This was the 3rd book in the Reader's Digest Select Editions and probably the one I was most excited about when I took a look at the plot summary of all 4 novels. Who wouldn't be? An inheritance worth billions hidden deep in the Honduran jungle in a tomb in an ancient Mayan city and the hunt for a codex containing medicinal knowledge from the same era. I can't honestly say that I was disappointed but I have to say that the novel didn't fully live up to its expectations.
To start with, the characters sound a bit made-up. Come on, in this day and age when the family ties are getting weaker by the day, 4 stepbrothers - one of them a native Indian - who care for each other sound totally fictional. A father who decides to hide himself and his wealth in a remote jungle of a foreign country also sounds a bit over the top. But it takes all kinds to make this world. I, however, could not forgive the author for not making full use of the place where most of the story takes place. You would expect mysterious stories, supernatural beings, curses and traps when it comes to an ancient lost civilizations but except for the lone case of the jaguar following the brothers, there wasn't much. And it all seemed nicely tied up in the end - like a Hindi movie - what with Max, an atheist, breathing his last after gazing upon the Lippy Madonna, all the brothers coming together as a family, Sally falling in love with Tom and the chief's wife giving the brothers the inheritance that was greedily kept by her husband. I was expecting either Julian or Borabay to be revealed as villains. Alas! That was not to be.
Well, all's well that ends well. But I must say that I was a bit riled when Max tells Vernon that if someone wants your money then the religion that they are preaching is bullshit and that it does not cost anything to pray in a church. Huh? Does the author really believe that any religion is represented by the people who preach it? What about the Vatican and its various scandals then? It doesn't cost anything to pray in any place of God - be it a temple, a mosque, a church, a synagogue or a gurudwara. In fact, you can pray within the four walls of your home and it won't cost you a cent. If God is omnipresent surely He can hear you from anywhere. But if you go for middlemen you will get swindled in any religion. Why take an oblique potshot at a particular religion?
Seriously, that was totally uncalled-for. On a positive note, the last few pages made me curious about Lippy Madonna so I checked on the net. It is a beautiful painting - one that fills you up with peace and joy, no matter what your religion.
To start with, the characters sound a bit made-up. Come on, in this day and age when the family ties are getting weaker by the day, 4 stepbrothers - one of them a native Indian - who care for each other sound totally fictional. A father who decides to hide himself and his wealth in a remote jungle of a foreign country also sounds a bit over the top. But it takes all kinds to make this world. I, however, could not forgive the author for not making full use of the place where most of the story takes place. You would expect mysterious stories, supernatural beings, curses and traps when it comes to an ancient lost civilizations but except for the lone case of the jaguar following the brothers, there wasn't much. And it all seemed nicely tied up in the end - like a Hindi movie - what with Max, an atheist, breathing his last after gazing upon the Lippy Madonna, all the brothers coming together as a family, Sally falling in love with Tom and the chief's wife giving the brothers the inheritance that was greedily kept by her husband. I was expecting either Julian or Borabay to be revealed as villains. Alas! That was not to be.
Well, all's well that ends well. But I must say that I was a bit riled when Max tells Vernon that if someone wants your money then the religion that they are preaching is bullshit and that it does not cost anything to pray in a church. Huh? Does the author really believe that any religion is represented by the people who preach it? What about the Vatican and its various scandals then? It doesn't cost anything to pray in any place of God - be it a temple, a mosque, a church, a synagogue or a gurudwara. In fact, you can pray within the four walls of your home and it won't cost you a cent. If God is omnipresent surely He can hear you from anywhere. But if you go for middlemen you will get swindled in any religion. Why take an oblique potshot at a particular religion?
Seriously, that was totally uncalled-for. On a positive note, the last few pages made me curious about Lippy Madonna so I checked on the net. It is a beautiful painting - one that fills you up with peace and joy, no matter what your religion.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment