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The Reluctant Alchemist
What if magic is real?
What if in order to save your daughter's life you had to forget everything you think is true and trust in an unseen world?
The Reluctant Alchemist is the story of Morgan Gardiner whose life is turned upside down after an encounter with a stranger. She is then forced to harness daunting new powers and confront her demons in order to save her little girl...but can she do it in time?
A fictionalized memoir based on real events and told with the help of Cathryn's Upaguru, Lila Das, it is one woman's story of finding the power that resides in each and every one of us.
Cathryn Abbott Jones is a therapist specializing in trauma transformation and transcension, a meditation guide, author, coach, mother and former trailing spouse. It is her prayer that this story will ignite a knowing in her readers that leads to their own discoveries of the magic that lies waiting within. You can connect with her on her website, liladas.com. Originally from New Orleans, she has lived all over the world and currently resides in the mountains of Southern California with her daughter, son and their dog, Ollie.
What if in order to save your daughter's life you had to forget everything you think is true and trust in an unseen world?
The Reluctant Alchemist is the story of Morgan Gardiner whose life is turned upside down after an encounter with a stranger. She is then forced to harness daunting new powers and confront her demons in order to save her little girl...but can she do it in time?
A fictionalized memoir based on real events and told with the help of Cathryn's Upaguru, Lila Das, it is one woman's story of finding the power that resides in each and every one of us.
Cathryn Abbott Jones is a therapist specializing in trauma transformation and transcension, a meditation guide, author, coach, mother and former trailing spouse. It is her prayer that this story will ignite a knowing in her readers that leads to their own discoveries of the magic that lies waiting within. You can connect with her on her website, liladas.com. Originally from New Orleans, she has lived all over the world and currently resides in the mountains of Southern California with her daughter, son and their dog, Ollie.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 10, 2020
About the author
Cathryn Jones
4 books2 followersCathryn Abbott Jones is a therapist specializing in trauma transformation and transcension, a meditation guide, author, coach, mother and former trailing spouse. It is her prayer that this story will ignite a knowing in her readers that leads to their own discoveries of the magic that lies waiting within. You can connect with her on her website, liladas.com. Originally from New Orleans, she has lived all over the world and currently resides in the mountains of Southern California with her daughter, son and their dog, Ollie.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 20, 2021
Loved this book! So well written and creative, Cathryn Jones takes us off the well-worn mainstream path onto a path altogether different. This one is less traveled (apologies to Robert Frost), and allows us to reluctantly experience something that is both transformative and transcendent. Lila Das, the author's alter ego of sorts, allows us to shadow the life of an every day trailing spouse and her family in an effort to encourage us to find the beauty and power within us all by exposing us to the magic that exists in every day life. Bravo!
August 24, 2026
The Reluctant Alchemist by Cathryn Jones is the story of Morgan Gardiner, your everyday woman, navigating being a mother and a wife. She is then forced to learn how to accept and control daunting new powers and confront her inner demons in order to save her little girl.
This is the premise that caught my attention; however, The Reluctant Alchemist did not meet my expectations. I will admit I was expecting a little more fantasy to go along with the human/heartfelt part of Morgan's story, based on the description of the book.
What I did not enjoy:
Taking the book in its entirety, there were a lot of positives; however, it did take the author a while to reach what I perceive to be the engaging story. I found myself only really enjoying the story when Daisy meets Luke, and the stakes get higher. I felt disconnected from the story throughout the first half of the book. I feel that a few of the storylines took me out of Morgan's world; for example, her marriage as well as Jeff. I understand Jeff will most likely play a big part in her future, but it did not make a lot of sense in my opinion.
What I did enjoy:
I really enjoyed the way in which the author explores Morgan's past lives and how visiting the past teaches you how to navigate your present. I particularly enjoyed the strong female characters used for Morgan's past lives (a few you might know). The life of Cassandra was my favourite. I also enjoyed the small glimpse into a future life we received and would have liked to explore that story more. I also really enjoyed one or two of Morgan's Spirit Guides; the idea of a consciousness helping you navigate your world was relatable (everyone could use a little voice guiding us). The muses were particularly entertaining and added to the enjoyment of the story.
I rated The Reluctant Alchemist a 3 out of 5 stars because the overall theme or idea is a good one that could result in a multi-book series; however, the execution could be better. I only picked up 2 spelling or grammar errors, which is a testament to good editing.
I would recommend this book for people who enjoy a slow-paced story for easy reading with a few laughs. The reader should also be able to mentally navigate many stories happening simultaneously. If you enjoy a drama with a dash of supernatural, this book is for you
This is the premise that caught my attention; however, The Reluctant Alchemist did not meet my expectations. I will admit I was expecting a little more fantasy to go along with the human/heartfelt part of Morgan's story, based on the description of the book.
What I did not enjoy:
Taking the book in its entirety, there were a lot of positives; however, it did take the author a while to reach what I perceive to be the engaging story. I found myself only really enjoying the story when Daisy meets Luke, and the stakes get higher. I felt disconnected from the story throughout the first half of the book. I feel that a few of the storylines took me out of Morgan's world; for example, her marriage as well as Jeff. I understand Jeff will most likely play a big part in her future, but it did not make a lot of sense in my opinion.
What I did enjoy:
I really enjoyed the way in which the author explores Morgan's past lives and how visiting the past teaches you how to navigate your present. I particularly enjoyed the strong female characters used for Morgan's past lives (a few you might know). The life of Cassandra was my favourite. I also enjoyed the small glimpse into a future life we received and would have liked to explore that story more. I also really enjoyed one or two of Morgan's Spirit Guides; the idea of a consciousness helping you navigate your world was relatable (everyone could use a little voice guiding us). The muses were particularly entertaining and added to the enjoyment of the story.
I rated The Reluctant Alchemist a 3 out of 5 stars because the overall theme or idea is a good one that could result in a multi-book series; however, the execution could be better. I only picked up 2 spelling or grammar errors, which is a testament to good editing.
I would recommend this book for people who enjoy a slow-paced story for easy reading with a few laughs. The reader should also be able to mentally navigate many stories happening simultaneously. If you enjoy a drama with a dash of supernatural, this book is for you
February 27, 2024
A deep and personal story
This book is a creative look at a complex inner world that challenges ideas about polarities like good and evil.
This book is a creative look at a complex inner world that challenges ideas about polarities like good and evil.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews