I received an email a while back asking if I'd like to review this book - and jumped at the chance.
Tales from the Yoga Studio seemed exactly like the type of happy colors, bright stories, fictional yoga book I seek out.
When the book arrived I immediately sat down to read it - almost in one sitting. I've mentioned before that I don't generally do much reading because it makes me sleepy. In my determination to read and enjoy this book - if I got sleepy, I didn't notice. The book is broken into bite sized pieces - perfect for a non-reader like me, or a busy yoga mom. It's the first in a series by Rain Mitchell about five women "who flock to yoga at turning points in their lives and find the gift of lasting friendship". -
Penguin.comTo quote more from the publisher's page:
"The yoga studio is where daily cares are set aside, mats are unfurled, and physical exertion leads to well-being, renewal, and friendship. An aggressively expanding chain of Los Angeles yoga "experience centers," has Lee and her extraordinary teaching abilities in its sights. They woo her with a lucrative contract, a trademarked name for her classes, and a place for her handsome musician husband. But accepting the contract means abandoning the students at the homey studio Lee runs in L.A.'s Silver Lake district- and leaving behind four women whose friendships are suddenly more important to her than retirement benefits and a salary increase."
Everyone seems to love this book. I wanted desperately to love this book.Tales from the Yoga Studio hits on a lot of familiar life issues between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, studio owners and students which made the characters seem fractured yet endearing and well meaning. The focus on the Kula (Community of the Heart) these five women want so badly to save is relatable to anyone who has ever belonged to a resident studio. The stock characters recognizable in most any class in America: the unprofessional studio owner barely making ends meet, the dancer, the stress junkie, the reformed bad girl, the guy that goes commando, and the uncertain newbie - we've all seen them. This allows you to be drawn into the story - like you already know the characters.
To me, the book brings to mind "Desperate Housewives" in that it showcases the cracks underneath the seemingly perfect exterior of the people in the story. I felt the drama was a little too overdone. The pace of the story seemed like it was
all drama with little to keep it grounded enough to avoid a soap opera feel. I think it's a bad sign that the only character that seems to have her head on straight is Katherine, the former junkie. Mitchell lends too much space to skewering the more redonkulous douche bags of the yoga scene and not enough time focusing on the characters actually enjoying the yoga that has deeply affected their lives. At times it seems like this book is meant to point and laugh at the yoga community more than it is meant to make you want to be a part of it.
My feelings about this book - the story and the writing - went back and forth. I had waves of enjoyment and waves of irritation. Sometimes I was laughing with the characters, but other times I was left cringing at redundant filler information.
For me, this book gets a solid 2 out of 5 stars. ♥♥
