An Uncommon Correspondence: An East-West Conversation on Friendship, Intimacy and Love

by Ivy George, Margaret Masson

This is a collection of letters between two women whose friendship spans the globe and cuts through the differing traditions of East and West. College professors from England and India, each woman faces her own cultural "danger": in the West, the roller-coaster search for romantic love, and in the East, the apparent prison and spiritual death of arranged marriage. Taken from correspondence during a year in which the Indian woman considers an arranged marriage, the authors explore the myths of romantic love, the implications of courtship, the role of female friendship, and possibility of platonic friendships, alternatives for intimacy, and how the romantic quest echoes the spiritual quest. Thought-provoking and engaging, the letters have the insight of sociological research and the liveliness of an all-night gab fest.

Genres: Christian

192 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book 20-25 years ago. It’s been interesting to reread it after having been married myself for 20 years. So much food for thought. I found myself wondering this time through if their thoughts and letters would play out differently in today’s culture. What would their analysis of Western culture and its views of intimacy be like now?

[Angélique (Angel) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The relationship between Ivy and Margaret is so beautifully honest and encouraging that it opens the reader to their own inner questionings. Their dialogue on love and relationships really opened my eyes to some of the ways Western culture has bound my views on relationships and why my own search to understand the accurate progression of romance in my life has been so difficult. Though written over a decade ago, the letters in this book are still exceptionally relevant today.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book that wrestles with understanding ourselves in light of our faith, cultural mores and friendships. It's unique format engages the reader with its intimacy...as it is a compilation of letters between two women discussing life, God, relationships, singleness, cultural norms, etc.

[RF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a college prof at Gordon - wonderful comparison of courtship rituals in the west and east, in the format of two friends exchanging letters. Arranged marriage?