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Within: Short Stories for the Evolving Multicultural Woman
"Life is all about the moments. A moment occurs when you are awakened from the slumber of every day life by a feeling of significance in a snapshot of time, caused by a profound connection with people or nature, which evokes great emotion, nourishes the soul, and makes one think that this is what life is all about."
--- Craig Stampler
Told from the Indo-American perspective, multi-award winning, best selling author Aditi Wardhan Singh takes a bold step into telling stories that we often tell to each other over coffee or chai to our closest friends. These 30 stories provide you with a unique opportunity for self-reflection at your unconscious biases. our closest friends.
Told from the Desi perspective these 30 stories provide you with a unique reflection at your unconscious biases.
Get the book now to read Indo-American life experiences, woven into sparkles of literary fiction.
--- Craig Stampler
Told from the Indo-American perspective, multi-award winning, best selling author Aditi Wardhan Singh takes a bold step into telling stories that we often tell to each other over coffee or chai to our closest friends. These 30 stories provide you with a unique opportunity for self-reflection at your unconscious biases. our closest friends.
Told from the Desi perspective these 30 stories provide you with a unique reflection at your unconscious biases.
Get the book now to read Indo-American life experiences, woven into sparkles of literary fiction.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2022
33 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Aditi Wardhan Singh
35 books17 followersAditi Wardhan Singh is multi award winning, best selling author of eight children's books, non fiction and fiction books. She went from being a blogger to freelance writer to founding RaisingWorldChildren.com to publishing eight books and helping publish nine books through best selling launches.
Awards won -
* Finalist at Author Academy Awards for Strong Roots Have No Fear
* Story Monsters Winner for How Our Skin Sparkles
* Readers Favorite Five Star Recipient for all Books
* Red Ribbon winner for Raising the Global Mindset
* Teachers Pick on Amazon for How Our Skin Sparkles
* Amazon Bestseller for Sparkles of Joy
Today, she coaches writers to publish and market their own books and teach creative writing to the next generation.
Currently, she is curating essays by writers around the world for her new project - Raising the Social Mindset. Connect with her to learn more.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 1, 2022
Some decent stories in this anthology but the book requires a LOT of editing and will have a very restricted appeal.
This is a collection of 30 stories, the length of these being quite varied right from 2-3 pages to almost of novelette size. Some are quite intelligently written, beginning one way but soon showing you a different direction. But the length works against the story a few times as it is over even before it has begun. This tale then feels like a small abrupt narration than a well-developed and well-structured tale.
The stories are quite sweet and in many cases, they seem to be written with one clear agenda in mind – to spread moralising knowledge (or ‘gyaan’ as we Indians call it) on some topic (the topic depending on the theme of the story.) Most of the stories move in the form of incidents in the characters’ lives, wherein they face a major/minor problem, and either sort it out by themselves or though some other character spouting motivational thoughts. They are basically happy stories and meant to spread joy and awareness in the reader’s mind. All the stories are from the female character’s point of view, though in one case, this isn't immediately apparent.
Each story is titled after some abstract noun or thoughts such as ‘Disgust’, ‘Soulmate’, ‘Bias’, ‘Perfection’, and so on. The titles are apt in most cases. The tales tackle some difficult topics such as body shaming, homosexuality, ethnic bias, and domestic abuse.
Is it a must-read collection then? Sadly no. And a major reason for this is its writing. The entire book, every single one of the 30 stories, is written in a conversational language, with lots of slang (“Why are you getting agro?”) and ‘Hinglish’ usage (“Toh this day is not just yours, na.”) I don’t understand how international readers will comprehend such sentences with such a lot of Hindi and even Marathi peppered in the content with no meanings provided. Adding regional lingo works only when skilfully done; in this case, it unfortunately wasn’t. It doesn’t stop only at word usage. There are many grammatical errors -- tenses, sentence structure, punctuation… - and word usage errors too. In some cases, the character’s age doesn’t match their style of speaking. The lines sound so artificial at times. There are many repetitive dialogues as well, and when there's a series of dialogues, it's tough to follow who said what as there is no clear indication of the speaker’s identity.
