At Play in the Fields of the Lord

At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Set in the South American jungle, this thriller follows the clash between two misplaced gringos--one who has come to convert the Indians to Christianity, and one who has been hired to kill them. Now the basis for a major motion picture.
Customer Review: I think you will be glad you read this book
Matthiessen's book deeply affected me, mostly because it is unsettling and so well "done" that I imagined myself doing and being all the beautiful and hideous things its characters do and are. The copy of the book I have has a one-line cover review that mentions something about the great compassion that comes across its pages. I agree with all the other reviews here on Amazon about what makes this book so great: evocative writing, a driving plot, compelling characters, an exotic yet beautifully and believably rendered setting, humor, horror, longing, lust, irony and juxtaposition of things as they are, and on and on. However, as I have thought often during the reading of the book I must say that I agree with the cover reviewer, and for me, what elevates this book to the highest level (which I believe it is on) is its compassion. Matthiessen shows his readers people being people, which as anyone can tell you, is often ugly. But, more importantly it is beautiful, and if you allow Matthiessen to show you how this can be, he will. I think this book is about perfect and reading it made me glad to be alive. "The way to innocence, to the uncreated and to God leads on, not back, not back to the wolf or to the child, but even further into sin, ever deeper into human life." - Herman Hesse. I almost forgot to mention the above quote, inscribed in the opening pages of this book, which I believe states what I intended to convey in my review. Finally, I have not seen any discussion of Padre Xantes in any of these reviews and I was wondering if anyone would like to comment on him. To me, he was one of the most mysterious characters, especially in his final appearance where he eats a barely boiled egg. Thoughts?
Customer Review: One of my favorites of all time...a MUST read for any missionary...
I am an evangelical Christian and I have recommended this book to many fellow believers about to embark on a mission somewhere. As far as I'm concerned, it's essential reading for anyone taking the Gospel to people who have never heard it. I also have lived and worked in the so-called "Third World" and seen the remnants of Christian mission work over the past several centuries -- the great, the good, the bad and the ugly. Matthiessen tells a story here of mostly bad, of course, and some ugly. Narrow-minded, holier-than-thus, do-good Christians come in and almost destroy a native culture. That, in itself, is indeed a fascinating if predictable story line. But the story does indeed include some of the good -- of self-discovery and loving sacrifice by one of the do-gooders, and of self-discovery and perhaps "deliverance" of another major character, a Native American Indian. All involved leave changed -- one way or another -- after the arrival of the do-gooders and their attempted intervention. It is an outstanding story that will stand the test of time, worth telling for a very long time to come. I highly recommend it to any thinking person anywhere.