Book Review: The Daughter from the Wishing Tree Unusual Tales About Women in Mythology by Sudha Murty.

Book: The Daughter from the Wishing Tree

Author: Sudha Murty

Illustrator: Priyankar Gupta

Publisher: Puffin India

Pages: 180

How Long it Took Me To Read: 3 days

Plot Summary: Did you know that the Trinity often turned to goddesses to defeat the asuras? 

Did you know that the first clone in the world was created by a woman?

The women in Indian mythology might be fewer in number, but their stories of strength and mystery in the pages of ancient texts and epics are many. They slayed demons and protected their devotees fiercely. From Parvati to Ashokasundari and from Bhamati to Mandodari, this collection features enchanting and fearless women who frequently led wars on behalf of the gods, were the backbone of their families and makers of their own destinies. 

Things I Liked: 

1. The writing as always was simple and straight forward and perfect for young readers to follow along and learn about Indian mythology.

2. I know a fair bit about Mythology, and know a lot of stories both big and small thanks to my beloved grandmother. Reading these stories takes me back to my childhood and those story telling sessions.

3. Inspite of knowing a lot of stories from mythology, I learnt so many new tales and about so many hidden figures I know nothing about. So this was a great learning experience.

4. The illustrations add a wonderful touch to the stories and I always love a book with illustrations. Here are some examples of the art...

5.  Apart from the well known Goddesses and figure from mythology this collection also includes some lesser known/ unknown (to me) women and it was so nice to learn new names and new stories.

6. I also loved that several mythological stories were connected to present day places and temples. It was nice to see a connection (even if supposedly) to a real life place and belief.

7. While written for younger readers this is a perfect book for those of us (grown-ups) who are interested in myths and mythology.

8. The common thread in most of these stories is the strong women portrayed in them. Incredible women who did and achieved amazing things, an inspiration for everyone of us.

9. I read this book during and after Diwali and honestly the festivity just added to my reading experience.

10. This is such a gorgeous book, both inside and out. I love the cover and the illustrations Plus I was lucky enough to be sent a signed copy which was such a nice surprise.

Rating: 4/5

Thank you Penguin India for my gifted copy. The review and thoughts are all my own.