Basically, this is a very quick, feel-good kind of read but it will mainly appeal to Indian readers because of the language use and the references to Indian customs without any footnotes provided. Let me clarify, it’s only for those Indian readers who don’t mind wonky grammar.
No story crossed the 4 star mark for me. My ratings ranged from 1 star to 4 stars, and this was after I decided to ignore grammar. If I included the language issues in my ratings, they would have slid much further down.
2.5 stars, based on the average of my ratings for all the stories. Rounding down because grammar is also important.
My thanks to Raising World Children LLC and NetGalley for the DRC of “Within: Short Stories for the Evolving Multicultural Woman”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
This is a collection of 30 stories, the length of these being quite varied right from 2-3 pages to almost of novelette size. Some are quite intelligently written, beginning one way but soon showing you a different direction. But the length works against the story a few times as it is over even before it has begun. This tale then feels like a small abrupt narration than a well-developed and well-structured tale.
The stories are quite sweet and in many cases, they seem to be written with one clear agenda in mind – to spread moralising knowledge (or ‘gyaan’ as we Indians call it) on some topic (the topic depending on the theme of the story.) Most of the stories move in the form of incidents in the characters’ lives, wherein they face a major/minor problem, and either sort it out by themselves or though some other character spouting motivational thoughts. They are basically happy stories and meant to spread joy and awareness in the reader’s mind. All the stories are from the female character’s point of view, though in one case, this isn't immediately apparent.
Each story is titled after some abstract noun or thoughts such as ‘Disgust’, ‘Soulmate’, ‘Bias’, ‘Perfection’, and so on. The titles are apt in most cases. The tales tackle some difficult topics such as body shaming, homosexuality, ethnic bias, and domestic abuse.
Is it a must-read collection then? Sadly no. And a major reason for this is its writing. The entire book, every single one of the 30 stories, is written in a conversational language, with lots of slang (“Why are you getting agro?”) and ‘Hinglish’ usage (“Toh this day is not just yours, na.”) I don’t understand how international readers will comprehend such sentences with such a lot of Hindi and even Marathi peppered in the content with no meanings provided. Adding regional lingo works only when skilfully done; in this case, it unfortunately wasn’t. It doesn’t stop only at word usage. There are many grammatical errors -- tenses, sentence structure, punctuation… - and word usage errors too. In some cases, the character’s age doesn’t match their style of speaking. The lines sound so artificial at times. There are many repetitive dialogues as well, and when there's a series of dialogues, it's tough to follow who said what as there is no clear indication of the speaker’s identity.
Basically, this is a very quick, feel-good kind of read but it will mainly appeal to Indian readers because of the language use and the references to Indian customs without any footnotes provided. Let me clarify, it’s only for those Indian readers who don’t mind wonky grammar.
No story crossed the 4 star mark for me. My ratings ranged from 1 star to 4 stars, and this was after I decided to ignore grammar. If I included the language issues in my ratings, they would have slid much further down.
2.5 stars, based on the average of my ratings for all the stories. Rounding down because grammar is also important.
My thanks to Raising World Children LLC and NetGalley for the DRC of “Within: Short Stories for the Evolving Multicultural Woman”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
April 27, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and Raising World Children LLC for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review.
Within is a must pick-up for all Desi readers. It shines light on so many struggles and snippets from the daily lives of multicultural women.
I initially assumed that this wouldn't be as interesting as a normal novel as I thought it would be similar to an anthology, but boy, I was so wrong. Within, as the author states, is a collection of various short stories. Yes, short as in actually short and not 8-10 pages long. The chapters vary from 2 pages to 6 pages and are so interesting to read through. I was hooked into the lives of all these women from the point I laid my eyes on this gorgeous cover.
I especially loved how the book handles trauma, prejudice and stereotypes while also incorporating the Indian culture into it. It also sets a perfect vibe so you're immediately hooked no matter where you're starting from. It's also perfect for tea-time reading since the chapters are very short but meaningful.
Within shows us an insight of all the things women go through via their routines, be it anything. As a person of South Asian descent, this really filled my heart and I'd definitely read anything that's similar to this. This is an amazing book and I'd like everyone to pick this up and share some love!
