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The Big Fisherman
A story of Simon Peter
459 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1936
180 people are currently reading
1612 people want to read
About the author
Lloyd C. Douglas
121 books662 followersLloyd C. Douglas was a noteworthy American minister and author. He spent part of his boyhood in Monroeville, Indiana, Wilmot, Indiana and Florence, Kentucky, where his father, Alexander Jackson Douglas, was pastor of the Hopeful Lutheran Church. He died in Los Angeles, California.
Douglas was one of the most popular American authors of his time, although he didn't write his first novel until he was 50.
His written works were of a moral, didactic, and distinctly religious tone. His first novel, Magnificent Obsession, was an immediate and sensational success. Critics held that his type of fiction was in the tradition of the great religious writings of an earlier generation, such as, Ben-Hur and Quo Vadis.
Douglas is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Douglas was one of the most popular American authors of his time, although he didn't write his first novel until he was 50.
His written works were of a moral, didactic, and distinctly religious tone. His first novel, Magnificent Obsession, was an immediate and sensational success. Critics held that his type of fiction was in the tradition of the great religious writings of an earlier generation, such as, Ben-Hur and Quo Vadis.
Douglas is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
March 20, 2023
There was a thing in the first half of the 20th century (and a bit) for Christian religious films coming out of Hollywood - King of Kings, Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, The Robe, Lilies of the Field. Novels were also part of the deluge. This was another of Douglas’s books which, like The Robe, became a bestseller. This time it’s the story of Peter the apostle who fished the Sea of Galilee. I think what I enjoyed about Douglas’s writing is that he made biblical characters look and act like real people I would meet once I walked out my door. You do not have to be religious to get into his books. You just have to like historical fiction.
June 17, 2020
There is no doubt that Jesus Christ worked very hard, tirelessly to spread His message of love, a love that would unite all peoples of the World we live in.
Crowds of people thronged to hear him, leaving behind their lives, discarding their jobs just to hear this message of love and peace.
They were mesmerised by his calm face exuding peace, love and compassion and when He cured the lame, the blind, they never left him even for a moment.
They were shocked when He raised the dead, who was this Healer of a tired, dispirited people under the yoke of mighty Roman Empire. You see they lived under the powerful heel of the Roman Empire, longing for deliverance as any enslaved people would.
John the Baptist screaming in the desert, a Mighty King would follow him and save them from their terrible lives.
Oh yes, they longed for such a person a Messiah; 'save us, save us they wept, but could the Messiah be this mild person?
They were consoled when he gathered around him a band of disciples, just twelve but in time there would be many, they would be free.
Strangely, there was no mobilising of forces, no calling all able bodied men to battle, the band of twelve helped Jesus in his healings and organising the crowds that thronged around him.
Maybe they said, give him time……..
But all of a sudden, Jesus veers off the track, starts talking about a ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ and ‘My Father’s Kingdom’ leaving everyone utterly befuddled and disheartened, what’s all this?
Just imagine John the Baptist, utterly bewildered and completely demoralised, was this the Man he had been preaching about?
At His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus sits on a snow white donkey, weeps and says ‘O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have gathered you-as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings-but you would not!’
People fling the palm fronds in utter disgust and bewilderment and leave not out of unkindness but out of utter confusion.
Utter bewilderment strikes me too, what is this ‘Kingdom of Heaven’? ‘It is after death’ diehard Bible readers tell me.
But what about His message of love and peace? I insist
‘That’s there but the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ is the message of Christ.’
A thought strikes me, we were given a brand new world, a wondrous world, full of amazingly beautiful animals, plants, rocks, rivers, beaches, all we had to do was enjoy it but what did we do?
We try our best to destroy this beautiful world. The world fights back to keep itself alive and whole despite our best efforts to annihilate it. Strangely, the World has fought back and we are in the throes of a worldwide pandemic but will this pandemic change the suffering to a better place? Only time will tell...
And I think what about keeping this wondrous world alive, healthy, before we head off to another world and destroy it too.
Crowds of people thronged to hear him, leaving behind their lives, discarding their jobs just to hear this message of love and peace.
They were mesmerised by his calm face exuding peace, love and compassion and when He cured the lame, the blind, they never left him even for a moment.
They were shocked when He raised the dead, who was this Healer of a tired, dispirited people under the yoke of mighty Roman Empire. You see they lived under the powerful heel of the Roman Empire, longing for deliverance as any enslaved people would.
John the Baptist screaming in the desert, a Mighty King would follow him and save them from their terrible lives.
Oh yes, they longed for such a person a Messiah; 'save us, save us they wept, but could the Messiah be this mild person?
They were consoled when he gathered around him a band of disciples, just twelve but in time there would be many, they would be free.
