Cury aims to encourage people to rise above their problems, enact change and seek improvement in their lives. Message heard,...
A mysterious traveler and his disciples provide enlightenment in Cury’s second book in the Dreamseller series (The Dreamseller: The Calling, 2011).
The Dreamseller is a modern-day philosopher whose journey helps others realize that what mankind has produced is often more harmful than good, but humans have the power to change for the better. Liberated from his own past, he uses teachable moments to gently point out many of the failures that we as individuals and societies have created: a value system that teaches that when we give, we should expect to receive something in return; an educational system that fails to encourage students to engage in critical thinking; a social system that deems some people more important than others. Whether his group is dining at the home of amputees or performing for the most hardened criminals, this modern-day messiah has a message to impart, and very few of these are messages that you haven’t already heard. What makes this book distinct isn’t necessarily the message; it’s the way the writer chooses to convey each message. Cury, an award-winning Brazilian author, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, is out to espouse his views, and he’s created an excellent vessel for doing so. Instead of a dry, textbook approach, he employs a ragtag crew of relatable and amusing characters who bring their own spin to the story, the “anonymous” heroes. These disciples have all traveled different paths and include former sociology professor Julio Cesar and two buffoonish alcoholics, Bartholomew (Honeymouth) and Barnabas (the Mayor), who provide comic relief and exhibit undying loyalty when they risk their own lives to aid their Master during a life-threatening situation. But the characters, situations and twists (most of which are fairly predictable, but not all) are only a means to an end.
Cury aims to encourage people to rise above their problems, enact change and seek improvement in their lives. Message heard, loud and clear.Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4391-9605-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942
ISBN: 0060652934
Page Count: 53
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943
Hoffman (The Red Garden, 2011, etc.) births literature from tragedy: the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple, the siege of Masada and the loss of Zion.
This is a feminist tale, a story of strong, intelligent women wedded to destiny by love and sacrifice. Told in four parts, the first comes from Yael, daughter of Yosef bar Elhanan, a Sicarii Zealot assassin, rejected by her father because of her mother's death in childbirth. It is 70 CE, and the Temple is destroyed. Yael, her father, and another Sicarii assassin, Jachim ben Simon, and his family flee Jerusalem. Hoffman's research renders the ancient world real as the group treks into Judea's desert, where they encounter Essenes, search for sustenance and burn under the sun. There too Jachim and Yael begin a tragic love affair. At Masada, Yael is sent to work in the dovecote, gathering eggs and fertilizer. She meets Shirah, her daughters, and Revka, who narrates part two. Revka's husband was killed when Romans sacked their village. Later, her daughter was murdered. At Masada, caring for grandsons turned mute by tragedy, Revka worries over her scholarly son-in-law, Yoav, now consumed by vengeance. Aziza, daughter of Shirah, carries the story onward. Born out of wedlock, Aziza grew up in Moab, among the people of the blue tunic. Her passion and curse is that she was raised as a warrior by her foster father. In part four, Shirah tells of her Alexandrian youth, the cherished daughter of a consort of the high priests. Shirah is a keshaphim, a woman of amulets, spells and medicine, and a woman connected to Shechinah, the feminine aspect of God. The women are irretrievably bound to Eleazar ben Ya'ir, Masada's charismatic leader; Amram, Yael's brother; and Yoav, Aziza's companion and protector in battle. The plot is intriguingly complex, with only a single element unresolved. An enthralling tale rendered with consummate literary skill.
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1747-4
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