Within is a must pick-up for all Desi readers. It shines light on so many struggles and snippets from the daily lives of multicultural women.
I initially assumed that this wouldn't be as interesting as a normal novel as I thought it would be similar to an anthology, but boy, I was so wrong. Within, as the author states, is a collection of various short stories. Yes, short as in actually short and not 8-10 pages long. The chapters vary from 2 pages to 6 pages and are so interesting to read through. I was hooked into the lives of all these women from the point I laid my eyes on this gorgeous cover.
I especially loved how the book handles trauma, prejudice and stereotypes while also incorporating the Indian culture into it. It also sets a perfect vibe so you're immediately hooked no matter where you're starting from. It's also perfect for tea-time reading since the chapters are very short but meaningful.
Within shows us an insight of all the things women go through via their routines, be it anything. As a person of South Asian descent, this really filled my heart and I'd definitely read anything that's similar to this. This is an amazing book and I'd like everyone to pick this up and share some love!
April 25, 2022
#bookreview #rant
Within - Short Stories for the Evolving Multicultural Woman by Aditi Wardhan Singh is a collection of 30 short stories. According to the blurb, these stories are told from a desi perspective. The desi tone is set right from the enchanting cover and the fonts in the titles.
Unfortunately, the desi effect spills over to the writing too. In fact, the vocabulary is as desi, or even more desi than the perspective itself.
What I liked –
The cover–is soothing and appealing.
The story titles–are apt to the stories. Singh has named each story after an emotion, and the stories convey the same.
Almost all the protagonists are women.
What did not work for me -
Out of the 30 stories, 21 stories garnered 2 stars.
Innocence, Magic, Confidence, Perfection, and Compassion–these stories lingered around 2.25 stars.
Only Pride, Frustration, Dignity and Acceptance reached 2.5 stars.
Overall, the stories are lacking in terms of content. Most of them are too short and finish even before the story has sunk in. And the poor writing style adds to the discomfort.
The colloquial narration with an overdose of Hindi sentences, and a literal translation from Hindi to English further dampened my reading pleasure.
Sharing a few examples from different stories –
“Toh this day is not just yours, na.”—I was flustered with so many sentences ending with ‘na.’
“I gotta go. Please email me the recipe. Yeh bol rahe the he wants to have those during the weekend.”
“Baba and I are solid.”—these lines are spoken by a woman whose daughter is about to get married. I couldn’t picture a woman that age speaking in this manner.
There is minimal ‘show don’t tell.’
I couldn’t feel for any of the characters. I know it’s difficult to form deeper bonds with characters in short stories, but here, I couldn’t find it in me to care for any of the characters. Forget caring, I can’t even recollect a single name!
I found it difficult to overlook the glaring editing errors too. The tenses jump like a toad in a thunderstorm. But that's not all! Apart from the jump in tenses, there are a lot of structuring issues. E.g., in Kindness, the daughter is 8-years-old when the story starts. Hardly 15 sentences later, she is mentioned as 6-years-old.
Apologies if this review feels like a rant, but trust me I am not ranting. I am being honest and upfront in sharing my experience. No book is loved by all readers, and I am sure, this book will find its fair share of love and appreciation.
Within, did not work for me.
Rating - 2.1/5
BLOG
Within - Short Stories for the Evolving Multicultural Woman by Aditi Wardhan Singh is a collection of 30 short stories. According to the blurb, these stories are told from a desi perspective. The desi tone is set right from the enchanting cover and the fonts in the titles.
Unfortunately, the desi effect spills over to the writing too. In fact, the vocabulary is as desi, or even more desi than the perspective itself.
What I liked –
The cover–is soothing and appealing.
The story titles–are apt to the stories. Singh has named each story after an emotion, and the stories convey the same.
Almost all the protagonists are women.
What did not work for me -
Out of the 30 stories, 21 stories garnered 2 stars.
Innocence, Magic, Confidence, Perfection, and Compassion–these stories lingered around 2.25 stars.
Only Pride, Frustration, Dignity and Acceptance reached 2.5 stars.
Overall, the stories are lacking in terms of content. Most of them are too short and finish even before the story has sunk in. And the poor writing style adds to the discomfort.