Strangely, there was no mobilising of forces, no calling all able bodied men to battle, the band of twelve helped Jesus in his healings and organising the crowds that thronged around him.
Maybe they said, give him time……..
But all of a sudden, Jesus veers off the track, starts talking about a ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ and ‘My Father’s Kingdom’ leaving everyone utterly befuddled and disheartened, what’s all this?
Just imagine John the Baptist, utterly bewildered and completely demoralised, was this the Man he had been preaching about?
At His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus sits on a snow white donkey, weeps and says ‘O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have gathered you-as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings-but you would not!’
People fling the palm fronds in utter disgust and bewilderment and leave not out of unkindness but out of utter confusion.
Utter bewilderment strikes me too, what is this ‘Kingdom of Heaven’? ‘It is after death’ diehard Bible readers tell me.
But what about His message of love and peace? I insist
‘That’s there but the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ is the message of Christ.’
A thought strikes me, we were given a brand new world, a wondrous world, full of amazingly beautiful animals, plants, rocks, rivers, beaches, all we had to do was enjoy it but what did we do?
We try our best to destroy this beautiful world. The world fights back to keep itself alive and whole despite our best efforts to annihilate it. Strangely, the World has fought back and we are in the throes of a worldwide pandemic but will this pandemic change the suffering to a better place? Only time will tell...
And I think what about keeping this wondrous world alive, healthy, before we head off to another world and destroy it too.
February 12, 2019
Read it long ago. In fact, when I became a member of a library at the age of nine, it was the first book I borrowed! Never forgot it. Never seized to be amazed. Just want to list it. Mentioned it in
my review of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
November 27, 2017
This companion and pseudo-prequel to Douglas’ best-seller
The Robe
chronicles the ministry of Jesus from His calling of the first inauspicious Apostles to the Church that rose and grew so rapidly in the first few years following His death, resurrection, and withdrawal from the world.
We see these events unfold through the eyes of Simon, known to history as St. Peter, the Big Fisherman himself, who was such a majestic and comforting presence in The Robe. He shares point-of-view duties with Fara/Esther, the apparently fictional daughter of Herod Antipas and Phasaelis (called Arnon in the novel) an Arabian princess whom he was forced to marry for political reasons and divorced in favor of his older, cougarish sister-in-law Herodias.
Of the two protagonists, Fara has the more adventurous life. At age twelve, she swore to avenge her mother’s honor, and when her mother dies young of a mysterious illness four years later, the girl takes off for Judaea, disguised as a boy for her safety, aiming to assassinate her faithless father. Near the start of her quest, she runs into John the Baptist, finding him sympathetic and inspiring but frightened by his vision of the future.
She is followed after several months by her boyfriend, Voldi, who becomes friends with the Roman Mencius (who also appears in The Robe) and both become embroiled in the events of Passion Week, but neither to the same extent as Peter or Fara.
Peter, born Simon, is just a fisherman of Capernaum with little education and no use for religion. He hears of an itinerant preacher with apparently magical healing powers from his young friend John, son of Zebedee. Annoyed that someone has taken John’s attention away from his job fishing, Peter storms off to one of Jesus’ sermons, and witnesses the Man of Galilee give eyesight to a toddler who was clearly blind before. His whole worldview shaken, Simon spends the next several weeks irritable and depressed. Meanwhile, Fara, under the alias Esther, seeks refuge in Simon’s mother-in-law’s house, and gets a day job as a maid at Antipas’ palace, where she hopes to eventually carry out her oath.
Then Jesus calls Simon to follow him, and the miserable man only feels right in the presence of the Carpenter, so he obeys Him. His brother Andrew and his friends James and John soon join them. As Jesus travels across the country, trailing miracles in His wake, His following swells. After Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law with Fara as witness, He convinces her to follow Him, and she does.
We witness the dance of Salome and the execution of John the Baptist (all handled with the utmost discretion); the Feeding of the Five Thousand (which diverges a bit from Scripture, but nothing really alarming); the raising of Jairus’ daughter; the Last Supper; the sham trial, torture, and execution of Jesus; the Resurrection; the meeting on the road to Emmaus; the Ascension; the Pentecost; and finally the events immediately leading up to Peter’s execution in Rome.
There are fleeting references throughout to Marcellus, Senator Gallio, Demetrius, and other characters from The Robe, which was fun. Mencius is an important supporting character in both.
The Big Fisherman is not quite as good as its predecessor—it feels rushed in parts, and Voldi’s arc is a lot more melodramatic than anything in The Robe. This book is also a bit more didactic in the religious department, which might have been inevitable since Jesus is actually a character this time, rather than a permeating invisible presence. But The Robe was a sky-high bar to clear, and I can forgive Douglas if he can’t quite vault it this time.
The character development for Simon/Peter is obviously quite good; he seems ready to step off the page by the end. Fara/Esther is not quite as developed, but she has spirit and gives up everything for her beliefs and the safety of her loved ones, making her a truly heroic character.
Douglas’ Jesus is very gentle, gracious, and wise. The book makes a point of contrasting Him with His spitfire cousin John, a ploy which unfortunately makes His outburst at the money-changers in the Temple seem far out-of-character, but overall is quite effective. Douglas also makes a point of showing Jesus doing His day job—He was a carpenter, remember?—and doing it exceptionally well.
I wish as a Catholic that Douglas could have made the Virgin Mary part of the story. It is strange that Esther was a female disciple but never met either her or Magdalene. Oh well. Douglas was a Protestant, so his avoidance of the subject is understandable.
This book seemed to play loosely with history at times (for instance, Herod Antipas died in exile but was probably not assassinated as shown here) but a story set this far back in time, with so few complete records of anything, has a lot more wiggle-room in this regard than something from the Renaissance onwards.
The violence (except for the Passions of the Baptist and Jesus, neither of which is gorily portrayed) is nonexistent, the sex (just some insinuations regarding Herodias, Herod, and Salome) is also nonexistent, and there’s only the mildest of language and drunkenness. It would make a fine addition to the library at your church or upper-grade parochial school.
It would also make a fine addition to your home library.
Be sure to also read:
The Robe , also by Lloyd C. Douglas
Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell
We see these events unfold through the eyes of Simon, known to history as St. Peter, the Big Fisherman himself, who was such a majestic and comforting presence in The Robe. He shares point-of-view duties with Fara/Esther, the apparently fictional daughter of Herod Antipas and Phasaelis (called Arnon in the novel) an Arabian princess whom he was forced to marry for political reasons and divorced in favor of his older, cougarish sister-in-law Herodias.
Of the two protagonists, Fara has the more adventurous life. At age twelve, she swore to avenge her mother’s honor, and when her mother dies young of a mysterious illness four years later, the girl takes off for Judaea, disguised as a boy for her safety, aiming to assassinate her faithless father. Near the start of her quest, she runs into John the Baptist, finding him sympathetic and inspiring but frightened by his vision of the future.
She is followed after several months by her boyfriend, Voldi, who becomes friends with the Roman Mencius (who also appears in The Robe) and both become embroiled in the events of Passion Week, but neither to the same extent as Peter or Fara.
Peter, born Simon, is just a fisherman of Capernaum with little education and no use for religion. He hears of an itinerant preacher with apparently magical healing powers from his young friend John, son of Zebedee. Annoyed that someone has taken John’s attention away from his job fishing, Peter storms off to one of Jesus’ sermons, and witnesses the Man of Galilee give eyesight to a toddler who was clearly blind before. His whole worldview shaken, Simon spends the next several weeks irritable and depressed. Meanwhile, Fara, under the alias Esther, seeks refuge in Simon’s mother-in-law’s house, and gets a day job as a maid at Antipas’ palace, where she hopes to eventually carry out her oath.
Then Jesus calls Simon to follow him, and the miserable man only feels right in the presence of the Carpenter, so he obeys Him. His brother Andrew and his friends James and John soon join them. As Jesus travels across the country, trailing miracles in His wake, His following swells. After Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law with Fara as witness, He convinces her to follow Him, and she does.
We witness the dance of Salome and the execution of John the Baptist (all handled with the utmost discretion); the Feeding of the Five Thousand (which diverges a bit from Scripture, but nothing really alarming); the raising of Jairus’ daughter; the Last Supper; the sham trial, torture, and execution of Jesus; the Resurrection; the meeting on the road to Emmaus; the Ascension; the Pentecost; and finally the events immediately leading up to Peter’s execution in Rome.
There are fleeting references throughout to Marcellus, Senator Gallio, Demetrius, and other characters from The Robe, which was fun. Mencius is an important supporting character in both.
The Big Fisherman is not quite as good as its predecessor—it feels rushed in parts, and Voldi’s arc is a lot more melodramatic than anything in The Robe. This book is also a bit more didactic in the religious department, which might have been inevitable since Jesus is actually a character this time, rather than a permeating invisible presence. But The Robe was a sky-high bar to clear, and I can forgive Douglas if he can’t quite vault it this time.
The character development for Simon/Peter is obviously quite good; he seems ready to step off the page by the end. Fara/Esther is not quite as developed, but she has spirit and gives up everything for her beliefs and the safety of her loved ones, making her a truly heroic character.
Douglas’ Jesus is very gentle, gracious, and wise. The book makes a point of contrasting Him with His spitfire cousin John, a ploy which unfortunately makes His outburst at the money-changers in the Temple seem far out-of-character, but overall is quite effective. Douglas also makes a point of showing Jesus doing His day job—He was a carpenter, remember?—and doing it exceptionally well.
