Kaleidoscope of Love | Priyanka Bhuyan | Book Review

Kaleidoscope of Love

THEME: 3.5/5
STORIES: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5

My Musings

Before we get to this review, let me make a quick confession – I haven’t read romance in a while. And when I say a while, I mean like months.

Yes, that’s true. Romance as a genre has been eluding me for months or in simple plain words, I haven’t been picking up romances lately.

There is no rational reason behind this deliberate attempt at avoiding romances. Maybe it’s just a phase and it will be over sooner than later.

Gladly, a catalyst was provided by the way of this expressive short story collection titled Kaleidoscope of Love which, just like its title, is a book that is a kaleidoscope of love.

Read on to know more about my thoughts on this book.

What to expect?

Kaleidoscope of Love is a collection of 10 short stories all based on the theme of love. The book is a rather short read and with just 90 pages, it is easily doable in under 2 hours.

Expect a book that delves deeper into the hearts of its many characters in order to find the true essence of love.

Expect a book that talks about the many shades of love – from jealousy to possessiveness, from passion to intense hatred, from loyalty to betrayal, from a mother’s love to a lover’s love.

Also, expect an easy read which will mostly appeal to beginner level readers only.

Who can read?

Since the book makes use of a language that is easy to understand, it can be picked up beginner level readers.

Regular readers or voracious readers will do better to stay away from it because of the amateurish writing and editing that leaves much to be desired.

The stories and the writing style

The stories are well conceptualized in the sense that the plot makes good sense in most cases. It is, however, the execution that does not match up to the expectations of the reader.

The writing is shabby and naïve. Sometimes, a plot is executed too slowly while at other times it is too hastily done.

Further, there was this nagging feeling of something being amiss throughout the course of the book.

Some of the stories have scenes which feel too antiquated and out of touch with reality. Even the romance part in some stories is unconvincing and phlegmatic.

My personal favourites

I have two favourites from the collection that I would like to write about. Harikanta is the story of a father who loses his beloved daughter and, in the process, loses himself.

It is a story that is innocent and deeply moving. The love of a father for his daughter is expressively captured. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best stories in the collection.

The Betrayal is a story that talks about a love that is so selfless and all embracing that it is even ready to sacrifice itself for the sake of the beloved. I simply love how altruistic is the love portrayed in this story.

What I liked?

The most striking feature of this book is that all the stories are based in Assam and have characters that are Assamese.

We get a glimpse into the beautiful culture of Assam through these characters and their quirks.

The author also makes use of a lot of Assamese words and explains their meaning.

What I did not like?

The worst thing about the book was definitely its editing. There are innumerous editing mistakes – both major and minor that are just too hard to ignore.

It all boils down to the entertainment quotient

Kaleidoscope of Love is a book that has way too many issues with its writing and editing for me to ignore. No matter how good a book might be, if it is not edited properly half the reading pleasure is gone anyway.

So mostly because of this reason, the book turned out to be a rather dull and disappointing read for me.

Pick up the book

  • If you don’t mind books with editing mistakes.
  • If you are a beginner level reader who is looking for an easy-to-read romance short story collection.

Skip the book

  • If you are looking for something more serious and mature.
  • If you don’t like poorly edited books and amateurish writing.

Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Kaleidoscope of Love using the link below.

Amazon

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