an impromptu 'review' for angelstar
for me, the value of this book lies in the fact that rachel uses symbology & mythology to go into the tarot with a lot of depth. she talks about her personal experience with discovering, learning about them, learning to read them, and readings she's done for friends, family & clients.
i worked in a bookstore when i got addicted to tarot so i had the opportunity to buy lots of books & decks. sallie nichols and angeles arrien are the only other authors i've found who use the same depth as rachel. nichols, from a jungian perspective, and arrien from cultural anthropology. rachel seems to be less dry in her writing, though. imho!
you could spend a lifetime getting to know the cards from the perspective rachel writes from. trust me, it's all there!
i think you would do well to make the monetary sacrifice for this one, and if you're truly looking for a 'guide to life' approaching it from a 'rachel p.o.v' will surely be the guide you need.
since she also wrote the readers' guide & an in-depth analysis of hermann haindl's paintings for the haindl deck, i'd also suggest getting those, too. perhaps at a later date, when money's flowing freer?
good luck, and welcome to the discussion!