Pilgrim's Progress, Part 2: Christiana

The Pilgrim's Progress #2

by Jim Pappas, Henry Matthew Brock (Illustrator)

In Pilgrim s Progress, Christian set off on a voyage from the City of Destruction to reach the eternal sanctuary of Celestial City. But he had to endure a harsh journey to the Promised Land alone. Pilgrim's Progress, Volume 2 returns us to this mythical realm as Christian s wife and sons seek out that same heavenly haven. But like Christian, the family must face the odds, obstacles and opposition to enter the kingdom of glory.

Genres: Christian, Fiction, Classics, Christian Fiction, Christianity, Religion, Theology

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1685

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Update 5/13/2021: I feel the way I did when I first heard this through an audio recording. To be honest, I thought it sucked. It kind of annoyed me. I hate being critical but I'm being honest. He didn't write a new story. He reviewed the old one and threw in some teachings for kids. Bunyan had been established in fame when he wrote this, a different place from being nothing, desperate and in prison. It shows in the quality of the story to me. (I dropped the rating from three to two, probably because the first book I found outstanding, and this second one doesn't have any place as a comparison, in my opinion).

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I felt Bunyan regurgitated most of the material from the first book and the story lacked originality. Also, the women and boys trembled in weakness and fear, unlike Christian in the first. This came across a bit misogynistic to me. Much of the book covered the first story, like a review or a fieldtrip over historical ground. Teaching dominated story also.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completed again, on my regular rereading . . .

[Irene Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars
I had a lot more difficultly following this book and understanding all the metaphors, so I’ll definitely need to go back and reread someday. There were also a bunch more characters that my mind couldn’t keep track of them all😵‍💫
However, I definitely appreciated how this part went into more detail about Christ and about the Trinity. Bunyan made sure to clarify and emphasize every part of the gospel that I felt like was a little lacking (wished there was more detail) in the first part. Also really shows the importance of fellowship and walking together in faith!

One quote that I liked from this book:
“One leak will sink a ship, and one sin will destroy a sinner…He who lives in sin and looks for future happiness is like a person who sows weeds and plans to fill his barn with wheat or barley. If a man wants to live well until he reaches his last day of life, he should remember each day may be his last and live accordingly.”

[Elizabeth Dragina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that was way better than Pilgrims Progress and quite more excitement!! A wonderful read... not time wasted...

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. I love Pilgrim's Progress and thought it was my favorite book. Now I believe Pilgrim's Progress 2 is a hard rival! I don't know which one I like more. I think there's more woven theology in Pilgrim's Progress 2 than in the original. Crossing through the Wicket Gate (Salvation) and then the pilgrim's progress to the Holy City (Sanctification) and all the evils and hardships that is encountered. I just love it!

[Kells Next Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great followup from the Pilgrim's Progress. It was good to find out how Christian's family fair after his departure. John Bunyan did a fantastic job as I again was a to glean much from what was written. I detect a re-read next year also. ; ))

[Cameron McCartney · Rating 4 out of 5]

After really enjoying the first part of “The Pilgrim’s Progress” it would have been rude not to read of the journey of Christian’s wife Christiana and his 4 sons from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City.

I enjoyed many of the same things from part 1 as I did in this part, and I like how Bunyan re-visited some places but also added in new ones. My favourite illustration in this part was undoubtedly the illustration of the diseased Matthew being cured from the curse of the green plums through the body and blood of Christ. A very dramatic, but I feel very accurate description of what law-abiding religion can do to sinners under the curse, and how the remedy of Christ’s blood on the cross brings sweet relief. I was also stunned by the illustration of Mercy wanting to take a look down the by-way to hell, Bunyan captures the curiosity and shock of finding out what hell is like very concisely, but also very punchily, the way it should be I think!

This is probably more of 4.5 star, the only reason being that I felt the book was very predictable at times, and I feel Bunyan maybe overdosed a bit on the list of characters, I was finding it really hard to track the names of everyone who was in the second half.

Soon, I plan to read what is known as the third part “The Life and Death of Mr Badman”, which tracks a very different character to Christian and Christiana. Hurrah from John Bunyan!

