The Celestine Prophecy
by James Redfield
Published in 1995 by Grand Central Publishing
Book Synopsis:
The Narrator, who is never named, journeys to the country of Peru in search of an ancient manuscript said to contain the secrets and meaning of life itself. When he arrives however, he soon discovers that the Peruvian government is working with the church in order to suppress the information. Now on the run from the government and trying to find his way home, the main character is cast into an epic journey. It is filled with danger and mysterious 'coincidences' that seem to lead him to where he needs to be in order to learn all of the 9 insights of the manuscript.
Discussion:
So I thought it was very cool that the main character was never named. Reading the book in first person almost gives the feel of it being you who goes on this adventure - which I think was intentional. This is another book that has been a favourite of mine for as long as I can remember. I started out with listening to it on cassette tape, then I read it in book form a few times and now I have the full, unabridged version on CD. It is a book that has been quite an influence on myself as a person and the way I think and approach the world. And for as many times as I have read and heard it (I am at the point where I could almost recite the whole thing), I could still read or listen to it again. Besides being a really good read with adventure, romance, and mystery, it has a lot to take away with it too. The insights are applicable to real, every day life and make sense - at least to me. I don't want to give too much away here but I just think that this book was very well done. A lot of these kinds of books that are explaining a spiritual theory are written a lot like text or self-help books and this one is written as an exciting story which I feel helps the reader to understand better and also enjoy reading the book more.
*Spoiler Alert*
Review:
I think there is a reason I have read and listened to this book for the past...10+ years. It is a good book, I am not sure where even to start if I was going to try and criticize it. It has a straightforward plot, it has excitement and intrigue and I found it very enjoyable. But let me rate it and further discuss with my new points system.
4/5 - Protagonist: He was very easy to relate to with the perspective of the book being in first person. Although he seemed skeptical and a bit dense while trying to grasp the insights, I think maybe that this was for the reader's benefit to ensure that he or she would fully understand. That being said, I still found it a bit repetitive and annoying. He did however really develop through the book as he learned the insights; you could see him becoming more 'connected.' He was also very active in what was happening in the book, he actually seemed to be a main player of what was happening in the events of the story.
5/5 - Antagonist: The Peruvian government and the Christian church made a very menacing foe in the story; I felt real anxiety whenever they were close. But it goes more than that, they really drove the plot of the story. At first I was only going to give them 3/5 because I was thinking, 'well, he still would have gone to Peru and learned about the manuscript' - but he wouldn't have had all the vital experiences that really helped him to grasp the insights. For instance, he wouldn't have met Will, he wouldn't have run up that mountain to get away from them and then he wouldn't have had that super spiritual experience that helped him connect to the universe!
4/5 - Support Characters: Literally everyone the main character met was helping him in some way. Even if the characters themselves weren't 'favourable' - they were still helping the protagonist learn something important. But most of the other characters were literally helping him either learn or get to a new place...sometimes both. The reason I am giving only 4/5 is because it was a serious and heavy book and it would have been nice to have a comic relief character.
3/5 - Plot: Like I said before, it has a straight forward plot. Character goes on journey for knowledge and gets it. The reason for 3/5 is because...it's a straight forward plot. Yes, there is danger and he sort of takes a windy path to get there, but at the end of it, he has the information and goes home. I like books to have more intrigue and for me to go 'um..what!? How did that even just happen!?' That was one thing that never really happened in this book. Furthermore there was never a point where the main character reached a really 'dark' or 'low' point where it looks like all hope is lost. I think that is vital to making a story really make you ache in your lit-heart, that's what makes a character really come to life and makes you cheer for them to get back up and keep going.
4/5 - Addictive-ness: I can't quite remember the first time I heard/read this book but I do know that it is a really good read and very difficult to put down once you have started. But, if you had something to do and did put it down, you could be away from it for a while and let what you have read really sink in.
2/5 - Classic Potential: As much as I do love this book I don't think it is going to become a 'classic' and what I mean by that is, it isn't in the same category as Shakespeare, Jane Austin, or J.R.R. Tolkien. It is directed to a group of people that is simply too slim right now and most definitely not in the main stream media. It also didn't have enough of the elements that really make it a great literary masterpiece. It is a good read, a wonderful adventure, and a great book on spirituality, but not a classic. (it will be in my house though).
Total: 22/30This book has already been made into a movie by the same name which I give thumbs down to because I really don't feel it did the book justice at all.
I do recommend the book however, and I hope you enjoy. If you decide to pick it up, let me know what you think!
That's it for now!
~Oriona
Sources:
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Celestine-Prophecy-James-Redfield/dp/0446671002
Picture Credits:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/354095589425174307/
http://thecelestineprophecymovie.com/dvd.php
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