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Вяра, надежда, любов
Романът „Вяра, надежда, любов“ е повратна точка в литературната кариера на Колийн Маккълоу. Той заема особено, централно място между първите й три романа и огромния петтомен епос „Първият римлянин“. „Вяра, надежда, любов“ е едно странно, но завладяващо четиво, за което трудно се намират думи за сравнение с нещо познато, освен, разбира се, с най-познатата от всички книги…
Няма съмнение, че вярата, надеждата и любовта са трите основни неща, върху които се крепи човешкото същество като нещо различно от животинския биологичен организъм. Но каква е същината на тези чувства, как те се превръщат в онази обединителна спойка, събираща отделните слаби човешки същества в една общност, способна да се противопостави на всяко предизвикателство?
Задавайки си тези въпроси, Колийн Маккълоу не се е поколебала да посегне към най-популярния, но и най-значимия сюжет, в който се тълкува проблемът за вярата, надеждата и любовта — животът на Христос. И резултатът от нейния опит в никакъв случай не е по-слаб от другото голямо предизвикателство към великата книга — „Майстора и Маргарита“ на Булгаков. И това е така, защото както Булгаков, така и Колийн Маккълоу, напипват може би най-важното противоречие на евангелския сюжет — противоречието между огромната, безграничната любов, която е същността на човека Иисус (Йешуа, Джошуа) и всички онези човешки обстоятелства, които превръщат неговия живот в легенда, а легендата — в средство за утвърждаване на една империя.
Именно механизмът на създаването на легендата е в центъра на „Вяра, надежда, любов“…
Няма съмнение, че вярата, надеждата и любовта са трите основни неща, върху които се крепи човешкото същество като нещо различно от животинския биологичен организъм. Но каква е същината на тези чувства, как те се превръщат в онази обединителна спойка, събираща отделните слаби човешки същества в една общност, способна да се противопостави на всяко предизвикателство?
Задавайки си тези въпроси, Колийн Маккълоу не се е поколебала да посегне към най-популярния, но и най-значимия сюжет, в който се тълкува проблемът за вярата, надеждата и любовта — животът на Христос. И резултатът от нейния опит в никакъв случай не е по-слаб от другото голямо предизвикателство към великата книга — „Майстора и Маргарита“ на Булгаков. И това е така, защото както Булгаков, така и Колийн Маккълоу, напипват може би най-важното противоречие на евангелския сюжет — противоречието между огромната, безграничната любов, която е същността на човека Иисус (Йешуа, Джошуа) и всички онези човешки обстоятелства, които превръщат неговия живот в легенда, а легендата — в средство за утвърждаване на една империя.
Именно механизмът на създаването на легендата е в центъра на „Вяра, надежда, любов“…
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
57 people are currently reading
648 people want to read
About the author
Colleen McCullough
129 books3,131 followersColleen Margaretta McCullough was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being The Thorn Birds and Tim.
Raised by her mother in Wellington and then Sydney, McCullough began writing stories at age 5. She flourished at Catholic schools and earned a physiology degree from the University of New South Wales in 1963. Planning become a doctor, she found that she had a violent allergy to hospital soap and turned instead to neurophysiology – the study of the nervous system's functions. She found jobs first in London and then at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
After her beloved younger brother Carl died in 1965 at age 25 while rescuing two drowning women in the waters off Crete, a shattered McCullough quit writing. She finally returned to her craft in 1974 with Tim, a critically acclaimed novel about the romance between a female executive and a younger, mentally disabled gardener. As always, the author proved her toughest critic: "Actually," she said, "it was an icky book, saccharine sweet."
A year later, while on a paltry $10,000 annual salary as a Yale researcher, McCullough – just "Col" to her friends – began work on the sprawling The Thorn Birds, about the lives and loves of three generations of an Australian family. Many of its details were drawn from her mother's family's experience as migrant workers, and one character, Dane, was based on brother Carl.
Though some reviews were scathing, millions of readers worldwide got caught up in her tales of doomed love and other natural calamities. The paperback rights sold for an astonishing $1.9 million.
In all, McCullough wrote 11 novels.
Source: http://www.people.com/article/colleen...
Raised by her mother in Wellington and then Sydney, McCullough began writing stories at age 5. She flourished at Catholic schools and earned a physiology degree from the University of New South Wales in 1963. Planning become a doctor, she found that she had a violent allergy to hospital soap and turned instead to neurophysiology – the study of the nervous system's functions. She found jobs first in London and then at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
After her beloved younger brother Carl died in 1965 at age 25 while rescuing two drowning women in the waters off Crete, a shattered McCullough quit writing. She finally returned to her craft in 1974 with Tim, a critically acclaimed novel about the romance between a female executive and a younger, mentally disabled gardener. As always, the author proved her toughest critic: "Actually," she said, "it was an icky book, saccharine sweet."
A year later, while on a paltry $10,000 annual salary as a Yale researcher, McCullough – just "Col" to her friends – began work on the sprawling The Thorn Birds, about the lives and loves of three generations of an Australian family. Many of its details were drawn from her mother's family's experience as migrant workers, and one character, Dane, was based on brother Carl.
Though some reviews were scathing, millions of readers worldwide got caught up in her tales of doomed love and other natural calamities. The paperback rights sold for an astonishing $1.9 million.
In all, McCullough wrote 11 novels.
Source: http://www.people.com/article/colleen...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
March 17, 2021
Terzo millennio, prossimo futuro, il Dr. Christian vive in un Mondo cupo, freddo, è in atto una nuova glaciazione e disperato, con una nevrosi di massa preoccupante. Si passano le giornate tra restrizioni alla quotidianità ed alle libertà individuali, ci sono situazioni gravi e la prospettiva per il futuro non è delle più rosee. Così il Dr. Christian sente di avere un dono che dovrà usare per migliorare la situazione. Poi un bel giorno arriverà...
Molto simile alla nostra quotidianità, anche se il pianeta si sta scaldando e non raffreddando, comunque!
Un romanzo dallo sfondo distopico/apocalittico, che invece si rivelerà qualcos'altro, non saprei nemmeno cosa, forse di come si può creare un mito, un mostro, un Dio?
La scrittura merita, anche se l'autrice, per me, ci gira un po' troppo su, come se volesse allungare il brodo. La storia che mi aveva attratto all'inizio, poi pian piano mi è risultata al limite dell'irritazione, fino a respingermi con forza, ero lì lì per abbandonarlo.
Molto simile alla nostra quotidianità, anche se il pianeta si sta scaldando e non raffreddando, comunque!
Un romanzo dallo sfondo distopico/apocalittico, che invece si rivelerà qualcos'altro, non saprei nemmeno cosa, forse di come si può creare un mito, un mostro, un Dio?
La scrittura merita, anche se l'autrice, per me, ci gira un po' troppo su, come se volesse allungare il brodo. La storia che mi aveva attratto all'inizio, poi pian piano mi è risultata al limite dell'irritazione, fino a respingermi con forza, ero lì lì per abbandonarlo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2011
I quite liked this book, though it took me a long time to get into it. It has a very thought provoking plot and interesting story. Sort of a new Messiah in the future (2032). Book was written in 1985. Instead of climate warming, which we are experiencing now, the earth has returned to the beginnings of a new ice age. Pay attention to the names of the characters (at least most of them) as their names beome relevant later in the story.