[Joey Novess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read part 2 after reading part 1 a few years ago. It does a wonderful job continuing the story of Christian through his wife, Christiana, and their four sons. The allegory Bunyan writes paints a clear picture of people you will meet along your own Christian journey. I definitely recommend this book but reading part 1 first so you can have a clear comparison between the two parts. Part 1 seems to talk more of a Christian’s individual walk with Christ and struggles one may face whereas part 2 shows the huge impact of being in community and fellowship with other believers. Then you will see the walk of Christiana and the gang is so different than that of Christian’s in part 1.

[Evan Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this was a reread for me, I fully expected to be let down by the sequel. And perhaps, if I had not just read through the original (Part 1) twice in the last month this may have felt like a downgrade from Christian's adventure. However, Bunyan uses the wife and children of our late great hero to illuminate many truths of the Christian life.

Great-Heart for example is a wonderful addition. What great joy it was to see someone caring for the widow and the orphan. It was perplexing in the last book why so few of Christian's guides traveled along with him for any distance. I thought the idea of this journey being made so much easier because of the company they kept was a wonderful picture. Also the many weaker characters like Mr Feeble Minded and Ready to Halt making their own journey with a little help gives another spin on the perseverence even when the characters lack the bravery and fortitude of the other characters in the book. How true to life!

But perhaps my favorite addition is the spacing between the different characters crossing the river. Each of them facing death in a different way.

Bunyan still had a lot to say here. I am so glad to have been here for it.

[Kim Pyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This River has been a Terror to many; yea, the thoughts of it have oft frighted me...

The Waters are indeed to the Palate Bitter, and to the Stomach cold; yet the thoughts of what I am going to, and of the Conduct that waits for me on the other side, do lie as a glowing Coal at my Heart.

I see myself now at the end of my Journey; my toilsome Days are ended. I am going to see that Head that was Crowned with Thorns, and that Face which was spit upon, for me.”
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What can be said? Pilgrim’s Progress is a heart book. Parts of it stay in my soul and come to me when I need them. I’m grateful I can return to it over and over until I someday cross the River myself.

[Olga Zheleznaykova · Rating 5 out of 5]

И первая, и вторая часть очень крутые! Если в первой части была история Христианина, то вторая часть больше о женском пилигримстве. И иногда узнаешь себя в некоторых героях, они как будто указывают на твои сильные или слабые стороны, на какого-то героя хочется быть похожим, а, глядя на другого, остерегаешься как бы самим не стать таким. Наглядно показывают нам и раскрываю пути, с помощью которых можно победить страх, отчаяние, неуверенность, усталость, сонливость. Вобщем автор раскрыл реальный духовный мир, который действительно реален, не выдуман. И на пути нам также встречаются люди, которые помогают, поддерживают, наставляют или наоборот препятствуют, вселяют страх, искушают и пытаются украсть надежду. От таких надо держаться подальше, иначе они погубят тебя. Эта книга точно вдохновит на подвиги веры юных христиан, женщин, слабых,сильных, боязливых, смелых, молодых и пожилых :)) всех!! Читая, старайтесь следить не только за происходящими действиями, но и вникать в то, с чем сравнивает автор ту или иную ситуацию, героя. Так будет намного назидательнее и полезнее! Интересные мысли можно записать в свой дневник. Например, мне очень понравилось это высказывание: "Для христианина жизнь - это дорога домой, где его с радостью ждут" или вот ещё слова Слабодушного (кстати, мы все на него немного похожи) : "буду бежать, пока способен ходить; буду ходить, если не в силах бежать; буду ползти, когда не смогу ходить. Главное, к чему я стремлюсь, - продолжать начатый путь невзирая ни на какие преграды, а сердце моё давно уже за рекой, через которую нет моста"

[C.G.Koens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving it three stars, because I like the IDEA of this story, being a continuation of Pilgrim's journey and finding out what happens to Christiana and his family. BUT...this is another book I had to stop reading.

I was trying to read it aloud to the kids, and the words were going right over their heads. I spent most of my time trying to simplify as I read. The version of "Pilgrim's Progress" that I read to them had been "updated" with "modern" language, and made it much easier to read to the kids, and even included vocabulary lists (it was done by Abeka), so it was much more enjoyable and the kids were totally engaged. This was like trudging through the Slough of Despond....honestly. And this was the "abridged & illustrated" version. Shew. I would love to try this again if Abeka or someone else would do the same to it as they have done to the original story, but for now...this got tossed on the "Did Not Complete" pile...which is very hard for me to do, but was necessary. There's only so much reading time in a day, and I don't want to lose the kids with a book like this.

