Judy Azar LeBlanc's spell- binding novel, "Many Faces to Many Places," uses allegorical storytelling to share the tale of one soul's quest for truth. LeBlanc's main character, Many Faces, is a courageous spirit with a unique gift of communicating with nature. The compelling story unfolds as a three part journey that LeBlanc feels draws a realistic picture of our own walk through life. Part one reflects upon the "up" stages of life where possibilities and potential are endless; part two reflects upon the "down" stages where the power of choice is explored; and, part three represents a time of "reflection," where wisdom and understanding are realized

Many Faces to Many Places

Judy Azar LeBlanc
Xulonpress (2006)
ISBN 1594678669
Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (9/06)



“Many Faces to Many Places” is a difficult book to describe.  Many Faces is a representative of all people and the many places she visits are the peaks and valleys of our spiritual growth.  Many Faces has to decide what course to follow.  Will she live in a dark cave, surrounded by Deception, Stingy, Greedy and Betrayal, or will she break free of them?  As she leaves the cave, she is met once again by Eyes of Faith, her guardian, who leads her to Mount Splendor where she meets Beauty, who shows her the wonder of God’s earth. 

But it wasn’t enough for Many Faces and she descended into the worst darkness of the human soul, losing all trust in her friends.  She sets out to reclaim her destiny, arriving at the Land of Forgotten, home to people who spend their lives lusting for riches they do not possess and ruled by King Ekaf (Fake).  The god they worshipped was money and Many Faces, renamed Maiden Eslaf (False) was awed by the riches she saw.  The years passed and Many Faces remained mired in the lies and treachery of the Land of Forgotten, until one day something snapped and Many Faces broke free, determined to return to Mount Splendor and her friends there.  As she begins the arduous journey, Many Faces is met by new friends who assist her on the journey to reclaim her lost soul.

This was a lovely book, very deceptive at first since it seems like a little fairy tale hiding a life lesson within its pages.  But “Many Faces to Many Places” goes deeper, exposing all of mankind’s inner demons as well as the true beauty that makes us human.