The Art of Being Grateful & Other Stories-Manali Desai

Book: The Art of Being Grateful & Other Stories
Author: Manali Desai
Publisher: Amazon Kindle

The Art of Being Grateful & Other Stories by Manali Desai is a collection of 8 short stories that cover a myriad of emotions.

Warned in Love is the story of Aashna who receives a mysterious phone call that sends chills down her spine. The Art of Being Grateful is the story of Sakshi who has a habit of overanalyzing everything, rather than enjoying the present, and how her perspective of life takes a turn. Unlike in the Movies is the story of Tanvi and Maanav and how they break the traditional conceptions of a guy and girl being friends. Self Happiness above All tells us the story of Maanvi’s life and how she realizes that her own choices are more important as compared to the advice of the people around her. As You Please is a social commentary on how conventional marriages work and the underlying problem in it. A Fairy Tale Christmas is a story of the innocence of a child and how love of parents can bring anything to life. Love in the Air takes us through the journey Prerna undertakes, both literally and figuratively, as she struggles with her baggage. No Witnesses is an emotional story of how one day changed Sumit’s and Abhay’s life and how they became a family.

The stories in the book are ones that invoke a myriad of emotions in the reader. Each of the story touches a different emotional chord and the book feels as if one is consuming a plateful of food that has all the flavors on it. Just like a thali has a little of everything, this book has a little bit of everything-horror, self-improvement, gratitude, love, friendship, and what not. The analogy does not end here. Manali has added few condiments at the end of the book that enhance the flavor of the journey manifold. Each of the story has its own cover and that is something that’s quite interesting and innovative. With recommended readings at the end of each story, it is as if you are being served second helpings of what you loved in the platter. The storytelling is engaging and the little notes at the end are the cherry atop the cake.

Each of the story has a set of characters that are unique, yet relatable at multiple levels as you can find them around you, in your immediate friends or family.

Overall a great read that scores a 4.13/5 for me.

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