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Everything Changed After That: 25 Women, 25 Stories
A chance meeting on a road trip that invites you to rethink your upcoming wedding. A moment of vulnerability betrayed and made viral on the internet. A shared cab ride that gives you a chance at sweet revenge. Gatecrashing a grand feast and falling headlong into an unexpected new friendship. An opportunity to make quick bucks under the table that is fraught with risk.
This anthology of twenty-five winning stories from eShe magazine's short story contest for women writers will leave you enthralled to the last page. The contest was judged by India's highest selling female author Preeti Shenoy, eShe's founder and editor Aekta Kapoor, and author and editor-in-chief of Embassy Books, Aruna Joshi.
Written by twenty-five women of varied backgrounds from all corners of India - from homemakers to teachers to engineers - the stories give you a glimpse into the preoccupations of modern Indian womanhood.
There's only one thing they have in common - a life-changing twist in the tale.
Featuring Stories from:
Anushree Bose, Arti Jain, Arva Bhavnagarwala, A.V. Sridevi, Bhargavi Chatterjea Bhattacharya, Chandrika R. Krishnan, Divya Vartika, Manisha Sahoo, Nasreen Khan, Natasha Sharma, Nina Krishna Warrier, Noopur Joshi Bapat, Preetha Vasan, Priyadarshini Sharma, Priyamvada Singh, Raina Lopes, Rajitha Menon, Ruchika Verma, Salini Vineeth, Sangeeta Das, Sangeetha Vallat, Sapna D. Singh, Shalini Mullick, Sulekha Bajpai, Urvashi Tandon.
This anthology of twenty-five winning stories from eShe magazine's short story contest for women writers will leave you enthralled to the last page. The contest was judged by India's highest selling female author Preeti Shenoy, eShe's founder and editor Aekta Kapoor, and author and editor-in-chief of Embassy Books, Aruna Joshi.
Written by twenty-five women of varied backgrounds from all corners of India - from homemakers to teachers to engineers - the stories give you a glimpse into the preoccupations of modern Indian womanhood.
There's only one thing they have in common - a life-changing twist in the tale.
Featuring Stories from:
Anushree Bose, Arti Jain, Arva Bhavnagarwala, A.V. Sridevi, Bhargavi Chatterjea Bhattacharya, Chandrika R. Krishnan, Divya Vartika, Manisha Sahoo, Nasreen Khan, Natasha Sharma, Nina Krishna Warrier, Noopur Joshi Bapat, Preetha Vasan, Priyadarshini Sharma, Priyamvada Singh, Raina Lopes, Rajitha Menon, Ruchika Verma, Salini Vineeth, Sangeeta Das, Sangeetha Vallat, Sapna D. Singh, Shalini Mullick, Sulekha Bajpai, Urvashi Tandon.
226 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 10, 2021
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
I am sceptical of short story anthologies that are products of contest wins. The stories included in such anthologies are often too diverse in prose and content to gracefully belong together like flowers and ferns in a bouquet. However "Everything Changed After that: 25 Women, 25 Stories" turned out to be a pleasing exception! Being a co-author, I wanted to like this book even before it was born. However, I didn't have to try. Page after page I sat transfixed, imbibed in the diverse universe of the various protagonists - each one of them distinct, vivid and memorable who encountered or reflected on a life-changing event - the anthology's theme. I was regaled with tales of heartbreak, chance meetings, resilience, healing, courage, forgiveness, loss, fond reunions and rendezvous with rock bottoms. Some tales were light-hearted and breezy, almost musical, they left me effervescent. Other stories were poignant and throbbing like a swelling welt.
The stories that were just perfect, and would stay with me for a long time and I know I would re-read are: Skyward bound, Akhila, Navjote Nu Bhonu, A Father's daughter and The Allure of power. All of these stories are character-driven, evoke vivid imagery, have remarkable characterization, astute scene-setting and offer lush, exuberant prose. These even inspired me to improve my writing!
My other favourites from the lot are The Maggie Point - for simple yet profound story-telling; Dream - for the memorable characterization of a young protagonist; The Night out - for the poignant, sharp and tight narrative; The Dance - for its candid portrayal of how hard it is for women to choose joy after decades of self-neglect; and Be the Flow - for enrapturing scene-setting, stark characterization, effortless humour and fluidity of narration.
I liked the stories - Peering through the mist, The Talking Heron, At Home-Finally, Memories forgotten, An autumn leaf, and The Car Keys - for the subtle yet significant perspective they offered. These simple yet thought-provoking tales made me slow down, pause and reflect.