May 16, 2021
Un romanzo fantascientifico che non so se definire post-apocalittico. Di certo non lo definirei distopico. Ma, dato che non amo classificare i libri e dato che stiamo parlando di un romanzo del 1985 di cui ancora non ho capito lo scopo, sarà meglio soprassedere.
Il romanzo è ambientato in un futuro prossimo - ancor più prossimo per noi, dal momento che è ambientato nel 2032/2033 - in cui nel mondo, dopo il Trattato di Delhi si è deciso di limitare le nascite, tanto che ogni coppia sposata può avere un solo figlio, al limite può fare richiesta e sperare di essere tra i pochissimi fortunati estratti per avere un secondo figlio.
La dottoressa Judith Carriol (nome che ha una fortissima assonanza con Giuda Iscariota) lavora a Washington per il ministero dell'ambiente in un'importantissima Operazione Ricerca (che più avanti diventerà Operazione Messia) per individuare degli uomini di forte carisma, in modo da portare il paese fuori dal gravissimo male che lo ha colpito, una forma di depressione collettiva, dovuta al freddo perenne che lo attanaglia (secondo la McCullough i problemi dell'ambiente avrebbero portato a una nuova glaciazione e non a un riscaldamento globale come è invece accaduto in realtà) e dalla solitudine, aggravata ulteriormente dalle scarse nascite e dal timore di molte donne che quell'unico figlio possa non sopravvivere.
L'uomo che viene selezonato da quest'operazione è un perfetto sconosciuto di una piccola cittadina nel Connecticut, Holloman, in cui vive con la madre e due fratelli sposati con le relative mogli, oltre alla sorella minore, Mary (naturalmente la madre li ha avuti molto prima che venisse firmato il Trattato di Delhi). Il suo nome è Joshua Christian.
Il dr. Christian è uno psicologo che ha aiutato molti dei suoi pazienti a superare questo periodo buio, dando loro nuova speranza. L'uomo sa di avere una missione nella vita, ma suppone che la sua clinica di Hollow sia il luogo giusto per compierla.
Con qualcosa che c’era dentro di lui. Una forza. Una grossissima… come definirla? Ma esisteva una definizione? Erano i suoi occhi, la sua voce, il modo come muoveva le mani, la tensione dei suoi tendini e… e… Quando parlava, gli si credeva! Costringeva a credergli! Lo si guardava in faccia e negli occhi, si sentiva ciò che diceva e gli si credeva. Come se tutto l’universo fosse ai suoi ordini.
Ma quando arriva Judith Carriol e gli propone di scrivere un libro in cui esporre le sue idee, Joshua Christian capisce che la sua missione è curare quante più persone possibile attraverso il suo libro - Il Dio di maledizione - che diventerà un bestseller mondiale in pochissimi mesi.
Io ai miei pazienti dico: credete. Dico loro che, se non possono credere a nessun’idea già esistente di Dio, devono crearsene una loro. Ma devono credere! Perché senza credere non saranno mai completi.
Lei deve certamente essersi reso conto, ormai, che l’unico mezzo per curare il male di questo paese consiste nel dare alla gente una spinta non morale, ma spirituale! L’uomo che stiamo cercando deve disporre della capacità veramente unica di influenzare gli umori della gente e, quando si parla di un influsso di questo genere, si parla di spiritualità, di religiosità, di Dio e chi più ne ha più ne metta! E un problema che dobbiamo affrontare da americani, con strumenti contemporanei, realizzando un codice per vivere in quest’epoca, che sia fatto su misura per i cittadini degli Stati Uniti d’America, da un uomo che essi sentano come un loro simile! Un uomo che li capisca e attragga tutti e non solo gli irlandesi, i tedeschi, gli ebrei o uno qualsiasi degli altri gruppi etnici arrivati qui, per quanto ci siano da molto tempo!
Ripercorrendo duemila anni dopo le tappe del Vangelo aggiornate (non per nulla il libro è ambientato nel 2032 e si conclude nella primavera del 2033 - ed effettivamente, ambientarlo nel 3033 sarebbe stato un azzardo), il romanzo vorrebbe essere la costruzione a tavolino e la presentazione di un nuovo Messia che dia alla popolazione una nuova speranza, una nuova spiritualità. E Joshua Christian e la sua famiglia (i nuovi Apostoli) sono profondamente convinti che lui sia davvero un nuovo Messia.
Colleen McCullough come al solito è molto brava nel costruire dei personaggi che sono spesso così pieni di difetti da essere insopportabili (la madre del dr. Christian credo sia davvero il top) ma anche infinitamente umani; invece, scrivere un romanzo di fantascienza così ravvicinato nel tempo ha reso questa storia poco credibile già dieci anni dopo la sua pubblicazione, quando la tecnologia e la situazione politica e climatica della Terra hanno smentito tutto quello che secondo la McCullough sarebbe potuto accadere.
Il romanzo è ambientato in un futuro prossimo - ancor più prossimo per noi, dal momento che è ambientato nel 2032/2033 - in cui nel mondo, dopo il Trattato di Delhi si è deciso di limitare le nascite, tanto che ogni coppia sposata può avere un solo figlio, al limite può fare richiesta e sperare di essere tra i pochissimi fortunati estratti per avere un secondo figlio.
La dottoressa Judith Carriol (nome che ha una fortissima assonanza con Giuda Iscariota) lavora a Washington per il ministero dell'ambiente in un'importantissima Operazione Ricerca (che più avanti diventerà Operazione Messia) per individuare degli uomini di forte carisma, in modo da portare il paese fuori dal gravissimo male che lo ha colpito, una forma di depressione collettiva, dovuta al freddo perenne che lo attanaglia (secondo la McCullough i problemi dell'ambiente avrebbero portato a una nuova glaciazione e non a un riscaldamento globale come è invece accaduto in realtà) e dalla solitudine, aggravata ulteriormente dalle scarse nascite e dal timore di molte donne che quell'unico figlio possa non sopravvivere.
L'uomo che viene selezonato da quest'operazione è un perfetto sconosciuto di una piccola cittadina nel Connecticut, Holloman, in cui vive con la madre e due fratelli sposati con le relative mogli, oltre alla sorella minore, Mary (naturalmente la madre li ha avuti molto prima che venisse firmato il Trattato di Delhi). Il suo nome è Joshua Christian.
Il dr. Christian è uno psicologo che ha aiutato molti dei suoi pazienti a superare questo periodo buio, dando loro nuova speranza. L'uomo sa di avere una missione nella vita, ma suppone che la sua clinica di Hollow sia il luogo giusto per compierla.
Con qualcosa che c’era dentro di lui. Una forza. Una grossissima… come definirla? Ma esisteva una definizione? Erano i suoi occhi, la sua voce, il modo come muoveva le mani, la tensione dei suoi tendini e… e… Quando parlava, gli si credeva! Costringeva a credergli! Lo si guardava in faccia e negli occhi, si sentiva ciò che diceva e gli si credeva. Come se tutto l’universo fosse ai suoi ordini.
Ma quando arriva Judith Carriol e gli propone di scrivere un libro in cui esporre le sue idee, Joshua Christian capisce che la sua missione è curare quante più persone possibile attraverso il suo libro - Il Dio di maledizione - che diventerà un bestseller mondiale in pochissimi mesi.
Io ai miei pazienti dico: credete. Dico loro che, se non possono credere a nessun’idea già esistente di Dio, devono crearsene una loro. Ma devono credere! Perché senza credere non saranno mai completi.
