Official Review: Love Stories by Prajwalit

[katiesquilts]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Love Stories" by Prajwalit.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Love Stories is not quite what it says on the tin. The novel is a collection of five short love stories, all of which seem to end in disaster for the involved parties. The titles of the chapters – "Ponytail," "Chocolate," "Secret Love," "First Crush," and "Kiss" – are deceptively sweet-sounding. Prajwalit includes characters from all walks of life, such as the businessman in “Ponytail” who wants to become the richest man in the world, and the young student in “Chocolate” who doesn’t have the money to buy sweets of his own and falls in love with his generous classmate.

All of the stories followed a similar layout. The characters meet and fall in love, sometimes quickly and sometimes over time. Then, on the last page of the chapter, disaster strikes. At times you can guess what will happen, other times the bad news comes like a bolt out of the blue. The abrupt endings to each chapter left me reeling, wondering what would happen next. Unfortunately, we don’t get to know.

What I loved most about this novel was the insight it gave into Indian culture. The author taught the reader about various cities in India, foods and cultural events, as well as various traditions that occur when two people decide to get married. The author mainly used the Indian terms for these, but helpfully included a glossary at the end of the novel. Adding little details about the characters’ everyday life made the novel feel that much more realistic.

While the writing style was very descriptive, it was also a bit hard to understand at times. I honestly and genuinely applaud the author for writing a novel in what is most likely not his mother language. To translate your own thoughts into another language is difficult enough, but without proper editing you have no way to know if the flow is natural to a native ear. To some, this might be an advantage – you can really understand what the author was thinking when he wrote a specific sentence, even if the phrasing is a little off. The author’s writing style is completely frank and honest, with none of the vague and flowery language that many English writers use as filler. In this way, the writing style really suits the novel. Instead of frilly and empty love confessions, the author describes the gritty and harsh reality that some couples are faced with.

I believe Love Stories deserves 2 out of 4 stars. If it was properly edited and had an easier-to-read font, I would have bumped it up at least one star. Overall, I truly enjoyed the twists and turns that each chapter held. It is a simple and light read, so I would recommend it to anyone who wants a change of pace from the regular harlequin and supernatural romances. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a happy ending.

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Love Stories
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Like katiesquilts's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Peggys+Place54]

Thanks for the review. Very helpful

[Kdonegan91]

Thanks for your honest review! I will have to decline to read this one. I can't handle the bad editing.

[kimmyschemy06]

That was very honest. The book seems enjoyable enough if properly edited. Great job on the review.

[katiesquilts]

Thank you for the kind words, everyone!