The Karma Seed, A Seasonal Quiddity, and A promise is a promise -were stories with unusual and surprising elements. They intrigued me both as a reader and a writer.
The remaining six stories from the lot are were lot-driven narratives. I didn't connect with them probably because I prefer a certain style of writing but they were good one time reads.
Lastly, I am the author of the story Moondust published in this anthology. This was my first commercial publication from a contest win, and this is my absolutely unbiased review. I confidently and whole-heartedly recommend this anthology to others because whether or not someone likes my story-Moondust, the anthology holds good, I am proud to be a part of it and I am confident the readers would love most of the stories published here. stories published here.
I am sceptical of short story anthologies that are products of contest wins. The stories included in such anthologies are often too diverse in prose and content to gracefully belong together like flowers and ferns in a bouquet. However "Everything Changed After that: 25 Women, 25 Stories" turned out to be a pleasing exception! Being a co-author, I wanted to like this book even before it was born. However, I didn't have to try. Page after page I sat transfixed, imbibed in the diverse universe of the various protagonists - each one of them distinct, vivid and memorable who encountered or reflected on a life-changing event - the anthology's theme. I was regaled with tales of heartbreak, chance meetings, resilience, healing, courage, forgiveness, loss, fond reunions and rendezvous with rock bottoms. Some tales were light-hearted and breezy, almost musical, they left me effervescent. Other stories were poignant and throbbing like a swelling welt.
The stories that were just perfect, and would stay with me for a long time and I know I would re-read are: Skyward bound, Akhila, Navjote Nu Bhonu, A Father's daughter and The Allure of power. All of these stories are character-driven, evoke vivid imagery, have remarkable characterization, astute scene-setting and offer lush, exuberant prose. These even inspired me to improve my writing!
My other favourites from the lot are The Maggie Point - for simple yet profound story-telling; Dream - for the memorable characterization of a young protagonist; The Night out - for the poignant, sharp and tight narrative; The Dance - for its candid portrayal of how hard it is for women to choose joy after decades of self-neglect; and Be the Flow - for enrapturing scene-setting, stark characterization, effortless humour and fluidity of narration.
I liked the stories - Peering through the mist, The Talking Heron, At Home-Finally, Memories forgotten, An autumn leaf, and The Car Keys - for the subtle yet significant perspective they offered. These simple yet thought-provoking tales made me slow down, pause and reflect.
The Karma Seed, A Seasonal Quiddity, and A promise is a promise -were stories with unusual and surprising elements. They intrigued me both as a reader and a writer.
The remaining six stories from the lot are were lot-driven narratives. I didn't connect with them probably because I prefer a certain style of writing but they were good one time reads.
Lastly, I am the author of the story Moondust published in this anthology. This was my first commercial publication from a contest win, and this is my absolutely unbiased review. I confidently and whole-heartedly recommend this anthology to others because whether or not someone likes my story-Moondust, the anthology holds good, I am proud to be a part of it and I am confident the readers would love most of the stories published here. stories published here.
June 1, 2021
T20, short films, limited series and short stories form the trend in this fast-paced world. This collection of stories by women is a delightful read. The stories are as diverse as the authors who have penned them. Some stories leave the reader with a heavy heart making it impossible to read the next one immediately. Some lift up the spirits, some make us chuckle, and some provoke us to act.
Thank you for giving us an excellent product. I loved every tale in this collection.
Thank you for giving us an excellent product. I loved every tale in this collection.
February 23, 2022
this is a lovely collection of 25 stories. each story brings something different and each one leaves you pausing, reflecting , and satisfying
March 22, 2022
I’m torn between giving this book a 3 vs 4 star rating. It’s obviously a great book compiling 25 talented women authors; but except for a few stories the others didn’t resonate with me that much.
March 5, 2021
'Everything Changed After That' has been a jolly ride from the first page right up until the end. Every story had a distinct flavour and mood, and pulled me right into their respective worlds. I personally not only loved reading the short stories but I loved reading it in the way it has been arranged in this book. Usually, I go into 'shuffle' mode when I'm reading an anthology, but going through this playlist as it was lined up turned out to be the most pleasing experience! Hats off to the editor and everyone else involved in bringing this book to life!
It's worth every minute spent on it reading and more. The 25 stories are different but work together perfectly. As the summary best sums it up - 'There's only one thing they have in common - a life-changing twist in the tale.'
It's worth every minute spent on it reading and more. The 25 stories are different but work together perfectly. As the summary best sums it up - 'There's only one thing they have in common - a life-changing twist in the tale.'
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews