Mrs Pinto Drives to Happiness

by Reshma Ruia

A lonely woman develops an unhealthy obsession with a celebrity writer. A young man attends the funeral of his gay lover. A feisty woman escapes a life of domestic drudgery. Reshma Ruia’s stories feature characters who confront ageing, love and loss with anger, passion and quiet defiance. They are in search of new beginnings and old certainties; everyday people whose lives oscillate between worlds – geographical, cultural, and emotional – in a constant flux, shaped and reshaped by an imperative to anchor to a map or a feeling.

182 pages, Paperback

Published October 12, 2021

Reviews

[Emma Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely brilliant collection of engaging, enticing and captivating reads. Each story unique in its own storytelling with different points of view, places, and relationships. Not afraid to get deep and dark- hard to achieve in a short story but absolutely worked. Vivid imagery and delightful prose.
Short storytelling at its very best.

[rina dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs Pinto Drives To Happiness is a wonderful collection of short stories depicting normal people as they navigate life, love, ageing, loss and everything in between. A young gay man attends his lover's funeral. A Lebanese refugee hides from the authorities in a woman's shed. All of the stories have a deeper meaning and really examine some of the most important emotions human beings experience.

A small disclaimer, I'm not normally the biggest fan of short story collections as I find they always want me leaving more but this is definitely not the case With Mrs Pinto Drives To Happiness. I originally rated this book with four stars, but I'm still thinking about the characters of these stories days after I finished which means this is definitely worth a 5 star review.
Each story is so captivating and compelling and just the right length to give the reader a real sense of emotion. The characters are so well developed and varied, yet I went on a journey with them all. There's depth to these stories that I don't often find in other collections which in itself is a great achievement. Reshma certainly knows how to capture emotion from that rawness of grief to that quiet determination of a woman desperate to escape the drudgery of her life.
I highly recommend this book and can think of several people who would appreciate it. I will absolutely read more of this authors work as this was an absolute pleasure to review.

[Tracy Fells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read and enjoyed Reshma Ruia’s poetry collection, along with her short stories in several anthologies so I settled down to her short story collection “Mrs Pinto Drives To Happiness” with high expectations. I wasn’t disappointed. This is a terrific collection of stories, dropping the reader into to the lives of characters and settings from all over the world. Each story hooked me quickly as I became immersed in the central character’s challenges. Many featured points of change, or a pivotal moment in a character’s life, and often the endings were unexpected, sometimes shocking in their darkness. Ruia writes bravely about the reality of how people are not always what you think or expect, she is not afraid to take a sudden turning and explore the shadowy corners of humanity’s desires and obsessions. Gripping storytelling here and a collection I will return to.

[Sarah Tinsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I interviewed the author and wrote a blog which you can read here: https://www.sarahtinsley.com/post/sto...

This book took me from India to the USA, completely submerged in one character's life. I've also seen a murkier side of more familiar places – the fragmented 'Western dream' as seen through the eyes of immigrants, refugees and people at the edges of our society.

The characters were sharp and vivid, in a way I don't always find with short stories. I found myself thinking about many of the characters long after I'd turned the page, something that doesn't usually happen unless I read a whole book about them.

[Helen Beesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow. I don't know what I expected from a collection of short stories but this exceeded anything I could have. Such excellent well round characters that you care about within a page. Some wonderful narratives and it takes you all over the world from the grey sea of Blackpool to the dusty Streets of Ranwanda and more. It was truly wonderful and I can't wait to read more of Reshma's work.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful collection of short stories about flawed characters, many on the margins of society. Reshma's done an excellent job of combining love, hope and tragedy in these stories. Travelling around the world with food at the heart too, definitely recommend ❤

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of short stories.

[Maria Govyazina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book of heart warming short stories. Well written and thought provoking.