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Las memorias del Águila y del Jaguar #2
El reino del dragón de oro
Unas meses después que el joven Alexander Cold se internara con su abuela en el corazón del Amazonas en busca de una legendaria Bestia, vivirá otra aventura. En esta ocasión, la reportera Kate Cold acompaña a su nieto y a Nadia, la mejor amiga de Alexander, junto con los fotógrafos de la International Geographic, en un viaje a otro remoto rincón del mundo. La misión del equipo es adentrarse en un reino prohibido, oculto en los picos helados del Himalaya, y localizar el legendario dragón de oro, una estatua sagrada y oráculo invaluable capaz de presagiar el futuro del reino.
En su carrera para llegar a la estatua antes de que sea destruida por la avaricia de un intruso, Alexander y Nadia deben usar el poder espiritual de sus animales totémicos: el Jaguar y el Águila. Con la ayuda de un sabio monje budista, su joven discípulo, el príncipe heredero, y una feroz tribu de guerreros Yeti, Alexander y Nadia lucharán para proteger el reino del dragón de oro.
En su carrera para llegar a la estatua antes de que sea destruida por la avaricia de un intruso, Alexander y Nadia deben usar el poder espiritual de sus animales totémicos: el Jaguar y el Águila. Con la ayuda de un sabio monje budista, su joven discípulo, el príncipe heredero, y una feroz tribu de guerreros Yeti, Alexander y Nadia lucharán para proteger el reino del dragón de oro.
432 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2003
628 people are currently reading
10025 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Allende
271 books44.9k followersIsabel Allende Llona is a Chilean-American novelist. Allende, who writes in the "magic realism" tradition, is considered one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. She has written novels based in part on her own experiences, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myth and realism together. She has lectured and done extensive book tours and has taught literature at several US colleges. She currently resides in California with her husband. Allende adopted U.S. citizenship in 2003.
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July 31, 2021
ايزابيل الليندي ورواية مُصنفة ضمن أدب الناشئين
وهي الجزء الثاني من ثلاثية " ذكريات النسر والچاجوار
مغامرة مشوقة في مملكة التنين الذهبي على جبال الهيمالايا
مملكة صغيرة ومُسالمة يزورها مجموعة من الشخصيات المختلفة
كل منهم يبحث عن التنين الذهبي لكن مع اختلاف النوايا والمقاصد
ينتقل الحكي بين الأماكن والأحداث والحكايات والمعتقدات
في رحلة تمزج بين الخيال والأساطير وتحتفي بجمال الطبيعة
ونظرة تقدير لتنوع الكائنات واحترام كل أشكال الحياة
وهي الجزء الثاني من ثلاثية " ذكريات النسر والچاجوار
مغامرة مشوقة في مملكة التنين الذهبي على جبال الهيمالايا
مملكة صغيرة ومُسالمة يزورها مجموعة من الشخصيات المختلفة
كل منهم يبحث عن التنين الذهبي لكن مع اختلاف النوايا والمقاصد
ينتقل الحكي بين الأماكن والأحداث والحكايات والمعتقدات
في رحلة تمزج بين الخيال والأساطير وتحتفي بجمال الطبيعة
ونظرة تقدير لتنوع الكائنات واحترام كل أشكال الحياة
March 31, 2016
The Kingdom of the Golden Dragon by bestselling author Isabel Allende is, quite simply put, a terribly bad book. The plot is utterly predictable and cliched; the characters uninteresting and uni-dimensional; and the writing bored me to tears (it may be better in the original Spanish, but I very much doubt it). The book is marketed as "young adult", but I doubt whether any discerning youngster would be enthused by it.
The story is simple. Big Bad Americans want to steal the legendary Golden Dragon from small Himalayan kingdom. This plot is thwarted by Brave Young American, his friend and grandmother, with help from a fighting monk, the prince of the kingdom and an army of Yetis. Good things happen to the good guys and bad things to the bad guys and all ends well.
The jacket blurb calls it an "Indiana Jones-style adventure", and I would tend to agree. But whatever the Indiana Jones movies lack in the way of intelligent content, they make up in sheer pulse-pounding excitement: something which is conspicuous by its absence here. From the first page, you know exactly where the story is meandering to. It is like a slow train journey where the start and destination are known, you only have to get through the torture of the actual trip!
But for brainlessness and a total lack of knowledge of Asian culture and religions, the book can compete with Edgar Rice Burroughs and Indiana Jones. It seems to me that Ms. Allende draws all her knowledge of India from outdated guidebooks and adventure stories of yore. Picture the following scene:
Fiction
young Alexander Cold and his grandma, Kate Cold, come out of New Delhi airport and is immediately mobbed by beggars. They somehow make their way to the hotel through similar hordes of beggars, which is a haven of peace with peacocks fluttering on the lawns and armed guards guarding the gate! It is also mentioned that the hotel was the former palace of an Indian prince who still stays there! Alexander Cold, out of "compassion" for the poor beggars camping outside the gates, goes out to give them some money and is immediately mobbed and almost trampled to death by the greedy ungrateful wretches. Then another American rushes out of the hotel, grabs a gun from one guards, and fires a few salvos into the air when the mob disappears!
Fact
Even though India has a lot of poverty and there are a lot many beggars, they don't line the streets all the way from the airport (in fact, it would be difficult to find beggars anywhere near the airport and main roads). And they don't camp outside hotels, ready to mob any tourist venturing outside-their begging schedules are much too full! Begging is a serious profession in India! As for the hotel with peacock-filled lawns, it may be some hotels in Rajasthan that the author may be meaning: there are no lavish palaces in New Delhi, nor are there any princes. And the legal possession of firearms by civilians is near-impossible in India: Tex Armadillo's caper of firing off a few shots into the air would have definitely landed him in the chokey.
To think that this drivel was written in 2003: it would have been insulting had it not been so ludicrous!
It is stated that the king of the Forbidden Kingdom (where the Golden Dragon resides) is a Buddhist: but their religion seems to be a strange mix of Buddhism, Hinduism, Tao and New Age science, with a liberal mix of martial arts and metaphysics (the original Buddha avoided speculative metaphysics like the plague). The powers gained by the monk Tensing through meditation are extraordinary, making him almost superhuman. I knew from the beginning that the poor villains didn't stand a chance. And also, there is the Scorpion Sect who seek immunity from the venom of their namesake by taking small bites from childhood onwards. Their bodies are blue-black in colour due to the venom, their teeth red due to the constant chewing of betel nuts, and they kidnap girls to produce male offspring to join their foul band (the female children are killed at birth). They worship the goddess Kali, of course (the poor goddess cannot cast off the image of the evil pagan deity, it seems, even in the 21st century!).
Not recommended for anybody; adult, young adult, or child.
The story is simple. Big Bad Americans want to steal the legendary Golden Dragon from small Himalayan kingdom. This plot is thwarted by Brave Young American, his friend and grandmother, with help from a fighting monk, the prince of the kingdom and an army of Yetis. Good things happen to the good guys and bad things to the bad guys and all ends well.
The jacket blurb calls it an "Indiana Jones-style adventure", and I would tend to agree. But whatever the Indiana Jones movies lack in the way of intelligent content, they make up in sheer pulse-pounding excitement: something which is conspicuous by its absence here. From the first page, you know exactly where the story is meandering to. It is like a slow train journey where the start and destination are known, you only have to get through the torture of the actual trip!
