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In Roland Merullo's Breakfast with Buddha an inveterate skeptic and a world-renowned spiritual master set off across America; the Boston Globe raved, "Enlightenment meets On the Road, in this witty, insightful novel." Now, some eight years later, the world has spun a few times, and what had been certainties in both men's lives have proved fleeting. Otto's future is less than clear after the death of his wife, the departure of his children to make their own lives, and the loss of the only remaining structure in his life - his long-held job. For Rinpoche, the changes have been less daunting but nonetheless dramatic, as the encroachment of both technology and daily society threaten the solitude and peace of his North Dakota retreat, and he has been forced to acknowledge (as other good and intelligent people have) that his mysteriously gifted young daughter may be the next Dalai Lama.
So Otto and Rinpoche - seeking understanding, insight, and some new road-trip adventures - travel deep into the center of America: to Indian reservations and blighted farming towns, on a hike up the Great Sand Dunes and skinny dipping on the high planes, and from the heart of Colorado's New Age culture to the classically nonspiritual streets of Las Vegas, where the answer to "What does the future hold?" may be found residing on the top floor of a luxury casino.
Rich with humor and wise in its commentary on modern American life, Dinner with Buddha takes us along on an exhilarating path to self-discovery with two of the most intriguing men in modern fiction, whose lives seem to be forever entwined.
"Starred Review. With six unconventionally religious novels to date, this brave, meditative author has carved a unique niche in American literature." - Kirkus
"Merullo's novel is full of nuanced, thoughtful prose and is an immensely satisfying conclusion to the series." - Publishers Weekly
"While concepts of acceptance and being nonjudgmental are spoon-fed to Otto throughout the story, Merullo is disappointingly inconsistent with the messages." - Library Journal
This information about Dinner with Buddha was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Amanda S. Merullo
Roland Merullo is the acclaimed author whose books include Revere Beach Boulevard, Golfing with God, and the Buddha trilogy: Breakfast with Buddha, lunch with Buddha and dinner with Buddha. Merullo's work has been translated into German, Spanish, Korean, and Croatian, and he has won numerous prizes, including the Massachusetts Book Awards in both fiction and nonfiction. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
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