[Bruno · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Peregrina traz a narrativa da família de Cristão rumo a cidade celestial. Diferentemente do livro "O Peregrino", a obra aborda outros aspectos da vida cristã.

Além disso, lições importantes podemos tomar em relação de nossas vidas com o mundo que nos cerca. A tônica que fica explícita é que não somos desse mundo, estamos de passagem e devemos usar nosso tempo com sabedoria para agradar aquele que nos elegeu desde a fundação dos séculos.

[Maressa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Eu me vejo agora no final de minha jornada, meus dias de trabalho estão terminados. Vou agora ver aquela cabeça que foi coroada de espinhos e aquele rosto que suportou cusparadas por minha causa. Antigamente eu vivia de boatos e fé, mas agora vou para onde viverei ao lado Daquele em cuja companhia me deleito. Tenho adorado ouvir falar de meu Senhor, e onde quer que eu tenha visto a pegada de Seu sapato na terra, também cobicei colocar meu pé. Seu nome tem sido para mim como vidro de almíscar, sim, mais aromatizado que todos os perfumes. Sua voz para mim tem sido muito doce; e seu semblante mais desejo do que aqueles que mais precisam da luz do sol. Sua Palavra eu usei como comida e antídoto contra os meus desânimos. Ele segurou-me e guardou-me das minhas iniquidades; sim, meus passos Ele fortaleceu em Seu caminho". - Sr. Firme

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Unfortunately, this book lacks the same sense of emotional rise and fall of part 1. Instead of description of the adventure, it favors summation through discourse.

[Guilherme Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que final lindo 🤧

[Shaina Herrmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know of a person that reads both parts of this story continually. Keeping it in the annual rotation of books. I think that is something I will imitate. What a rich and wonderful story this is. What a magnificent and glorious true story we are living in now!

[Nile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as part one in my opinion but still very good. It seems to me that part one was more raw and written because he had a story to tell, not really knowing if anyone would ever read or like it. This one seems more forced, riding on the tails of the first. That said, there is much deeper theology embedded in the allegory of part two and it gives great insight to the beliefs of this Puritan pastor. For example, the character Great-heart is a picture of a pastor throughout the book that guides them along their way. This is an excellent picture of what it means to come alongside your flock and battle for them, encourage them, and journey together. This is much different than standing on a pulpit in front of a mega congregation that you don't know.

I did enjoy this book and found it life giving in some areas, however, it was slow and dry in others and I felt the need to trudge and continue hoping for more gold...

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give the second part a nine out of ten. It might be the best book i've ever read. I liked the overall story, it was very spirtual and had more action in it than the first. This is one of the few books where I consciously lerned a lot of lessons. I also liked some of the characters in the book especially Mr. Great-heart Cristiana's guide. I liked the biblical concepts of the book and how it conveysa the Christian life as a journey. The pronblem I had with reading the book was the languge. I had trouble understanding some of the speech because the book was written more than tree hundred years ago.

[Alexandra Petri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this a very long time ago, but my recollection is that it took all the things that were weird about Pilgrim's Progress and turned them up to eleven. I definitely think all the children were married off to creepy-sounding allegories at the end.

I do wish we still lived in an era where people had allegorical names so you could tell whether to hang out with them, slay them, or what: "Giant Good-Slay," for instance, or "Feeble-Mind" or "Ready-to-Halt," all of which are actual names that appear in this.

[Rodrigo Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuação do livro clássico O Peregrino, dessa vez a narrativa conta a história de Cristiana (esposa de Cristão) e seus filhos rumo a Cidade Celestial. Tão empolgante quanto o primeiro livro, também é uma ótima pedida de leitura. Fazendo um paralelo com a caminhada cristã nós podemos nos identificar em diversas situações. Recomendo a leitura, depois de ler O Peregrino, para que você possa aproveitar melhor as situações narradas, uma vez que existem várias citações ao primeiro livro.

[Morgan Tonkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book belongs in the museum gathering dust, only to be seen not to be read. What female could not be insulted when the book suggests that women need a guide to ascend to heaven because they don't have the heart for it? It's also blatantly racist. I don't care when it was written, it's rubbish.