The colloquial narration with an overdose of Hindi sentences, and a literal translation from Hindi to English further dampened my reading pleasure.
Sharing a few examples from different stories –
“Toh this day is not just yours, na.”—I was flustered with so many sentences ending with ‘na.’
“I gotta go. Please email me the recipe. Yeh bol rahe the he wants to have those during the weekend.”
“Baba and I are solid.”—these lines are spoken by a woman whose daughter is about to get married. I couldn’t picture a woman that age speaking in this manner.
There is minimal ‘show don’t tell.’
I couldn’t feel for any of the characters. I know it’s difficult to form deeper bonds with characters in short stories, but here, I couldn’t find it in me to care for any of the characters. Forget caring, I can’t even recollect a single name!
I found it difficult to overlook the glaring editing errors too. The tenses jump like a toad in a thunderstorm. But that's not all! Apart from the jump in tenses, there are a lot of structuring issues. E.g., in Kindness, the daughter is 8-years-old when the story starts. Hardly 15 sentences later, she is mentioned as 6-years-old.
Apologies if this review feels like a rant, but trust me I am not ranting. I am being honest and upfront in sharing my experience. No book is loved by all readers, and I am sure, this book will find its fair share of love and appreciation.
Within, did not work for me.
Rating - 2.1/5
BLOG
May 11, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley, Aditi Wardhan Singh and the publisher for proving me with an ARC in exchange for an homemade review.
A beautiful collection of short stories. However some of them are too short to make an impact and I think a lot of editing is needed. Apart from that though they’re perfect for quick uplifting and thought provoking reads.
A beautiful collection of short stories. However some of them are too short to make an impact and I think a lot of editing is needed. Apart from that though they’re perfect for quick uplifting and thought provoking reads.
April 25, 2022
Within - the collection of stories felt like one big heartfelt hug!! Each story deal with a certain situation that we all might have come across at some point in our lives. Aditi turned those stories to say a loveable message. Its more special to me as I could relate to many of these stories as an Indo-American myself. Binged them in a day, no regrets, only hearts!!
Many thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the reader’s copy.
Many thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the reader’s copy.
April 27, 2022
A collection of relatable short stories
This is a collection of short stories which are relatable incidents in every day life. A few stories are very small and actually like conversations. A few are informative and provide moral in a subtle way. I loved the writing style and narrative which is like having a conversation with a friend.
I loved most of the stories as they are relatable to our day to day lives. I felt that a few stories are too short to register in my mind. For a few stories, I felt the title is not apt. The title of the book is justifiable as all stories seem to have come from within the author's heart based on her experiences. All stories touch different human emotions and a few also talk about sensitive topics/ taboos.
Here are some of my favorite stories:
Grievances
Such a cute and short love story. A simple story, yet every couple can relate to. I loved it.
Worth
It's a nice story which tells in a subtle way how society sees a house wife.
Acceptance
Though it's sad to read, I loved the way the emotions touch the reader. Love is like a beautiful rainbow in the rain.
Kindness
I loved this story for the message. It might come as a surprise when our kids teach us something important.
Rebirth
Many women can relate to it. While marriage comes with lots of problems, women are conditioned to ignore, and forgive their partners even when they physically abuse them. This story shows that circumstances can trigger a change.
Magic
A wonderful way of teaching kids about Christmas. I really like this story as bed time read to my kids.
Soul mate
The story is practical and good. I loved the talk between the mother and her daughter about marriage, and dating .
Loved these lines :
You have to be your own soulmate first. Job, husband, kids. All this doesn’t matter if you are not happy with yourself. If you are happy with yourself, then everything can become good. Don’t look for happiness in another person.
Perfection
A small story but enjoyed reading it. Nothing is ever perfect really.
Disgust
This story is a sad reality. Well written about the sensitive topic.
Compassion
This is not actually a story but a conversation between parents of a child. Many households can relate to this type of conversation comparing one child's capabilities with others.
Belief
I loved the story because of the way the mother talks about periods, traditions and the relevance of them in today's world. If I had to rate stories in this book, this would be my favorite.
Respect
This is a simple story about self respect and very well written.
