Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5861 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
Karma, dharma and drama jostle in this romp across the Indian subcontinent. Sarah Macdonald follows her fiance to India and soon embarks on a quest for self-discovery. After a brush with death, she samples the 'spiritual supermarket' of a hectic, multi-faith society. Her journey ranges from north to south as she experiences meditation, living gods, Bollywood and ribald flatulence. Macdonald's wry Australian voice provides an astute commentary on this nation of paradox. Whether describing a Punjabi disco night, the Kumbh Mela or political deadlock, Macdonald's touch remains light and humorous. Holy Cow! is nonetheless reflective and contains poignant observations on religion, ego and the human condition. Macdonald's prose can be beautiful: her descriptions of the Kashmiri mountains, the succulence of Kerala and the madness of Delhi are all enthralling. A riotous travelogue as bold as its subject. (Kirkus UK)

ISABEL LOSADA, author of THE BATTERSEA PARK ROAD TO ENLIGHTENMENT
'An entertaining romp through India with an Aussie...highly readable'

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (Australia)
'An extraordinary journey of self-discovery...a unique insight into the transcendental charms of India'

Customer Reviews

Over simplistic and patronising
I had high hopes for this book but I found it to be both boring, lacking depth and patronising - to such a point that I feel she is boarding on dangerous parameters. The author comes accross as very smug which is off putting too.

breezey read and funny, suprisingly informative
i would recommend this book to anyone interested in the spiritual side of india..unless you have studied the subject quite deeply you will learn more than you realise from reading this..her style is very light but she does impart a lot of information.

i was especially impressed at how well-balanced this book is.she is open to having a mystical experience at ammas"the hugging mother" ashram for example and is definately not a total skeptic or closed off to the idea of the existence a living hindu saint.sarah is also not one of these westerners that are oh so common in india who are damaged in some way and almost desperate to beleive in /follow something/someone.
i could certainly relate to her approach and experiences.. tho she checked out far more spiritual scenes then i did :0)

Self centred and self serving
I didn't like this at all. Sarah's descriptions of cutlural life in India read to me like tatler - only more smug. I thought she was a taker, only ever looking for what she could get out of the country and in seeking to broaden her horizons she just came across as more and more narrow minded. Made me feel very uncomfortable.