[Dan Ray · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm just not the target audience. I'd imagine that if you're a christian fundamentalist this story is right up there with the adventures of hercules in terms of accessible mythos. Also, you have to bear in mind the times when the book was published. Things were different.

[Tag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I love the story. This is the story about his wife. But this book is written in old English like the original Pilgrims Progress. Thought this was an updated version. Not as enjoyable for a child to read. Prefer "Dangerous Journey" version of Pilgrims Progress hands down.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The spiritual application and conversations are perhaps more pronounced in this volume, but it doesn't have the same potency that the first did. Still, I think that unfortunately this part is passed over far too often and has many things of benefit in it.

Read many years ago, recently re-read.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this second part of the Pilgrim's Progress! It may be even better than the first, but I don't know that it would be as powerful as a stand-alone. I love the special attention paid to those who are less stoic and/or more vulnerable. Truly an excellent, spiritually uplifting tale!

[Becky Pliego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page after page of encouragement.

My favorite thing in this second part is how much emphasis there is on God's faithfulness as seen in Christina's journey along with her sons and her daughters-in-law all the way into Eternity.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Christian's story but Christiana's was just the same story told again. A whole story of introducing Christian's family to everyone who had heard about him.

[Charles Warner]

Christiana is the continuing story/book of Christian Wife and kids.
The first book being- "The Pilgrim's Progress"

[Uri Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this review, I briefly address three retellings of The Pilgrim's Progress, which adapt Bunyan's Christian story (Part 1, anyway) and mostly succeed in overcoming the problems I mentioned that plague the original book:

(1) John Bunyan's A Pilgrim's Progress, an oversize book written by Geraldine McCaughrean and illustrated by Jason Cockcroft (1999).

American readers might not be familiar with McCaughrean, a British author who's written over 170 books (!) and won the Carnegie Medal twice (including for A Pack of Lies, which I like a lot) as well as the Hans Christian Andersen Award (which has been dubbed the Nobel Prize of children's literature).

In this retelling, she makes some reasonable changes, such as to the names (e.g., Mr. Worldly Wiseman is now Mr. Alec Smart). Christian's two companions are still called Faithful and Hopeful, but Hopeful has been genderswapped and is now a woman.

McCaughrean's storytelling is excellent, and Cockcroft's pointillist art – mostly B&W with a few color spreads – is breathtaking. If you want to read Pilgrim's Progress, this version – which won the very first Blue Peter Award for Book of the Year – is probably the best way to do it.

That is, unless you would prefer a graphic novel. Here are two of them:

(2) The Pilgrim's Progress, Volumes 1 and 2, adapted by Lee Tung & Johnny Wong and illustrated by Creator Art Studio (Kingstone Comics, 2011). [Volume 2 is the book you clicked on which brought you to this review.]

The art is good but isn't winning prizes. (Some of the word bubbles are confusingly placed.) The story is faithful to Bunyan – too faithful. It leaves in minor scenes that McCaughrean wisely omitted, such as the ones that trash other religions. (These include the has-been giants Pope and Pagan, and the deadly mountain called Sinai. When someone dashes up to Christian and beats him up, the guy is identified as none other than Moses.)

One clever depiction is Christian's heavy burden of sin. When he's freed of it by accepting Jesus (a scene that appears in all the versions), the burden is revealed to be a skeletal demon masquerading as a backpack. Interestingly, Hopeful has been genderswapped in this version as well.

(3) The Pilgrim's Progress, adapted by Martin Powell (who has written hundreds of stories for graphic novels) and illustrated by Seppo Makinen (Marvel Comics, 1992).

This version is more abridged than the other two, but it still manages to squeeze in some of Part 2, about the pilgrimage of Christiana and her children. (They don't know how to fight, but Bunyan has them protected by a warrior named Great-Heart. By the way, in this version Hopeful is a man, but Great-Heart is a woman.)

Two aspects of this version stand out for me. First, the art is professional and looks exactly like a Marvel superhero comic. Second, some of the setting has been moved to the present. For example, the corrupt city at the start of the story is reminiscent of Gotham City (oops, that belongs to the other comic book company). Christian's lazy friend Iggy (short for Ignorant) looks a lot like Pee-wee Herman. In other words, the Marvel version is a hybrid of Bunyan's 1600s story and modern visuals.