But for brainlessness and a total lack of knowledge of Asian culture and religions, the book can compete with Edgar Rice Burroughs and Indiana Jones. It seems to me that Ms. Allende draws all her knowledge of India from outdated guidebooks and adventure stories of yore. Picture the following scene:
Fiction
young Alexander Cold and his grandma, Kate Cold, come out of New Delhi airport and is immediately mobbed by beggars. They somehow make their way to the hotel through similar hordes of beggars, which is a haven of peace with peacocks fluttering on the lawns and armed guards guarding the gate! It is also mentioned that the hotel was the former palace of an Indian prince who still stays there! Alexander Cold, out of "compassion" for the poor beggars camping outside the gates, goes out to give them some money and is immediately mobbed and almost trampled to death by the greedy ungrateful wretches. Then another American rushes out of the hotel, grabs a gun from one guards, and fires a few salvos into the air when the mob disappears!
Fact
Even though India has a lot of poverty and there are a lot many beggars, they don't line the streets all the way from the airport (in fact, it would be difficult to find beggars anywhere near the airport and main roads). And they don't camp outside hotels, ready to mob any tourist venturing outside-their begging schedules are much too full! Begging is a serious profession in India! As for the hotel with peacock-filled lawns, it may be some hotels in Rajasthan that the author may be meaning: there are no lavish palaces in New Delhi, nor are there any princes. And the legal possession of firearms by civilians is near-impossible in India: Tex Armadillo's caper of firing off a few shots into the air would have definitely landed him in the chokey.
To think that this drivel was written in 2003: it would have been insulting had it not been so ludicrous!
It is stated that the king of the Forbidden Kingdom (where the Golden Dragon resides) is a Buddhist: but their religion seems to be a strange mix of Buddhism, Hinduism, Tao and New Age science, with a liberal mix of martial arts and metaphysics (the original Buddha avoided speculative metaphysics like the plague). The powers gained by the monk Tensing through meditation are extraordinary, making him almost superhuman. I knew from the beginning that the poor villains didn't stand a chance. And also, there is the Scorpion Sect who seek immunity from the venom of their namesake by taking small bites from childhood onwards. Their bodies are blue-black in colour due to the venom, their teeth red due to the constant chewing of betel nuts, and they kidnap girls to produce male offspring to join their foul band (the female children are killed at birth). They worship the goddess Kali, of course (the poor goddess cannot cast off the image of the evil pagan deity, it seems, even in the 21st century!).
Not recommended for anybody; adult, young adult, or child.
April 12, 2017
Otra excelente aventura, esta vez desarrollada en las hermosas montañas del Tibet. Las memorias del Águila y el Jaguar tienen algo que me recuerda a las aventuras de Tintín; lugares recónditos y poco conocidos del mundo, protagonistas con un sentido del bien y la justicia muy marcados y bastante habilidosos, muchos momentos de comedia, algunos sucesos fantasiosos, y una moraleja con mensaje de protección hacia el ambiente y las diferentes culturas del mundo. Aunque yo no calificaría a este libro como juvenil, sino más bien como infantil, esto no le quita méritos, y hace que lo ame más.
En esta ocasión conoceremos nuevos personajes como el Príncipe Dil Bahadur, y su honorable maestro el monje Tensing, que mostraran un poco de su mundo, las artes marciales, el budismo, la meditación y el reino prohibido, ellos junto con Pema llegan a ser más principales en la historia que los mismos protagonistas de la trilogía Nadia y Alex.
En fin si tu corazón esta ávido de entusiasmos, y de travesías a mundos distantes, de seguro este es un libro para ti, yo por mi parte estoy ansioso de leer el final de esta trilogía.
En esta ocasión conoceremos nuevos personajes como el Príncipe Dil Bahadur, y su honorable maestro el monje Tensing, que mostraran un poco de su mundo, las artes marciales, el budismo, la meditación y el reino prohibido, ellos junto con Pema llegan a ser más principales en la historia que los mismos protagonistas de la trilogía Nadia y Alex.
En fin si tu corazón esta ávido de entusiasmos, y de travesías a mundos distantes, de seguro este es un libro para ti, yo por mi parte estoy ansioso de leer el final de esta trilogía.
December 19, 2022
Wonderful magical realism from Isabel Allende.
If you are into life in the Himalayas, Buddhist monks, princes, two highly adventurous young people - Alexander and Nadia, Alexander's fearless grandmother Kate, dragons, evil people and lots of action, then this is the book for you.
And as for the Yeti warriors. All I can say is my!
I cannot wait to read the third book in this trilogy.
What sheer unadulterated escapism ...
If you are into life in the Himalayas, Buddhist monks, princes, two highly adventurous young people - Alexander and Nadia, Alexander's fearless grandmother Kate, dragons, evil people and lots of action, then this is the book for you.
And as for the Yeti warriors. All I can say is my!
I cannot wait to read the third book in this trilogy.
What sheer unadulterated escapism ...
March 17, 2019
Tras las cuatro estrellas del primero, otras cuatro para este segundo libro de la "Trilogía del águila y el jaguar" que esta vez nos lleva al Himalaya.
September 29, 2019
الرواية جزء ثاني من مدينة البهائم ..ولكن بعيداً عن عوالم الهنود الحمر وغابات الأمازون .. هنا يذهب ألكس وناديا وكات إلى أرض الهنود الحقيقيين ، ثم إلى جبال الهيمالايا حيث مملكة التنين الذهبي التي تعيش حياة قديمة لم تلوثها التكنولوجيا والحضارة الحديثة بعد .. وسط الرهبان البوذيين والأديرة وهضبة التبت المقدسة.
الرواية من نوع المغامرات والفانتازيا ويظهر فيها الإمكانيات الروحية للرهبان البوذيين وقدراتهم القتالية الخاصة ، وحبهم حتى لأعدائهم وكرههم للقتل .. وشخصياً أستمتع بالحضارات القديمة والمعتقدات الدينية للقارة الأسيوية أكثر من غيرها من القارات.. لذلك وجدت هذا الجزء أفضل وأكثر إمتاعاً من سابقه.
لا أنصح بقراءة هذه الرواية قبل مدينة البهائم بالطبع لأن هناك إرتباط كبير بالجزء السابق.
الرواية من نوع المغامرات والفانتازيا ويظهر فيها الإمكانيات الروحية للرهبان البوذيين وقدراتهم القتالية الخاصة ، وحبهم حتى لأعدائهم وكرههم للقتل .. وشخصياً أستمتع بالحضارات القديمة والمعتقدات الدينية للقارة الأسيوية أكثر من غيرها من القارات.. لذلك وجدت هذا الجزء أفضل وأكثر إمتاعاً من سابقه.
لا أنصح بقراءة هذه الرواية قبل مدينة البهائم بالطبع لأن هناك إرتباط كبير بالجزء السابق.
April 4, 2020
“Nada en el mundo es permanente, todo cambia, se descompone, muere y se renueva en otra forma; por lo tanto aferrarse a las cosas de este mundo es inútil y causa sufrimiento.”
“El reino del dragón de oro” es el segundo libro de la trilogía Memorias del Águila y el Jaguar” y he de decir que me ha gustado más que el primero.
Nos adentramos de nuevo en una historia llena de fantasía y realismo mágico característico de Allende, y en donde nuestros personajes favoritos, Alexander y Nate, se enfrentan a una nueva aventura en el continente asiático. En esta oportunidad les tocará luchar contra la avaricia, la injusticia, la ambición de los hombres que quieren robar la estatua sagrada del dragón de oro. Juntos, y con otros increíbles personajes, harán lo imposible por recuperar y salvar a un pequeño pueblo escondido.
Allende nos presente una cultura conservadora y pura, junto a gente amigable y tradicional, incluso nos nos muestra un poco del budismo y la belleza que significa ver y entender la vida.
Quizás los primeros capítulos son algo lentos, pero una vez que comienza la acción es difícil dejar de leer, ya que a medida que corren las páginas nos sentimos metidos de lleno en esta aventura.
