 The Thousand-Petalled Daisy - Norman Thomas
Injured in a riot while travelling in India, seventeen-year-old Michael
Flower is given shelter by a doctor in a white house on an island in a
river. There, accompanied by his alter ego (his glove-puppet Mickey-Mack),
he meets Om Prakash and his family, a tribe of holy monkeys,
and Lila, the beautiful daughter of a diplomat. Unknown to him, the
house is also the home of a holy woman. When she grants him an
audience, Michael unwittingly incurs the jealousy of her devotee, Hari,
and violence unfolds. A storm, a death and a funeral, the delights of first
love and the beauty of the Indian landscape are woven into a narrative
infused with a distinctive, offbeat humour and a delicate but intensely
felt spirituality.
'This novel, both rhapsody and lament, is superb.' - The Independent on Sunday
'Do not be fooled by its humour, accessibility and tenderness: this novel is serious and seriously good. It is beautiful, thoughtful and flamboyantly original.' - Sara Maitland
About the Author
Norman Thomas was born in Wales in 1926. His First novel, Ask at the Unicorn, was published in 1963 in the UK and the
USA to critical acclaim. He now lives in Auroville, south India.
The Thousand-Petalled Daisy was published on 30th October 2003.
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