Layla in the Sky with Diamonds

Layla in the Sky with Diamonds by Manbeena Bhullar Sandhu follows one woman’s journey around the world in search of peace, love, and joy. The story takes a fascinating approach of beginning with Layla’s downfall and then divulging her winding back-story. Layla’s spiritual journey brings to life the narrative of the turbulent, multifaceted 1960s. During the heyday of the flower-power movement, the New-York-socialite turned San-Francisco-hippie ultimately travels throughout Europe and India in search of fulfillment. For Layla and many others, “the Golden Gate city was becoming a melting pot of psychedelic music, drugs, and a total lack of social and sexual inhibitions.” Abundant open drug use and a consistent theme of tragic death throughout the text set this book apart and make it ideal for a mature audience. From the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy to substantial drug overdoses, “the age of free love was dying down and barely breathing, and the dark demon of death seemed to be towering over it, stifling it.” Layla’s ill-fated downward spiral encompasses all of the notorious, mind-blowing characters from the last half of the 20th century, including marijuana, cocaine, LSD, and heroin. In spite of her shortcomings and missteps, Layla is an endearing character with whom readers will rejoice and lament. The heartbreaks she experiences will leave readers with tears in their eyes. However, her prosperity and joys in life will bring a smile to many readers’ faces. Those reading Layla in the Sky with Diamonds will come to appreciate the “beautiful celestial maiden, not of this earth but of heaven, dancing somewhere in the clouds above…Layla, the apsara, dancing in the sky with diamonds.” Manbeena Bhullar Sandhu has created a beautifully intriguing tale of adventure, travel, love, and loss. Readers will discover an admirable journey through life and around the world in Layla in the Sky with Diamonds.