Rating  - Divinity in the making
2nd installment in highly attractive Anne Rice story about Jesus Christ, finds God at around age of 30 in Nazareth, where not so young anymore, Yeshua the Sinless is still struggling to discover his divinity amidst problems in his village and arrival of new Roman governor Pontius Pilate. The book is beautifully written in first person with Jesus discovering the sense of humanly love for the woman and finding the way to his destiny. 75% of the book deals with issues unknown from the Bible and is the most intriguing. The last few chapters depicting the baptism in the river Jordan, miracles on the road to Cana, and gathering of the first disciples is much more recognized to us, but still interesting. Despite deep knowledge of the bible, I am eagerly awaiting the continuation of the Jesus story expecting Anne Rice to interlace a bit of her own imagination to help a common reader to understand a possible struggle between Jesus' humanity and divinity.
Rating - Can't wait for the next one!
When I first saw this book, I was sceptical but excited at the same time. After all, I was worried about what path Anne Rice might have taken when writing about the life of Jesus. I sought out and read "Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt" first and then this one.
Anne Rice does a great job of growing and developing the character of Yeshua bar Joseph, from a young boy unaware of the mystery and history of his birth, to a 30-year-old man, where we are when this novel opens up.
All I can say is it is very worth the read. She does a great job of interweaving the stories from the bible into her books. She really painted a terrific visual picture of what life might have been like, but, at the same time, you are seeing it through the life of an observer, a man, Jesus.
Even though we know what happens next, I can't wait to read the next one. I am so excited about it. Can't believe I have to wait!
Rating  - Good Book (the last third is Excellent)
Anne Rice has pulled off another well written depiction of the life of Christ. In this volume, the author imagines Jesus (Yeshua) just before he takes off on his preaching career that would change the world. Christ still struggles with his identity and over whether he can ever love in the sense of taking a wife. Meanwhile, tiny Nazerath is a place of gossip and at times mob violence. Overall the first two thirds are well written but generally not as good as Rice's original in the series. The last third or so is generally excellent as Christ undergoes the temptation in the wilderness and finally truely begins to understand he is God incarnate. One of Rice's better writing talents seems to be characterization as well as generally smooth storytelling that is able to hold my interest. As good as Lew Wallace's "Ben-Hur" or Douglas's "The Robe" were at times, they could be slow at times as well. While not yet on the level of "Quo Vadis" or Maier's "The Flames of Rome" in my opinion, I think Rice's series is well done and has potential to reach greater heights than it currently attains. I really hope she writes some more in this series and I especially want to see how she would do the Passion and Resurrection. As a person who generally likes history, I was pleased Rice alluded to the battle at the Teutonburg Forest in 9 A.D. (C.E.) though readers not interested in ancient military history might care less on that count. I am wandering about a couple of minor details in the story however.
1. People are often seen outside at night in both books. In the first century there were still some lions around parts of Judea to my knowledge and I believe leopards live in parts of Israel to this very day. And then there are the raiders Rice mentions. Would it be safe to be out late at this time?
2. Where is Peter's wife? His mother-and-law is mentioned but I don't remember any mentioning of the disciple's wife.
On the whole though, good writing and excellent characterization. I recommend it.
Rating - Easy to get sucked into this great book!
It's amazing to me how Anne is able to bring you immediately into the life of Jesus as the narrator of this incredible book! Her exhaustive research is evident, but it doesn't interrupt the story. You truly get a sense of what this part of Jesus' life may have been like. I found myself thinking about it for days after I finished it!
Rating - The Life of Christ Leading to Cana
The book is based on the most respected Biblical scholarship.
Christ's life in the hidden years is described in some depth.
The presentation personalizes Him in a way that the
Scriptures deal with only tangentially.
The presentation begins with discussions surrounding
the birth of Christ. The Magi approached from the East with
gifts of gold, frankencense and myrrh. The Baptism in
Jordan is referenced concluding with the famous
wedding of Cana.
The presentation ends with the encantation:
"Hear O Israel. The Lord Our God is One. :
Go to the Product Information page
page 1 of 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Customer Reviews for Knopf,1400043522,9781400043521,1400043522,813.54 |
