LADY OF THE LOTUS

by William E. Barrett ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 25, 1975

The Lilies of the Fields man lays hands on an inspirational romance of Oriental shape and delicacy with the life of Yasodhara, princess of Koli, the wife of Siddharta Gautama, who became the Buddha. Since both were born on the same day in 563 B.C., under the same stars in neighboring kingdoms, it's not long till Siddharta proclaims ""You are my other self,"" then wins his bride in a contest of martial arts. Before their son is born, he's left to fulfill his destiny as saint or founder of an empire; but at the crucial moment under the Bo tree, he manages to share his experience with her telepathically even though she's not nearly as karmically developed. Eventually she too will cut her hair and adopt a nun's saffron robes and alms bowl until finally, after her death, Yasodhara becomes mythologized as the Queen of Heaven. Barrett's simple narrative comes as close as he can to the sense of a legend out of time, a marriage of beatitudes and refined connubiality.

Pub Date: April 25, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1975

Categories: FICTION