’ve a soft spot for the fractured fairytale or myth。 Something about spinning an old yarn into a new tapestry strikes me as wonderfully creative。 As a tween， I satiated this love by devouring books by Shannon Hale， Gail Carson Levine， and Rick Riordan。 Nowadays， I rarely seek this genre—until I heard about Love in Color。In Love in Color， Bolu Babalola presents “mythical tales from around the world， retold。” Each chapter transports the reader to a different mythos， from Yoruba religion to Ovid’s Metamorphoses。 Most readers subjected to a Greco-Roman literary upbringing will recognize a few of Babalola’s sources。 But， unlike the noted mythologists of my childhood， Babalola invokes traditions oft-sidelined or even maligned in westernized literary spaces。 Her collection embraces love as a global phenomenon。 Too often， we see Hollywood and major publishing houses marketing one flavor of love: white， cisgendered， and heteronormative。 The cultural landscape may at last be changing， thanks to movies like Always Be My Maybe and books like Felix Ever After （one of my top reads of 2020！）。 Love in Color further inducts readers into a more democratic vision of romance。 Babalola takes historical folktales from around the world， deconstructs their patriarchal elements while highlighting their feminist ones。 Her hypnotic retellings of these familiar stories create delectable meet-cutes to pluck your heartstrings。Of all these wondrous love stories， my personal favorites are the Scheherazade， Nefertiti， Naleli， and Thisbe chapters。 Scheherazade’s brazenness emanates from the page。 Nefertiti’s chapter offers striking commentary on police brutality and vigilante justice。 Naleli’s chapter， too， touches on social issues with its powerful celebration of body positivity。 And Babalola’s refashioning of Thisbe and Pyramus’ romance strikes me as an updated School Daze。 Full review here:https://medium。com/barrett-book-revie。。。 。。。more
Bibliophile nemo
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3。5 ⭐️
Hubabaloo
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This book just wasn't what I thought it would be when I started reading it。 I got a few stories in and just found that I couldn't focus long enough to push through。 The writing was beautiful and smart， but the stories themselves just weren't what I was looking for when I picked this up。 I love that this book is a celebration of love， but it just wasn't something that worked for me。 Maybe it's just that I'm new to short stories， but I think that there are lots of people out there who will love an This book just wasn't what I thought it would be when I started reading it。 I got a few stories in and just found that I couldn't focus long enough to push through。 The writing was beautiful and smart， but the stories themselves just weren't what I was looking for when I picked this up。 I love that this book is a celebration of love， but it just wasn't something that worked for me。 Maybe it's just that I'm new to short stories， but I think that there are lots of people out there who will love and appreciate this one for the beautiful writing and the romances in varying shades。 。。。more
Sonee
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Beautiful and magical modern retellings of myths。 There are a couple of new tales at the end。 The style of writing is so rich and evocative， I felt as if I were part of the stories。 I loved that they featured strong women and how they overcame or persevered through their circumstances and found love。
Nicole
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