Daniel Davidsohn

There's just something about this book that keeps me from liking it - I keep picking it up and putting it back down again. The first portion of the book that centers around Alan and Julian is interesting enough but it just seemed to skip from barely scraping by to now they're insanely rich although the methods of how they got there definitely made short work of point A to point B. Julian is as he said - ignorant or just turns a blind eye to Alan and his reactions seem underwhelming considering all of Alan's actions. In my eyes Alan is exceedingly deplorable and doesn't have a single redeeming quality besides the fact that he is a cunningly smart gambler (which I would assume is the point). This portion of the book may only serve as laying the background for the two men with direct ties to Christel.

Christel is strong and a survivor after the life that Alan subjected her to - albeit not personally but through one of his many projects. Her "otherworldly goddess" type beauty is entirely to overdone to really be believable, yes there are insanely beautiful people in the world but she sounds more akin to a succubus than a human woman. Overall the main characters in the story were excessive in the qualities that made them unique - Alan's deviousness, Julian's kindness, Christel's beauty. The supporting characters were akin to a revolving door which didn't allow them to really support the main characters or flesh out their characters.

The story skips around entirely to often from person to person and in doing so prevents a connection being made with any one of the characters. A Goddess Among Men covers to broad of a swath of time to do any portion of it the proper world and/or character building deserved. The synopsis of the book made it sound like the book would be more about Christel than it really is, I may have made the wrong assumption in that she would be the main focal character. A Goddess Among Men does have the bones to become a great story but I believe that it would be a more realistic story if told solely from Christel's perspective and she had to wade through not only her past but also her father's and the history of Reid & Welch itself. The comeuppance of Reid & Welch's activities is saved until the very, very last portion of the book; it was only a singular event, even though it was catastrophic in nature it wasn't like every aspect of the business was spinning out of control from corruption.

This book had the potential to be a great novel - it just didn't work well for me personally. Despite that I think that if you enjoy historical fiction, corporate/industrial espionage and secret government programs you might enjoy this book. Thank you to the author Daniel Davidsohn and Goodreads for hosting the giveaway for a digital copy of A Goddess Among Men - all opinions are my own.… (meer)

Alan Reid and Julian Welch have both found themselves in the Amazon rainforest in 1907 in search of their fortunes in the form of rubber. Both men are extremely motivated, but that is where their similarities end. Alan is ruthless, manipulative and not afraid to break any rules. Julian is kind-hearted, genuine and charismatic. They form a dangerous partnership that pays off through a series of not-so-legal transactions on Alan's part. The Reid & Welch empire is born and expands through the years to a multi-billion dollar corporation. Upon Julian's death he attempts to assure his daughter, Christel's as heir to the empire by having Alan adopt her. However, Alan has other plans for Christel and places her in a secret program. As Alan nears death, he tracks down Christel and prepares to hand over everything. Christel does not balk and takes on the challenge, turning the immense wealth into something good. Years later, a property in the Amazon that Reid & Welch owns begins trouble for everything that Christel has built for her family.
A Goddess Among Men is a generational family saga reaching over a century. The plot was intense and high stakes keeping the story at a good pace. Moving from the Amazon Jungle to New York City and back again definitely kept things interesting. The point of view was from the third person, which didn't really allow me to feel close to any of the characters, however most of the characters were not especially likable people. I would have loved to know more of Alan and Julien's backstories and what motivated them to be the type of people they became. Christel's story was by far the most intriguing. I couldn't imagine being raised in a training program and used how she was and coming out anything near ok. Christel's amazing sense of self, confidence and struggles to do better than those who came before her shine through. I was engaged in her decisions with taking over Reid & Welch and righting the wrongs of the past. As the story moved back to the Amazon, I was intrigued by the environmental issues and impacts. Overall, a compelling story of the implications of power and wealth, especially when in the wrong hands.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (meer)