My Rating : 4/5
This is a collection of short stories which are relatable incidents in every day life. A few stories are very small and actually like conversations. A few are informative and provide moral in a subtle way. I loved the writing style and narrative which is like having a conversation with a friend.
I loved most of the stories as they are relatable to our day to day lives. I felt that a few stories are too short to register in my mind. For a few stories, I felt the title is not apt. The title of the book is justifiable as all stories seem to have come from within the author's heart based on her experiences. All stories touch different human emotions and a few also talk about sensitive topics/ taboos.
Here are some of my favorite stories:
Grievances
Such a cute and short love story. A simple story, yet every couple can relate to. I loved it.
Worth
It's a nice story which tells in a subtle way how society sees a house wife.
Acceptance
Though it's sad to read, I loved the way the emotions touch the reader. Love is like a beautiful rainbow in the rain.
Kindness
I loved this story for the message. It might come as a surprise when our kids teach us something important.
Rebirth
Many women can relate to it. While marriage comes with lots of problems, women are conditioned to ignore, and forgive their partners even when they physically abuse them. This story shows that circumstances can trigger a change.
Magic
A wonderful way of teaching kids about Christmas. I really like this story as bed time read to my kids.
Soul mate
The story is practical and good. I loved the talk between the mother and her daughter about marriage, and dating .
Loved these lines :
You have to be your own soulmate first. Job, husband, kids. All this doesn’t matter if you are not happy with yourself. If you are happy with yourself, then everything can become good. Don’t look for happiness in another person.
Perfection
A small story but enjoyed reading it. Nothing is ever perfect really.
Disgust
This story is a sad reality. Well written about the sensitive topic.
Compassion
This is not actually a story but a conversation between parents of a child. Many households can relate to this type of conversation comparing one child's capabilities with others.
Belief
I loved the story because of the way the mother talks about periods, traditions and the relevance of them in today's world. If I had to rate stories in this book, this would be my favorite.
Respect
This is a simple story about self respect and very well written.
My Rating : 4/5
April 23, 2022
Whenever people ask me about why I enjoy reading, I always say I get to explore new places, new times, new lives, however, this book was different because it felt like coming home. I don't often read short stories, something about them leaves me unsatisfied more often than not, but I think short stories were exactly the right medium for this kind of book. I don't read many books featuring Desi people because so often, they are written by people of other cultures who do it wrong, but everything about these stories was familiar and comforting, from the casual mix of Hindi and English, to the classically Desi approach to topics like love, marriage, money, family, vocation, and so much more. As someone who emigrated from India as a child, this book was so relatable and made me think back to my own childhood. For other stories, it was like opening a window to see potential futures. While people of other cultures can definitely read and enjoy these stories to appreciate Indian culture, as a Desi woman, reading these stories felt like being seen and understood for the first time in such a long time. Which brings me to the second part of my review, the focus on female voices and female stories. I cannot say how much I enjoyed reading about women and their lives and their ideas because so often, female voices are silenced, and Desi female voices even more so. I especially loved the queer voices that were included in the stories, because in Indian culture, so often, they just aren't talked about or acknowledged. In this book, they were given their own place to tell their stories, and what beautiful stories they were - authentic, heart-wrenching, and yet stories that needed to be told.
Whether you're looking for casual stories to entertain you for a short while, or looking for a book to find yourself within or just exploring a culture that may not be your own, these stories have something for everyone. "Within" has the subtitle of 'Short Stories for the Evolving Multicultural Woman' and I truly think it lives up to its name.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Whether you're looking for casual stories to entertain you for a short while, or looking for a book to find yourself within or just exploring a culture that may not be your own, these stories have something for everyone. "Within" has the subtitle of 'Short Stories for the Evolving Multicultural Woman' and I truly think it lives up to its name.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 24, 2022
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Within is an amalgamation of short stories that sheds light on the various experiences of Desi women. I appreciated Wardhan Singh's approach on enveloping the stories with the culture and traditions of India. Many of the stories give you a chance to stop and reflect, with a moral that encourages the reader to consider their own journey. The cover is simple yet gorgeous and the content within will truly take you through a myriad of emotions that will stay with you long after you close the final page. A true celebration of a women!