En cuanto a la ambientación, cambia radicalmente. En La ciudad de las bestias nos encontrábamos en un clima tropical y caluroso con la fauna propia de la zona. En esta segunda parte nos transporta al Himalaya, su frío glacial y sus increíbles montañas.
Como el anterior libro, “El Reino del Dragón de Oro” se emplea un lenguaje sencillo y la trama no presenta grandes giros argumentales, pero tiene capítulos bastantes curiosos y mágicos que han sido una delicia leer.
En definitiva, una muy buena continuación.
100% recomendado
“El afecto no necesita la presencia del otro para manifestarse. La separación entre los seres también es ilusoria, puesto que todo está unido en el universo. Nuestros espíritus siempre estarán juntos.”
“El reino del dragón de oro” es el segundo libro de la trilogía Memorias del Águila y el Jaguar” y he de decir que me ha gustado más que el primero.
Nos adentramos de nuevo en una historia llena de fantasía y realismo mágico característico de Allende, y en donde nuestros personajes favoritos, Alexander y Nate, se enfrentan a una nueva aventura en el continente asiático. En esta oportunidad les tocará luchar contra la avaricia, la injusticia, la ambición de los hombres que quieren robar la estatua sagrada del dragón de oro. Juntos, y con otros increíbles personajes, harán lo imposible por recuperar y salvar a un pequeño pueblo escondido.
Allende nos presente una cultura conservadora y pura, junto a gente amigable y tradicional, incluso nos nos muestra un poco del budismo y la belleza que significa ver y entender la vida.
Quizás los primeros capítulos son algo lentos, pero una vez que comienza la acción es difícil dejar de leer, ya que a medida que corren las páginas nos sentimos metidos de lleno en esta aventura.
En cuanto a la ambientación, cambia radicalmente. En La ciudad de las bestias nos encontrábamos en un clima tropical y caluroso con la fauna propia de la zona. En esta segunda parte nos transporta al Himalaya, su frío glacial y sus increíbles montañas.
Como el anterior libro, “El Reino del Dragón de Oro” se emplea un lenguaje sencillo y la trama no presenta grandes giros argumentales, pero tiene capítulos bastantes curiosos y mágicos que han sido una delicia leer.
En definitiva, una muy buena continuación.
100% recomendado
“El afecto no necesita la presencia del otro para manifestarse. La separación entre los seres también es ilusoria, puesto que todo está unido en el universo. Nuestros espíritus siempre estarán juntos.”
January 29, 2009
Isabel Allende is one of my favorite authors and I wasn't sure how I would react to a book that seemed to be written in response and on the coat-tails of the multi-series sci-fi/fantasy books such as the Harry Potter series.
This book does not disappoint, but I would not place it anywhere near
the authors more mature and sophisticated books such as "Daughter of Fortune" and "The House of the Spirits." My critisism comes from direct comparison to books that author has already written. If I had read "Kingdom of the Dragon" before anything else, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more than I did.
Isabell Allende is a great story teller, but I found this story to be too over the top. Rather than containing the plot and exploring the story, the story seems to unravel itself too quickly taking on the components of a typical Hollywood Action Movie. It almost seems overproduced in a way. The story starts off strong, but as more characters are introduced the plot seems to start spinning out of control to the point that I got drawn out of the story. Obviously, this is a work of fiction, but the story would have been a much better read if the author would have kept control of the story instead of letting the story exaggerate itself on its own; particularly towards the end where everything lines up in perfect symetry like the ending of aa Indiana Jones flick.
I finished the book in a day, but it was like eating a Big Mac. I was full, but not very satisfied.
This book does not disappoint, but I would not place it anywhere near
the authors more mature and sophisticated books such as "Daughter of Fortune" and "The House of the Spirits." My critisism comes from direct comparison to books that author has already written. If I had read "Kingdom of the Dragon" before anything else, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more than I did.
Isabell Allende is a great story teller, but I found this story to be too over the top. Rather than containing the plot and exploring the story, the story seems to unravel itself too quickly taking on the components of a typical Hollywood Action Movie. It almost seems overproduced in a way. The story starts off strong, but as more characters are introduced the plot seems to start spinning out of control to the point that I got drawn out of the story. Obviously, this is a work of fiction, but the story would have been a much better read if the author would have kept control of the story instead of letting the story exaggerate itself on its own; particularly towards the end where everything lines up in perfect symetry like the ending of aa Indiana Jones flick.
I finished the book in a day, but it was like eating a Big Mac. I was full, but not very satisfied.
December 26, 2017
The characters are what makes this book very good in my opinion, especially the women. There is Kate, the weathered international geographic writer with a great love for her grandson and her special vodka tea. There is Nadia from the Amazonian jungle who has an eagle as spiritual animal, which is also why she is sometimes called ‘Eagle’ in the book, but has actually a great fear of heights. This however does not stop her from being extraordinary brave. Finally, there is Pema, who lives in the capital of the forbidden kingdom, and turns out to be maybe the bravest of all people in the book. Isabel Allende is always most successful in writing strong female characters, who go their own way in life, not always impressed by the men who love them. This makes a nice change from a lot of the other YA books, where loving a boy seems to be the biggest occupation of females present. HHHYere is one example from the book which makes this difference very clear. Nadia and Alexander are discussing doing something very dangerous. At a certain point Alexander ‘allows’ Nadia to go along with him, but he tells her to do whatever he tells her to. Her reply to that is that she won’t do everything he says, but will do whatever she thinks is best. Also she tells Alexander that the situation is just as dangerous for him, as it is for her, so she might as well join him, ‘so deal with it,’ I imagined her ending her statement with.
I don’t think the forbidden kingdom is one hundred percent based on a real country, but it does have a lot of similarities with Bhutan, which is also a mountain kingdom in the Himalaya. In Bhutan they also adhere to Buddhism, and Bhutan is sometimes referred to as the ‘forbidden kingdom’, because it is pretty closed off from modern society. I do not know enough about Bhutan and its political system to see how similar it is to the one in the book, but they are both monarchies. For me it is always interesting to see how writers use something we have on this earth, and shape it into something they can use in their stories. It’s the same with the way Isabel weaves spirituality into this adventure story. Supernatural things are happening in this book, but in such a way that they are part of the story from the start, and not as a way to solve a big unsurmountable problem at the end as a ‘deus ex machina’. It does take some suspension of disbelief to go along with the spiritual solution of problems, but once you do it makes this book a wonderful journey through the power of the mind, and the believe that there is actually magic in this world. Also inclusion of those spiritual elements gives the reader some nice ideas to ponder, while enjoying the adventure part of the story.
This is part of the review, read the full review on Bookworms United: https://bookwormsshallruletheworld.wo...
I don’t think the forbidden kingdom is one hundred percent based on a real country, but it does have a lot of similarities with Bhutan, which is also a mountain kingdom in the Himalaya. In Bhutan they also adhere to Buddhism, and Bhutan is sometimes referred to as the ‘forbidden kingdom’, because it is pretty closed off from modern society. I do not know enough about Bhutan and its political system to see how similar it is to the one in the book, but they are both monarchies. For me it is always interesting to see how writers use something we have on this earth, and shape it into something they can use in their stories. It’s the same with the way Isabel weaves spirituality into this adventure story. Supernatural things are happening in this book, but in such a way that they are part of the story from the start, and not as a way to solve a big unsurmountable problem at the end as a ‘deus ex machina’. It does take some suspension of disbelief to go along with the spiritual solution of problems, but once you do it makes this book a wonderful journey through the power of the mind, and the believe that there is actually magic in this world. Also inclusion of those spiritual elements gives the reader some nice ideas to ponder, while enjoying the adventure part of the story.
This is part of the review, read the full review on Bookworms United: https://bookwormsshallruletheworld.wo...
