Jesus

by Walter Wangerin Jr.

This Consider this man who, by his power, his peace, his simple presence, and his fierce purity, quietly turned the whole world upside down. None other could evoke such joy at his astonishing deeds, such anger at his strange aloofness, such fear when he began to draw the attention of powerful enemies . . . and such heartbreak when the inevitable came to pass. Surrounded by a circle of close relationships---his mother and her extended family, men and women drawn irresistibly by the light of his personality, the authority of his words, the power of his deeds, and above all, by the depth of his love---this carpenter from Nazareth moved toward a singular destiny. A destiny he would both fear and embrace. A destiny that would mark forever the lives of those who followed him.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Religion, Biblical Fiction, Christianity

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Walter Wangerin Jr. is widely recognized as one of the most gifted writers writing today on the issues of faith and spirituality. Starting with the renowned Book of the Dun Cow, Wangerin's writing career has encompassed most every genre: fiction, essay, short story, children's story, meditation, and biblical exposition. His writing voice is immediately recognizable, and his fans number in the millions. The author of over forty books, Wangerin has won the National Book Award, New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year Award, and several Gold Medallions, including best-fiction awards for both The Book of God and Paul: A Novel. He lives in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he is Senior Research Professor at Valparaiso University.

Reviews

[Kathy Manns055 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Rounded up to 4 stars.

I am not crazy about Wangerin’s characterizations of Christ, Peter, Mary (mother of Christ), Judas Iscariot or Mary Magdalene (called Maryam of Magdala in the book). Kudos for his take on John, the Beloved Disciple - beautifully done.

Peter is characterized as a lommox of a man, a big bumbling buffoon (sorry for the alliteration) - at least that is what I took from the book. Nothing like the rugged, forthright and intentional man I find in the scriptures. Mary is just plain annoying, almost a parody of the Jewish mother found in books and movies. My heart softened toward her during the crucifixion portion of the book, and because of her relationship with John post resurrection. Maryam of Magdala never became a real person to me, and was overly much described as wraithlike and beautifully unusual. Never did get a handle on her. And Judas Iscariot? He is characterized as a giddy, hyena-like teenager, annoying, childish and ultimately deluded. Where is the greed, the sly and serpentine personality who held himself apart, devising his own role in the downfall of his Master?

Jesus? My advice is go to the scriptures to parse out this enigmatic being where by turns he is harsh and uncompromising, strong yet gentle, loving, compassionate, and above all else, committed to his God and to speaking out truth - even when his audience didn’t want to hear it. His is the most compelling personality you will ever encounter. Better to encounter him in scripture than in this book.

So, why 3.5 stars? Because in the reading of this novel, you sense Wangerin’s great love and fascination with the story of Christ. While my brain can’t quite wrap itself around the way he has written these famous people of the Bible, it doesn’t detract from the essence of the timeless, beautiful story of Jesus Christ. The story is still there, and it is powerful.

[Ty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, again, as usual but not on purpose, the first book I finished in the new year was about Jesus. I downloaded this one night when I got lonely a few days before Christmas. I loved Wangerin's novel about Paul, but here he does the same thing to Jesus that he did to Paul: makes him unlikeable. I don't need to like Paul, it's easy for me to not like Paul, and not liking him feels fun and righteous and rebellious and heretical. But I want to like Jesus. Maybe I've just made him into what I want him to be, but in the gospels Jesus seems to be full of jokes and strange stories, feeding and teasing and hugging and healing strangers and his friends, making a mockery of every empire and economy and priest and power structure. In this book he just seems quiet and grumpy and frustrated with everyone. Too much like me when I am at my worst.

Last night I read about Jesus and Judas dying and didn't care very much and went to sleep. When I woke up this morning I made breakfast and ate it and then sat down to finish this book and got surprisingly emotional. Of course I got a little weepy when I imagined John, old and alone and almost blind, remembering his dead friends and trying to write a book about them; but for some reason when Jesus said to Mary Magadelene "I am going to my father and your father, to my God and your God," I cried and cried and prayed and prayed for myself and my friends for one friend in particular.

What are prayers,
what are people,
what are stories,
what are words,
amen.

[Cathryn Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this book gave the shivers…in a good way. A very, very good way.

