What if astrology picked your future mate?In 1970s Sri Lanka, when love didn't materialize on its own, matchmakers were sought and newspaper advertisements were used. Vedic Hindu Astrology, the ancient study of celestial bodies, sanctioned every arranged marriage.In A Maiden's Prayer, precocious niece Tamara de Silva narrates her uncle's story through an often comic, and sometimes romantic, lens of youth.Berty Rajakaruna is an eligible bachelor, heir to a large but dilapidated family estate descending from colonial days, and drawing an enviable income from an engineering job in the Middle East. His estate is in the clutches of a scheming sister. The rest of the family thinks marriage, and the production of an heir, will help him.But Berty pooh-poohs all the proposals and takes matters to his own hands. He proceeds recklessly according to his fancy, spurring unexpected results.Tamara, who is coming of age in the midst of everything, voices the cultural, historical and political context of Sri Lanka, and gives insight to the customs, beliefs and cultural associations of middle-class Sinhalese society of the day. A Maiden's Prayer is a humorous, entertaining read.