Lei deve certamente essersi reso conto, ormai, che l’unico mezzo per curare il male di questo paese consiste nel dare alla gente una spinta non morale, ma spirituale! L’uomo che stiamo cercando deve disporre della capacità veramente unica di influenzare gli umori della gente e, quando si parla di un influsso di questo genere, si parla di spiritualità, di religiosità, di Dio e chi più ne ha più ne metta! E un problema che dobbiamo affrontare da americani, con strumenti contemporanei, realizzando un codice per vivere in quest’epoca, che sia fatto su misura per i cittadini degli Stati Uniti d’America, da un uomo che essi sentano come un loro simile! Un uomo che li capisca e attragga tutti e non solo gli irlandesi, i tedeschi, gli ebrei o uno qualsiasi degli altri gruppi etnici arrivati qui, per quanto ci siano da molto tempo!
Ripercorrendo duemila anni dopo le tappe del Vangelo aggiornate (non per nulla il libro è ambientato nel 2032 e si conclude nella primavera del 2033 - ed effettivamente, ambientarlo nel 3033 sarebbe stato un azzardo), il romanzo vorrebbe essere la costruzione a tavolino e la presentazione di un nuovo Messia che dia alla popolazione una nuova speranza, una nuova spiritualità. E Joshua Christian e la sua famiglia (i nuovi Apostoli) sono profondamente convinti che lui sia davvero un nuovo Messia.
Colleen McCullough come al solito è molto brava nel costruire dei personaggi che sono spesso così pieni di difetti da essere insopportabili (la madre del dr. Christian credo sia davvero il top) ma anche infinitamente umani; invece, scrivere un romanzo di fantascienza così ravvicinato nel tempo ha reso questa storia poco credibile già dieci anni dopo la sua pubblicazione, quando la tecnologia e la situazione politica e climatica della Terra hanno smentito tutto quello che secondo la McCullough sarebbe potuto accadere.
March 14, 2012
The difficulty in reading a 1985 sci-fi is that the turn of the millenium was such a big mythic deal leading up to it—but now that we’re twelve years in, it’s just not that different from the nineties. Which were different from the eighties primarily in having smaller hairdos and less neon and not quite so much disco.
That is to say, in 1985 it was comparatively believable that there might be an ice age early in the new millenium. Who knew what that dreaded ozone hole, caused by trillions of cans of hair spray, might do? Instead, people nowadays talk of global warming, which is hardly something Colleen McCullough could have predicted. But for the long-term believability of her novel, she probably would have been better off not setting a date.
The novel is more than mere dystopian setting, however, and its primary focus is on retelling the gospel narrative after removing all definition. No one in the book carries a subtle name: not Joshua Christian, not his brothers Andrew and James or his sisters Mary and Martha (whose personalities are reversed) and Miriam, not Operation Search genius Moshe Chasen, and not Judith Carriol (think about it.) McCullough knows she isn’t being subtle; she goes so far as to flaunt it, referring to Dr. Christian’s ideas as “the Christian myth” and “the Christian philosophy”.
Which myth, by the bye, is rather shy of being theologically Christian. It’s a call to believe in God even if you cannot accept any of the religions available, and to stand up and save yourself. Make up your own idea of God, but don’t waste your love on someone so perfect and all-encompassing; love your fellow man instead. It’s the reverse—in one sense, at least—of Christian charity, which at its zenith is love so wholly given to a very specific God that it necessarily results in perfect and complete love for man.
To be very honest, I found the overt allegorizing a challenge to interpret. McCullough may have been attempting to show the frailty of humanism and unspecific spiritualism, but then she may also have been out to question the validity of messianic religion in general and Christianity in particular. Or perhaps she had no point except to explore, psychologically, the effects of messianism upon a human and imperfect messiah. Whatever the case, the funhouse-mirror imaging of Christ’s passion made for an uncomfortable and confusing read. Which, to be fair, was possibly as intended.
Dr. Christian and Dr. Carriol both engender some sympathy in the reader, but the former reads as too superhuman and the latter as too coldly ambitious to win hearts entirely. Most of the other characters are also a mix of likable and not-so-much. Interactions between the characters tended to be overly dramatic; the two consistently believable emotions in the story were the twin resentments against long winters and the one-child policy. The latter, Dr. Christian treats as necessary, but makes some stirring statements in understanding of the suffering it causes.
The story doesn’t hide the fact that it’s headed in a generally tragic direction, which took me by surprise considering the just-shy-of-romance-novel cover (and there’s nothing romantic about the tale itself). The ending leaves a number of untied and threatening plot threads. Whether McCullough intended a sequel, I couldn't say, but none exists as far as I know.
Dystopian fiction by nature portrays a bleak and brutal world, and no law states that a bleak book must offer hope somewhere. Also, McCullough is a talented author who may well have had something very important to say that I entirely missed. But though the story kept me engaged with both suspense and symbolism, I finished it without knowing what to make of it, and unfortunately lack the desire to read it again and find out.
That is to say, in 1985 it was comparatively believable that there might be an ice age early in the new millenium. Who knew what that dreaded ozone hole, caused by trillions of cans of hair spray, might do? Instead, people nowadays talk of global warming, which is hardly something Colleen McCullough could have predicted. But for the long-term believability of her novel, she probably would have been better off not setting a date.
The novel is more than mere dystopian setting, however, and its primary focus is on retelling the gospel narrative after removing all definition. No one in the book carries a subtle name: not Joshua Christian, not his brothers Andrew and James or his sisters Mary and Martha (whose personalities are reversed) and Miriam, not Operation Search genius Moshe Chasen, and not Judith Carriol (think about it.) McCullough knows she isn’t being subtle; she goes so far as to flaunt it, referring to Dr. Christian’s ideas as “the Christian myth” and “the Christian philosophy”.
Which myth, by the bye, is rather shy of being theologically Christian. It’s a call to believe in God even if you cannot accept any of the religions available, and to stand up and save yourself. Make up your own idea of God, but don’t waste your love on someone so perfect and all-encompassing; love your fellow man instead. It’s the reverse—in one sense, at least—of Christian charity, which at its zenith is love so wholly given to a very specific God that it necessarily results in perfect and complete love for man.
To be very honest, I found the overt allegorizing a challenge to interpret. McCullough may have been attempting to show the frailty of humanism and unspecific spiritualism, but then she may also have been out to question the validity of messianic religion in general and Christianity in particular. Or perhaps she had no point except to explore, psychologically, the effects of messianism upon a human and imperfect messiah. Whatever the case, the funhouse-mirror imaging of Christ’s passion made for an uncomfortable and confusing read. Which, to be fair, was possibly as intended.
Dr. Christian and Dr. Carriol both engender some sympathy in the reader, but the former reads as too superhuman and the latter as too coldly ambitious to win hearts entirely. Most of the other characters are also a mix of likable and not-so-much. Interactions between the characters tended to be overly dramatic; the two consistently believable emotions in the story were the twin resentments against long winters and the one-child policy. The latter, Dr. Christian treats as necessary, but makes some stirring statements in understanding of the suffering it causes.
The story doesn’t hide the fact that it’s headed in a generally tragic direction, which took me by surprise considering the just-shy-of-romance-novel cover (and there’s nothing romantic about the tale itself). The ending leaves a number of untied and threatening plot threads. Whether McCullough intended a sequel, I couldn't say, but none exists as far as I know.
