A Maiden's Prayer: A Family Story Set in 1970s Sri Lanka

"In 1970s Sri Lanka, matchmakers performed family introductions, and families placed advertisements in newspapers when young people could not find partners on their own. Using the ancient study of celestial bodies-- Vedic Hindu astrology-- astrologers paired men and women for lifelong companionship. In A Maiden's Prayer, precocious Tamara de Silva narrates her handsome uncle's story though the romantic lens of youth, and comically highlights the wild machinations of her extended family in their efforts to marry him off. However, the successful engineer ignores all matchmaking efforts and proceeds recklessly according to his fancy. His rejection of family tradition brings startling and unexpected results."--Back cover.