June 17, 2017
Me gusto más que la ciudad de las bestias y me deja ansiosa por leer la 3era parte y conclusión de la saga de Águila y Jaguar.
Me encanto la historia de Dill Bahadur y su maestro Tensing se gano mi corazón, insisto en que al leer estos libros se debe considerar que son aventuras fantásticas en un principio pensadas para niños y adolescentes que aun asi son fácilmente adaptables para cualquier edad siempre y cuándo uno este abierto a lo que va leer.
Una historia muy blanca e imaginativa donde incluso las leyendas pueden volverse realidad y donde nada es imposible. Allende me gusta mucho y con estas historias la reafirmó como mi escritora favorita.
El único pero que le pongo a este libro es el Personaje de Judit bastante predecible.
Me encanto la historia de Dill Bahadur y su maestro Tensing se gano mi corazón, insisto en que al leer estos libros se debe considerar que son aventuras fantásticas en un principio pensadas para niños y adolescentes que aun asi son fácilmente adaptables para cualquier edad siempre y cuándo uno este abierto a lo que va leer.
Una historia muy blanca e imaginativa donde incluso las leyendas pueden volverse realidad y donde nada es imposible. Allende me gusta mucho y con estas historias la reafirmó como mi escritora favorita.
El único pero que le pongo a este libro es el Personaje de Judit bastante predecible.
February 24, 2014
I actually read this book in Spanish and I just couldn't put it down. At first I didn't know it was a second book from a series and had no clue it was her youth books, and yet I found it refreshing. The story of Nadia and Alexander and how their adventures take place was really nice, with insight into lives we couldn't imagine with very little delicacy but a huge impact. Definitely, a good read.
March 14, 2017
Nada espectacular. Realismo mágico? Bueno.
Read
September 2, 2021Summary
This is a thriller and adventure set in the Himalayas, as a nefarious group attempts to steal the legendary and magical artifact, the golden dragon, from a small, remote, peaceful Buddhist kingdom.
The story opens with Tensing, a wise Buddhist monk, and Dil Bahadur, his pupil, who is also a prince of the aforementioned kingdom, left to the monk's tutelage for 12 years from the age of 6, so that he may be well prepared to lead his people when the time comes. The two of them come across a community of Yetis, who are in crisis.
Elsewhere, Alexander Cold returns to New York after the events of the last book, City of the Beasts, with his grandmother Kate. After several months of being back in their old lives, Alexander, Nadia and Kate are reunited in a trip to India, where they get far more excitement and adventure than they had expected.
General Thoughts
I appreciate that the plot was very well-paced and exciting. I appreciated the details in certain parts, especially at the beginning, when Tensing and Dil Bahadur are traveling and we get a sense that anything and everything that must come from an animal—be it food, clothing, or oil—would come from a yak.
And then in other parts, I cringed at the details. (More on this later.)
I liked many of the characters—Tensing and Dil Bahadur I liked from the start, and my liking of them is what carried me through most of the book. Kate felt like a very strong character whom I felt I should like, but for some reason I was fairly ambivalent.
Alexander and Nadia—I felt nothing for these characters. They felt generic and uninteresting. However, I see this as not a flaw in the writing, but a factor of my not having read City of the Beasts, which is where I assume we were supposed to grow to know and love these characters, and carry over that affection into this book.
On the Cringe-Worthy Details
I read several reviews before I read this book, including this one. In essence, this review pointed out that the depiction of India was insulting, the portrayal of Buddhism was more a conglomerate of many different religions lumped together with a bunch of New Age nonsense slapped on top, and Kali is relegated to some sort of evil pagan deity. As you can see in the comments if you choose to read them, I don't quite agree with this reader's vehemently negative perspective.
However.
While I can see what I think was meant where there are descriptions of "mobs" of beggars and what sounds like a nonstop onslaught of people trying to sell things and monkeys everywhere, these descriptions are also more exaggerated and sensationalist than could possibly be accurate. (For instance, there is a depiction where it sounds like a group of beggars is about to murder a teenager by piling on top of him. This sounds ridiculous.) It is true, I think, that this depiction reflects the culture shock of a person who has no familiarity with India. But after this brief depiction, the story moves elsewhere, to the fictional kingdom of the golden dragon. Therefore, this culture-shock-reflective India is the only face of India depicted. This was a little bit off-putting to me, as I imagine it would be to anyone who has affection for the country.
As for the "Buddhism" that isn't really Buddhism—well, I felt no particular annoyance there. In this book, "Buddhism" seems to be a convenient deus ex machina that gives characters any and all powers including clairvoyance, telepathy, complete control of the body, and so on. My frustration was more with the inconsistencies within this story: for instance, though there are passages reflecting on how as Buddhists, they will not harm a single insect and are strictly vegetarian, they are still depicted wearing yak hides. Why they need these hides at all is a mystery to me, since their complete mastery over the physical world should allow them to regulate their own body temperature.
Of course, their detachment from the physical world is only present where convenient. After all, how could we humanize the king and prince if they couldn't fall in love?
I realize that this being a translation, some of the perceived faults may have been more a factor the translation rather than the book itself. But because I cannot read the Spanish, I am left with this text.
Conclusion
It was an interesting story. Allende's writing style is reasonably engaging. The action, the adventure, and the thriller aspects were on point. I regret that I could not enjoy it more, because far too much of the world seemed fictionalized for the enjoyment of a reader who has little or no knowledge of India or Buddhism, save a certain stereotypical and borderline-mystical depiction of the pair.
It's a strange thing, being put off by the fictionalization of real places, where so much of this world is fictionalized. The languages that can be easily learned to talk to animals, the Yetis, the magic and the telepathy—there's so much that is obviously meant to be fiction. So why does it matter that the "real" parts feel fictionalized as well?
I have to conclude that it's simply because this story seems designed to be depicting the intersection of our world and the mystical, it frustrates me when the parts that are ostensibly meant to be depicting "our world" are not a world I quite recognize. That practically everybody has a love interest is also a little off-putting to me—just one of those pet-peeves of mine.
This is a thriller and adventure set in the Himalayas, as a nefarious group attempts to steal the legendary and magical artifact, the golden dragon, from a small, remote, peaceful Buddhist kingdom.
The story opens with Tensing, a wise Buddhist monk, and Dil Bahadur, his pupil, who is also a prince of the aforementioned kingdom, left to the monk's tutelage for 12 years from the age of 6, so that he may be well prepared to lead his people when the time comes. The two of them come across a community of Yetis, who are in crisis.
Elsewhere, Alexander Cold returns to New York after the events of the last book, City of the Beasts, with his grandmother Kate. After several months of being back in their old lives, Alexander, Nadia and Kate are reunited in a trip to India, where they get far more excitement and adventure than they had expected.
General Thoughts
I appreciate that the plot was very well-paced and exciting. I appreciated the details in certain parts, especially at the beginning, when Tensing and Dil Bahadur are traveling and we get a sense that anything and everything that must come from an animal—be it food, clothing, or oil—would come from a yak.
And then in other parts, I cringed at the details. (More on this later.)
I liked many of the characters—Tensing and Dil Bahadur I liked from the start, and my liking of them is what carried me through most of the book. Kate felt like a very strong character whom I felt I should like, but for some reason I was fairly ambivalent.
Alexander and Nadia—I felt nothing for these characters. They felt generic and uninteresting. However, I see this as not a flaw in the writing, but a factor of my not having read City of the Beasts, which is where I assume we were supposed to grow to know and love these characters, and carry over that affection into this book.
On the Cringe-Worthy Details
I read several reviews before I read this book, including this one. In essence, this review pointed out that the depiction of India was insulting, the portrayal of Buddhism was more a conglomerate of many different religions lumped together with a bunch of New Age nonsense slapped on top, and Kali is relegated to some sort of evil pagan deity. As you can see in the comments if you choose to read them, I don't quite agree with this reader's vehemently negative perspective.