Within is an amalgamation of short stories that sheds light on the various experiences of Desi women. I appreciated Wardhan Singh's approach on enveloping the stories with the culture and traditions of India. Many of the stories give you a chance to stop and reflect, with a moral that encourages the reader to consider their own journey. The cover is simple yet gorgeous and the content within will truly take you through a myriad of emotions that will stay with you long after you close the final page. A true celebration of a women!
Read
November 12, 2022This book had a lot of good stories. They were just things that happened with people, conversations we are a part of, memories, things that we would remember. It is a beautiful kaleidoscope of people, different situations that we fall in, tensions in life, the things that we value and definitely our biases as well.
There are many characters! Some are new lovers, some are separated and married, sometimes it’s a conversation between two mothers and a daughter, simple everyday stories like passing on recipes from one generation to another. Things that happen in the house. It made me recognize that just general everyday moments are still very true.
We are connected on such a deep level that our experiences are so similar that in another person and their story, a short story, can bring so much emotion and be teleported there, experiencing their life. Within was very well done and clearly shows the love for others and also how sometimes we have to stand up for ourselves and make hard decisions. We have to set up boundaries, and if someone does not respect us, we owe them nothing.
Indian cultures and upbringing are integral to these stories and I loved reading their words and mannerisms – they took me home. Just like the synopsis says, these are stories I would share with a best friend or family over chai or coffee.
Some stories that I will never forget: the one about the mother and son having dinner and the father interrupting the meal, the one where two exs find each other in an elevator, and the one about a young girl going to kanjak. This last one reminded me of my own life in India eating puri, halwa and chole – those days visiting people’s houses and being pampered with my favorite food and some money were good days every year until I couldn’t do them anymore. I loved that food and hope to be able to get my kids to experience them. I need to get over the paralysis I feel – it is worth making.
I love these stories because they reminded me how, at the end of the day, we are fighting everyday to be who we are.
Within: Short Stories for the Evolving Multicultural Woman was good company.
Many thanks to the author for providing me a review copy of this book via NetGalley and the opportunity to host her here! Check out my blog, Armed with A Book, to read the interview with the author.
Review & Author interview on Armed with A Book | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
There are many characters! Some are new lovers, some are separated and married, sometimes it’s a conversation between two mothers and a daughter, simple everyday stories like passing on recipes from one generation to another. Things that happen in the house. It made me recognize that just general everyday moments are still very true.
We are connected on such a deep level that our experiences are so similar that in another person and their story, a short story, can bring so much emotion and be teleported there, experiencing their life. Within was very well done and clearly shows the love for others and also how sometimes we have to stand up for ourselves and make hard decisions. We have to set up boundaries, and if someone does not respect us, we owe them nothing.
Indian cultures and upbringing are integral to these stories and I loved reading their words and mannerisms – they took me home. Just like the synopsis says, these are stories I would share with a best friend or family over chai or coffee.
Some stories that I will never forget: the one about the mother and son having dinner and the father interrupting the meal, the one where two exs find each other in an elevator, and the one about a young girl going to kanjak. This last one reminded me of my own life in India eating puri, halwa and chole – those days visiting people’s houses and being pampered with my favorite food and some money were good days every year until I couldn’t do them anymore. I loved that food and hope to be able to get my kids to experience them. I need to get over the paralysis I feel – it is worth making.
I love these stories because they reminded me how, at the end of the day, we are fighting everyday to be who we are.
Within: Short Stories for the Evolving Multicultural Woman was good company.
Many thanks to the author for providing me a review copy of this book via NetGalley and the opportunity to host her here! Check out my blog, Armed with A Book, to read the interview with the author.
Review & Author interview on Armed with A Book | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
April 29, 2022
I think that in the end, this collection of short stories just was not for me. I don't mean culturally, although that may be an element; my visceral understanding of the stories is limited since I'm not a member of the South Asian diaspora community. However, I really enjoy reading books written by and about people of a variety of cultural backgrounds, so that wasn't a turnoff for me at all.
My issue was that every story I read broke a cardinal rule of writing: show, don't tell. Every story felt like it was just the author telling me about a snippet of someone's life rather than showing me a window into it. The message behind every story was clear, because after the dialogue, the author just said it. The combination of the telling rather than showing with the fact that many of the stories didn't feel like "stories" at all (in that they didn't have a plot or a story arc) were ultimately off-putting for me.
I understand that the intent was a slice of life, so I could have dealt with the lack of story arc if I had been shown rather than told. I could have potentially dealt with being told rather than shown the author's intent if there was an intriguing story. But the combination of the two just made this book an underwhelming experience for me. I certainly think it could be enjoyable for some people, but in terms of what I want from my reading material and what this book was providing, it was a mismatch. In the end, it just wasn't for me.
My issue was that every story I read broke a cardinal rule of writing: show, don't tell. Every story felt like it was just the author telling me about a snippet of someone's life rather than showing me a window into it. The message behind every story was clear, because after the dialogue, the author just said it. The combination of the telling rather than showing with the fact that many of the stories didn't feel like "stories" at all (in that they didn't have a plot or a story arc) were ultimately off-putting for me.
I understand that the intent was a slice of life, so I could have dealt with the lack of story arc if I had been shown rather than told. I could have potentially dealt with being told rather than shown the author's intent if there was an intriguing story. But the combination of the two just made this book an underwhelming experience for me. I certainly think it could be enjoyable for some people, but in terms of what I want from my reading material and what this book was providing, it was a mismatch. In the end, it just wasn't for me.
April 26, 2022
I'll be honest. I requested this book from NetGalley on a whim. I normally am not a fan of short stories or poetry but the description really piqued my interest. I am very glad that I gave in to the impulse because I really enjoyed this book. I have always been interested in learning about other cultures and this book was informational without being an information dump.
One of the things I like most was that the stories were of different lengths. Some were a quick read while others you had time with. I also liked that the stories were a bit random. That all the sadder stories weren't lumped together. There were some stories that I liked for than others. Confidence and Acceptance were my absolute favorites. Honestly, though with Acceptance, I wish is was a full book instead of a snippet because it was really beautiful.
Many of these stories felt so real. Even though there is no way I could fully understand certain experiences, the author wrote in a way where I still felt for these characters despite my brief time with them. There are times when I wanted to cry and some when I laughed.
Honestly, I apologize for my review being so short but I really feel that these stories need to be experienced. It's definitely worth the read and the buy. You will not regret it.
One of the things I like most was that the stories were of different lengths. Some were a quick read while others you had time with. I also liked that the stories were a bit random. That all the sadder stories weren't lumped together. There were some stories that I liked for than others. Confidence and Acceptance were my absolute favorites. Honestly, though with Acceptance, I wish is was a full book instead of a snippet because it was really beautiful.
Many of these stories felt so real. Even though there is no way I could fully understand certain experiences, the author wrote in a way where I still felt for these characters despite my brief time with them. There are times when I wanted to cry and some when I laughed.
Honestly, I apologize for my review being so short but I really feel that these stories need to be experienced. It's definitely worth the read and the buy. You will not regret it.
June 28, 2022
The author is from Kuwait but of Indian parents who feels "nowhere" or "everywhere" and felt the difficulty of finding a job, so she spent hours at Barnes and Noble writing. That's where the idea for this work came from: to demonstrate the challenges of multicultural families.
This book is a set of shortstories, varying in size but very well constructed and all with very important messages that make you think. However, it needs a more careful editing and I missed some notes with the translations of some of the sentences that were not in English. As I love India, some words were easy for me to understand but when it was a whole sentence it became impossible to understand.
However, I give it 3 ⭐ and thank Netgalley immensely for the opportunity to get to know this author's wonderful writing.
This book is a set of shortstories, varying in size but very well constructed and all with very important messages that make you think. However, it needs a more careful editing and I missed some notes with the translations of some of the sentences that were not in English. As I love India, some words were easy for me to understand but when it was a whole sentence it became impossible to understand.
However, I give it 3 ⭐ and thank Netgalley immensely for the opportunity to get to know this author's wonderful writing.
