A Marriage Made in Heaven: How to Find and Keep a Spiritually Satisfying Relationship - Softcover

Sperling, Ehud; Sperling, Ehud C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1580083811 ISBN 13: 9781580083812

Publisher: Ten Speed Press, 2004

Synopsis

Defying her culture and tradition, a successful, highly educated Tamil Brahmin woman writes a letter to a prominent American book publisher who—disillusioned with love in the Western world—advertises in an Indian newspaper for an arranged marriage. Her letter launches this book’s remarkable correspondence. What follows is an epistolary evaluation of compatibility, gender roles, love, and the way to find and keep a spiritually satisfying relationship. In this intimate exchange of more than 60 letters, they raise as many questions as they answer and reveal the secrets of sustaining a love that encompasses the mind, body, heart, and spirit. Deliciously funny and profoundly moving, this improbable love story may just change how you view relationships.

About this title

About the Author

Vatsala Sperling, born in India, worked as chief of clinical microbiology at the Children’s Trust Hospital in Madras until her marriage. Ehud Sperling is founder and president of Inner Traditions International, one of the largest and oldest companies worldwide publishing books on spirituality, religion, and alternative health. Vatsala and Ehud live in rural Vermont with their young son, Mahar.

From Publishers Weekly

What could a 35-year-old single Indian woman from a Hindu Brahmin family have in common with a 40-year-old divorced American Jewish man? A good deal, judging from this collection of very romantic and idealistic courtship letters written between two such individuals before their elaborate Indian wedding ceremony in 1996. Yearning for a domestic environment in which he would clearly be the head of a family, Ehud, owner and publisher of the Inner Traditions book company in rural Vermont, placed an ad for a wife in an Indian newspaper. One of the responses to his inquiry was from Vatsala, a clinical microbiologist who desired to trade in her independence for what she believed would be a more fulfilling life as a married woman. The letters the two exchanged show that they viewed male and female roles in marriage as distinct and complementary, with the male taking the leadership role in decision making and responsibility for earning the couple's living and the female deferring to her husband's wishes, finding contentment as a full-time housekeeper. Ehud, who was familiar with and had an obvious affinity for Indian culture, did not expect his future wife to give up her religion and, in fact, pointed out many similarities between Hinduism and Judaism. Those who long for the traditional family of yesteryear will enjoy the Sperlings' multicultural love story; feminists (of both sexes) willl want to steer steer clear. (Feb.)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Ten Speed Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1580083811
• ISBN 13: 9781580083812
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 288