However.
While I can see what I think was meant where there are descriptions of "mobs" of beggars and what sounds like a nonstop onslaught of people trying to sell things and monkeys everywhere, these descriptions are also more exaggerated and sensationalist than could possibly be accurate. (For instance, there is a depiction where it sounds like a group of beggars is about to murder a teenager by piling on top of him. This sounds ridiculous.) It is true, I think, that this depiction reflects the culture shock of a person who has no familiarity with India. But after this brief depiction, the story moves elsewhere, to the fictional kingdom of the golden dragon. Therefore, this culture-shock-reflective India is the only face of India depicted. This was a little bit off-putting to me, as I imagine it would be to anyone who has affection for the country.
As for the "Buddhism" that isn't really Buddhism—well, I felt no particular annoyance there. In this book, "Buddhism" seems to be a convenient deus ex machina that gives characters any and all powers including clairvoyance, telepathy, complete control of the body, and so on. My frustration was more with the inconsistencies within this story: for instance, though there are passages reflecting on how as Buddhists, they will not harm a single insect and are strictly vegetarian, they are still depicted wearing yak hides. Why they need these hides at all is a mystery to me, since their complete mastery over the physical world should allow them to regulate their own body temperature.
Of course, their detachment from the physical world is only present where convenient. After all, how could we humanize the king and prince if they couldn't fall in love?
I realize that this being a translation, some of the perceived faults may have been more a factor the translation rather than the book itself. But because I cannot read the Spanish, I am left with this text.
Conclusion
It was an interesting story. Allende's writing style is reasonably engaging. The action, the adventure, and the thriller aspects were on point. I regret that I could not enjoy it more, because far too much of the world seemed fictionalized for the enjoyment of a reader who has little or no knowledge of India or Buddhism, save a certain stereotypical and borderline-mystical depiction of the pair.
It's a strange thing, being put off by the fictionalization of real places, where so much of this world is fictionalized. The languages that can be easily learned to talk to animals, the Yetis, the magic and the telepathy—there's so much that is obviously meant to be fiction. So why does it matter that the "real" parts feel fictionalized as well?
I have to conclude that it's simply because this story seems designed to be depicting the intersection of our world and the mystical, it frustrates me when the parts that are ostensibly meant to be depicting "our world" are not a world I quite recognize. That practically everybody has a love interest is also a little off-putting to me—just one of those pet-peeves of mine.
January 13, 2023
Заради доброто старо време не мога да се пречупя и да намаля съвсем звездите, но отново имам чувството,че историческите романи, които така майсторски ни отнасяха в колониално Чили, за да ни срещнат с многопластови и симпатични образи, поставени в интересни ситуации, са писани от друг човек .
Ок, нека това е литература за подрастващи, но няма нужда да е толкова предвидима и клиширана.
За втори път разпищолени американци се опитват да осквернят магично място, като в случая целят да откраднат религиозен артефакт.
Допускам,че за децата този роман би имал своя чар.
Ок, нека това е литература за подрастващи, но няма нужда да е толкова предвидима и клиширана.
За втори път разпищолени американци се опитват да осквернят магично място, като в случая целят да откраднат религиозен артефакт.
Допускам,че за децата този роман би имал своя чар.
February 19, 2025
Het is meer dan een maand sinds ik dit las maar ik denk nog steeds wel eens aan hoe verschrikkelijk slecht ik dit vond
August 23, 2021
3,75 estrellitas ★
Seguimos las aventuras de Nadia y Alex, los cuales siguen creciendo en esta aventura.
Sigo enamorada de la forma en que Allende nos describe los lugares y las cosas: Nueva York y Nueva Delhi, parece que viajas junto a ellos en cada hoja. Me fascinó leer sobre Nueva Delhi porque la autora nos va contando sobre el lugar, la cultura y no hay algo más lindo y enriquecedor que conocer otras culturas. Toca también un tema delicado como la trata de niñas (situación que viven Nadia y Pema)
Nadia y Alex en este libro tienen algunos choques por sus personalidades. Los dos pasaron y viven cosas diferentes, y esto se puede ver cuando los dos se cuestionan o cambian opiniones sobre una situación o una experiencia vivida. Esto no opaca para nada la hermosa relación de compañerismo y amistad que ellos tienen. Es perfecta tal cual es. Los amé demasiado de nuevo.
Puntos en contra esta vuelta es que, pude prever muy fácil quienes eran los villanos esta vuelta. Sentí que la autora volvió a utilizar la misma fórmula que en el primer libro. Y personalmente lo sentí un poco más lento que su antecesor.
Lo mejor del libro: sus últimas 100 hojas son geniales.
"- Somos lo que pensamos. Todo lo que somos surge de nuestros pensamientos. Nuestros pensamientos construyen el mundo"
Seguimos las aventuras de Nadia y Alex, los cuales siguen creciendo en esta aventura.
Sigo enamorada de la forma en que Allende nos describe los lugares y las cosas: Nueva York y Nueva Delhi, parece que viajas junto a ellos en cada hoja. Me fascinó leer sobre Nueva Delhi porque la autora nos va contando sobre el lugar, la cultura y no hay algo más lindo y enriquecedor que conocer otras culturas. Toca también un tema delicado como la trata de niñas (situación que viven Nadia y Pema)
Nadia y Alex en este libro tienen algunos choques por sus personalidades. Los dos pasaron y viven cosas diferentes, y esto se puede ver cuando los dos se cuestionan o cambian opiniones sobre una situación o una experiencia vivida. Esto no opaca para nada la hermosa relación de compañerismo y amistad que ellos tienen. Es perfecta tal cual es. Los amé demasiado de nuevo.
Puntos en contra esta vuelta es que, pude prever muy fácil quienes eran los villanos esta vuelta. Sentí que la autora volvió a utilizar la misma fórmula que en el primer libro. Y personalmente lo sentí un poco más lento que su antecesor.
Lo mejor del libro: sus últimas 100 hojas son geniales.
November 4, 2020
مغامرة جميلة وممتعة تغوص بنا في الجبال بسحرها وغموضها واسرارها والطبيعة وروعتها واخر الشعوب المتناغمة مع الطبيعة والرافضة للعالم الحديث و المستمتعة ببساطتها وتقاليدها وحياتها الرتيبة ...
الرواية تكرار لأرض البهائم في قصتها وعمقها مع اختلاف الاماكن فقط ..الجشع البشري هو السيد في كلا الروايتان وما يمكن ان يسببه ويصل اليه ويدمره من اجل غايته ..
وايضا الرواية محاولة للتفكير بطريقة تسمو بنا من جشعنا وطمعنا والتفكر في الطبيعة والعالم والكون الذي يجب ان نتناغم ونتعايش مع مخلوقاته قبل فوات الاوان .
الرواية تكرار لأرض البهائم في قصتها وعمقها مع اختلاف الاماكن فقط ..الجشع البشري هو السيد في كلا الروايتان وما يمكن ان يسببه ويصل اليه ويدمره من اجل غايته ..
وايضا الرواية محاولة للتفكير بطريقة تسمو بنا من جشعنا وطمعنا والتفكر في الطبيعة والعالم والكون الذي يجب ان نتناغم ونتعايش مع مخلوقاته قبل فوات الاوان .
March 16, 2015
El primero: La ciudad de las bestias.
Es una novela escrita por la escritora chilena Isabel Allende. En el 2002 es un libro para lectores adolescentes pero creo que se acomoda perfecto a toda edad. No solo por la calidad de la aventura que se vive en ella, si no porque muestra realidades de otras culturas y como el tener un corazón limpio te permite entrar en un nivel de percepción diferente.
