This was not my cup of tea, i just found it boring...i ended up skimming from 70% as well... hoping it would be interesting.

the cover drew me in to read this, and I'm glad I was able to read this. The characters were great and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

A Goddess Among Men is my first introduction to the talents of Daniel Davidsohn. The first thing that attracted me to this book is the intriguing and gorgeous cover. I do have to admit that in the beginning of reading, I had a hard time getting through the first fifty pages. Once I was able to catch on as to what was going on, I was able to keep reading and not want to put it down. I thought it was a really good read.

In A Goddess Among Men, readers will find a variety of genres and subjects. I has a lot that I enjoy reading in a book, such as, history, adventure, action, mystery and drama. The setting was unique that I found to be fascinating and refreshing. The author details the surroundings so well, I felt like I was right there. The plot had some twists and turns that I would not have ever predicted would happen. My favorite character was by far Christel. She was such a strong woman for her time. I admired her bravery and courage throughout. I think many readers would be able to relate to her and what she had gone through. I know I felt that way. I enjoyed getting to know her and her family.

I am giving A Goddess Among Men four and a half stars. I would be interested in reading more books by Daniel Davidsohn in the future. I recommend this one for readers who enjoy historical fiction.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

Alan Reid and Julian Welch have both found themselves in the Amazon rainforest in 1907 in search of their fortunes in the form of rubber. Both men are extremely motivated, but that is where their similarities end. Alan is ruthless, manipulative and not afraid to break any rules. Julian is kind-hearted, genuine and charismatic. They form a dangerous partnership that pays off through a series of not-so-legal transactions on Alan's part. The Reid & Welch empire is born and expands through the years to a multi-billion dollar corporation. Upon Julian's death he attempts to assure his daughter, Christel's as heir to the empire by having Alan adopt her. However, Alan has other plans for Christel and places her in a secret program. As Alan nears death, he tracks down Christel and prepares to hand over everything. Christel does not balk and takes on the challenge, turning the immense wealth into something good. Years later, a property in the Amazon that Reid & Welch owns begins trouble for everything that Christel has built for her family.
A Goddess Among Men is a generational family saga reaching over a century. The plot was intense and high stakes keeping the story at a good pace. Moving from the Amazon Jungle to New York City and back again definitely kept things interesting. The point of view was from the third person, which didn't really allow me to feel close to any of the characters, however most of the characters were not especially likable people. I would have loved to know more of Alan and Julien's backstories and what motivated them to be the type of people they became. Christel's story was by far the most intriguing. I couldn't imagine being raised in a training program and used how she was and coming out anything near ok. Christel's amazing sense of self, confidence and struggles to do better than those who came before her shine through. I was engaged in her decisions with taking over Reid & Welch and righting the wrongs of the past. As the story moved back to the Amazon, I was intrigued by the environmental issues and impacts. Overall, a compelling story of the implications of power and wealth, especially when in the wrong hands.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

I requested an eARC of A Goddess Among Men because of the beautiful cover. Going in blind, I was very impressed with the well written characters and atmospheric scenery.
This is a multi-generational story that begins with Alan and Julian who meet in the Amazon rainforest during the Brazilian Rubber industry and become partners in a business venture. Both men are very different from each other, while Julian is calm and passionate, Alan is cruel and ruthless. Never caring about what anyone thinks or wants.
The beginning part of this book was very hard to read and was about to DNF it but glad I pushed on.
There were several characters both bad and good but is focused more on Christel; Julian’s daughter who was orphaned as a baby and who dealt with a terrible childhood until her early 20s. She was a strong woman who didn’t let her circumstances pull her down and get the best of her. I enjoyed how this book wrapped up.
This is my first Daniel Davidsohn book and will be looking forward to his future works and will look into his backlist.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled to review this one a bit. While it was ostensibly a family saga covering three generations, there was so much else going on in this book. The story begins with a tenuous relationship between two men as they become business partners, then follows the next two generations of one of the partners with the other one as an ever-present entity.

In the beginning, there were two men who had each traveled to Brazil to find their fortunes. I found these parts enlightening. I do not know much about the rubber boon in Brazil and learned a little bit about this. Mostly, I learned about how underhanded and greedy people have been for a long time. Throughout this part, I did not understand why Julian continued to be involved with Reid.

