Download Many Faces to Many Places eBook

Alittle hard to understand the story line and the chacters names were not understandable. the 3rd cd told me things that I was able to understand.

I usually skim books before reading them just to get an idea of what I'm getting myself into, and after quickly scanning through Judy Azar LeBlanc's "Many Faces to Many Places" I thought I was sitting down to read a book aimed at children. The author presents us with a childlike character named Many Faces who possesses the ability to converse with nature, with everything from trees to water to butterflies. Sure sounds like a children's book, right? Then there's the beginning of the story, a beginning that finds Many Faces escaping from a vicious witch who has held the youngster for an indeterminate amount of time. She breaks out of her confinement because the moon tells her to do so. Hmmm. The kids will probably love this book. It's at this point, however, that one should stop in his or her tracks and prepare to be amazed. For once Many Faces leaves her prison and embarks on a strange journey through a land of "timeless knowledge," the book speaks to the hearts of self-aware adults everywhere. "Many Faces to Many Places" isn't a children's book; it's a dense (not in a negative sense) allegorical story about nothing less than life itself. Most kids wouldn't begin to understand this book, in my opinion.

Many Faces's journey allows her to meet many interesting creatures, including time in the form of a rushing river, a great golden butterfly of happiness named Elusive, a pair of floating eyes called Faith, and an old man known as Pain. She also encounters several ominous characters deep in a cave, characters with names like Greedy, Stingy, and Betrayal that attempt to trap her and keep her from completing her journey. She escapes from their grasp, however, and continues on her way only to run into more trouble in the Land of Forgotten. Here, Many Faces falls prey to the treacherous King Ekaf and his depraved subjects. Now bearing the name Eslaf on the orders of the king, Many Faces must endure years of indignities. The citizens of this realm always wear masks in order to project aspects of their identities. Too, the haves of the kingdom regularly victimize the have-nots. The deities in this world are money and time, and worshippers must kneel daily to statues of these gods. Other activities, best left unsaid here, rapidly turn Many Faces into a jaded, distant young woman. Only after she escapes from King Ekaf and continues her journey does she find the ultimate truth in a conclusion that feels like it came right out of the Bible.

I have mixed feelings about "Many Faces to Many Places." On the one hand, I thought the story wildly and wonderfully imaginative. LeBlanc's ability to encapsulate many of life's experiences, whether they are the ups or the downs we all inevitably face, is phenomenal. It's easy to read a book like this and think, "Oh, I have gone through that. Everyone who has been alive knows all about that." Who among us hasn't dealt with the temptations of greed, stinginess, and betrayal? Who among us hasn't wondered about the elusiveness of happiness? Who among us has never marveled at the passage of time? The difference between Judy Azar LeBlanc and us (at least most of us) is that she not only sees all of these trials and tribulations as a contiguous whole but also sees how they one aspect of life leads to another. I'm quite impressed that anyone can sit down at a word processor and put most of life's experiences together in a logical narrative AND couch such events in eye grabbing allegory. I also liked the idea of making the protagonist a person of "many faces," which obviously is a representation of the many faces of humanity. That LeBlanc manages to fit all of this into ninety plus pages is a rather impressive feat.

On the other hand, I suspect more than a few readers may have a problem with the conclusion of the story. In what can only rank as a tacit endorsement of Christianity, Many Faces meets up with an enigmatic man--definitely a Christ figure--on a mountaintop after fleeing from the Land of Forgotten. Their meeting ultimately reveals to Many Faces the errors of her past and allows her to work past them in order to achieve a spiritual sort of "rebirth." The language in this section is unmistakably Christian in tone and theme. Not that I have a problem with that. Although I am not a Christian in any sense of the word, I'm not hostile to their belief systems either. But a lot of people are, so much so that you can literally see the blinders descending over their eyes when they are confronted with anything that smacks of Christianity. If you classify as one of these individuals, take note of this fact before sitting down with the book. You will probably still enjoy the other two thirds of the story, however.

The Christian tone of the book isn't really a problem for most of us, though. The real value of the book is putting yourself in Many Faces's place when she first encounters the wonders of love, truth, and happiness as well as the dangers represented by materialism and vice. On more than one occasion, early memories of my life flashed before my mind's eye as I recalled how I too dealt with newfound experiences and emotions and, like everyone else, became a fuller person because of it. I heartily recommend spending the hour or two it takes to read "Many Faces to Many Places." It's more than likely that you'll consider it time well spent.

Judy Le Blanc has given us an allegorical imaginative story of a young girl named Many Faces. Planning escape from the custody of her guardian, a witch, Mr. Moon comes to her aid. Mr. Moon directs her to the hidden keys, As she stealthily leaves she locks the witch in her cabin, tosses the keys and her adventure to freedom and Many Places begins.

As Many Faces continues her journey to Many Places she meets Mr. Time, Elusive, the butterfly of happiness, and Mr. Loneliness. Mr. Willow offered her rest. As she slept she dreamed of the Shadow of Death and the choice of Freedom. As she chose Freedom and continued on in her search of Many Places she met The Dove of peace, and the Eyes of Faith.

Following Eyes of Faith, Many Faces didn't see the storm coming. At the first notice of trouble she turned from following Eyes of Faith to take cover with Deception, Greedy, and Stingy. She soon learned about Betrayal, Hate, and Envy.

Turning her back on these negative influences she is led to Mount Splendor. On her climb she met Old Man Pain, who sent her on the path to discovering Love, Beauty, and Truth.

Many Faces strayed from the path and came upon the Land of the Forgotten, and the Lost Kingdom. During her sojourn there she learned to wear masks, and bow to the God of Money and to dwell in the Palace of Pleasure. She again found herself in bondage.

Escaping the tyranny of King Ekaf, Many Faces returned to following Eyes of Faith to resume the Ascent up Mount Splendor, and to once again discover faith, peace, and love. At the top she met the teacher, the veiled man, and found the secret of unveiling her own spirit.

Le Blanc has a gift for expressing profound truths simply with impact. I personally found the following to be especially insightful. Many Faces is confronted by the voice of fear. Many Faces stood up to fear and refused to turn back. She then heard his words: "To be paralyzed in the face of fear is only temporary, but to never go beyond is crippling for life."

The profound insights of "Many Faces to Many Places" will linger long after you have finished reading this remarkable story.