February 9, 2022
💕 Prepare for a journey, through stories… a woman's perspective to the real culture of India! 💕
🍂 This is a beautiful collection of stories which really opened my eyes to how much we don't know about the traditional culture and people from India. Prepare to be taken on a beautiful journey! I feel like I have been honoured with a glimpse into and an encounter with the real culture and people of India.
🍂 Depicted here are many fabulous stories showing a glimpse into real culture and stories not just a westernized encounter with India.
🍂 It is amazing, intriguing and beautiful. And the cover is just... I am in awe! It is beautiful! It truly depicts the stories in its various stages.
🍂 What are you waiting for? You will love it!
💕 Happy Reading!! 💕
🍂 This is a beautiful collection of stories which really opened my eyes to how much we don't know about the traditional culture and people from India. Prepare to be taken on a beautiful journey! I feel like I have been honoured with a glimpse into and an encounter with the real culture and people of India.
🍂 Depicted here are many fabulous stories showing a glimpse into real culture and stories not just a westernized encounter with India.
🍂 It is amazing, intriguing and beautiful. And the cover is just... I am in awe! It is beautiful! It truly depicts the stories in its various stages.
🍂 What are you waiting for? You will love it!
💕 Happy Reading!! 💕
April 30, 2022
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Raising World Children LLC
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This book's synopsis and cover drew me in on NetGalley initially. Though I am not a person of Desi culture, I think these stories shared messages that are universal to many's experiences. I felt like I was given really beautiful insight into the experiences of Desi women through these stories and I really appreciate this window into other perspectives and cultures.
I am normally not a person who reads short stories because I often am left feeling like the story's would have benefited from being fleshed out further and I struggle with engaging with them. This was very much the case with many of these stories, though I did enjoy them overall and appreciate the messages being shared.
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This book's synopsis and cover drew me in on NetGalley initially. Though I am not a person of Desi culture, I think these stories shared messages that are universal to many's experiences. I felt like I was given really beautiful insight into the experiences of Desi women through these stories and I really appreciate this window into other perspectives and cultures.
I am normally not a person who reads short stories because I often am left feeling like the story's would have benefited from being fleshed out further and I struggle with engaging with them. This was very much the case with many of these stories, though I did enjoy them overall and appreciate the messages being shared.
July 29, 2022
Great collection exploring the evolving culture South Asian women
I thoroughly enjoyed the short stories in this collection. Exploring themes of love, relationships, cultural biases and twists. The characters are believable and the diversity of themes made each story intriguing. I also loved the way it challenged some cultural norms.
I will come back to this one again as I need to digest each story to explore some deeper themes. Highly recommend.
I thoroughly enjoyed the short stories in this collection. Exploring themes of love, relationships, cultural biases and twists. The characters are believable and the diversity of themes made each story intriguing. I also loved the way it challenged some cultural norms.
I will come back to this one again as I need to digest each story to explore some deeper themes. Highly recommend.
June 7, 2022
I purposely look for work from POC authors and South Asian authors so this was right up my alley. They mix of stories and subject matters was interesting and ultimately great to delve into. Some of the stories had slight twists to them but others were more straightforward character pieces.
Really enjoyed this book
Really enjoyed this book
February 3, 2022
4 stars!
A good collection of short stories. Some of them much better than the others. The editing and grammatical errors though were a little messed up!
#aditiwardhansingh
Now…more I think about this book, more I like it!
A good collection of short stories. Some of them much better than the others. The editing and grammatical errors though were a little messed up!
#aditiwardhansingh
Now…more I think about this book, more I like it!
May 10, 2022
The stories Within are simple and compellingly brief reads which make me feel like I'm having coffee with my mom or sister or best friend. They are soothing and comforting reads touching on a vast array of experiences of Womanhood.
June 22, 2022
Unfortunately this book was not one I enjoyed. While browsing the premise really caught my eye however the story was poorly written during some stories and really wasn't something that caught my attention
February 1, 2022
I enjoyed the stories, but found some of the writing awkward and it could use the help of the editors.
November 16, 2022
This was a treat to read!
So many short but indulging stories, full of emotions and lessons. I really loved the writing style that was concise but insightful.
So many short but indulging stories, full of emotions and lessons. I really loved the writing style that was concise but insightful.
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