Overall I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I found that I did not enjoy the writing style of multiple stories and narratives going on at once because ultimately the story settled with the same ending. I found that the philosophy was hard to understand but that is not saying it was not present. I enjoyed Juan’s criticism of certain aspects of the community and how he attacks the institutions for their hypocrisy. I am still unsure of what this book was written for and who the target audience is. We see this story about the Hacienda and the problems and corruption but what lesson does it show for the average reader? I like to think that the book develops a message of greed and the dangers of improper family development. The entire time I read this book I thought about how many of these problems would have been alleviated if children were raised with more care and how monetary greed ruins family ties.