FILMING CASTANEDA: THE HUNT FOR MAGIC AND REASON [Paperback]

GABY GEUTER (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 2004

Life borders on fiction in thisdaring and true story of secretly videotaping Carlos Castaneda, one of the mostreclusive writers of the sixties. With over 120 previously unpublishedphotographs and other archival material, this unauthorized first-hand accountallows a rare glimpse into the controversial world of Castaneda. It adds themissing face to the man that managed to stay in the shadows for over fortyyears.?When the self-proclaimed sorcerer slips intoGaby Geuter?s life, she suddenly believes herself tobe at the gateway of knowledge. Tentatively she follows a trail of magicalbreadcrumbs that begins in private classes and public seminars, but eventuallyleads her to tracking the master to his home. In a twist of irony the teacherbecomes the subject of his own teachings and Gaby the unintentional witness tothe last years of Castaneda?s life. In the sobering months of his ingloriousend, the author discovers that all along, the answers to her lifelong searchwere inside of her.Call it a poignant memoir, asuspenseful novel, a poetic tribute to the mysterious man, or a spiritualdetective story, ultimately it is the ballad of one woman?s bold quest offinding the road home.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gaby Geuter lived in Germany andSpain before settling with her daughter in Los Angeles. A painter andperformance artist in the 1980?s, she now writes and grows vegetables? in California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (March 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141404612X
• ISBN-13: 978-1414046129
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,029,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not just bad - almost humorously bad., March 2, 2006

By 

SMapadatha "SMapadatha" (Sri Jayawerdenepura) - See all my reviews

This review is from: FILMING CASTANEDA: THE HUNT FOR MAGIC AND REASON (Paperback)

There are very few books this bad that actually get into print. Amy Wallace's book does have some insight, because Wallace did had a relationship with Castaneda. But Geuter's book can't have any insight because she had no more knowledge or contact with Castaneda than any of the thousands of people who attended his workshops over the years. Geuter is one those small, sad people who will follow *any* celebrity around in the hope of scamming something out of it.

The "previously unpublished photographs" in the book consist mainly of small, grainy pictures of Castaneda and company entering and leaving Castaneda's house. That's it. The pictures have brilliant captions like "Carlos in front of his house" and "Taisha in front of Pandora Gate". Wow!

Geuter's writing is actually hilarious because she obviously considers herself a cross between Leslie Stahl and Eudora Welty. Here's a quote from the first chapter:

"I was searching one slow seething afternoon, driven by memories of empty choking village Sundays when after church service and lunch not even the linden trees ventured to stir..." (sentence continues for several years.)

Or:

"Another subtle season in the city appears when the asphalt on the street bubbles in the lick of the sun oozing a smell utterly place specific."

The book consists almost entirely of gems like that. She doesn't even seem to understand the basic rules of English grammar, or how to logically connect two ideas together. In fact, reading the book, you get the clear impression that she really has no interest in Castaneda, but is kind of a spokesperson for creative writing classes at the Learning Annex.

Geuter's formula seems to have been:

1) Alimony + generous gifts from male companions. The only clear photo in the book is one of herself, with a caption that states that she was a "performance artist" in the 80's, and now lives in California with her daughter and grows vegetables. I'm guessing that generous gifts from a string of male companions has supplemented the vegetable growing.

2) Follow celebrities around in the hope of turning a "Brush with Greatness" into a book deal.

This book is only interesting if you have ever wondered what goes through the "mind" of one of the infinite number of discarded professional girlfriends who live in and around L.A. Hey! There might be a book in that!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Woeful prose, March 21, 2007

By 

Noah108 - See all my reviews

This review is from: FILMING CASTANEDA: THE HUNT FOR MAGIC AND REASON (Hardcover)

There are some bits of information here for hardcore Carlosites. But the writing is beyond bizarre. Terribly written, evidently unedited, plagued by a secondary personal narrative that begs to be skipped over, it would have been infinitely better if Gaby had followed Castaneda's dictum of erasing personal history and stuck to the topic at hand. English is evidently not her first language, grammar and spelling errors are the rule rather than the exception. The book is inadvertantly hilarious in places but does make a nice afterward or forward to Amy Wallace's more compelling and better written tell all. If you're interested in the rise and fall of Carlos and his inner circle you'll want to read FILMING CASTANEDA. Keep your expectations low and you might not be too disappointed.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprise!, June 15, 2004

By 

"powellmyv" (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: FILMING CASTANEDA: THE HUNT FOR MAGIC AND REASON (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading this book immensely. I did not expect to find an engrossing story written with expertise about the author's interaction with Carlos Castaneda, the man of many mysteries. Having never met Castaneda, but only read his books, it was tremendously interesting peeking into his everyday life and seeing photographs of him and the people surrounding him.
What struck me was how Carlos never noticed the two people following him around secretly for two years. And realising the all to human end of the magical creature that I had assembled in my mind was sobering, yet somehow comforting. I also appreciated the restraint of the author of not adding any second hand information to her book. All in all, I can heartily recommend this book. A good read, satisfying the mind and the heart.