Debra

Fine, but not what I was expecting

Revisado: 02-13-12

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed this book. Some of the stories I found interesting and thought-provoking. But it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It was in essence readings from either personal diaries of the enlightened person themselves or from someone close to them. It spans a number of centuries, and it covers people I hadn't heard of before (which I would say was a positive factor).
For me (and this might be a personal thing) I felt very removed from the people being portrayed. I would love to have been able to ask questions of these people, but most didn't have as a goal teaching or enlightening others. So it was sort of like being an observer of a very different group of people that you didn't really have a way of connecting with.
That said, it did make me think, and I found the stories of some of these people amazing. So overall I'm glad I listened to it.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Almost every individual story had an interesting aspect. I personally liked the story of the man who figured out that he was happiest when he loved, so he started working really hard on loving everyone, including his enemies. I'm not sure I buy that he also figured out that all actions seemed to stem from his own thoughts, so he was then able to control what happened through his own thoughts. I also had trouble following the poems of the guy from India, although I recognize that they were beautiful poems.

Did Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages inspire you to do anything?

I'm not sure it inspired me to do anything, although parts did make me think.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Favorite Book

Revisado: 08-18-10

This was my first Neil Gaiman book, and I got it because of its length (the longer the book for 1 credit, the more you get for the money). Turns out, it was probably my favorite audio book so far. I really enjoyed the rambling style of storytelling and that all the characters weren't particularly good or evil, but they were characters and thus engaging. The story made me curious and kept me interested until the very end. I've read some other reviews stating that the book was crude and filled with gratuitous sex. I didn't feel that way at all. There was one homosexual encounter, but the encounter left me very curious about what happened to the characters as a result of the encounter more than offended in any way. I also found the story behind the encounter sadly moving.

Overall I thought this book was really good. I hate for anyone to miss it because of other reviews from people who disliked it. Aside from being an interesting story of a man's journey to being alive, it's also an interesting glimpse into the little histories that make up America.

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