Es la primera parte de la trilogía Las memorias del Águila y el Jaguar. Las otras partes son El reino del dragón de oro y El bosque de los pigmeos.
Confesión 1: había leído otro libro de esta autora cuando estaba estudiando y me pareció demasiado político y ofensivo. Pero después de leer esto, vi el otro lado, el más abierto y menos interno. Y me gustó.
El Segundo: El reino del dragón de oro.
No podría empezar mejor. El Valle de los Yetis, es el primer capitulo y de entrada te llena de una mezcla de cultura real, sobrenatural y mística. Los lectores frecuentes de mi blog, sabrán que me siento especialmente fascinada por este tipo de culturas, creencias y aspectos de los que llevan una vida que prioriza el hecho de que somos espíritu ante que cualquier otra cosa. Los siguientes capítulos van entre raptos, tradiciones, problemas sociales, diferencias de idiosincrasia, estafas, luchas de poder y amor. Mucho amor. Y no solo amor de pareja, amor de varios tipos y en distintos grados.
Confesión 2: publíquese, archívese y anótese, este libro paso ha ser uno de mis favoritos. La combinación realidad espiritual y la práctica de la misma en lenguaje simple, cercano y empático, ha hecho de él, uno de mis queridos.
Lamentablemente tuve que devolverlos jaja y no pude sacar las fotos correspondientes, pero les deje las imágenes. Se nos viene “La Suma De Los Días” y ese es otro tema, ajaj.Pero les adelanto: me he pillado riendo en la micro con algunos de sus temas.
Es una novela escrita por la escritora chilena Isabel Allende. En el 2002 es un libro para lectores adolescentes pero creo que se acomoda perfecto a toda edad. No solo por la calidad de la aventura que se vive en ella, si no porque muestra realidades de otras culturas y como el tener un corazón limpio te permite entrar en un nivel de percepción diferente.
Es la primera parte de la trilogía Las memorias del Águila y el Jaguar. Las otras partes son El reino del dragón de oro y El bosque de los pigmeos.
Confesión 1: había leído otro libro de esta autora cuando estaba estudiando y me pareció demasiado político y ofensivo. Pero después de leer esto, vi el otro lado, el más abierto y menos interno. Y me gustó.
El Segundo: El reino del dragón de oro.
No podría empezar mejor. El Valle de los Yetis, es el primer capitulo y de entrada te llena de una mezcla de cultura real, sobrenatural y mística. Los lectores frecuentes de mi blog, sabrán que me siento especialmente fascinada por este tipo de culturas, creencias y aspectos de los que llevan una vida que prioriza el hecho de que somos espíritu ante que cualquier otra cosa. Los siguientes capítulos van entre raptos, tradiciones, problemas sociales, diferencias de idiosincrasia, estafas, luchas de poder y amor. Mucho amor. Y no solo amor de pareja, amor de varios tipos y en distintos grados.
Confesión 2: publíquese, archívese y anótese, este libro paso ha ser uno de mis favoritos. La combinación realidad espiritual y la práctica de la misma en lenguaje simple, cercano y empático, ha hecho de él, uno de mis queridos.
Lamentablemente tuve que devolverlos jaja y no pude sacar las fotos correspondientes, pero les deje las imágenes. Se nos viene “La Suma De Los Días” y ese es otro tema, ajaj.Pero les adelanto: me he pillado riendo en la micro con algunos de sus temas.
December 13, 2009
A good story, once it gets going
I have to admit that I really struggled with this book, and nearly gave up, several times, during the first hundred pages or so. I am glad that I persisted, because it is quite a good story.
What really irritated me, early on, were the stupidly ridiculous situations which were being put before me. For example, a teenage girl arrives at JFK with her pet monkey in a cardboard box; it escapes and causes havoc, but she is allowed to continue through to the transit lounge with her pet running free. She gets through Heathrow in much the same manner, to arrive at her final destination, New Delhi. As a friend of mine was almost arrested for having an apple in his baggage when he arrived at an American airport, I found this totally unbelievable.
I was perfectly happy with shape-shifting, communication between humans and animals by telepathy and alliances being formed with yetis, but the event described above and the idea of a teenager running away to a Himalayan mountain top, and surviving, were just too much for me. Perhaps I am odd!
Anyway, the book is worth reading for the story, particularly, I think, for teenagers and young adults.
In the first few chapters, I would have rated it with only one or two stars. Eventually, I liked it, and gave it three.
I have to admit that I really struggled with this book, and nearly gave up, several times, during the first hundred pages or so. I am glad that I persisted, because it is quite a good story.
What really irritated me, early on, were the stupidly ridiculous situations which were being put before me. For example, a teenage girl arrives at JFK with her pet monkey in a cardboard box; it escapes and causes havoc, but she is allowed to continue through to the transit lounge with her pet running free. She gets through Heathrow in much the same manner, to arrive at her final destination, New Delhi. As a friend of mine was almost arrested for having an apple in his baggage when he arrived at an American airport, I found this totally unbelievable.
I was perfectly happy with shape-shifting, communication between humans and animals by telepathy and alliances being formed with yetis, but the event described above and the idea of a teenager running away to a Himalayan mountain top, and surviving, were just too much for me. Perhaps I am odd!
Anyway, the book is worth reading for the story, particularly, I think, for teenagers and young adults.
In the first few chapters, I would have rated it with only one or two stars. Eventually, I liked it, and gave it three.
May 11, 2014
Excelente libro. Me devolvio la admiracion que sentia por Isabel Allende. Es superinteresante, porque te adentra en la cultura de los monjes tibetanos y el budismo en si; describiendo sus origenes y la manera que se ha conservado hasta hoy en dia. Tambien, ahonda sobre la cultura asiatica en general. La narracion te engancha desde la primera pagina y los personajes son excelentes, con cada quien tomando su papel y desempeñandolo de la menjor manera. Ademas, tiene ese realismo magico de aventura, que te anima a seguir leyendo e impresionarte. No le di 5 estrellas porque me parecio predecible un personaje, pero del resto es una excelente recomendacion para el que le gustan los generos: aventura y realismo magico.
November 27, 2018
Sentí que repitiendo el primer libro de la trilogía.
Si bien el escenario cambio y algunos de los personajes también, la situación entre los libros (mas allá de los personajes principales) son similares.
La chica mas linda es la "malvada", algunos de los personajes son secuestrados y un pueblo escondido es descubierto.
No puedo negar que me divertí leyendo la historia, si le falto algún giro diferentes y fue en extremo predecible.
Si bien el escenario cambio y algunos de los personajes también, la situación entre los libros (mas allá de los personajes principales) son similares.
La chica mas linda es la "malvada", algunos de los personajes son secuestrados y un pueblo escondido es descubierto.
No puedo negar que me divertí leyendo la historia, si le falto algún giro diferentes y fue en extremo predecible.
March 6, 2014
Okay, 3.5. It had sooooooo much potential and a lot of things were done right, but... It lacked excitement. Still good tho. I'll read the last one in the series later.
August 16, 2018
Genial aventura de este par 😁 en esta segunda entrega. Espléndida mixtura de aventura, acción y espiritualidad.
Los nuevos personajes me han gustado mucho. En lo que se refiere a la trama mantiene la estructura de la primera entrega, está bien 👍🏽
Disfruto mucho la prosa de Isabel Allende.
Voy por la tercera.
Algunos de los extractos que resalté:
“Nuestros pensamientos forman lo que suponemos que es la realidad.”
“Tenga usted felicidad». —Tampo kachi —dijo.” /quiero memorizar este saludo 😃
“Para los budistas del Reino Prohibido el camino de la salvación era siempre individual y se basaba en la compasión hacia todo lo que existe.La teoría de nada servía sin la práctica. Se podía corregir el rumbo y apresurar los resultados con un buen guía, un mentor o un oráculo.”
