Celestine Prophecy, The

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Summary: The Hardy Boys and the Peruvian Prophesies
Review: Abridged Audio is to be avoided - though the premise of the Celestine Prophecy and the insights still hold an allure for this reader, who will get and read the book at some point (when I have lost the memory of this horrible audio). The Hardy Boy goes in search of the spiritual, chasing all over Peru, one step ahead of the evil Cardinal with lots of (rather inane) adventure along the way. Please be warned that the abridged audio is insultingly simplistic. The reader does well with the voices, but over-enunciates, and completely misses any emotion with a sing-song delivery (same tone to say "United States of America" as "I was so frightened")? The Celestine Meditations audio is absolutely lovely -- I never imagined I would be this disappointed.

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Summary: It should have been called Therapy for Dummies
Review: Hilarious and yet touching. Really, one of the worst-written books I have ever read, but completely addictive. If only life were as easy as this book: have a revelation, then have an encounter with someone who proves your revelation is correct. SO EFFICIENT! But why did he set this book in Peru? The last time I was in Peru I got so sick I lost 15 pounds in 4 days. Where was he getting all of his sandwiches and water? Why didn't he ever get tourista? Come on! Only a new age kook could describe Peru without discussing the diarrhea aspect of it. It made me giggle every time I thought about my Peru experience. Instead of searching for the Spanish for "Where is the bathroom?" and "hold the ice cubes please," I could have been having intense conversations with fellow searchers, where we all stare at each other and exchange energy (the best parts of the book--these conversations between people exchanging energy. It all sounds good, but when you really try to visualize it, it just becomes bizarre--like the way soap opera actors react in slow motion. Lots of staring and waiting). I do see why this book is a best seller. Gotta go. I have to exchange some energy with a pal.

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Summary: The Celestine Prophecy
Review: THIS BOOK WAS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE. I ALWAYS KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING DIFFRENT ABOUT ME. AND THIS BOOK HELPED ME TO SEE WHAT IT WAS. YES SOME MIGHT SAY IT ISN'T THE BEST WRITTEN BOOK, BUT I BEG TO DIFFER. I THINK MR. REDFIELD DID A GOOD JOB IN MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THE HARD TO UNDERSTAND WAYS OF SPIRITUALITY. I DEFINATELY RECCOMEND THIS BOOK. WHO KNOWS, MAYBE THIS BOOK COULD DO FOR YOU WHAT IT DID FOR ME: CHANGE YOUR LIFE?

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Summary: The Celestine Prophecy - An Adventure
Review: The AOL rating system does not allow for zero, or negative, stars. This is the hugest piece of junk I've ever read in my life, save my returned teenage loveletters which also deserved burning. At least my loveletters contained style, if adolescent; form, if inconsistent; humor, if subjective; excitement, if also personal; and truth, if fleeting.

Mr James Redfield has made hundreds of thousands via a piece of trash. It's not right.

I turned the 246 pages (paperback, Warner Books) because I'd heard about it so frequently. I hoped the silly beginning would turn solid. I still hoped the impoverished middle would slip into persuasion. At the idiotic end, I was disgusted, full of wonder at the garbage one can profitably publish.

Do not purchase this book! Borrow it, or retrieve it from my dumpster.

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Summary: The Celestine Prophecy adn The Tenth Insight
Review: Good day to all, I am Seifer from [e-mail]

Since reading these two books I have take a new approach to life. With help from James Redfield's thoughts I have been able to awaken an inner self I have always known. I've enjoyed these two books immensly and look forward to reading further insights. I would really appreciate those who could suggest other books that they have read similar to those of Redfield's and I would be happy to return the favour if anyone would like to know any other recommendations then let me know at: [e-mail]

Thanks and good luck to all

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Summary: A COSMIC GUIDE FOR MORONS
Review: I guess even morons need a spiritual leader. It is just sad that there are so many morons out there. When I hear people say this book was written on a 1st grade level, I think how insulting that is to 1st graders. This book was written so badly, I suspect it may have been written by a trained ape(but again, that is a insult to apes everywhere, so I apologize). And I don't think it is a coincidence that moron's loved this book. I destroyed the copy I had, because I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if someone accidently picked it up and read it. They should strap the author in a chair, tape his eyes open, and force him to read good writing. Perhaps most of the people who said they liked this book actually hated it when they were in the middle. But as their brain cells became more and more damaged as they read on, by the end of the book their brains were so far gone they felt they liked it. Thank goodness I had enough sense of my former self to immediately read good writing afterwords, which I think helped to recover 90% of my former brain potential. I am still in therapy, but doing better.

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Summary: A Commercial Message
Review: The several insights and the painstaking route to their revelation was a bit boring. For me, the book was a major poke at all organized religion. Like, who needs a religion if you are totally in touch with and love yourself? So much for a 246-page commercial. Now, back to Baldacci and other great story tellers.

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Summary: Creative and Interesting
Review: I found the Celestine Prophecy to be very interesting because although a fictional story, I believe there is truth in some of Redfields words. As a reader you see a middle-aged man take a spontaneous adventure to the Peruvian jungle and there he goes through miraculous spiritual growth. His quest is to discover the nine insights of a rumored artifact called the Manuscript. Through this journey you many contemplate your own life and take pieces of the insights for further examining. Overall, I found this fairly short story an creative and interesting way to approach the purpose and meaning of life.

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Summary: Interesting story about human possibilities
Review: I enjoyed reading the Celestine Prophecy. The book attempts to categorize and sequentially organize the historical process that mankind has gone through in discovering what it means to be human and Self Aware. Mr. Redfield develops a story about a search for a lost manuscript. The story reveals the coveted 9 key insights one by one. There is intrigue, dangerous encounters with the army of a third world nation, adversarial governmental leaders, and intolerant priests who support the dogma of the Catholic Church. On the other side is the mystery and beauty of nature.

The book held my attention. Not knowing what I would encounter around the next bend on a road in the middle of the jungle, or what new revelation about man's potential, kept me interested to the end. I like the idea that we can see energy between people and each other. I like the idea that we could use that energy to heal each other and to grow amazing plants.

The nine insights as they are revealed describe the evolution, or the potential evolution, of human kind into our natural state of godhood. In the end, we are left with "the carrot" that there is another key, waiting to be revealed.

I liked the book as a spiritual adventure as well as the ideas about our potential.

In a similar vain I would highly recommend "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work" by Ariel and Shya Kane. Their book describes transformation as a clear and real possibility without the fictionalized history of human evolution. The book reveals the keys to awareness, not as a grand historical revelation, but rather as an individual moment-by-moment encounter with one's life and how it shows up. The Kanes use their own personal experiences as examples. "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work" is a clear and practical approach to enlightenment. With the Kanes there is no "carrot", you get the whole meal!!

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Summary: Good Story- Bad Grammer
Review: The story and the 'insights' proved to be both fun and thought provoking. How it made it past the editors is still a question. The writing style leaves room for improvement.