Author Walter Wangerin Jr. has cleverly fleshed out the gospel stories of Jesus's life—from birth to death and beyond—with all the qualities of a good novel: suspense and tension, plot and pacing, characters with real feelings and passions, and dialogue that further pulls you into the story. Most of all, the book has a lasting emotional impact, transforming succinct, sometimes dry gospel stories into something that transports you to first-century Israel.

Various parts of the novel are told from the point of view of Mary or the beloved disciple (and in some cases, both of them), so we get to see Jesus—what he says and how he acts—from his mother's loving eyes and his disciple's spellbound eyes. In addition, the text is packed with historical information and cultural descriptions of the time and place that make the stories pop off the page in a way that reading the Bible doesn't quite do. Find out that the town of Magdala stinks from all the fish and that donkeys sneeze.

Just one example of many: In the story of the Transfiguration Jesus climbs a high mountain with Peter, James, and John and is transfigured—his appearance changes so his face shines and his clothing becomes a dazzling, blinding white--along with Moses and Elijah by his side. In Wangerin's creative hands, this is a stunning piece of storytelling that made me better understand Peter's confusion, fear, and awe. And climbing a mountain is hard work!

The best part of immersing myself in this book during Holy Week, which is when I read it, is that I experienced in a whole new way a Jesus that seemed so real. He was kind, compassionate, and gentle, but also fully human. He got angry. He cried. He had a temper. He could be cranky—even with his own beloved, doting mother. The story of his passion and death upon the cross is so emotionally searing it's impossible to read without crying. But await! Jesus's resurrection and his appearance among this disciples is heartwarming and faith-nurturing.

Read this book for a fresh perspective that will allow you to better embrace and suffer with a fully human Jesus.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting fictional take on the greatest story ever told, but I like the original just fine.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book club choice at church, so I'm going to hold off posting this review to my blog so as not to spoil my reaction (not that I actually think that there are so many people eagerly and with baited breath awaiting my comments). But here is what I think.

I actually found this a hard book to read through. Not because of language, but because of something I'm still having problems putting my finger on. The history is mostly fine (I have quibbles- for example, I think Wangerin over-reads the weight of taxation at this particular point in Roman history-) and he does keep close to the gospels. And both of those things are good. But it still didn't ring quite true.

I think the problems for me come up in the characterization. Jesus himself comes off very flat. That's a danger in depicting someone, but, despite some attempt to humanize him with the nickname Yeshi and with emotions enough to challenge the spiritualizers out there, there is a whole lot of warmth or, well, engagement. That is always a challenge of course because, when depicting Jesus, we're reliant on the Gospels, who aren't always strong at character development as well, but the flatness leaves me disappointed. Did people just follow him because of his wonders?

That kind of characterization issues affect other characters. Mary is pretty prickly. I can see that Wangerin is trying to challenge that meek Mary that is so prevalent in some Christian literature, but what we come up with is a Mary who is mostly at odds with Jesus. There is some of that in the Gospels, but not to this degree. And, then, there's the poor naive Judas who thinks he gets it, but doesn't. Again, not the vibe I get from the limited mentions of Judas in the Gospels.

This is still an interesting novel and I'm glad I read it. But it does leave me a bit flat.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a monumental task to write a novel about Jesus' life. It's certainly not a task I would take on, so props to Wangerin for giving it a try. But couldn't he make his Jesus more lovable? Less intense and angry? And seriously, would Jesus really say "shut up"? I'm sure the historical research is accurate, and he clearly took a lot of the dialogue straight from the Bible. But it was missing the sort of loving, compassionate, emotional connection that one would expect from a book about Jesus.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay. I'm glad other reviewers enjoyed it more than I did and were blessed by it. It does have some "good moments" in it, but not really amongst the characters in the book in my opinion. It moved at a slow pace, but it did hold my attention until the end. Too, I would think a book supposedly written from John's point of view would be closer in line with the Gospel of John than this book turned out to be. I will say this - I don't think I would ever want to try and write a fictional book about Jesus because of the balance of trying to portray Him as fully human and fully God, how to get His humanity across in a believable way but without Him sinning by being deliberately offensive (so to speak).

