![Cover image for Love in Color [electronic resource] : Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold](https://images.yourcloudlibrary.com/delivery/img?type=DOCUMENTIMAGE&documentID=3x4ptz9&token=nobody "Cover image for Love in Color [electronic resource] : Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold")
Summary
Summary
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
"Love stories by and about marginalized women . . . The heroines are strong and sure . . . Babalola's writing shines." -- New York Times Book Review
"Absolutely intoxicating." -- Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White, and Royal Blue and One Last Stop
A vibrant debut collection of love stories from the bestselling author of Honey and Spice, retelling myths, folktales, and histories from around the world.
A high-born Nigerian goddess, who has been beaten down and unappreciated by her gregarious lover, longs to be truly seen. A young businesswoman attempts a great leap in her company, and an even greater one in her love life. A powerful Ghanaian spokeswoman is forced to decide whether she should uphold her family's politics or be true to her heart.
In her debut collection, internationally acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with incredible new detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places.
With an eye towards decolonizing tropes inherent in our favorite tales of love, Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives, continents, and genres. Love in Color is a celebration of romance in all its many splendid forms.
"I am in love with every single word Bolu Babalola has written. So rarely is love expressed this richly, this vividly, or this artfully." --Candice Carty-Williams, international bestselling author of Queenie
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Babalola revives the romance of folktales and myths in her lovely debut collection, drafting figures largely drawn from African legends and romance tropes into 13 Black-centered love stories. "Naleli" follows a teenage girl who struggles to love herself because she suffers from a condition that causes skin discoloration, distancing herself from her childhood crush--until a magical night brings them back together. "Nefertiti" reimagines the Egyptian queen as a vigilante protecting women from patriarchal violence and oppression. In "Thisbe," a woman knows too much about the boy next door's sex life because of the crack in the wall separating their apartments. The title character of "Orin" is on the worst date ever when she meets Deji--also suffering through a terrible date--and their easy banter brings them solace on their almost-ruined nights. Though none of these tales is quite a standout, there aren't any duds, either. The result is effortlessly readable, and the chemistry between characters and the focus on Black female empowerment will surely win over many romance fans. (Apr.)
Booklist Review
British Nigerian writer Babalola combines wit and wisdom in this collection of reimagined, mythical love stories based on beautiful folktales, many of them from West Africa, as well as from Greece, India, and the Middle East. This wondrous celebration tackles the emotional complexities inherent in passion, adding depth and shadows without resorting to cynicism. The edgy pain of loss, the anxiety of connection, and the challenges of alignment that are integral parts of all true relationships are richly explored and the resulting happy endings feel all the more vital for Babalola's having acknowledged those difficult realities. In these improvisations on the tales of the Yorùbá river goddess Osun, Egyptian queen Nefertiti, and the Indian goddess Siya, among others, Babalola presents fairy tales for our times with women's agency and ambition built into the narrative arc. By situating her magical dramas in contemporary offices, dorms, and clubs, the author builds new contexts for Scheherazade, Psyche, and Thisbe. This is a joyous read for those interested in literary reworkings and for those looking to explore the complications of loving relationships from fresh perspectives.
Library Journal Review
Spanning centuries, mythologies, and points of view, the short stories in Babalola's debut collection offer romances full of brimming emotions, and thoughtful perspectives that de-Westernize familiar tropes. Mythology and fairytales from Greece, West Africa, and the Middle East are explored in both magical and realistic settings. A standout is "Siwa," an ideal short romance story full of lush, swooping feelings and enough happily-for-now momentum that listeners will be dreaming of these warriors for many days. Ajjaz Awad, Nneka Okoye, Olukemi Babalola, and the author bring Babalola's poetic prose to life, making for a delightful listen. VERDICT A must have for library audiobook collections.--Elizabeth Gabriel, Milwaukee P.L.
