‘21 Stories for ’21’ – The book buzz anthology is a collection of beautifully curated 21 tales from our everyday human life, their dreams, their passion, their failures and fears. Different stories from stellar storytellers, all interweaved through a common theme of ‘feel-good-factor’. Human emotions are encompassed empathetically in each tale which engrosses the readers.
The book opens with a bang with Supriya Bansal’s Crimson Tear. A heart wrenching yet positive story. It is difficult to write about each stories separately and even more difficult to choose favorite amongst such good stories, yet as a reader some stories touches the heart more than others. So if I have to admit, Rianka’s The Quest and Pallavi’s A present for tomorrow absolutely stole my heart away. Partition stories have always moved me and Rianks’s beautiful narration added flavor to the already rich story. Pallavi’s story opened a new dimension and I would want my son to know this version of ‘the ant and grasshopper story’.
Though I said I cannot write about each story but, without mentioning Seema Taneja’s Devi, Shivani’s Mumbai local or Sreemati’s Surfacing from the C’s this review will remaining incomplete. While each of these stories speak about women camaraderie during challenging time, Sonal Singh’s Mother talks about an unique motherhood. And I couldn’t help but imagine Gappu in the story. Sangeeta Vallat’s Word left unspoken is another beautiful love story that I enjoyed reading. The other stories are equally enjoyable and please forgive me if I cannot fit the name of all in this short review.
Overall, the book will bring smile on your face and a good feeling will linger much after finishing it.
