Goddess among Men - Libroj.org

444 paĝoj

Lingvo: English

Eldonita je 17-a de decembro 2020 de Independently Published.

ISBN:: 979-8-6292-9421-4

(1 recenzo)

From the primitive ruggedness of the Amazon rainforest to the privileged society of New York, three generations experience triumph and tragedy in this saga of loyalty, corruption, greed . . . but one woman has the power to change it all.

In 1907, Julian Welch and Alan Reid meet by chance in the jungles of the Amazon attracted by the riches of the rubber boom. Pioneers in an era of uncertainty, they form an unlikely alliance and establish the foundation for a successful empire, Reid & Welch. However, with Julian's death, the empire is left to Alan, as is the responsibility for Julian's newborn daughter, Christel.

Yet for Christel, there’s no growing up as a privileged heiress. Instead, Alan subjects her to a life few endure, much less overcome. Through her will to survive and being as uncompromising as she is beautiful, Christel puts the horrors of her past behind …

From the primitive ruggedness of the Amazon rainforest to the privileged society of New York, three generations experience triumph and tragedy in this saga of loyalty, corruption, greed . . . but one woman has the power to change it all.

In 1907, Julian Welch and Alan Reid meet by chance in the jungles of the Amazon attracted by the riches of the rubber boom. Pioneers in an era of uncertainty, they form an unlikely alliance and establish the foundation for a successful empire, Reid & Welch. However, with Julian's death, the empire is left to Alan, as is the responsibility for Julian's newborn daughter, Christel.

Yet for Christel, there’s no growing up as a privileged heiress. Instead, Alan subjects her to a life few endure, much less overcome. Through her will to survive and being as uncompromising as she is beautiful, Christel puts the horrors of her past behind her and begins to build a seemingly bright future. But when the success built on corruption starts to crumble, Christel will be forced to address the past or pay for the sins of the fathers.

1 eldono

Stephanie Jane recenzis Goddess among Men de Daniel Davidsohn

An epic family story

3 steloj

A Goddess Among Men is an epic family story which takes readers from the emergence of the Brazilian rubber industry in the Amazon rainforest at the beginning of the 20th century to present day environmental concerns about the potentially irreversible destruction of what remains of that same rainforest. The novel focuses first on treasure hunting business partners Alan and Julian as they establish the beginnings of what will become a wealthy global empire. I enjoyed reading about their exploits, immoral though they frequently are, and was intrigued by the interactions between these two very different men.

Despite its Goddess title, the narrative is always driven by male action with the women's characters usually being decorative or sexual, something I found particularly disturbing in scenes of Christel's early teenage years. (This novel should carry a child sex abuse trigger warning.) Christel herself was a difficult character for me to understand as …

A Goddess Among Men is an epic family story which takes readers from the emergence of the Brazilian rubber industry in the Amazon rainforest at the beginning of the 20th century to present day environmental concerns about the potentially irreversible destruction of what remains of that same rainforest. The novel focuses first on treasure hunting business partners Alan and Julian as they establish the beginnings of what will become a wealthy global empire. I enjoyed reading about their exploits, immoral though they frequently are, and was intrigued by the interactions between these two very different men.

Despite its Goddess title, the narrative is always driven by male action with the women's characters usually being decorative or sexual, something I found particularly disturbing in scenes of Christel's early teenage years. (This novel should carry a child sex abuse trigger warning.) Christel herself was a difficult character for me to understand as her motivations often seemed at odds with what we were told about her. I was surprised at how swiftly adult Christel relinquished control to men she had only just met. I would have expected a lot less trust considering her past experiences, and I would have appreciated her being allowed to blossom into a strong independent woman rather than a rich one who perpetually allows herself to be rescued.

That said, A Goddess Among Men is an unusual story that doesn't follow the usual thriller formula so I was keen to find out how everything would finally resolve itself. Davidsohn is good at establishing historical atmosphere by including pertinent details of fashions and culture of the periods. He always keeps his tale moving forward at a fast pace too so the book feels exciting to read and there is a lot going on to keep readers guessing.