The descriptions of the characters in the book were a huge distraction for me and took away from the story. Maybe it's because I've been spoiled by Hollywood's presentation of the people in the Gospels, but the author is not kind to people at all. Martha is described as being "grossly fat" - she comes across as being short and composed of rolls of fat. Perhaps if Mary, Martha's sister, were similar in appearance, but Mary is presented as being slender and beautiful, the opposite of Martha. Mary of Magda (called "Mariam" in this book) is a scrawny, quiet teenager and not the wealthy woman mentioned in Luke as being one of the women who used her wealth to support Jesus's ministry. Peter is a giant buffoon of a man and an oaf; he comes across worse in this book than he does in the Gospels. it is like, he is the only stupid disciple in Jesus's group and fails to understand anything despite the Gospels indicating otherwise (all of the disciples had trouble understanding Jesus). Judas Iscariot is a whining, wheedling, conniving, obnoxious teenager who betrays Jesus in order to force Jesus to perform a miracle to save Himself.

Jesus does not fare well, either. He is described as having a weird "hiccup-laugh" where He hiccups when he laughs. And did you know Jesus is ticklish? I was actually ambivalent about that. He really comes across as a jerk in this book at times, and I really cannot see Him telling Judas to "shut up" and then berating Judas like Jesus does in this book. Jesus feels more like a caricature than He does a real person in this book. He comes across as petty, petulant, and mean at times. Too, I did not like how Jesus was shorter than everybody else, and was so small and frail in this book. I felt like the author took away from Jesus in how Jesus was presented. And the way the author kept referencing Jesus's eyelashes - what was up with that? It was annoying to me.

I did not like how Joseph is presented in the book, either. He is presented as being a giant lummox of a man, of being brainless, slow, and not very smart. He is slow to speak and comes across as not being able to put two sentences together let alone speak a complete sentence of more than a grunt. He is strong, yes, but he is presented in a very poor light. I have never seen Joseph like the way he is portrayed in this book, and I firmly disagree with how he was portrayed. I felt the author took away from Joseph as well in how Joseph was described.

Mary, Jesus's mother, is not portrayed very well, either. She comes across as scheming, deceptive, and manipulative at times. She also comes across as being the impetus or stimulus for several of Jesus's miracles He performed, and it felt like it took away from the spontaneity of what Jesus did, of His message. She also comes across as mean at times, and it was rather unflattering. I think he was trying to present her in a way that was not so perfect and pious like she tends to be portrayed (as well as "eternally young", hahahah), but I am not sure how well that attempt worked because of the way she comes across, of the way she treats Joseph and then later Jesus.

And then you have Jesus's antagonist - what was his name? Eleazar? Something like that - I don't have the book nearby and don't feel like taking the time to find it, but that was a horrible description of a man. Right up there with Martha, how his face comes across as sticking out and elongated, like a goat or animal or something, and he has a huge gap between his teeth and spits when he talks. Just a horrible caricature of a man. I mean, I guess I kinda "get it" - he is trying to portray these people from the Bible as "normal people" and not the "icons" of sorts they have become, these people who are larger than life because of their interactions with Jesus. Still, though, I would have liked to have seen Nicodemus appear in the novel at least once.

There were some other "things" that bugged me about the book.
I was surprised the author does not have Jesus's four brothers in the book and reference His sisters (at least two). That made zero sense to me, that he would not have mentioned them. Or at least referenced them as cousins who regularly came around with Mary when He was preaching. I half-expected him to either be Catholic or come from a Catholic background because of that.

When the disciples go across the Sea of Galilee at night and Jesus walks on water (190-192). The gospels say the disciples were in one boat; the author has them in two boats. The author of Matthew states that it was Jesus who first recognized Jesus walking on water (well, calling out to Jesus by name), but the author has John recognizing Jesus and calling to Jesus first. And I wish I knew why the author felt such a strong need to diminish Peter like he does. In this book, Jesus is actually standing beside the boat Peter is in when Peter steps out. Peter barely takes a step before he starts sinking. The author of Matthew says that Peter walked on the water, not took a step and sank. That means Peter took more than two steps in my mind; I see it as Peter walking a ways away from the boat before he sinks, and then he and Jesus walk back to the boat. It's just annoying to me that the author does this.

Too, I feel like the author is implying that the events in the Gospel do not take place like they are described as taking place. At the end, when John and Mary are traveling about, John relays some of the stories told in the Gospels (like the Sermon on the Mount) and where these events took place, but Mary corrects John and says, "no, that took place somewhere else!" (like the Sermon on the Mount actually took place in an open field).

