scholarhect 's review for:

The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure by James Redfield

2.0

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I've read this a couple of times before, in the late 90's. At that time, I remember enjoying it - though at that time, I was also only in high school and a much less critical reader than I am now. This time, I can't say I enjoyed - or even empathised - with much of this book's 'message'. The writing is lacklustre, agreed, but more importantly, it's dated. What might have struck a chord with readers 20 years ago has aged horribly now, and reads like an idealistic version of what the 2000's might be like if one were imagining it in the 80's. There's also a number of irritating inconsistencies. Most annoying for me was the oh-so-mysteriously unnamed narrator telling us how he had spent "three decades" living without wondering about deeper significance - but then a few pages later saying how he'd been caught up in the spiritual idealism of the 60's and 70's. What, at the age of two? I somehow doubt it. Painful, idealistic "plot" might be forgiveable, if the message touches people; lazy writing is not.