Rating: 
Summary: Oh my gosh this book is awful
Review: I agree with an earlier reviewer - read Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Redfield may have some interesting things to say, especially about the "fight for energy and human evolution," but for the love of God, must he say them in such a mind-numblingly lame way? The dialogue was worse than the worst episode of Star Trek (no offense Trekkers), and the story was so laughable that I had to continuously force myself to keep an open mind & try to focus in on the point the author was trying to make. Man oh man, this book stinks. Why did the author have to disguise his message in such a ridiculous story? Does he trust his audience or not? Apparently not, which is insulting AND undercuts his own message.
Rating: 
Summary: A Suprisingly Useful Vision For Human Evolution
Review: I was surprised by this book. I expected a feel-good broth of New Age cliches, but instead found a number of honest and wise Insights into human behavior. The Celestine Prophesy can be viewed as a spiritual guide, but its foundation is good human psychology. Written as an adventure about a man searching Peru for an anciet manuscript, the book explains the Nine Insights contained in the manuscript and discusses each insight's meaning for humans as both individuals and members of a society. The central theme is that we are constantly evolving, and this evolution will bring us to a higher level of spirituality. The goal is to tap into the natural energy of the universe. While the characters seem able to do this with suprising ease, it is a goal more people should try to follow. The author suggests that many of our problems come from our desire to pull energy from other people instead of finding within ourselves and within the natural world. Redfield offers the idea of the love-addition; he (or The Manuscript) suggests that our desire for male or female energry (depending on your gender) leads us to become addicted to a person of the opposite sex. But since addiction is destructive to a healthy relationship, our needs wind up hindering our ability to achieve a successful union. The "manuscript" suggests that once people learn to pull energy from the world around them, they will no longer fall into this love addiction. Another useful concept is the idea of the control drama: that we each have a behavioral mode which we use to draw energy from others, and that this mode, or drama, is carried with us from childhood to adulthood. We must recognize this drama and work to overcome it because it is a way of draining the energy of others. If this review seems to contain the word "energy" a lot, it's because The Celestine Prophesy is mostly about finding energy within us and without. While the ultimate goal is to achieve a spiritual reawakening, one can use many of these insights without following a spiritual path. The Celestine Prophesy can be used to heighten one's self-awareness, and as such, it is a useful tool. I felt better after reading it, and how can a book receive a higher recommendation? At times it's didactic, but Redfield mixes in enough narrative to keep the book from becoming a philosophical tract. I would recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a greater awareness of self and nature. It contains much wisdom and encouragement.
Rating:
Summary: MAY HELP SOME PEOPLE TO OPEN THEIR MINDS & HEARTS
Review: I just finished reading this book..was curious about what others thought after the fact and skimmed through the reviews people gave. I have never done a review before and was COMPELLED to write one after reading how close minded and harsh the criticisms were! But then again why should I be that surprised? Just look around and its no wonder how and why our world is the way it is. You dont have to agree with this book, like the grammer as most complained...but at least recognize that this is a different way to see and experience life..its a helluva lot more positive than anything Ive heard from the critics. What scares me is how quick everyone was to write the whole book off. IT IS WORTH READING! Many of the insights so far I have experienced and no Im not "insane" as so many previous reviewers have stated if you enjoyed the book...but then again who is even to judge who is sane?!?! I dont think its particularly sane to judge and ridicule things you obviously dont understand nor want to and are comfortable to remain ignorant of possible alternatives..and yes this is a possibility..that these insights could be all true..the main whole idea behind it to me is that if anything you discover on your own the truth..read, explore, examine, and find out for yourself and dont be swayed by others "reviews" of anything!!.. So if you want to be open to new ideas, an adventurer in your own life and possibly find more meaning and more pleasure I would read it! Those of you who reviewed so harshly obviously do not get "it" at all and I hope for yourself and others you eventually do! To the rest - ENJOY!!
Rating: 
Summary: The Celestine Insights...
