The Robe of Love: Secret Instructions for the Heart

By Laura Simms

"Irresistible. A major force in the renaissance of storytelling in America." -New York Times

"The Robe of Love takes us straight to the heart singing, glorious reminding us in story after story that no matter who we are-unschooled or learned, young or old - we must make the journey, no matter how difficult. And if we do so faithfully, the deepest love of life waits for us with open arms." -China Galland, author of Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna

Acclaimed story teller Laura Simms gives us a rich tapestry of tales that unveil the secrets of love in all of its forms. Passionate, riveting, often humorous, these stories of emotional, physical, and spiritual love come from a variety of traditions, including Celtic, Inuit, Persian, Hindu, Jewish, and African. As meaningful today as when they were first told her evocative, retellings of these tales of the mysteries of the heart lead us to many faces and profound requirements of love.

"A varied and subtle collection of stories, both wise and intensely engaging, on the profound instructions of love." -Goia Timpanelli, author of Sometimes the Soul and Tales from the Rood of the World

"One can never know what love will look like or what form it will take. Each of these fourteen stories is a passage to love with its own perils and triumphs, disappointments, and miracles. It is in the power of story to remind us what we have forgotten, what we need to remember to restore our hearts." -Terry Tempest Williams, author of Refuge, Red, and Leap

Laura Simms is an internationally renowned storyteller, author, and recording artist whom Maori elders call "as good as our grandparents." She is the author of the award-winning children's book, Rotten Teeth (Houghton Mifflin) and the spoken word recording The Gift of Dreams (Sounds True) which Publishers Weekly called "spellbinding," among other books and recordings. A contributing editor to Parabola magazine, she is co-chairman of the National Healing Story Alliance, and has served as artist-in-residence at New York City's Lincoln Center for the Arts.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1930337051
• ISBN13: 9781930337053
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Distribution Partners
• Length: 92 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Imagining "The Robe of Love"

"My mind was a washing machine of anxiety, regret and desire." That is the imagery Laura Simms uses in the "Afterword" (Yes, there is also a Foreword) to describe her own state in the midst of a complicated personal relationship experience. Her imagery is mind grabbing as she relates these stories of relationships between men and women from around the world. She resists, what so many storytellers do when they "publish" their stories, translating them to literary style. As a result we are left with the pleasure of hearing the stories as we read them because they are framed for the ear. The lanquage and structure of her telling is true to the oral tradition out of which the stories arise--she honors that. The amazing gift of condensation that sends a flotilla of imagery through our minds can be illustrated by her well crafted opening to the first story. "A handsome prince, who lived in a fortified town by the seas, was told by the elders of his Kinddom that it was time for him to marry. Obediently, he dressed in armor, saddled his horse, and went in search of a bride." I rarely read a collection like this straight through. I couldn't put the book down until I had savored each story.