Customer Reviews

Lady in Blue

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Javier Sierra, New York Times bestselling author with "The secret supper" comes again with a story about Sister María Jesús de Ágreda, who appeared more than 500 times to the Jumano Indians of New Mexico and converted them to Christianity--without ever leaving her monastery in Spain. (The Inquisition suspected her of witchcraft.)

This character driven thriller hurls itself into the reader's consciousness at break-neck speed, and before the reader realizes it, the book holds the reader in its thrall: hook, line, and sinker. For those readers who love historical detail and accuracy in description, this is definitely a fascinating book that will hold their interest. The book is written in clear, effortless prose, which makes the 'hardest' sci-fi details surprisingly easy to understand.

'The Lady in Blue' delivers everything a reader would want in a thriller - and more. Perfect for vacation or weekend reading, this 352 page novel will keep readers entertained from start to finish.

What are the connections between the visions seen recently by Jennifer Narody, Carlos Albert and by the Mexican Jumano tribe some 300 years ago? Is it possible that the Lady in Blue is a sixteenth century nun with powers of bilocation? And why is the US Department of Defense interested?

Mr Sierra's novel is based in part on Sister María de Jesús who lived in Spain (1602 to 1665. An old Spanish historical mystery awakens the interest of a number of people including several cardinals in Rome. The novel is based on a famous legend that a strange Lady in Blue appeared to the Native Americans, informing them of the arrival of the first Conquistadores. The Conquistadores initially believed she was the Virgin of Guadalupe.

This novel is an interesting blend of legend and mystery, belief and fact. To some extent, the reader needs to decide where the boundaries are. For me, it was the action, rather than the characters that created the momentum in this novel. The Chronovision Project caught my attention, and I would love to read more about it.

This is not a particularly light read, but - depending on your views and values - it can be a rewarding one.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I have heard that spirit has the ability to appear in 2 places at once. This book is about bilocation, but about a living nun 400 years ago who could appear in SW America and facilitate the conversion to Christianity of Native Americans. The Catholic Church has been studying how this bilocation occurred to see the possiblilties of replacating it. Turns out there really was something called Chronovision (chrono means year in Greek) - that can go back in time and hear the actions and sometimes take photos of the actions in the past. One of the creators is censored, after he speaks to a magazine talking about their progress on this top secret project. This book also deals with synchronicity - one of my favorite words - where everything comes together - is interelated - A journalist who wants to know God exists, and follows signs he is given, a lady who dreams of the Lady in Blue and can see beyond her dreams. And the work of God in mysterious and very cool ways.
This is a wonderful book. It is based on fact of occurances in the past of sightings and although I haven't researched the people Sierra says really have tried to duplicate Chronovision, lists them for reference.
Cannot wait for the next Sierra book to be translated.

Javier Sierra's "The Lady in Blue" is an intriguing "eye-opener" intertwining historical and scientific research with his own experience of amazing synchronicities. His remarkable novel focuses on the mysterious phenomenon of bilocation, or teleportation, and involves historical records of the Inquisition concerning the strange case of Sister María de Jesús de Ágreda, a 17th century Spanish nun. Through her miraculous apparitions to natives in the New World, she brought about their peaceful conversion to Catholicism before the arrival of Spanish missionaries--although she never physically left her convent in Spain. Sierra's skillfully woven narrative combines Sister Maria's amazing story with modern research into teleportation by power-motivated entities investigating its feasibility in psychic espionage. An exciting read!

This novel could have been a riveting historical thriller but it falls flat. The elements are there: a conspiracy within the Church, a secret group, someone on the verge of discovering the truth, historical intrigue (sound familiar?).

But something is missing here. Why did I manage to get through this book and still have more questions than answers. Chronovision is/was real? How, what, who, why, where? And why, only after reading reviews here did I realize I missed some important points: the Inquistion had suspected Sister Maria of witchcraft? Carlos was agnostic?

The novel's ultimate main point is compelling but its impact is hindered by all the questions left unanswered. It's too bad because this book had the potential to the one that keeps you awake until 3 a.m. because you just can't put it down.

1530's New Mexico. A mysterious, luminous "lady in blue" has been appearing to the indigenous people, which prompts them to convert to Catholicism in record numbers.

Rome, early 2000's. A clandestine group of priest/scientists works for the Vatican, trying to discover the secret of "bilocation", i.e., the ability to be in two separate places at once. In Spain, an agnostic journalist finds a religious medal on the street, and suddenly becomes intensely interested in the Vatican project.

The Lady in Blue pulls these and other disparate threads (including angels) together into a semi-coherent mystery about who or what the title figure actually was. Not surprisingly, the deliberately deceptive machinations of the Church play a dominant role in the proceedings, and priests and nuns have as large a part to play as the laymen. The question of the identity of the lady is eventually answered, but the resolution is a pretty "airy-fairy" one that is just as far fetched as the theories concerning time travel, "chronovision", and astral projection on demand, that abound among the protagonists. While the New Mexico "apparitions" are historically true, the book is implausible and should be read with that fact in mind.

I found that this fascinating mix of curious historical data and mystical experiences with modern day espionage, synchronicities and journalistic curiosity, kept me on the edge of my chair, anticipating what the next chapter would unveil. Its fast pace and incursions into many aspects of historical secrets and modern research and technology makes for a great read and I enjoyed every page. I appreciated the notes at the end where the author confesses to being the protagonist of the incredible events narrated as part of this amazing story, that actually got him in touch with the Lady in Blue, giving the adventure almost supernatural tones.

Javier Sierra has painstakingly researched many details of history, both 17th century and present day and brings to light in a novelized format, some underlying truths that both shock and surprise, but also add new perspectives to how the world might really work. His slant on how bi-location might be used to promote religious ideas is definitely intriguing.

A book to be enjoyed and then its implications, thought about.

I picked this up at a half-price bookstore. This book is bad, i think i'll just throw it away rather than exchange it and let someone else suffer. Here's why (a few examples): 1) It has too much "tell" and not enough "Show". The author has to tell us rather than show us the story. And the author's voice and opinion should never come to the reader thru narration. 2) It uses a variety of words when one would be best. Sometimes it is a stolen book, sometimes a purloined book. Who translated this? Ugh. 3) Jesus dismissed with this line near the end "He was half-man, half-angel" Oh boy, what a distortion. The book would have been only half-awful if he had left that out. Nothing wrong with conspiracies in the Vatican, and nothing wrong with Boyd Gaines' reading skills. I only kept listening to see if this was going to be a science-fiction novel or a faith novel. It satisfies neither.

Well, this book did not last pass the 100 page test!!!
If the hook is not set by 100 pages, this fish will shake it loose!!!
Let's see, , ,confusing, , ,stupid, , ,mind / time travel, , , the church, , ,
a wwwhhhooollee lot of different folks to try to keep track of, , ,
WHO CARES??? I'll move on to a ?? better ?? book, thank you.

I picked this up in Barcelona because it was one of the few books in English that sounded interesting. It failed miserably to even hold my attention on a long flight back to the States. It is undoubtedly one of the worst books I've read in the last five years. There are plenty of historical facts on which to build a compelling work of fiction, but they were so diluted in the minutia of the story.