A review by teapotoccamy
Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love, by Elsie Chapman
3.0
I really like how these stories are interconnected, so each protagonist live/visit the same neighbourhood (Hungry Hearts Row) and occasionally has a cameo in each other's tales. Like all short story collections however, there are some great, some good and some bad stories:
Rain by Sangu Mandana (4 stars):
Heartwarming, explores grief and the grounding nature of food. The perfect little tale to start off the anthology.
Kings and Queens by Elsie Chapman (4 stars):
Reading this felt like reading a thriller, mostly because I was expecting only little slice-of-life tales from this collection. I had the time of my life; there are underground gangs, feuds and they all somehow revolve around food and family. This was only slightly marred by the writing; it just didn't read smoothly.
The Grand Ishq Adventure by Sandhya Menon (3 stars):
A little too typically romantic comedy-esque personally, but still a fun read.
Sugar and Spite by Rin Chupeco (4 stars):
This was my first time reading a second person perspective, which was a little jarring at first but I adored the story. Wise and mysterious grandmothers, potential witchery and piping hot food? Y E S
Moments to Return by Adi Alsaid (4.5 stars):
A little tale about mortality, the fear of it and how it is okay to live in the moment.
The Slender One by Caroline Tung Richmond (5 stars):
I loved this one! A little spooky because it takes place during Hungry Ghost Festival (a Chinese tradition) and a lot of yummy descriptions of pineapple tarts
Rain by Sangu Mandana (4 stars):
Heartwarming, explores grief and the grounding nature of food. The perfect little tale to start off the anthology.
Kings and Queens by Elsie Chapman (4 stars):
Reading this felt like reading a thriller, mostly because I was expecting only little slice-of-life tales from this collection. I had the time of my life; there are underground gangs, feuds and they all somehow revolve around food and family. This was only slightly marred by the writing; it just didn't read smoothly.
The Grand Ishq Adventure by Sandhya Menon (3 stars):
A little too typically romantic comedy-esque personally, but still a fun read.
Sugar and Spite by Rin Chupeco (4 stars):
This was my first time reading a second person perspective, which was a little jarring at first but I adored the story. Wise and mysterious grandmothers, potential witchery and piping hot food? Y E S
Moments to Return by Adi Alsaid (4.5 stars):
A little tale about mortality, the fear of it and how it is okay to live in the moment.
The Slender One by Caroline Tung Richmond (5 stars):
I loved this one! A little spooky because it takes place during Hungry Ghost Festival (a Chinese tradition) and a lot of yummy descriptions of pineapple tarts