The Love for Colors (Shades of Life 2) : A Review

BOOK TITLE: The Love For Colors (Shades of Life)

AUTHOR: Multiple authors

ISBN/ASIN: 978-9385783364

GENRE: Fiction / Anthology

NUMBER OF PAGES: 192

FORMAT: Paperback

SERIES / STANDALONE: Shades of Life (Part 2) / Not part of a series

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: This book is a treasured gift from Vinay Leo R, the author of two pieces from this anthology. 

SUMMARY:

Life, a supernova of emotions, a multi-coloured extravaganza and a celebration of colours that carve a way for us to be "expressive". These colours often vary from situation to situation. They may be vibrant, bright and attractive, or even bland and gloomy. Nevertheless, they invoke the soul from within and portray the various dimensions of life. Come and explore the various shades of life - from the lighter tones of friendship and love to the murkier hues of revenge and murder - of human beings, of how their personalities and their situations mould them into their real selves - in this anthology of prose and verse, from authors across the world, The Love For Colors.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

I had already read the first set of stories (Shades of Life) and have reviewed it recently. So I had a little idea of what to expect in this anthology. The stories were selected from a nationwide competition. The theme was, like the last time, based on colors. Shades of Life 2 (The Love for Colors) looked promising.

When the book gift arrived from my good friend (one of the contributing authors), I was so excited to begin reading the book. I wanted the new book to match the charm of the earlier one and retain the element of variety. The highlight of Shades of Life had been the rich variety in the stories and poems and I was sure this new book would not disappoint in that regard.

REVIEW:

Anthologies are always tricky pieces of work, to collate, edit and to review. Novels are easier to write and edit because the thought flow is singular and it is easy to get into the groove of the story once it holds the interest of the reader. It is much harder for anthologies, especially those that follow a particular theme. In addition to enthralling the readers within a few words or sentences, the stories must also convey a message, follow the theme and have a purpose without giving unnecessary details or omitting essential information. This is one of the reasons why I have good respect for any anthology that is reasonably well turned out. Behind the screens, I see the work of multiple authors, often having widely different styles but still managing to hold a common element of similarity to be a part of a common work and of editors who had to carefully pick and collate many individual stories based on various criteria. And in this way, 'Shades of Life 2, The Love for Colors' impressed me.

The first thing I will mention about the book is the considerably reduced length when compared to the previous book. This was a very positive point in my opinion because it made it easier for me to focus on the individual stories and poems, each of which seemed carefully chosen. By effectively eliminating the one major complaint I had with the previous book, The Love for Colors had automatically earned an extra point from me. I read this book in two short stretches. It held my interest thoroughly. The stories were quick, meaningful and clear cut. The one major positive factor is the organisation of the book. The poems and the short stories were organised as per shades of colors and this made it easier to relate to the stories.

Only some pieces of work really stood out, though. Language was, yet again, a major hindrance. There were noticeable typos and certain grammatical errors that could not be looked past. Some stories also lacked the emphasis and did not have a lasting impression in my mind as a reader. The stories could have really done better with tighter editing. Each of the stories and poems have an appeal (read with or without the theme in mind) and the content is good. I personally loved the stories and poems under the White and Pink collections. Overall, the anthology is an interesting collection and a must have for lovers of variety.

WHAT I LIKED:

• The book was considerably shorter than the previous installment and it made it easier to focus on the individual stories
• There were some memorable quotes and lines I will treasure
• The book was neatly divided into colors and most stories followed the theme.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

• The book still contained a lot of mistakes. Could have done better with tighter editing.
• Some stories were not strictly adhering to the theme. The theme seemed forced into some of them.
• The cover was not very impressive. Unlike the previous edition, this focused only on two major shades.

VERDICT:

A different anthology - lovers of poetry and short stories will want for their collection.

RATING: 3.75/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Multiple authors, information can be had from Goodreads.

EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Kindle, Paperback

PRICE Rs. 149 for Kindle (Free on Kindle Unlimited), Rs. 199 for Paperback

BOOK LINKS: Amazon