Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold

Written by Bolu Babalola

Narrated by Bolu Babalola, Ajjaz Awad, Nneka Okoye and Olukemi Babalola

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

""Love stories by and about marginalized women . . . The heroines are strong and sure . . . Babalola’s writing shines.” — New York Times Book Review

""Absolutely intoxicating."" — Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White, and Royal Blue and One Last Stop

A vibrant debut collection of love stories from the bestselling author of Honey and Spice, retelling myths, folktales, and histories from around the world.

A high-born Nigerian goddess, who has been beaten down and unappreciated by her gregarious lover, longs to be truly seen. A young businesswoman attempts a great leap in her company, and an even greater one in her love life. A powerful Ghanaian spokeswoman is forced to decide whether she should uphold her family’s politics or be true to her heart.

In her debut collection, internationally acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with incredible new detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places.

With an eye towards decolonizing tropes inherent in our favorite tales of love, Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives, continents, and genres. Love in Color is a celebration of romance in all its many splendid forms.

“I am in love with every single word Bolu Babalola has written. So rarely is love expressed this richly, this vividly, or this artfully.” —Candice Carty-Williams, international bestselling author of Queenie

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063078543

Bolu Babalola

Bolu Babalola  is the bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club pick Honey and Spice and the short story collection Love in Color. She works as a writer for books, TV, and press, and as a cultural commentator. She lives in London, England.

Reviews for Love in Color

[Hadassah Onimiya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I absolutely loved the stories told in this collection of short stories. They made my heart sing.

[G · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so lively and intriguing. I can’t think of a short story anthology that touched me more. I cried during at least half of these stories because the love stories meant so much to me. I love the way these stories weee reimagined so the women were able to show their autonomy. This is a new favorite and this author just jumped to my all time favorite list

[Courtney Rippe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is beautiful, interesting and so lyrical. I loved it. It reminded me of the feeling I had when I first saw my husband.

[Nicole Scoggins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

These stories had me at hello. And even more to learn how the author revised them for our times, our hope and encouragement.

[nancy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Love in color
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5
Love in color is absolutely beautiful. From the gorgeous cover art, to the intoxicating imagery in Blou Babalola words. I was hooked. A Romance book isn’t quite the type of book I normally pick up off the shelves but I’m really happy I gave it a chance. I was extremely pleased with how well the author was able to tell me the story and the background of the characters in such a short time. The whole book feels intimate and if the author is sharing her out favorite personal stories. I’d definitely recommend giving it a chance.

[samnreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed these but some really stood out over others. Babalola has a wonderful voice and can't wait to read more.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful assortment of mythical love stories, many of which I didn't know, and they have been updated and re-imagined. This is not something that I normally would read, but I found it very entertaining. Bolu Babalola brought a unique approach to these stories, making them fresh and interesting. The final story is about her parents, and I found that endearing.

[moosenoose · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

“…we are not a once upon a time, we are a forever within an ever…”

“…no queen can be a queen without also being a warrior”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not a fan of short stories or chick lit, but this better than expected. Usually a short story prevents character development and attachment, but on the whole there was sufficient detail to keep me connected. These love stories are all modern adaptations of well-known myths and folklore from ancient Greece, West Africa and the Middle East and I enjoyed researching some of the lesser known (to me) tales. I did however find Psyche (Psykhe) to bit a too naff and cheesy!