Buddha Da
Encyclopedia
Buddha Da is a novel written by Anne Donovan
. It was shortlisted for the 2003 Orange Prize, and the 2003 Whitbread Book Award for a first novel.
Following a chance meeting with a Buddhist monk in a Glasgow
sandwich bar one lunchtime, painter and decorator Jimmy McKenna starts to develop an interest in Buddhism
and begins to visit a meditation
centre and go away for weekend retreats. The story is essentially about Jimmy's new found faith, and the reaction of his immediate family to this.
It is told from three points of view - those of Jimmy, his wife Liz, and their daughter Anne Marie - and follows the family as Jimmy's desire to lead a better and more meaningful life begins to have an effect on them all. To begin with, this proves to be to their detriment as Liz and Anne Marie cannot understand why Jimmy - who has previously been an atheist - would suddenly want to become a Buddhist. However, as the story unfolds, a series of events allow everyone to gain some insight into the choices Jimmy has made.
Anne Donovan (author)
Anne Donovan is a Scottish author from Coatbridge most known for her award-winning Buddha Da. She also wrote the short story collection Hieroglyphics...
. It was shortlisted for the 2003 Orange Prize, and the 2003 Whitbread Book Award for a first novel.
Plot summary
The book takes a mostly light hearted look at what might happen when two vastly opposing worlds and ways of life come into contact with each other.Following a chance meeting with a Buddhist monk in a Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
sandwich bar one lunchtime, painter and decorator Jimmy McKenna starts to develop an interest in Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and begins to visit a meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
centre and go away for weekend retreats. The story is essentially about Jimmy's new found faith, and the reaction of his immediate family to this.
It is told from three points of view - those of Jimmy, his wife Liz, and their daughter Anne Marie - and follows the family as Jimmy's desire to lead a better and more meaningful life begins to have an effect on them all. To begin with, this proves to be to their detriment as Liz and Anne Marie cannot understand why Jimmy - who has previously been an atheist - would suddenly want to become a Buddhist. However, as the story unfolds, a series of events allow everyone to gain some insight into the choices Jimmy has made.