Review: This book is likely one of the most amazing, revealating books on the planet, and it is only complimented by the other books in the Celestine series. James Redfield is a true visionary...and I thank him greatly for the new direction he has given me in my life. Thank you, James.
Rating:
Summary: A very unusual book
Review: Although the format of this book is unusual (in that it is often difficult to distinguish the 'adventure fiction' from the spiritual lessons), it was extraordinarily powerful reading for me. I had previously received the pocket guide to the nine insights written by Redfield as a gift--without reading this book first, the insights were much too abstract for me. I now have a much better understanding of the spiritual insights Redfield seeks to impart. While the 'adventure novel' format may be a put-off for some, if you are open to new life lessons and are seeking spiritual enlightenment, you will not regret reading this short book.
Rating: 
Summary: I was suprised by this book
Review: Everyone I know who has read this book said it was a "must read" and that you learn so much from Redfield and his discovery of the nine insights. I bought the book and started to read it -- I was taken aback, I had NO idea it had all of the "adventure" of the author's racing through the Peruvian jungle to find the manuscript. That part of the book just did not cut it for me -- I thought the book was too long and the author could have just written up the insights and made the book a heck of a lot shorter. I'm not sure I agree with his findings, but it is an interesting concept. I cannot truly recommend this book, I found it somewhat dull and not very well written. As I said earlier, it could have been a lot shorter and made much more of an impact.
Rating:
Summary: The Celestine Prophesy/The Tenth Insight
Review: I have a compellation of both works in one book. The messages that I received from this book were both inspiring and life changing. I have read this book three times and I get a better understanding of life every time I read it again. If you are one who is seeking spiritual guidance and a positive force within your life I highly recommend that you start with this book. I have awakened unto a new spiritual self and awareness. I have learned how to hold on to my visions and it has helped me learn how to impove the quality of life through myself and with the help of others.
Rating:
Summary: #1 New York Times Bestseller??? That fortifies my belief...
Review: that the NY Times, as this book, is a highly overrated. This is a pedantic piece of fiction. Character development is non-existent and everyone, surprisingly, speaks well-versed English in Peru! I was constantly waiting for an insight to illuminate or surprise me. No such luck. Skip this and read a classic, such as "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".
Rating:
Summary: Don't miss the point...
Review: I read this book several years ago and cannot get over the amount of negative reaction this book is getting. I have read many other books about Jungs theories of synchronicity. While it is an intriguing concept and worth exploring, all previous texts have been bone dry. You have to at least give Redfield credit for writing the book in the form of a parable to introduce people to the "insights" this book offers up. No, it is not a classic piece of literature nor are the concepts revolutionary. However, that being said, it was an extremely accesible book that resonated with millions of readers. Say what you want, but whatever starts people on their spiritual journey and helps our human conciousness evolve, however slightly, cannot be all bad.
Rating:
Summary: The low water mark.
Review: I read this book a long time ago and so I can only convey my lasting impressions. I'll try to be concise and save everyone who might be curious about this book some time and money. First of all, this book truly ranks as a zero (I gave it the lowest ranking I could) and I believe it's the worst book I've ever read. Its flaws are legion, but summing up the low points I must say: 1) It surely has to be one of the most poorly written books ever published. I'm surprised (disgusted?) that this could escape from a publisher without editing. If there is a worse book out there, I'm thankful I missed it. 2) The information or "insight" it purportedly contains has more in common with fertilizer than anything useful for thinking individuals. 3) The thinking is at best sophomoric and should be recognizable as such to anyone over the age of twelve. 4) There is nothing "spiritual" about this book. At the end of the book the author makes a sales pitch hoping you will be foolish enough to purchase his other garbage. Writing a negative review may upset some of those lost souls who believe there is something useful here, and sadly, there may be many of those judging by this book's "success". For those of you that are a little more grounded and live on the planet earth, I suggest you pass on this tripe.
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