Dystopian fiction by nature portrays a bleak and brutal world, and no law states that a bleak book must offer hope somewhere. Also, McCullough is a talented author who may well have had something very important to say that I entirely missed. But though the story kept me engaged with both suspense and symbolism, I finished it without knowing what to make of it, and unfortunately lack the desire to read it again and find out.
July 2, 2019
‘Why do I keep thinking it has to be me?’
USA, in the early 2030s. Climate change has introduced a new ice age. People need to relocate seasonally from parts of northern America and will soon need to relocate permanently. Decreasing resources and less space has limited families to one child, although some families are given permission to have a second child. Most people remember a time when families were not so restricted, when energy was more readily available and when the weather was more bearable.
Many people find it difficult to live.
Enter Doctor Joshua Christian. Ably supported by his mother and siblings, he is a compassionate clinical psychologist who works wonders in his small Connecticut city. He would like to be able to help on a larger scale.
In the meantime, Dr Judith Carriol, from the powerful Department of the Environment, has been on a mission:
‘The President had gone very still, and hooded his large dark eyes. “Dr Carriol, five years ago I gave you and your people the job of finding me one person—man or woman did not matter so long as he or she was the right person—one person capable of teaching a sick nation how to heal itself. A person with his finger on the pulse of the common people, capable of firing their imaginations as no religious figure seems capable of doing anymore. Now you yourself are talking religion !” ‘
Joshua Christian is selected as this one person. Judith Carriol is able to obtain all the resources required to support him in his work. First a book, then a speaking tour and then finally a huge march. But her need for control causes him to question himself, to drive himself well beyond endurance.
‘In the morning he looked very ill. Aghast and ashamed of her wild outburst, Dr Carriol suddenly realized that though he had often looked tired to death, never before had he looked ill. When her fury finally quit her in the middle watches of the night, she knew that she had fatally tampered with powers she neither understood, nor respected .’
How will it end? Those familiar with aspects of Christianity will have some idea, even without the hints (!) provided by the names.
‘Be quiet. Be still. Have hope in the future.’
I first read this novel in 1985 and found it unputdownable. I was in my late 20s at the time and read a lot of dystopian fiction. This was my favourite of Ms McCulllough’s novels (alongside ‘Tim’) until she wrote The Masters of Rome series. Rereading it now, I have mixed feelings. I suspect that in 1985 I ignored the ending of the novel (after the end of Joshua Christian’s direct part in the story). This time around, I am annoyed by it. This is not so much a comment on Ms McCullough’s writing as it is on my (unrealistic) expectations. I get the unsubtle names, the dates, the journey. In many ways they exist to support a bigger, more important story about humanity. It’s Judith Carriol’s role which annoys me. If you read the novel yourself, you may see why.
Is this novel worth reading, let alone rereading? For me the answer is yes. Others, especially those who find the echoes of Christianity offensive, the answer may be different.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
USA, in the early 2030s. Climate change has introduced a new ice age. People need to relocate seasonally from parts of northern America and will soon need to relocate permanently. Decreasing resources and less space has limited families to one child, although some families are given permission to have a second child. Most people remember a time when families were not so restricted, when energy was more readily available and when the weather was more bearable.
Many people find it difficult to live.
Enter Doctor Joshua Christian. Ably supported by his mother and siblings, he is a compassionate clinical psychologist who works wonders in his small Connecticut city. He would like to be able to help on a larger scale.
In the meantime, Dr Judith Carriol, from the powerful Department of the Environment, has been on a mission:
‘The President had gone very still, and hooded his large dark eyes. “Dr Carriol, five years ago I gave you and your people the job of finding me one person—man or woman did not matter so long as he or she was the right person—one person capable of teaching a sick nation how to heal itself. A person with his finger on the pulse of the common people, capable of firing their imaginations as no religious figure seems capable of doing anymore. Now you yourself are talking religion !” ‘
Joshua Christian is selected as this one person. Judith Carriol is able to obtain all the resources required to support him in his work. First a book, then a speaking tour and then finally a huge march. But her need for control causes him to question himself, to drive himself well beyond endurance.
‘In the morning he looked very ill. Aghast and ashamed of her wild outburst, Dr Carriol suddenly realized that though he had often looked tired to death, never before had he looked ill. When her fury finally quit her in the middle watches of the night, she knew that she had fatally tampered with powers she neither understood, nor respected .’
How will it end? Those familiar with aspects of Christianity will have some idea, even without the hints (!) provided by the names.
‘Be quiet. Be still. Have hope in the future.’
I first read this novel in 1985 and found it unputdownable. I was in my late 20s at the time and read a lot of dystopian fiction. This was my favourite of Ms McCulllough’s novels (alongside ‘Tim’) until she wrote The Masters of Rome series. Rereading it now, I have mixed feelings. I suspect that in 1985 I ignored the ending of the novel (after the end of Joshua Christian’s direct part in the story). This time around, I am annoyed by it. This is not so much a comment on Ms McCullough’s writing as it is on my (unrealistic) expectations. I get the unsubtle names, the dates, the journey. In many ways they exist to support a bigger, more important story about humanity. It’s Judith Carriol’s role which annoys me. If you read the novel yourself, you may see why.
Is this novel worth reading, let alone rereading? For me the answer is yes. Others, especially those who find the echoes of Christianity offensive, the answer may be different.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
November 2, 2009
Excellent novel!! A keeper to read again! It is almost like a Sci Fi novel. Mixed in the future of the world with an old time from centuries away.
Made me search for the real life of Jesus Christ. From what I've read, Christ wasn't his real name. Things got misinterpret by the Greeks. That's a different subject for another time.
Made me search for the real life of Jesus Christ. From what I've read, Christ wasn't his real name. Things got misinterpret by the Greeks. That's a different subject for another time.
September 19, 2013
I usually like Colleen McCullough, but this one really wasn't what I was expecting. The book is set in the near future. The world climate is cooling and most Americans are being relocated to southern states. Unemployment and depression are rampant and most people are demoralized. (I love realistic futuristic books, especially with apocalyptic undertones, so I thought this would be good.) The US government wants to find a inspirational figure who will reinvigorate the people and boost morale. An ambitious government employee (Judith) finds an unlikely candidate in a charismatic psychologist (Joshua) who is modest, kind, and completely without selfish desires. His family, who all live with him and work in his practice, worship him.
[Plot description in this paragraph describes some major plot point that could be considered spoilers, but I'm really not giving a lot away.] At Judith's behest, Joshua writes a book, "a creed for the third millennium" positing his views on life, religion, and everything. While denying following any single religion, his viewpoint are more or less Judeo-Christian. (During this portion of the book, we're able to listen to Joshua's philosophies verbatim, over a period of many pages. Although this section is not technically evangelism as Joshua makes it clear that he doesn't follow any specific religion, it feels a little that way, which made me somewhat uncomfortable.) The country becomes enamored (or even obsessed) with his creed and with Joshua himself and he's pulled into a nationwide tour to speak to and reach the people. As the tour continues, Joshua sees how the people are inspired by meeting him, and how they come out in droves to see him and he becomes increasingly obsessed with reaching as many individuals as possible, to the detriment of his own health and well-being. In turn, Judith becomes more and more powerful in her own government circles, which changes their relationship significantly.
The first half of the book is somewhat interesting, but feels like a lengthy introduction to a main event that never seems to arrive. The second half is pretty much a death march to the end, which I found a little too predictable given a basic knowledge of Christianity. In the end, there's plenty of cynicism about religion and politics. Neither Joshua's nor Judith's characters are particularly appealing by the end and I found myself generally feeling disgust and/or pity (usually in equal measure) for most of the characters. Perhaps most bothersome for me was the fact that I wasn't sure what I was supposed to think of the story. I found the pseudo-religious side as embodied by Joshua and the political side as embodied by Judith to be equally squirm-inducing.
