House of the Turquoise Roof

An excellent and educational read. I suggest anyone preparing to read this book first do a little studying on the Tibetan government for this time period to better understand some of the activities that take place. Dorje's description of faith pilgrimages, and life as a woman of high standing in Tibetan culture is beautiful. She touches on the significance of the clothing and jewelry as well. In light of world politics today, it enlightens ones' understanding of just what it is that refugees must endure and go through. One astounding thing was how kind the Tibet population is and the fact that they still to this day would rather negotiate with the Chinese is thought provoking.

This book paints a vivid portrait of life in a now vanished world. Tibet was so isolated that it is difficult to bear in mind that the lives written about took place in the 20th century and that the author (is she still alive now?) lived in New York City in the '80s.It does, however, give a clear picture of the Tibetan character; away from the extreme feelings many people seem to have about Tibetans.The author, for example, writes that her parents' marriage failed due to adultery, her own marriage later ended because of adultery, once again.Yet, when a married man suggests they have an affair, she readily accepts.We are not talking about uneducated peasants here but a woman who had lived through the damage caused by sexual misconduct (to give it its buddhist name) and who herself studied Buddhism with a lama.Could she not feel empathy for the cheated wife who was suffering because of her liaison with this woman's husband?I am glad though that she talked about this episode because it shows an aspect of the Tibetan character that Tibetophiles are quick to ignore.All in all, an interesting book but the author could have talked more about the political situation at the time.

"House of the Turquoise Roof" is a fascinating look into Old Tibet. Customs and religious rituals are described and explained in a detail that provides a clear picture of life as it was for the Tibetan upper class families. The author is a keen observer, and in spite of the difficulties that were encountered in the book's creation, has still given a story well worth reading.Even the author's perspective, clearly influenced by the customs and manners she describes, serves to reinforce the picture that she paints. While the casual reader may find the lengthy and often similar Tibetan names to be confusing, the story in itself somehow transcends this minor difficulty.The reviewer only regrets that Mrs. Yuthok's associations were primarily limited to the Tibetan upper class and family servants; there is relatively little exploration of Tibetan peasant life, and in spite of Mrs. Yuthok's high family connections in government, little discussion of the political developments of the day.Still, for overall interest, this book is more than just "good," and the reviewer recommends that you sit down with a bag of popcorn and enjoy yourself.