It was an interesting moment when Mary mentally corrected Jesus about Deborah and Barak regarding Sisera (179ff). It bugged me, but it was still interesting because I had never thought about Sisera's mother and the grief she would have felt over her son's death, how he never returned to her alive. Mary mentally corrects Jesus because Jesus only talks about two women in Deborah's story when that event in Judges talks about three women (including Sisera's mom). I don't remember if Mary actually corrected Jesus as well, but it still bugged me.

The author reverses the order of Peter being rebuked by Jesus (210-213) and Jesus's transfiguration (221-223). What was the point of that? Why reverse the order? Just so Jesus can restore Peter to the fellowship of the disciples three times by asking Peter if Peter will (still) be His rock? (218) Is that a riff on Jesus later restoring Peter to the circle/fellowship by asking him three times "do you love me?" after Peter denied knowing Jesus three times?

And then the final Passover meal being portrayed as a "wedding feast" for Mary Magdalene and Jesus? What was up with that? Where did the author get that idea? That was just kind of weird to me.

Finally, it was weird to me that the author has John quoting Paul in Paul's letter to the Colossians (1:15-20). I suppose the case could be made that others might have had the same revelation as Paul, but it's just funny how the author comes across as having to have John be somehow "set apart" from the others in terms of revelation and epiphanies. Peter was chosen to be Jesus's Rock, not John, so why make Peter out to be more of a buffoon than he probably was and make John that much better? Granted, I have heard some postulate that the "beloved disciple" was actually Lazarus and not John, which would be a hoot and a holler, as far as I am concerned, but still is neither here nor there. John is decidedly the author's favorite.

There is "a lot" of artistic license taken in this novel, that is for sure. However, there were some things I did like.
I especially enjoyed the author acknowledging Jesus and John the Baptist are cousins, that they were close in age. It is like nobody remembers this fact about these two men in movies! Probably not even in books, either, but I cannot remember how many fictional books I have read about Jesus (I do remember Tosca Lee referencing their being related in Iscariot). So that was good to read about.

I thought it was interesting to read how Mary and some of the other women knew how to use different herbs and spices, different plants, for various treatments as medicine. Medications could be made for illnesses, wounds, sores, pain, and other maladies, so it was a fun reminder who the ancients knew how to use the cornucopia of creation as their medicine cabinet to find the cure for what ailed them. The author did get very descriptive at times, and I enjoyed that reminder of how well these people knew to use the natural resources around them when it was necessary.

I also liked how the author tied in Jesus's messages and sermons into the various lifestyles and occupations of those living during that time. I confess, I had not made very many of those associations when reading the Gospels, so clearly I was reading them from a modern perspective and not trying to understand the time period in which Jesus lived and taught followed by when the Gospels were written. I thought that was one of the more enlightening moments in this book for me, when the author relayed specific aspects of certain messages with certain occupations or experiences of the local people of that time.

I also liked how the author used "time" to describe how long various trips took. Like when Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve. Or when Jesus and the disciples left Israel to go into Canaan (region of Tyre) and encountered the Canaanite woman who wanted Jesus to heal her daughter. The Gospels never mention how much time it takes to travel from one city to the next, from one region to another, so I appreciated these windows into how long it took to travel between places as well as how Jesus would have been preaching, teaching, and ministering on these trips. Very cool revelation, very cool stuff.

I have always pictured Lazarus as being older than Mary and Martha, but the author has Lazarus portrayed as the youngest of the three. Whatever. Just different.

He has Peter sulking so bad after the Crucifixion and Resurrection it practically drives the disciples apart. I don't see that in the Bible, either, but it leads to John convincing Peter to grab the other disciples and go fishing "one last time", which leads to the crew encountering Jesus on the shore and His telling them to case the nets over the other side, which leads to Peter being restored by Jesus.

Mary Magdalene just "disappears" from history in this book. She is with Mary and John, traveling with them, and then she just disappears into a snowstorm and is never seen again; john believes she met Jesus and was taken by Jesus up into Heaven. Okay. Whatever. Kinda weird, but whatever. Not sure if that is some kind of symbolism tying back into how the "Last Supper" was actually the wedding feast of Mary and Jesus.