I'm looking forward to getting back to one of Colleen McCullough's historical fictions, which I love.
[Plot description in this paragraph describes some major plot point that could be considered spoilers, but I'm really not giving a lot away.] At Judith's behest, Joshua writes a book, "a creed for the third millennium" positing his views on life, religion, and everything. While denying following any single religion, his viewpoint are more or less Judeo-Christian. (During this portion of the book, we're able to listen to Joshua's philosophies verbatim, over a period of many pages. Although this section is not technically evangelism as Joshua makes it clear that he doesn't follow any specific religion, it feels a little that way, which made me somewhat uncomfortable.) The country becomes enamored (or even obsessed) with his creed and with Joshua himself and he's pulled into a nationwide tour to speak to and reach the people. As the tour continues, Joshua sees how the people are inspired by meeting him, and how they come out in droves to see him and he becomes increasingly obsessed with reaching as many individuals as possible, to the detriment of his own health and well-being. In turn, Judith becomes more and more powerful in her own government circles, which changes their relationship significantly.
The first half of the book is somewhat interesting, but feels like a lengthy introduction to a main event that never seems to arrive. The second half is pretty much a death march to the end, which I found a little too predictable given a basic knowledge of Christianity. In the end, there's plenty of cynicism about religion and politics. Neither Joshua's nor Judith's characters are particularly appealing by the end and I found myself generally feeling disgust and/or pity (usually in equal measure) for most of the characters. Perhaps most bothersome for me was the fact that I wasn't sure what I was supposed to think of the story. I found the pseudo-religious side as embodied by Joshua and the political side as embodied by Judith to be equally squirm-inducing.
I'm looking forward to getting back to one of Colleen McCullough's historical fictions, which I love.
October 3, 2016
This is some ambitious book. It is quite interesting to read it in 2016, thirty years after it was written in 1985. Set in 2043 America, McCullough uncannily foresees many of the issues that are so prominent today, such as climate change (though at that time it was thought the world would get colder, not hotter). Though she did not foresee the internet and smartphones, she does foresee the importance of computers. She foresees the energy crunch but does not foresee the new technologies such as solar cells and windmills.
More interestingly, though, she foresees the general despair and hopelessness that plagues large parts of the populations of today's world. I found it cunning the way the various main figures repeat the actions of the main personages of the First Testament, although too often the similarities are none too subtle, right down to the names. I was intrigued with the character Joshua Christian and was hoping for a strong, convincing act on his part. His message, however, is rather simple: love one another, trust in God, stay busy, grow a garden.
The prose is at times noteworthy, such as "artic air with fangs and talongs of ice chewing and clawing the the little sections of factial skin he had to expose..." or "A sour sharp enclosed girl, Mary." Or: "Her brain was so dominant that sometimes her heart was quite frozen by the winds blowing off it."
The best part of this book is McCollough's treatise on what charisma is exactly.
The narrative is well done and the characters well drawn out, but I do think the book would have been better had it been tightened up.
More interestingly, though, she foresees the general despair and hopelessness that plagues large parts of the populations of today's world. I found it cunning the way the various main figures repeat the actions of the main personages of the First Testament, although too often the similarities are none too subtle, right down to the names. I was intrigued with the character Joshua Christian and was hoping for a strong, convincing act on his part. His message, however, is rather simple: love one another, trust in God, stay busy, grow a garden.
The prose is at times noteworthy, such as "artic air with fangs and talongs of ice chewing and clawing the the little sections of factial skin he had to expose..." or "A sour sharp enclosed girl, Mary." Or: "Her brain was so dominant that sometimes her heart was quite frozen by the winds blowing off it."
The best part of this book is McCollough's treatise on what charisma is exactly.
The narrative is well done and the characters well drawn out, but I do think the book would have been better had it been tightened up.
July 30, 2008
I was prepared not to like this book after reading some of the reviews. Some people said it was a "Big Brother" book but I did not find it that way at all. It is a story set in the future and the country is facing the beginnings of an ice age with sections of the population having to be seasonally relocated and facing the fact that soon they may need to be permanently relocated. In order to deal with the strain of increasing population at a time when living space is getting smaller, families are limited to one child, and there is a kind of lottery to be able to have a 2nd child. People are becoming depressed, suicide rates are rampant, and the President has set up a team to find a leader who can "save" the people and bring them out of their doldrums and look positively to the future. Dr. Joshua Christian becomes that man. He becomes engulfed in passion and people flock to hear him speak. The story is biblical. I will not say more so as not to spoil the story.
January 2, 2011
Essentially there is nothing wrong with this book - in fact it is very compelling and readable and as such deserves a 4 star rating.
However, in saying that I wonder what made Colleen write about such a religious event but duplicated in the future? It is not offensive in my mind but others who take the Christian religion seriously may see this book as blasphemy.
Others like me who are not so worried will find this an easy and entertaining read that will leave you feeling a trifle sad about the world she has created in this novel.
However, in saying that I wonder what made Colleen write about such a religious event but duplicated in the future? It is not offensive in my mind but others who take the Christian religion seriously may see this book as blasphemy.
Others like me who are not so worried will find this an easy and entertaining read that will leave you feeling a trifle sad about the world she has created in this novel.
Read
October 5, 2018I want to reread this one. At the time, it seemed over the top. Now I am wondering if the themes of climate change may ring truer.
December 24, 2017
I think I read this book close to the date it was published. I wanted to read it again for some reason and I didn’t think I had finished the book but in reading it again I thought I recognize the ending. So maybe I did finish it. It seems like I would have not finished it but this time I did for sure. I don’t remember what happened to Judith so maybe I didn’t read the ending. But parts of it looked earlier. This book is so 1980s. It’s really interesting to read dates that have already passed and would have been future when this book was published. I don’t know that America is threatened by an Ice Age. It may be threatened by something else I named. I think this book had some interesting parallels and some definite creativity. I would recommend this book if you want to read an alternate take on the Messiah concept. Somehow that idea these days intrigues me and so when I discovered it again I said OK why not. People everywhere are always being threatened by something and looking for some kind of solution. The effect that was most intriguing for me this time was the government involvement in this and the government cover-up. It’s probably one of the most benine government cover-up’s in fiction at least. Like I said if you’re into the Messiah concept you might enjoy reading this. You can’t drive biblical parallels though they might look interesting there is a definite the virgin event but from the very beginning of this book you might find it interesting especially if you know your Bible. Interesting interesting read for sure.
July 4, 2021
I read this book by accident.
It's true. I didn't even realize what book I was reading until after I finished the first chapter. I know of Colleen McCollough from her Masters of Rome series, and was vaguely aware that 'The Thorn Birds' was her most famous book. I saw this in a Little Free Library in my neighbourhood, and misread the title as "The Thorn Birds: A Creed For The Third Millenium". I assumed that the creed was a subtitle that was usually omitted and took it out.
The actual title is just "A Creed For The Third Millenium", but it has "By the author of the Thorn Birds" written prominently on the cover, and I wasn't paying enough attention when I grabbed it.
