Review of Three loves and other stories

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T T 2
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Latest Review: Three loves and other stories by Lata Gullapalli

Review of Three loves and other stories

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[Following is a volunteer review of "Three loves and other stories" by Lata Gullapalli.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Lata Gullapalli's Three Loves and Other Stories is a collection of short stories about the underlying nature of spirituality. These collections include characters dealing with interpersonal issues and making difficult decisions. The book looks extensively and sensitively into the immense restraints put on Indian women in terms of marriage and family life, and it does so with exceptional care and depth.

The main narrative "Three Loves" depicts the journey of Sia, a young Indian lady who is fed up with her family's stance on feminist concerns and intends to leave. She began her new life after starting a new career and finding love, only for it to take an awful turn. With her relationship life on the rocks, she learns important lessons about mental and physical fitness, intimate partner expectations, and the repercussions of sustaining good religious energy and healthy separation. Other short stories with spiritual learnings are based on similar topics, such as a couple attempting to sort out long-distance relationships, a lady struggling with workplace discrimination, a woman's journey in helping her friend's soul discover peace and liberation, and many more.

The book delves deeply and sympathetically into the enormous demands placed on Indian women about marriage and family life, conveying them with care and complexity. The wording brilliantly portrayed the underlying heartfelt messages. What makes the collection so poignant is that this problem is not limited to any one culture, making these stories culturally particular and universal, an extraordinary accomplishment of storytelling. As an Indian woman living and working in India, I could identify with the portrayal of a working female and societal expectations around marriage and family. The brief Hindi phrases between the stories were creative and fit nicely with the tales. The language was easy to grasp, and the format was simple to follow. The book has no grammatical problems and is well-edited.

The book has no flaws, but the sudden endings of the stories and the irregular flow of the events made it difficult to read at times. Only a fitting conclusion to the stories would have contributed to the narrative's beauty. But I did love the spiritual element of the book and learned a lot about spiritual practice and its impact on our mind, body, and soul.

Having said that, I'll give this book 3 out of 4 stars. I'm amazed by the author's storytelling and how she binds the topic together through several stories. I will recommend this book to anybody interested in spirituality and looking for answers in their personal life. Readers who are not interested in spiritual teaching should avoid it.

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Three loves and other stories
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