The 'relationship" between Jesus and Bar Abbas was interesting. The author has Bar Abbas warning Jesus to flee Galilee because the Pharisees are coming for Him (201). And then Bar Abbas kneels at Jesus's feet after the crowd demands Jesus be crucified and Bar Abbas be set free. It was a different take on these two men, and not one I had seen before or heard of. So it was interesting.

I wish I could say I loved this book. I wish I could say that I, at the very last, liked it. There are moments in the book that I liked. But overall, as a whole, it was okay. I'd rate it a solid 2 stars because of how much it diverged from the Gospels again, at the very least, I would have expected it to follow more closely the Gospel of John since most of what takes place in this novel is supposedly from John's perspective. Not sure if I will ever read it again, but at least I read it once.

[Sean Meade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and and found it to be helpful in thinking about what Jesus's life was like, along with the lives of those around Him. He focuses on the perspectives of His mother, Mary, and of the disciple John.

I would not have focused so much on Mary given what we know about her. And I seriously wonder why Wangerin chose to portray her as not having other children. I agree it resolves the 'problem' of Jesus giving Mary and John to one another as mother and son at the Crucifixion, but it creates other problems given the other things we know.

Still, that's a quibble and I like most of Wangerin's decisions and his work here. Like I said for his book about Paul, I recommend this book to people who want to think more about what Jesus's life was like. It makes a nice companion to the Gospels (albeit fictional beside their authority).

[Ray Mullen Sr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rarely do I rate a book this low but unfortunately this was a tough read for me. Walter Wangerin Jr. is a highly rated and accomplished author but he took extreme liberties in this work. If you are a Christian and know the 'Real'
Jesus, the book might be somewhat interesting just from the standpoint of a novel in general. After having said that, I feel than a person seeking Jesus could easily be led down the wrong path. The book is using the Bible's Book of John as its' reference point but distorts it to the extreme. The Jesus in this novel is portrayed as a bit self centered and even somewhat arrogant. There are moments of miracles, healing and parables that are worthwhile but the
general theme and structure of this read greatly diminishes any value it may have.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another novel based on Jesus' life. The narrator is the Apostle John. I found the portrayal of Mary, Jesus' mother to be offensive: she came off as an overprotective Jewish mother as seen in modern times. "My son, the messiah" could have been something she said. It really was not a portrayal of a young woman (14 when he was born) from that time period. Also, the story was presented from the Catholic viewpoint that there were no other children in Mary and Joseph's family.
The portrayal of Judas as an overzealous teenager who did what he did to see if Jesus would do something dramatic to save himself and establish his kingdom was different from other novels I have read, but the author's use of modern slang was jarring. Peter was portrayed almost as an oaf.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A connoisseur of words, Walter Wangerin takes the life story of Jesus from the point of view of John, the beloved apostle, and Mary, the mother of Jesus and breathes life and character into it. From the annunciation to the death of Mary, Wangerin weaves a spellbinding novelization that will capture the attention of those who have read the biblical story numerous times as well as of those to whom it is a new story. Although the author develops some characters in such a fashion that they might not quite match the picture the reader has painted, he still brings the story of Christ alive.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting novelization basically of the Gospel of John. It is fairly faithful to the Biblical account and only takes liberties to flesh out the story. It provides certain insight to the responses of the disciples, especially John and Peter and to Mary the mother of Jesus.

I would recommend it very much. It is an easy read, but does generate contemplation and meditation on aspects of the life of Christ that you might otherwise skim over without thinking.

[Jānis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tikai pēc grāmatas pabeigšanas izlasīju, ka tas ir reliģiskais romāns, jo sākumā man likās tāds kā neliels watafaks - itkā romāns, bet visi notikumi jau lasīti un diezgan precīzi atstāstīti...

Jāsaka, ka ļoti interesanti un man patika. Tas vai ticēt tur rakstītajam vai to uztvert kā daiļliteratūru, atstāju katra paša ziņā, bet lasās raiti un ir interesanti. Sevišķi tiem, kas par nav aizrāvies baigi ar reliģijām.