The copy I got was an original run trade paperback, so almost thirty years old; the pages were yellowed, the spine so weak and cracked that it didn't resist at all when I tried to turn the pages. Whoever originally owned it held onto it for 30 years, before they finally realized they didn't ever intend to read it again, and decided to put it into the little free library.
So, I made this my "camping" book - I would only read it while camping, rather than bringing my current book in and out of our van on all of our camping trips. It took me 7 camping trips to complete this book, largely in front of the fire.
As for what the book is actually about (that's what people come to read reviews about, correct?) the concept was actually fairly interesting to me. It's a dystopia future in which 'global cooling' has largely reduced the livable land of the world, and the human race is struggling to adapt to their new reality. Overlaid on top of this is a classic Messiah story to the tune of Christianity and Jesus' journey. The author isn't even subtle about this, with the two main players in this drama being "Joshua Christian" (Jesus Christ) and "Judith Carriol" (a female Judas Iscariot).
The back of the book hints at romantic undertones, but I think that was merely marketing - other than the odd respect and appreciation they seemed to have for each other, I never got the sense that Judith and Joshua were in love with each other.
So, this wasn't the book that I thought I was going to read, but after finishing the first chapter and wondering what on earth I was getting into, I made the decision to keep going. Largely because all of the characters were so strange - so very, very strange - that I was too curious to see where it would all go.
Why do I say strange? Well, Joshua is basically worshipped by his family, and seems to have a bit of an Oedipus complex hinted at where his mother is concerned, despite the fact that he is also fairly virginal (as I guess Messiah's must be) and doesn't seem to have any libido. Literally, the first chapter describes how his whole family just naturally takes his lead, and loves and trusts him to guide them. It also describes their meticulous care of the plants they take care of, to the point that they literally (in this resource starved world) put all of their allocation of energy into keeping a room in their house warm enough to keep the plants alive in winter, and keep themselves warm with hot water bottles at night because they have no heat for themselves.
Meanwhile Judith Carriol is involved in some program that spent five years trying to find the person that was going to save them all (as directed by the President), and the computer algorithms settled on Joshua Christian being that man (From among hundreds of thousands). Why? Charisma - that is one word.
The book goes from there, how Judith meets Joshua, how she helps him and how he helps others, which ultimately leads where you would expect a story based on Jesus to lead (although maybe not in the way you would expect), peopled with these characters who just behaved in ways I found fascinatingly weird. And it was an interesting story! But it was far from a perfect one.
The biggest gripe I would have is that the book expounded on Joshua's charisma, on how he was at a level no other person had been capable of, how people loved him right away. Characters fall in love with him when they meet him, are impressed by him, unanimously believe in him - even the cold, ambitious Judith Carriol - yet _I_ never felt that charisma as something that was so unbelievable, so unmissable that millions would turn out to see him the way they do in this book.
So that was a huge suspension of disbelief. I had to believe that if I heard him talk, if I saw him, it would come across more than in the text. But I only had the text, as it was a book. So what to do?
There was one scene in particular where the book almost went in the fire while I was reading. I'm not even joking, I was tempted. At the start of Joshua's rise, he gets to have pages and pages to expound on his message. And I found myself thinking, is this it? Is this the amazing message this author is trying to get across - love each other, don't pine for the past, love god in whatever way suits you, and grow plants? This is the charismatic message so strong she has everyone tripping over themselves to help him because it rings as so true to them? Maybe as an atheist, a message like that would never work on me, but it just didn't seem that novel. I couldn't believe I had spent so much time building up to that point.
I almost gave up after that scene, but the subsequent portions of the book were captivating enough that I read it to the end, and was glad I did. It ended in a satisfying, if imperfect way, that ultimately had me questioning what the authors intention even was. I'm not sure if Joshua's message was even meant to be the point of the book, but am at a loss what it might be if not that.
In the end, I will never read this book again, nor likely recommend it to anyone (though if someone were interested in it and asked me if it was worth the time, I'd say read the first chapter and decide from there - advice that works for most books). But I'm glad that I did read it, if only because it left me thinking about it and the ideas it presented.
While reading it, the cover ripped, but rather than throw it in the fire after I finished it, I have taped the cover back together, and will put it back in the Little Free Library for someone else to try. It's certainly not so terrible that it needs to be destroyed.
It's true. I didn't even realize what book I was reading until after I finished the first chapter. I know of Colleen McCollough from her Masters of Rome series, and was vaguely aware that 'The Thorn Birds' was her most famous book. I saw this in a Little Free Library in my neighbourhood, and misread the title as "The Thorn Birds: A Creed For The Third Millenium". I assumed that the creed was a subtitle that was usually omitted and took it out.
The actual title is just "A Creed For The Third Millenium", but it has "By the author of the Thorn Birds" written prominently on the cover, and I wasn't paying enough attention when I grabbed it.
The copy I got was an original run trade paperback, so almost thirty years old; the pages were yellowed, the spine so weak and cracked that it didn't resist at all when I tried to turn the pages. Whoever originally owned it held onto it for 30 years, before they finally realized they didn't ever intend to read it again, and decided to put it into the little free library.
So, I made this my "camping" book - I would only read it while camping, rather than bringing my current book in and out of our van on all of our camping trips. It took me 7 camping trips to complete this book, largely in front of the fire.
As for what the book is actually about (that's what people come to read reviews about, correct?) the concept was actually fairly interesting to me. It's a dystopia future in which 'global cooling' has largely reduced the livable land of the world, and the human race is struggling to adapt to their new reality. Overlaid on top of this is a classic Messiah story to the tune of Christianity and Jesus' journey. The author isn't even subtle about this, with the two main players in this drama being "Joshua Christian" (Jesus Christ) and "Judith Carriol" (a female Judas Iscariot).
The back of the book hints at romantic undertones, but I think that was merely marketing - other than the odd respect and appreciation they seemed to have for each other, I never got the sense that Judith and Joshua were in love with each other.
So, this wasn't the book that I thought I was going to read, but after finishing the first chapter and wondering what on earth I was getting into, I made the decision to keep going. Largely because all of the characters were so strange - so very, very strange - that I was too curious to see where it would all go.
Why do I say strange? Well, Joshua is basically worshipped by his family, and seems to have a bit of an Oedipus complex hinted at where his mother is concerned, despite the fact that he is also fairly virginal (as I guess Messiah's must be) and doesn't seem to have any libido. Literally, the first chapter describes how his whole family just naturally takes his lead, and loves and trusts him to guide them. It also describes their meticulous care of the plants they take care of, to the point that they literally (in this resource starved world) put all of their allocation of energy into keeping a room in their house warm enough to keep the plants alive in winter, and keep themselves warm with hot water bottles at night because they have no heat for themselves.
Meanwhile Judith Carriol is involved in some program that spent five years trying to find the person that was going to save them all (as directed by the President), and the computer algorithms settled on Joshua Christian being that man (From among hundreds of thousands). Why? Charisma - that is one word.
The book goes from there, how Judith meets Joshua, how she helps him and how he helps others, which ultimately leads where you would expect a story based on Jesus to lead (although maybe not in the way you would expect), peopled with these characters who just behaved in ways I found fascinatingly weird. And it was an interesting story! But it was far from a perfect one.
The biggest gripe I would have is that the book expounded on Joshua's charisma, on how he was at a level no other person had been capable of, how people loved him right away. Characters fall in love with him when they meet him, are impressed by him, unanimously believe in him - even the cold, ambitious Judith Carriol - yet _I_ never felt that charisma as something that was so unbelievable, so unmissable that millions would turn out to see him the way they do in this book.
So that was a huge suspension of disbelief. I had to believe that if I heard him talk, if I saw him, it would come across more than in the text. But I only had the text, as it was a book. So what to do?
There was one scene in particular where the book almost went in the fire while I was reading. I'm not even joking, I was tempted. At the start of Joshua's rise, he gets to have pages and pages to expound on his message. And I found myself thinking, is this it? Is this the amazing message this author is trying to get across - love each other, don't pine for the past, love god in whatever way suits you, and grow plants? This is the charismatic message so strong she has everyone tripping over themselves to help him because it rings as so true to them? Maybe as an atheist, a message like that would never work on me, but it just didn't seem that novel. I couldn't believe I had spent so much time building up to that point.
I almost gave up after that scene, but the subsequent portions of the book were captivating enough that I read it to the end, and was glad I did. It ended in a satisfying, if imperfect way, that ultimately had me questioning what the authors intention even was. I'm not sure if Joshua's message was even meant to be the point of the book, but am at a loss what it might be if not that.
In the end, I will never read this book again, nor likely recommend it to anyone (though if someone were interested in it and asked me if it was worth the time, I'd say read the first chapter and decide from there - advice that works for most books). But I'm glad that I did read it, if only because it left me thinking about it and the ideas it presented.
While reading it, the cover ripped, but rather than throw it in the fire after I finished it, I have taped the cover back together, and will put it back in the Little Free Library for someone else to try. It's certainly not so terrible that it needs to be destroyed.
September 8, 2008
Anybody else struck in the middle of the face by the similarities between the situation in this book and the current state of things? A debilitating environmental catastrophe (that we're slipping ever further into, no matter that the temperature abnormalities in the novel vs. reality have opposite tendencies), a (formerly) dangerously overcrowded planet, the general sense of downtrodden resignation to the interminable grayness of a darkly fading world, the meteoric rise to prominence of a beacon of salvation and renewed hope in the possibilities afforded by the future, through the vehicle of a formerly obscure, tall, thin, dark, not-too-handsome-but-extremely-charismatic public figure...
Never mind the overtly literary Christ references and Jesus talk that cloud up the otherwise noteworthily prophetic novel, and it all seems too much to line up with the present to be some kind of cosmic coincidence. Or am I reading too much into it?
Never mind the overtly literary Christ references and Jesus talk that cloud up the otherwise noteworthily prophetic novel, and it all seems too much to line up with the present to be some kind of cosmic coincidence. Or am I reading too much into it?
May 8, 2016
Decades ago I thought Colleen McCullough's "The Thorn Birds" was one of the best books I had ever read. The passion, longing, inner turmoil, and strong personalities were just so intense.
This book is so different yet so similar. No love story. Set in a bleak future, not the past. Continually hinting at something that will happen in the future.
The government tries to find an incredibly charismatic man to give hope to troubled, depressed populace that is facing the harsh realities of an ice age that forces relocation and one-child policies. I wondered how an author can be so audacious as to claim that she can write the words of the nation's most charismatic man, but I had forgotten how impelling the priest in the Thorn Birds was.
Warning: if you like stories that are neatly prettily and happily tied up with a bow, you might not like this ending.
This book is so different yet so similar. No love story. Set in a bleak future, not the past. Continually hinting at something that will happen in the future.
The government tries to find an incredibly charismatic man to give hope to troubled, depressed populace that is facing the harsh realities of an ice age that forces relocation and one-child policies. I wondered how an author can be so audacious as to claim that she can write the words of the nation's most charismatic man, but I had forgotten how impelling the priest in the Thorn Birds was.
Warning: if you like stories that are neatly prettily and happily tied up with a bow, you might not like this ending.
August 16, 2020
I read this book shortly after it was first published. At the time, I wondered what events could occur that would put the USA into the condition described in the book -- but it seems like that has been answered now.
This is dystopian, futuristic fiction. There are some sections that are hard to get through (Joshua's long philosophical discourses reminded me of the part in Atlas Shrugged where a character goes on for about 40 pages), but the arc of the story is thought provoking. You have to step back at the end and realize that there is no hero in this story.
In my opinion, the reason that there are so many who hate this book are: 1. some people consider it to be blasphemous, with Joshua Christian too close to a Christ-figure but not really one; and 2. this book came out after The Thorn Birds and a lot of people expected another romantic saga.
This is dystopian, futuristic fiction. There are some sections that are hard to get through (Joshua's long philosophical discourses reminded me of the part in Atlas Shrugged where a character goes on for about 40 pages), but the arc of the story is thought provoking. You have to step back at the end and realize that there is no hero in this story.
In my opinion, the reason that there are so many who hate this book are: 1. some people consider it to be blasphemous, with Joshua Christian too close to a Christ-figure but not really one; and 2. this book came out after The Thorn Birds and a lot of people expected another romantic saga.
Read
May 6, 2016I read this book originally in 1985, when it was new; I was working at WaldenBooks and did an employee-loan to read it. I was already an enormous Colleen McCullough fan, and found myself arguing with the - which, at the time was a good thing.
I picked it up a second time from the library, the last week of April - 31 years later - more for research than pleasure, and find how deeply this book sank into my psyche when I read it the first time.
But that is a tale for another time and place.
The messiah story is pat and obvious, but the concerns are addressed in depth. I love her writing, I love her characterizations. What can I say? I'm a fan.
I picked it up a second time from the library, the last week of April - 31 years later - more for research than pleasure, and find how deeply this book sank into my psyche when I read it the first time.
But that is a tale for another time and place.
The messiah story is pat and obvious, but the concerns are addressed in depth. I love her writing, I love her characterizations. What can I say? I'm a fan.
June 7, 2020
This book was written in 1985. It has been sitting on my bookshelf for quite a few years and I decided to finally read it. Turned out to be good timing as it is about a changing society because of the impact of a colder environment. There are changes in where people can live, how they live, economic implications, restrictions to having one child only, etc. This has resulted in a millennium neurosis as people try to cope with a new reality. It was fascinating to see similarities to what we are currently experiencing with COVID 19 and its impact on our day to day lives, family relationships, economy, etc.
February 17, 2008
this book was so bad. the writing was so over the top. My claim to fame is that I picked out what I thought was the absolute worst paragrapgh and said I couldn't believe a publisher would let this go to print and that was the exact phrase Newsweek selected to point out how horrible her book was. Sorry Colleen, I've liked others of your work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2012
I'm sorry but I have not enjoyed a Colleen McCullough novel since The Thornbirds. This novel was rather hokey, very slow for the first 180 pages. I didn't like all the religious threads. The story line just seemed rather pointless. I would not recommend this novel. It has been on my shelf for 20 yrs probably. I should have got rid of it sooner.
March 12, 2008
I picked this up because I loved two of her other books, but I really didn't like this one. I can't remember the ending, but I do remember hating it so much that I threw the book across the room -- something I had never done before or since!
February 2, 2015
A curious book. In fact I restarted it twice before I got to the end. Very dystopian (it's nothing like The Thorn Birds!) but definitely worth it in the end. In fact I'm sure I've read it all the way through more than once.
July 14, 2011
Wow.......what can I say about this book.......except that it kept me going......made me sad......made me feel cold......made me feel as though I can survive life no matter how hard it gets. This book brought out a lot of emotions in me. I enjoyed reading it very much!
December 30, 2016
I read this back in the early 80's. Very detailed. I could almost feel the cold. When everyone has been concerned about global warming, she wrote about another ice age coming and another messiah. Creative!