“...pero presumir se consideraba una muestra imperdonable de mala educación.”
“Los extranjeros notaron que todos hablaban con vaguedad. Las palabras más frecuentes eran «tal vez» y «posiblemente», con lo cual se evitaban opiniones fuertes y confrontación. Eso dejaba una salida honorable, en caso que las partes no estuvieran de acuerdo.”
“Son palabras de Buda: «El cambio debe ser voluntario, no impuesto.”
“El entrenador de elefantes necesita cinco virtudes, Dil Bahadur: buena salud, confianza, paciencia, sinceridad y sabiduría —dijo el lama sonriendo.
—Olvidé las cinco virtudes. En este momento me falla la salud porque perdí la confianza al pisar. Perdí la confianza porque iba apurado, no tuve paciencia. Al negarle a usted que cojeaba, falté a la sinceridad. En resumen, estoy lejos de la sabiduría, maestro.”
“Sabían que el peor enemigo, así como la mayor ayuda, suelen ser los propios pensamientos.”
“...el dolor produce tensión y resistencia, lo cual bloquea la mente y reduce la capacidad natural de curación. Además de anestesiar, la acupuntura activaba el sistema inmunológico del cuerpo.”
“—Somos lo que pensamos. Todo lo que somos surge de nuestros pensamientos. Nuestros pensamientos construyen el mundo —dijo el monje telepáticamente.”
“Debían ver al enemigo como un maestro que les daba la oportunidad de controlar sus pasiones y aprender algo sobre sí mismos. La perspectiva de agredir nunca se les había presentado antes.”
“Que todos los seres vivientes tengan buena fortuna, que ninguno experimente sufrimiento.” /excelente deseo, lo quiero memorizar 😆
“Al filtrarse en la espesura los primeros rayos de sol, la luz irrumpió dorada, como espesa miel, despertando a los monos y los pájaros en un coro alborotado.” /Que arte tienen esta mujer para escribir, puedo leer esta líneas decenas de veces sin aburrirme 😍
Los nuevos personajes me han gustado mucho. En lo que se refiere a la trama mantiene la estructura de la primera entrega, está bien 👍🏽
Disfruto mucho la prosa de Isabel Allende.
Voy por la tercera.
Algunos de los extractos que resalté:
“Nuestros pensamientos forman lo que suponemos que es la realidad.”
“Tenga usted felicidad». —Tampo kachi —dijo.” /quiero memorizar este saludo 😃
“Para los budistas del Reino Prohibido el camino de la salvación era siempre individual y se basaba en la compasión hacia todo lo que existe.La teoría de nada servía sin la práctica. Se podía corregir el rumbo y apresurar los resultados con un buen guía, un mentor o un oráculo.”
“...pero presumir se consideraba una muestra imperdonable de mala educación.”
“Los extranjeros notaron que todos hablaban con vaguedad. Las palabras más frecuentes eran «tal vez» y «posiblemente», con lo cual se evitaban opiniones fuertes y confrontación. Eso dejaba una salida honorable, en caso que las partes no estuvieran de acuerdo.”
“Son palabras de Buda: «El cambio debe ser voluntario, no impuesto.”
“El entrenador de elefantes necesita cinco virtudes, Dil Bahadur: buena salud, confianza, paciencia, sinceridad y sabiduría —dijo el lama sonriendo.
—Olvidé las cinco virtudes. En este momento me falla la salud porque perdí la confianza al pisar. Perdí la confianza porque iba apurado, no tuve paciencia. Al negarle a usted que cojeaba, falté a la sinceridad. En resumen, estoy lejos de la sabiduría, maestro.”
“Sabían que el peor enemigo, así como la mayor ayuda, suelen ser los propios pensamientos.”
“...el dolor produce tensión y resistencia, lo cual bloquea la mente y reduce la capacidad natural de curación. Además de anestesiar, la acupuntura activaba el sistema inmunológico del cuerpo.”
“—Somos lo que pensamos. Todo lo que somos surge de nuestros pensamientos. Nuestros pensamientos construyen el mundo —dijo el monje telepáticamente.”
“Debían ver al enemigo como un maestro que les daba la oportunidad de controlar sus pasiones y aprender algo sobre sí mismos. La perspectiva de agredir nunca se les había presentado antes.”
“Que todos los seres vivientes tengan buena fortuna, que ninguno experimente sufrimiento.” /excelente deseo, lo quiero memorizar 😆
“Al filtrarse en la espesura los primeros rayos de sol, la luz irrumpió dorada, como espesa miel, despertando a los monos y los pájaros en un coro alborotado.” /Que arte tienen esta mujer para escribir, puedo leer esta líneas decenas de veces sin aburrirme 😍
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2018
La seconda avventura di Aquila e Giaguaro, una lettura piacevole e divertente, un libro scritto per ragazzi ma che si fa leggere tranquillamente anche dagli adulti. Splendida la descrizione di un piccolo mondo estraneo alle comodità odierne, l'unico paese al mondo in cui l'ecologia era molto più importante dell'economia. Stupende fotografie del pensiero buddista, che la Allende racconta con termini elementari.
"Il cambiamento deve essere volontario e non imposto. Tutti possiamo cambiare, ma nessuno può obbligarci a farlo."
"Quante volte ti ho detto di non credere a tutto quello che senti? Cerca la tua di verità."
"Affronta gli ostacoli a mano amano che ti si presentano: non sprecare energie per paura di quello che ti può accadere dopo."
"Il cambiamento deve essere volontario e non imposto. Tutti possiamo cambiare, ma nessuno può obbligarci a farlo."
"Quante volte ti ho detto di non credere a tutto quello che senti? Cerca la tua di verità."
"Affronta gli ostacoli a mano amano che ti si presentano: non sprecare energie per paura di quello che ti può accadere dopo."
December 18, 2021
This was also super super fun, I always liked stories that are set in the world of Tibet or Mongolia so this was awesome.
Alexander Cold, Kate Cold and Nadia Santos are off again but this time to find more information on a secret Golden Dragon statue, but once again things get out of control when Nadia and some girls from the village and other neighboring villages get stolen form a creepy sect of a religious cult originally from India.
Alexander is determined to find out why this is happening now, and why this creepy American man name Tex Armadillo is also their snooping around.
While a loyal Monk and the next Emperor of the kingdom make friends with real Yetis and soon become friends with Alexander and Nadia due to her escape from the cult.
While Kate tracks them down, Alexandr and Nadia get to meet the Yetis while the Monk and Prince unfold the mysteries of a inside job of taking the Golden Dragon through a cunning woman who has posed as a landscaper for the older Emperor and is actually tricking him and paying Tex to help her steel it from the kingdom.
With a fighting Monk and Prince and full Yeti Army, Alexander and Nadia go to keep the statue from leaving the country and things happen.
a new Emperor is crowned and a new wife, Alexander, Nadia and Kate are now very important guests and the bad lady is now a primate monk.
This was my favorite out of the three books, I enjoyed this so, so much!
representation for the cultures mentioned was very accurate.
Alexander Cold, Kate Cold and Nadia Santos are off again but this time to find more information on a secret Golden Dragon statue, but once again things get out of control when Nadia and some girls from the village and other neighboring villages get stolen form a creepy sect of a religious cult originally from India.
Alexander is determined to find out why this is happening now, and why this creepy American man name Tex Armadillo is also their snooping around.
While a loyal Monk and the next Emperor of the kingdom make friends with real Yetis and soon become friends with Alexander and Nadia due to her escape from the cult.
While Kate tracks them down, Alexandr and Nadia get to meet the Yetis while the Monk and Prince unfold the mysteries of a inside job of taking the Golden Dragon through a cunning woman who has posed as a landscaper for the older Emperor and is actually tricking him and paying Tex to help her steel it from the kingdom.
