Beautiful stories, some disappointing narration

The book itself is beautifully written. The stories are rich and evocative and the author's note was a powerful way to give extra meaning to the whole. The way Babalola writes about love is passionate and inspiring (but sometimes a bit cheesey). Society needs more of this.

However, I found one of the narrators quite frustrating and ended up skipping over some stories. Perhaps the fact that I listen to my audiobooks before bed meant that the feeling of being read to by someone without the theatrical nuances needed to bring to life such rich stories was amplified.

4 people found this helpful

Fantastic!

Such a beautiful collection of stories. The detail and imagery that they conjure is wonderfully immersive along with some brilliant modern twists that had me laughing out loud. Thoroughly recommend!

3 people found this helpful

Loved it.

The author's use of language is absolutely delightful and the themes of patriachy and colour resonate vibrantly in the backdrop of British colonialism.
It was a pleasure to read the stories intertwined in myths and modern life so that the listener is transported to the times potrayed.

3 people found this helpful

great start boring ending.

the prmose is great but it doesnt use it. it left like rather than love stories from different cultures in different contexts its ends up being another western story about lovers in London.

1 person found this helpful

original, fresh, powerful, sensual

absolutely loved this, its original, fresh, powerful, sensual, feminist. Bolu can write! narration is also wonderful. 5*

1 person found this helpful

Young and joyful

I loved every story. Vibrant, youthful and refreshing. I fell in love with love again

1 person found this helpful

Gets a little boring towards the end…

I got a little bored of the book towards the end and didn’t finish reading it. The various stories within the book range from really interesting to quite exaggerated, unrealistic and boring. I really like the narrator who started the book however there’s another narrator who narrates in a British cockney accent which really does not fit the themes of the stories she reads- which is one of the things I found off putting.

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4.5/5

Picked up as a deal on a whim, I was expecting some fluffy retellings of romantic myths and fairytales. What I got was a collection of innovative, well written, empowering and emotional versions of both stories I had heard before and others that were completely new to me.

- Whilst some of the myths were known to me, the majority came from outside my culture and sphere of knowledge. I love how this book not only gave me fantastic stories to listen to buy also the curiosity to look up the original sources and expand my world and mythological knowledge.

- The prose is poetic and the narrators do an amazing job bringing these stories to life. Babalola has real talent for phrasing things just right to get you to laugh, hurt or long for more.

- Babalola also restructures these tales to centre the women and provide a kickass feminist view rather than the often misogynistic one supplied from ancient myths.

A hidden gem that's well worth indulging in. recommended for mythology fans, romance connoisseurs and those who enjoy retellings with focus on ethic minorities and women.

Great take on classic tales but poorly performed

I really enjoyed this series of short stories. The modern take on classic tales about love teaches us much about human emotion and I often found myself feeling the warm feelings of being loved and to be in love while listening. *Some* of the tales reminded me of fan-fiction, but the good outweighs the bad here. The final story of Babalola’s parents is endearing, and the author’s note adds beautiful context to her writing. However, some stories were badly performed and somewhat cringey, which often distracted me from the writing.

inspirational wonderful refreshing and rich

each story is a jem of great beauty, a gift that keeps giving abudantly