Chandra Perera has the great gift of being able to draw a reader into his stories and you feel like you're living it yourself. Burning Woman is one of the most deeply moving books I've ever read. The book is small in size only. It could be a quick read, but you find yourself wanting to savor every descriptive and highly sensory moment, so you slow down and immerse yourself in the powerful emotional charge of the story and it's remarkable setting. Having never traveled to Sri Lanka where the story take place, I felt that Mr. Perera provided beautiful descriptions of nature, geography, people and their surroundings that make me feel like this was a place I'd always known.

Burning Woman is an outstanding book that screams "cinematic material" from start to finish. If you can't see through your mind's eye Mano and Leela in their incredible surroundings as they struggle through the confusion and emotional turmoil of creating a life together, well then, you'd better check your pulse. The visual impact of this literary jewel is intense and as such, Burning Woman would surely be a masterpiece.

I rarely read a book more than once, but I've read Burning Woman over and over again to savor the beauty and emotional intensity that I can't get enough of. Hoping that may be I've missed something wonderful. I embark again, desiring to return to dream-like land where Mano and Leela experience a certain coming of age and so graciously allow us to join their journey. Every time I finish the last page, I slow my pace, my heart quickens, and I find myself wanting more!

K. Baker
San Diego, CA