"'It was Einstein who said, I never made any of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking,' quoted by Marcel."
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La Decouverte by Rex Bradley Smith Trafford Publisher
book review by Jeanette J. Jennis
The author invites you to join Marcel, his New Zealand hero, as he travels to England, France, Germany, and India. After many dreams and visions of a white-turbaned and robed wise man, he arrives at Karal Ashram and meets Master Karal Singh, where his life's purpose is explored and challenged by philosophical and spiritual conversations. While on this journey of self-discovery and before his ashram days, he reunites with Paul and Jeisa, New Zealand childhood beloved friends; a previous tempestuous flame, Kristi; and Kate, a lovely woman with a dysfunctional marriage, whose caring ways create a strong bond between them. Extraordinary events include an accidental death of his young daughter, the suicide of his best friend, his own miraculous escape from a fire, a car crash leaving one of his friends in a wheelchair, and another disastrous fire that could easily destroy him.
Marcel confronts these experiences through philosophical discussions, alternating with heavy drinking and quiet soul searching. Woven throughout the book is a thread connecting Marcel and his intimate friends to a mysterious past life. Their involvement with the artist Dollmarsch, and three precious stones placed in significant locations in his greatest work of art, is slowly revealed. Returning to New Zealand, Marcel meets with Jock, a Maori native, whose wise ways influence him. Before long, love brings personal and spiritual fulfillment. He and his wife lease Maori land and open a unique school for diverse students that includes meditation and quieting the mind. Marcel's journey, seen through the author's vivid scenes and character descriptions, focuses on one man's search for meaning in an often painfully chaotic world.