George

I enjoyed “Wolf Hall” and looked forward to this one. Unfortunately what was merely a minor irritant for me in WH, the author's continuous and indiscriminate use of the pronoun “he”, turned into major problem. It may be that “Bring Up The Bodies” is no more confusing than WH. It is written in the same style after all. Several times I reread parts of both novels and had to stop to do some analysis to make sure I was clear on who the “HE” was in various places. Halfway through Wolf Hall I decided it was no longer worth the effort. I didn't care anymore.

I think what made it worse was seeing the author had made a minor concession to the rabble by adding the protagonists name in some places to the effect “He, Cromwell...”. Not only did this barely make any difference in a seemingly endless sea of “He's”, but to me, the knowledge that the author was aware of the issue and could not bring herself to simply insert the male characters names instead of wearing out the pronoun really aggravated the HEll out of me!

Even while I'm complaining about the author's hang-up, it did bring out a hang up of my own. My mind kept rolling through the same thoughts over and over: how does someone with the talent, vision and insight to create such a novel foolishly compromise their work with a needless attachment to an odd quirk like that? I believe I've seen such use of the pronoun “he” used in a style of Irish matron in spoken mode, and it's mildly irritating in that case as well, but not so confusing. It does not belong in the written form. Hillary, please get over it!

Wow! This is a mind blower. Castenada's work has always been a major life influence to me and still is. But after reading this book, I'm no longer regretting not having met him. This book presents an outstanding record of what it was like to be in the inner circle. Amy does a great job reporting her experience and really succeeds in creating a comprehensive view of Castenada's world. Although many questions remain in my mind, I found more answers reading this than I had expected. I think any fan of Castenada's work would find this book fascinating.

One word of caution though, while this work will grab your interest right away, it comes as a result of Amy's admittance into the inner circle, and the honeymoon period doesn't last long. What then begins is a very emotionally abusive relationship that continues for the rest of this story. Carlos is the source of it and the primary offender but his inner circle witches contribute significantly. It gets grueling, and I often wondered why & how Amy could put up with it. While there is an explanation - an obvious one regarding the type of personality that is susceptible to a cult - I still found it difficult aspect of the story. But there is plenty more to the story that held my interest.

I was even pleasantly surprised by the ending - and it's possible I'm being naive - as Amy seemed to be in a good place and had made the most of her experience.

I'd highly recommend this book to any fan of Castenada's work.

This was a very entertaining story that I thoroughly enjoyed. The central character, Tommy is off-the-dial strange and mysterious. He's apparently developed a number of bizarre methods for dealing with some of his personal issues. While his behavior borders on paranoia and seems to tenacious about his privacy, he's going full out after his dream of being a famous actor. The fact that the author, Greg is a young, straight-laced guy with the similar aspirations (which is how they met) makes him the perfect straight man for Tommy. The wide range of mysteries about Tommy along with his unpredictable behavior work well in holding your interest. Unfortunately not all those mysteries are resolved in the end.

Tommy is an emotional and dynamic guy who is primarily led by his id and seems to have no qualms about it. He can be boorish and wildly insensitive. It's often not possible to detect his motives, but all in all he comes off as a likable character.



I watched both movies

Definitely worth a read,

I really enjoyed this one. The plot was interesting and engaging. The story unfolds ultimately to express a particular wisdom in simplicity exhibited in regard to alien life that is encountered.

The story has a couple of flaws that dampened my experience. The most prevalent of these flaws unfortunately involve the believability of the main character.

That character and his spouse seem a happy couple at the outset but they're separated when he's assigned work on a distant planet. A series of (email) exchanges throughout the story are integral to the ensuing plot. Her messages initially convey some ups and downs, but eventually we learn that life on Earth is becoming tenuous at best.

Meanwhile the protagonist is of a very different mindset. Removed from the chaos on the home planet, he develops a regard and fascination for the alien life and becomes engrossed in his work.

These exchanges between the couple, were often rich and well done. They reflect their shifting emotions and some of the nuances of their relationship. Eventually he is so fascinated by his new friends that he struggles to maintain empathy and relate to his partner's experience. The author effectively convey the complexity of his struggles and the character is brought to life in his sense of compassion and desire to establish relationships with newfound, exotic friends. What becomes apparent is that along with his devotion to his mission there's a distinct naïveté in his relationships with his human cohorts.

And herein lies the problem. There is a distinct disconnect between the protagonist's past and current self. His backstory is he was once a duplicitous, clever and resourceful drug addict who eventually cleaned up his act after meeting his wife. He then found God and became a minister, an entirely plausible scenario.

But I found it difficult to believe that one with such a past can become so naive as he was, to his detriment. As the story unfolds, the guy seems to be a 'babe in the woods' in his dealings with co-workers.

I also had trouble with some aspects of his faith. I can allow for blind faith to a certain extent, but I have a problem when an otherwise relatable character uses prayer as the anecdote and remedy for all of life's troubles.

If you're looking for the type of sci-fi with plausible, visionary applications of technology, this isn't that. This is more of a study of human behavior, the complexities of a husband-wife relationship and the challenges that come with tumultuous changes that life sometimes brings.

There is plenty in this story that makes it worthwhile. Including many of the secondary characters, the work environment and culture that is created on that distant place.

this is a worthwhile read that I highly recommend!

I thought this book was well-written, and the story is well presented and told. But what most stands out is the statement it makes about certain aspects of our way of life and our attitude toward certain other sentient beings. I don't want to disclose spoilers, so I'll leave it there. It's surely worth a read.

I came to the book after seeing the movie from 2013, which leaves much open to interpretation. In the end I thought the story told in the book is not done justice by the movie. But I do think the movie stands on its own. While it's very well done, the book's plot is not held up and in the end it may as well be a completely different story. I do wonder how the author, Michel Faber feels about it.