Shyam Selvadurai creates a compassionate portrait of a woman and a time about which not that much is known, and delivers a lovely, nuanced story of the birth of a religion, the disintegration of a marriage, and how Yashodha copes with trial after trial created by her husband, Siddharta. I thought Yasodhara’s arc as a character was engaging, even if I didn’t always quite like her, and which is likely why I didn’t rate this higher.more I believe that the author presented a plausible scenario and both Siddartha and his wife, Yasodhara, were written in such a way to give life and depth to both. Especially considering how particular and rigid about right actions, the tenets of Buddhism can be. I had always wondered at how the fact that his wife and children had been abandoned while he went off and founded a new religion wasn’t morally, a terrible thing. I believe that the author presented a plau 3.5 As someone who has read a fair amount of books inspired by the Buddha’s teachings, when I read the blurb that this was a fictionalized account of his early life and marriage I was intrigued. Mansions of the Moon is an immersive, lively and thrilling feat of literary imagination.moreģ.5 As someone who has read a fair amount of books inspired by the Buddha’s teachings, when I read the blurb that this was a fictionalized account of his early life and marriage I was intrigued.
And is there a path she, too, might take towards enlightenment?Īward-winning writer Shyam Selvadurai examines these questions with empathy and insight, creating a vivid portrait of a fascinating time and place, the intricate web of power, family and relationships that surround a singular marriage, and the remarkable woman who until now has remained a little-understood shadow in the historical record.
Eventually, Yasodhara is forced to ask what kind of life a woman can lead in ancient India if her husband abandons her-even a well-born woman such as herself. Mansions of the Moon traces the couple's early love and life together, and then the anguished turmoil that descends upon them both as Siddhartha's spiritual calling takes over and the marriage partnership slowly, inexorably crumbles. In this sweeping tale, at once epic and intimate, Shyam Selvadurai introduces us to Siddhartha Gautama-who will later become "the enlightened one," or the Buddha-an unusually bright and politically astute young man settling into his upper-caste life as a newlywed to Yasodhara, a woman of great intelligence and spirit. In this sweeping tale, at once epic and intimate, Shyam Selvadurai introduces us to Siddhartha Gautama-who will later become "the enlightened one," or the Buddha-a From the bestselling, award-winning author of Funny Boy and The Hungry Ghosts comes a breathtaking reimagining of ancient India through the extraordinary life of Yasodhara, the woman who married the Buddha. From the bestselling, award-winning author of Funny Boy and The Hungry Ghosts comes a breathtaking reimagining of ancient India through the extraordinary life of Yasodhara, the woman who married the Buddha.
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