[Rob Seabrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Jesus” is a novel by the much acclaimed Christian writer, Walter Wangerin, who passed away last year, leaving behind a legacy of Christian writing that will continue to inspire and inform generations. This book follows the Gospel of John, partially written in the first person from Johns perspective, taking the reader through the life of Jesus, from birth, through death to resurrection.
Having written Biblical fiction, I am aware of how tricky it can be, wanting to get the balance right between following the facts of the Biblical texts and the urge to add creative content to build the colour. This balance is generally achieved in this book, perhaps with just one or two places where a little artistic licence is taken. But that does not spoil the experience of what is an authentic story, bringing context, following the gospel story with accuracy. And it really is very beautifully written.
Biblical fiction offers context, colour and triggers all the senses to create a deeper understanding of the original text. It is not an alternative to reading the scripture but a useful addition, especially for people who may be more visual in their learning – the description and detail will build on the scripture....
Read the full review at https://www.robseabrook.com/jesus-a-n...

[Rachel Grepke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of books have been written about the life of Jesus. Besides the Bible, obviously. This book tells the story of the life of Jesus through the eyes of John the apostle. From the announcement to young Mary, to being lost at the temple, and then to his ministry, death and resurrection, this novel follows along. While many liberties are taken with it, it does keep to the basic core of Biblical thought. It will stir you emotionally and spiritually. There were a few times where the wording confused me a bit, but after continued reading for context, made more sense. Added bonus, he is from my home state, so happy to support a fellow hoosier!

[JAKE · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolute loved this book. My only complaint is that Jesus comes off a little flat. I understand why. Wangerin has so much respect for the scriptures that he takes absolutely zero artistic license when writing Jesus. By contrast he is able to add so much color and narrative to the rest of the story that Jesus comes off as flat.

This book contains the only explanation of Judas's actions that I can understand. How in the world could a person following Jesus around betray him. Wangerin has a compelling reason.

[Elgyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

s. 273 Byl jsem nemocný a vy jste mne navštívili. Byl jsem ve vězení, malé stádo - a vy jste mne přišli navštívit.
Jaké malé stádo?

s. 33 „...Miriam,“
„Kde byl...“

s. 50 Ale Alžběta řekla, „Ne Zachariáš.“ „Bude se jmenovat Jan.“
Na to potřebovala čtyři uvozovky?

s. 65 „já jsem
s. 66 -“ Ale
s. 199 Ovšem, Nalézají
s. 370 ha !“
s. 378 to.Ale



uvozovky - s. 37, 98

[Don Glass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary

I love the good news of Jesus Christ and have read the Gospels many times
This book by Walter is a fresh re-write of the Gospel written by John, the beloved apostle.
It's a lovely book. True. Detailed. Gripping and left me with a real sense of being right there with all the characters.

[Betty Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus Revealed

This is the best novel about Jesus' life I have ever read. It is a novel, not inspired word, but in the author's giftedness he makes the life of Jesus, His followers, His enemies so vivid that I could see them in my mind's eye. I loved this book and recommend it to everyone.

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful imagery. The book will send me to the scriptures so that I am not overtaken by another man's filler words. There is a lot of extra story telling in this book, although truly, I doubt it is hurtful.
May it bring belief to others of Jesus that they will know his peace and love.

[Keith CARTER · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are better books on the market that deal with the life of Jesus but none that are so complete in a novel, as this one does. However, I really enjoyed this book. I now fully intend to read the other books of Walter Wangerin which deal with different aspects of religion. Recommended reading.

[Autumn Meeker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I echo the same sentiments as @Kathy Manns055. I struggled with appreciating the way Wangerin portrayed the characters of this story, primarily Mary the mother of Jesus and Simon Peter. This retelling was nonetheless moving and thoughtful.

[Ken Hoch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very faithful to the biblical text, but does creatively explore perspective in storytelling. I found it full of beauty and worth meditating over.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book

It’s amazing to have the most important story in history come alive the way it does in this fantastic book.

[Mr S Jarvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book, but cannot remember it.

[Nigel Blease · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book really powerful and moving. Yes I am a Christian but it did help me change perspective or view the Gospels in a different way.

[Deni Tani · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF had a hard time staying engaged.

[Renae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried through the entire thing. Beautifully written.

[Nikki Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done

I enjoyed this reimagined story that we are all so familiar with. I really enjoyed reading about Mary and Jesus

[Pelican Rapids · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed