Home Book Reviews Book Review: Hindu Love Stories by Aditi Banerjee

Book Review: Hindu Love Stories by Aditi Banerjee

Swapna Peri

422

Book Title: Hindu Love Stories: Dharmically Ever After

Author: Aditi Banerjee

Format: Paperback

Published By: Book Street Publications

ISBN & Edition: 9391317731 & 1st

Genre: Mythological Fiction

No.of pages: 264

Rating: 3/5

About the Book

This book takes more than 25 stories from the Itithaasa and Puranas, the epic literature of ancient India, and stories from history that exemplify the many different aspects and dimensions of love. These stories were transmitted over thousands of years until they became part of the memory of a people. These stories teach us how to find love, rise through love, and become better through love.

Here you will find – Stories of the Apsaras, the female spirits of the waters and the clouds, exquisite dancers as elegant as beautiful, and man more.

About the Author

Aditi Banerjee’s first novel, The Curse of Gandhari, a successful bestseller, was published by Bloomsbury India in September 2019. Her second novel on Shiva and Sati has been slated for publication in 2022, also by Bloomsbury India. She is a prolific writer and speaker about Hinduism and the Hindu-American experience. She co-edited the book, Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America in collaboration with Rajiv Malhotra and has authored several essays in publications such as The Columbia Documentary History of Religion in America since 1945 and Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America: A Short History (Religion in American Life) (Oxford University Press).

Her articles have also been published in Outlook India and many other publications. In her free time, she enjoys wandering the Himalayas, cooking with the latest kitchen gadgets, hunting for that perfect cup of coffee, and reading about history and the world.

What to Expect

Expect a book that explains varied aspects and dimensions of love.

Expect a book that has a good mix of Vedas and Puranas.

Expect a book that describes the epic literature of ancient India with a pinch of love as the central theme.

Who Can Read

The book, Hindu Love Stories is meant for all those readers who like Mythological stories with good entertainment and realistic treatment.

My Thoughts

This is my second book by author Aditi Banerjee. Looking at her interest in Hindu mythology and the deep research she does in bringing out unknown stories, her books are for sure good ones to read. In the book The curse of Gandhari, the conversation(s) between Krishna and Gandhari after the Kurukshetra war is very interesting.

I initially hesitated to read the book, thinking that they were love stories and what would be new, thinking I knew all the famous love stories in Hindu mythology. But few stories that seemed new are pretty fascinating. Overall, it was a nice read! I recommend this book. It will appeal to all the readers.

How is the Narration

Though the book is based on Vedas and Puranas, each story tells the readers about different meanings of love and compassion. In some stories, it is devotion; somewhere, it is friendship. And somewhere, it is unconditional and sacrifice.

About the Characters

Each story has characters, and every character is written with great scope. The contents are categorized into ten parts. Each part has 2 or 3 stories, and each story has two main characters. I liked Usha and Aniruddha ( Fire ) and The story of the crow ( Separation ) the most. The characters emote nicely and share the related emotion ideally.

Writing Style

To be precise, picking up stories from mighty scriptures like Vedas and Puranas that are considered sacred and penning stories out of them is not easy. I have seen many authors creating stories out of epics and sacred scriptures in recent years. But some of them failed in the concept of story-telling.

Some of them are just field pages, but here, author Aditi makes her readers travel through the stories and the characters. There is an option to visualize and react. A reader will immerse himself into the story. Even though everything is based on the central theme, love, all the stories will entertain.