With a fighting Monk and Prince and full Yeti Army, Alexander and Nadia go to keep the statue from leaving the country and things happen.
a new Emperor is crowned and a new wife, Alexander, Nadia and Kate are now very important guests and the bad lady is now a primate monk.
This was my favorite out of the three books, I enjoyed this so, so much!
representation for the cultures mentioned was very accurate.
May 17, 2010
I haven't really finished this book, but I have only 20 pages to go and will probably finish them tonight as I have the test on it tommorow.
Let's see... this book. Meh.
If you want to read this book, know two things; first off, if you have finished reading the 50 page first chapter, you have accomplished a feat worthy of applaud. The first chapter = bad.
But the rest of the book is fairly tolerable. The second thing is that Isabel Allende is no genius. She took a cliché topic, wasted it on "The City of the Beasts" and then re-wasted it on "The Kingdom of the Golden Dragon." Fine, she intended this to be a young adult book. I think she misreads the name "young adult." Most 14 year olds will not be in for a novel like this; some of its ideas are so abstract (yet cliché, cliché, cliché) that they might bore some. She took a young adult topic and wrote how she is accostumed to write. Adult bestseller. Which is NOT young adult. A neat explanation to why this book did not become a bestseller.
What I think is funny is that Isabel Allende is so obvious in her desperate desire to be considered something more than an "author of bestsellers." That's funny.
I'm sorry that this review has been so... inconclusive. So I guess I should round it up. What this book is is a good topic that we have all read before, bad writing that we have all read before, yet it's not the kind of book that is simply impossible to finish. Not at all. In some parts, it was fairly amusing, although entertaining might be a stretch. Obvious things are unecessarily repeated every 100 pages, provoking a "dude, do you friggin' have Alzheimer's? You already said that!" The unrealistically obvious characters and names can be obnoxious at times.
So, in conclusion, you could do better than pick this book. But it won't be suicidal. Although if you read "The City of the Beasts" it could be debatable. (Do you notice how even the TITLES are similar? How easy is that?)
Let's see... this book. Meh.
If you want to read this book, know two things; first off, if you have finished reading the 50 page first chapter, you have accomplished a feat worthy of applaud. The first chapter = bad.
But the rest of the book is fairly tolerable. The second thing is that Isabel Allende is no genius. She took a cliché topic, wasted it on "The City of the Beasts" and then re-wasted it on "The Kingdom of the Golden Dragon." Fine, she intended this to be a young adult book. I think she misreads the name "young adult." Most 14 year olds will not be in for a novel like this; some of its ideas are so abstract (yet cliché, cliché, cliché) that they might bore some. She took a young adult topic and wrote how she is accostumed to write. Adult bestseller. Which is NOT young adult. A neat explanation to why this book did not become a bestseller.
What I think is funny is that Isabel Allende is so obvious in her desperate desire to be considered something more than an "author of bestsellers." That's funny.
I'm sorry that this review has been so... inconclusive. So I guess I should round it up. What this book is is a good topic that we have all read before, bad writing that we have all read before, yet it's not the kind of book that is simply impossible to finish. Not at all. In some parts, it was fairly amusing, although entertaining might be a stretch. Obvious things are unecessarily repeated every 100 pages, provoking a "dude, do you friggin' have Alzheimer's? You already said that!" The unrealistically obvious characters and names can be obnoxious at times.
So, in conclusion, you could do better than pick this book. But it won't be suicidal. Although if you read "The City of the Beasts" it could be debatable. (Do you notice how even the TITLES are similar? How easy is that?)
May 12, 2020
Iš savo mylimos pasakotojos tikėjausi daugiau, nors ir iš karto turėjau įtarimą, kad šis žanras Isabel Allende galėtų netikti. Knyga labai pusėtina istorijos prasme. Tikėjausi, kad ji primins pasaką, tačiau veikiau buvo panaši į ne pačios geriausios kokybės bajavyką, rodomą per kabelinę televiziją. Labiausiai erzino, kad ko tik herojai nesiimtų - viskas pavyksta iš pirmo karto nuostabiai ir be didelių pastangų. Tai praktiškai elminavo bet kokią intrigą ar baimę dėl jų ateities ir tolimesnių įvykių. Labai greitai pasidarė tieisog nuobodu. Patys veikėjai pasirodė gana plokšti (kas nebūdinga šiai žodžio meistrei). Tiesa, neskaičiau pirmosios šios knygų serijos dalies, gal joje būčiau radusi daugiau personažų gelmės (nors iš nuolatinių veikėjų prisiminimų ir referavimų į ją suprantu, kad ten taip pat vyko uber mega wow fantastiški reikalai su minimaliomis pastangomis, tad tikriausiai nė nebandysiu aiškintis).
Galbūt objektyviai vertinant knyga nėra tokia bloga, kaip man pasirodė, ir paauglių literatūrą mėgstantiems galėtų patikti. Vis tik man asmeniškai, labai mėgstančiai Allende dėl kitų jos knygų, tai buvo visiškai ne tai, ko joje ieškojau ir tikėjausi.
Galbūt objektyviai vertinant knyga nėra tokia bloga, kaip man pasirodė, ir paauglių literatūrą mėgstantiems galėtų patikti. Vis tik man asmeniškai, labai mėgstančiai Allende dėl kitų jos knygų, tai buvo visiškai ne tai, ko joje ieškojau ir tikėjausi.
April 12, 2012
Otro viaje junto a Jaguar y Águila, desmintiendo las dudas y mentiras sobre mitos y leyendas, haciendo real la existencia de seres tales como los Yetis.
Llena de aventura, el libro te mantiene distraído lo suficiente, aunque no me ha gustado tanto como la ciudad de las bestias, la historia está llena de datos interesantes, me encanta la forma en como Isabel te envuelve en la misión de descubrir culturas interesantes, su sentido fantástico, en donde nada es imposible, en donde además existe un punto de reflexión y una metáfora del ser humano en su andar por la etapa de crecimiento de la niñez a la adultez, los protagonistas son en cada nueva aventura, seres más espirituales, humanos, aventureros, audaces y tolerantes a los obstáculos que surgen en la vida.
El reino del dragón rojo, tiene momentos predecibles, pero todo es recompensable con momentos mágicos y emocionantes de los personajes.
Llena de aventura, el libro te mantiene distraído lo suficiente, aunque no me ha gustado tanto como la ciudad de las bestias, la historia está llena de datos interesantes, me encanta la forma en como Isabel te envuelve en la misión de descubrir culturas interesantes, su sentido fantástico, en donde nada es imposible, en donde además existe un punto de reflexión y una metáfora del ser humano en su andar por la etapa de crecimiento de la niñez a la adultez, los protagonistas son en cada nueva aventura, seres más espirituales, humanos, aventureros, audaces y tolerantes a los obstáculos que surgen en la vida.
El reino del dragón rojo, tiene momentos predecibles, pero todo es recompensable con momentos mágicos y emocionantes de los personajes.
November 26, 2013
Kingdom of the Golden Dragon” has the same issue as the other two novels from the “Eagle and Jaguar” triology, in that it is terrible in every way. Plot, character, writing, development,… you name it and it is a catastrophe. This book has the specific honour of being easily the worst one of the 3 and thus a complete and utter train wreck not that there was anything left to be saved in the other two. The whole thing is supposed to take place in a made up country, one that I found resembles Bhutan, no idea whether this was intentional or not. Probably not considering the occasionally moronic statements this novel makes about Buddhism. I hope that it wasn’t set in Bhutan because that would not only make this a bad novel but a reprehensible one as well considering the regime that it defends if the setting is really inspired by Bhutan.
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