August 5, 2008
Dystopia at it's best!!!!!!
August 4, 2012
One of the most memorable books I have read. Slow moving for much of the book, but you feel compelled to keep going. Thought provoking ending.
September 6, 2017
Such a great read-although written 30+ years ago it felt like it could have been written today. Excellent plot.
February 13, 2025
Vraiment un livre surprenant, je ne savais pas à quoi m'attendre en commençant cette lecture, car la couverture et le titre ne nous dévoilent pas grand chose. La 1ère chose qui m'a fait tiquer est le titre original "A Creed for the Third Millenium" qui évoque quelque chose d'un peu plus "SF" que le titre français.
En effet l'intrigue se déroule en 2032, lors d'une nouvelle ère glacière qui force les humains à vivre dans des territoires de plus en plus restreints et à adopter une politique de l'enfant unique.
Dans les hautes sphères des États-Unis, on cherche à trouver une personne qui puisse insuffler un nouvel espoir dans une humanité de plus en plus déprimée et perdue, qui puisse rassembler le peuple et lui permettre d'affronter les épreuves de ce 3ème millénaire.
Et ils trouveront ce nouveau guide en la personne du Dr Christian, un psychothérapeute assez particulier.
J'ai mis du temps à rentrer dans l'histoire et à comprendre dans quel sens cela allait aller.
On comprend au bout d'un moment que ce Dr incarne en quelque sorte un nouveau Messie, un Jésus Christ du XXIème siècle qui provoque l'adoration des gens à qui il s'adresse.
Il faut prendre en compte que ce livre est sorti en 1985 et par conséquent c'est assez amusant de le lire en 2025 et de voir les diverses manières dont l'auteure imaginait le futur (la grosse IBM à commande vocale qui incarne le summum de la technologie).
J'ai vraiment apprécié le dernier quart du livre que j'ai trouvé très intense et assez "trash", ce à quoi on ne s'attend pas spécialement pendant la majeure partie de la lecture.
Un livre qui n'a pas grand chose à voir avec "Les Oiseaux se cachent pour mourir" que j'avais déjà lu de la même auteure, mais je suis contente de l'avoir lu également.
En effet l'intrigue se déroule en 2032, lors d'une nouvelle ère glacière qui force les humains à vivre dans des territoires de plus en plus restreints et à adopter une politique de l'enfant unique.
Dans les hautes sphères des États-Unis, on cherche à trouver une personne qui puisse insuffler un nouvel espoir dans une humanité de plus en plus déprimée et perdue, qui puisse rassembler le peuple et lui permettre d'affronter les épreuves de ce 3ème millénaire.
Et ils trouveront ce nouveau guide en la personne du Dr Christian, un psychothérapeute assez particulier.
J'ai mis du temps à rentrer dans l'histoire et à comprendre dans quel sens cela allait aller.
On comprend au bout d'un moment que ce Dr incarne en quelque sorte un nouveau Messie, un Jésus Christ du XXIème siècle qui provoque l'adoration des gens à qui il s'adresse.
Il faut prendre en compte que ce livre est sorti en 1985 et par conséquent c'est assez amusant de le lire en 2025 et de voir les diverses manières dont l'auteure imaginait le futur (la grosse IBM à commande vocale qui incarne le summum de la technologie).
J'ai vraiment apprécié le dernier quart du livre que j'ai trouvé très intense et assez "trash", ce à quoi on ne s'attend pas spécialement pendant la majeure partie de la lecture.
Un livre qui n'a pas grand chose à voir avec "Les Oiseaux se cachent pour mourir" que j'avais déjà lu de la même auteure, mais je suis contente de l'avoir lu également.
March 18, 2022
I loved the Masters of Rome series and The Thornbirds, but A Creed for the Third Millennium? Colleen McCullough could have kept that.
The book describes how Dr. Joshua Christian, a psychologist, gets selected to spread his message about how to cope with a changing climate, fewer resources, restrictions in childbearing, and other challenges being faced by a country on the decline.
The setting itself was fairly interesting. Instead of global warming, America is facing an impending ice age which means that society has been upended--a relocation program and a one-child policy has been implemented. This and other changes brought about by the Delhi treaty has resulted in a depressed population--"Millennial Neurosis" as Dr. Christian calls it.
After being chosen as part of "Operation Messiah", a project headed by Dr. Judith Carriol, Dr. Christian is given the resources to publish a book about his philosophy and to go on a promotional tour. What happens as a result, I won't say, but for anyone with eyes to read or ears to hear, the name and initials of Dr. Joshua Christian should give you a clue. I will say that after I realized who each character represented, it was obvious where the plot was ultimately headed.
While reading Creed, I found myself wondering how McCullough came up with the idea to write this. In some ways, the ideas discussed were thought-provoking, but overall, this book was a drag and I barely managed to finish it.
The book describes how Dr. Joshua Christian, a psychologist, gets selected to spread his message about how to cope with a changing climate, fewer resources, restrictions in childbearing, and other challenges being faced by a country on the decline.
The setting itself was fairly interesting. Instead of global warming, America is facing an impending ice age which means that society has been upended--a relocation program and a one-child policy has been implemented. This and other changes brought about by the Delhi treaty has resulted in a depressed population--"Millennial Neurosis" as Dr. Christian calls it.
After being chosen as part of "Operation Messiah", a project headed by Dr. Judith Carriol, Dr. Christian is given the resources to publish a book about his philosophy and to go on a promotional tour. What happens as a result, I won't say, but for anyone with eyes to read or ears to hear, the name and initials of Dr. Joshua Christian should give you a clue. I will say that after I realized who each character represented, it was obvious where the plot was ultimately headed.
While reading Creed, I found myself wondering how McCullough came up with the idea to write this. In some ways, the ideas discussed were thought-provoking, but overall, this book was a drag and I barely managed to finish it.
November 29, 2020
Colleen McCullough conveyed the story "A Creed For The Third Millennium" with a half-serious tone, yet through an allegorical emphasis on the restraints set by humans unto their own selves & unto others. No one will appreciate this story without the necessary deeper clinical perspectives to identify the problems these archetypal characters face. This story is not cursive, even though entertaining at the start. It is almost, in part, a referenced study, even though not intended to, as most allegorical writings get tagged as such. -Psychologists & behaviorists will find this a bit interesting, vis-à-vis how a person gets chained to his/her self-pity, self-loathing, self-limiting, worship & devotion to a person, etc...
-The protagonist is a psychiatrist asked to become a savior to his readers. He becomes the Savior... Warning to some, at one point it mirrors the path to Jesus Christ's crucifixion without usurping it, but becoming a [saintly] Man Redeemer.
- It is NOT funny one bit! It is annoying! It is absurd! It is upsetting!
(Don't read it, thinking it has anything to do with your guru: - yours truly -. It does not! Pa-lease!)
-I do not endorse or support this book in any way. This is just a review of a book that might interest some of you.
-The protagonist is a psychiatrist asked to become a savior to his readers. He becomes the Savior... Warning to some, at one point it mirrors the path to Jesus Christ's crucifixion without usurping it, but becoming a [saintly] Man Redeemer.
- It is NOT funny one bit! It is annoying! It is absurd! It is upsetting!
(Don't read it, thinking it has anything to do with your guru: - yours truly -. It does not! Pa-lease!)
-I do not endorse or support this book in any way. This is just a review of a book that might interest some of you.
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