“It wasn’t Eki’s fault. Lulu was a township girl. She was rather brazen but not haughty. Eki was the village man come to spend some time with his half-brother who was Lulu’s boss.”

Stories From The Heart for older generations, is set in Nigeria. The purpose of the book is for reflection, humour and entertainment. It contains a wonderful collection of stories set around life in the university, city, village and work over 40 years ago, and although the stories are fiction, they are based on the author’s experiences or stories others have told her. The stories make you think and wonder about decisions that need to be made.

Sophia Anyanwu, the author, has woven these stories together into a wonderful book. It was so easy to picture the people and settings, as Sophia uses her storytelling gifts to draw the scenes for us. There are 15 stories, all separate from one another, with different characters, but each story is carefully crafted.

Sophia has created characters from all walks of life, and although I’m not familiar with Nigeria apart from what I hear in the news, I could imagine the people. From the person in the first story and their heartache and regrets, down to the university boys in subsequent stories. For anyone familiar with Nigeria, this book would be such a treasure! Sophia explains at the beginning of the book that these stories are from 40 years ago, and as such, will bring sweet memories and nostalgia to older readers.

I loved reading each bible verse at the beginning of the story. This is such a lovely way of setting the tone for the story. It also makes it a lovely tool for meditation, or even the start of a Bible study, where you could discuss the meaning of each verse within the context of daily life. Many of the stories impart wisdom as well as warnings. It will make younger people think, and it’s a great starting point for discussions on Godly living.

I would struggle to choose which story was my favourite, as the stories touch upon so many life lessons. The first one was very touching, and so was the story called ‘The Farewell’ where Sophia shows the blessings of giving. Giving of time, labour, love and gratitude. Such a beautiful sentence: “It wanted to rain from heaven. I was also conscious that my heart and eyes wanted to rain too.” Saying farewell is always hard, but the character in this story had learned some valuable lessons, which made saying goodbye even harder.

Sophia published via Austin Macaulay Publishers. More information can be found on Sophia’s website, www.olusolasophiaanyanwuauthor.com

I received a free copy of Stories from the Heart but was under no pressure or obligation to write a favourable review. These are my personal views.