Part two took a strange turn. Part of me wishes we went deeper into the seedy sides of this part. Julian asking Reid to take his daughter was dumb, and what Reid immediately did was insane. This part was certainly more episodic than part one. We got a hint of the terribleness that was happening, but there was a lot of insinuation. Not that I want to see anyone hurt or sexually abused in detail, but the idea that we need to believe the science experiments taking place are the worst ever, we may need to see more. Maybe it doesn't have to happen to Christel, but we can see some of the experimentation for the other children involved.

The third part felt the most episodic and rushed. This happened and then that happened and then this happened with some loose narration between scenes. In some ways this worked, but in many ways it made me feel there were more questions than answers. I never felt emotional connection with any of the characters, but I thought several of the things encountered could have been more deeply examined.

At the end of the day, I did enjoy this story. I can recommend it without too many reservations and hope that others will find the storylines original and thought-provoking, even if they are a bit brief.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free review copy. All thoughts presented here are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review of A Goddess Among Men by Daniel Davidsohn.

In 1907, Alan Reid and Julian Welch both came to the Amazon region of Brazil to make money in the blossoming rubber industry. These men are drastically different from each other; Alan being a good business man, but very cruel and vicious and Julian on the other hand, is a good person who is wanting to make a difference in the world. The book is mainly centered on Juian's only child, a daughter named Cristel, who is also the only heir to the international business corporation formed by the two men. A Goddess Among Men is multi-generational and covers many decades of trials and tribulations, twists and turns of the rich and famous, reminiscent of Sidney Sheldon style books.

This book covers some pretty rough situations. If you are sensitive to reading about sexual assault, this book may not be for you as there are some pretty disturbing scenes.

I give this book a mediocre rating as a 3. If I could give it a 3.5, I would. It is a hard book to put down at times because its a good read and at other times I had to put it down because of content.

The book has some holes in the story, and is a little far fetched. Cristel overcomes a lot in her life, but to me she's not a likable character. She does a lot of good, but has relatively no personality other than emotional strength and knowing how to live as a very wealthy woman. If the characters had been a little more personable, I think I could have overlooked some of the holes in the story and rated this book a little higher. The sexual content of this book was a little strong for my liking, its pretty disturbing at times.

Give this book a try if you like to read about families with more power and money than anyone needs and the dramas that go along with it, you like Dallas or Dynasty TV (with a twist). this may be the book for you.

SO while the concept of tis book seemed goos I'm not sure if it worked 100%. The writing was good, I liked the author's use of language but I'm not entirely sure if it worked particularly well for the plot in question. Tales of corruption interest me as a rule in literature and this plot was no exception. I disliked Alan, more than most and my heart went out to Christel. I think the plot lacked credibility in parts also and I found it difficult to position myself in the picture, which I usually find easy when I am enjoying a novel. That said A Goddess Among Men had lots of appealing points also and I think it will appeal to many. I give it 3.5 stars.

If you read anything this summer make this one of your choices. It has secret government experiments, a real villain in Alan Reid, and real warrior princess in Christel Reid Welch. Given as an infant to a secret behavior program , Chris becomes proficient in every assignment she is given and in a twist of fate her father sought to secure a very wealthy woman. It has intrigue in the path Chris takes to secure her future. It features the early days of the Amazon and the rubber it provided. It see’s the evolution from agent to philanthropist and a lifetime of coming to terms with a past that keeps returning to intrude on the present. A great start to summer reading. Happy reading

Great writing and strong voice. Recommend if looking for a story that is as captivating as it is well-written.

Julian Welch and Alan Reid meet in the Mexican jungle early in the last century. Hey are both seeking their fortunes but Englishman Julian is naive and trusting but American Alan Reid turns out to be a sociopath. Their friendship survives and eventually they make a shared fortune but Alan is very much in control of events. When Julian dies Alan sends his newly born daughter back to the Amazon and into the hands of a surviving Nazi doctor. From then on his daughter manages to survive bad times and is eventually meets the lawyer her father appointed before his death. Her fight for her fortune and the birth of their son completes the cast.
The story is violent and fast moving. I loved the whole adventure and it was the first time for a while I read a story far into the night. This is a brilliant and complex read and would make a great film.

I so tried to love this book. It was a struggle to finish it. I didn't find the characters realistic and could not really understand them.