I wish as a Catholic that Douglas could have made the Virgin Mary part of the story. It is strange that Esther was a female disciple but never met either her or Magdalene. Oh well. Douglas was a Protestant, so his avoidance of the subject is understandable.
This book seemed to play loosely with history at times (for instance, Herod Antipas died in exile but was probably not assassinated as shown here) but a story set this far back in time, with so few complete records of anything, has a lot more wiggle-room in this regard than something from the Renaissance onwards.
The violence (except for the Passions of the Baptist and Jesus, neither of which is gorily portrayed) is nonexistent, the sex (just some insinuations regarding Herodias, Herod, and Salome) is also nonexistent, and there’s only the mildest of language and drunkenness. It would make a fine addition to the library at your church or upper-grade parochial school.
It would also make a fine addition to your home library.
Be sure to also read:
The Robe , also by Lloyd C. Douglas
Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell
March 28, 2014
Lloyd C Douglas is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This is the second of his books that I have read and I would gladly pick up another. He's full of detail and history, without overwhelming you with his vast research. He makes historical and biblical characters real, full of emotions, anger, frustration, doubt, fear, yearnings, hopes...all the things that they likely dealt with but we don't give them when we pick up a history book. He's able to weave in the political and historical complexities of the time, giving more credence to the choices we know these people made, yet he does it without detracting from the story he's telling. I find myself immersed in his world, and then thinking about it when I put the book down. I love it when a fiction book is an enjoyable read, but sticks with me in positive ways after I'm done.
April 23, 2015
Mmm, a review of this book is difficult.
Because it's an enjoyable book, with a great story, and lovely characters you'd want to give it a good review. It would seem to give a good insight into the life and work of Jesus - and I think it's great that it doesn't shy away from the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But what makes it fall down is so vitally important that I had to only give it 2 stars. It is not true to scripture; the liberties the author takes in making the Bible fit his story are just too many, and so ruin what is a good story. I wouldn't give this to a non-Christian, or a young Christian to read, because they'd be given non-biblical ideas about things like some of Jesus' miracles (the feeding of the 5000), the early church, and it's role in God's plan (not just Peter's); Pentecost etc. Especially toward the end Douglas just veers off the biblical account too radically to make this a truly good book.
So while it is a "good" read - it is not a helpful book considering it's material.
Because it's an enjoyable book, with a great story, and lovely characters you'd want to give it a good review. It would seem to give a good insight into the life and work of Jesus - and I think it's great that it doesn't shy away from the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But what makes it fall down is so vitally important that I had to only give it 2 stars. It is not true to scripture; the liberties the author takes in making the Bible fit his story are just too many, and so ruin what is a good story. I wouldn't give this to a non-Christian, or a young Christian to read, because they'd be given non-biblical ideas about things like some of Jesus' miracles (the feeding of the 5000), the early church, and it's role in God's plan (not just Peter's); Pentecost etc. Especially toward the end Douglas just veers off the biblical account too radically to make this a truly good book.
So while it is a "good" read - it is not a helpful book considering it's material.
February 13, 2012
This was an amazing, inspirational historical fiction centered around Simon Peter as he hears of Jesus, initially rejecting what had been said of him. A big, burly guy, Simon had long denied the fervent religious teachings from his father. He is strangely drawn to find out more about Jesus and is profoundly changed by meeting him. So when Jesus says to follow him, he does and we are taken through the story of Jesus out into the countryside where thousands follow to hear his teachings. We go with Simon who has now become Peter into Jerusalem where he fears for Jesus and denies him but overcomes his shame when Jesus returns and takes on a mantle of gravitas spreading the Word even as far as Rome where he ultimately is put to death.
The book has lots of other quite interesting characters - some historical and others fictional. All, however, are impacted in some way through knowing or knowing of Jesus and/ or his teaching. One side story is that of Fara and Volti, Arabians who find themselves in Israel during the time of Jesus's ministry and specifically in Jerusalem when He is crucified. The story first begins with King Herod and the Arabian King Aretas who though coming from nations who have for centuries been bitter enemies agree for their beloved children to marry in order to forge an alliance against further invasion by the Romans. Unfortunately the marriage was a huge mistake and only serves to further divide the Jews and Arabs adding to the hatred between the two cultures.
There is so much of interest and relevance in this book. It gives a historical perspective of the Passion Play.
I
The book has lots of other quite interesting characters - some historical and others fictional. All, however, are impacted in some way through knowing or knowing of Jesus and/ or his teaching. One side story is that of Fara and Volti, Arabians who find themselves in Israel during the time of Jesus's ministry and specifically in Jerusalem when He is crucified. The story first begins with King Herod and the Arabian King Aretas who though coming from nations who have for centuries been bitter enemies agree for their beloved children to marry in order to forge an alliance against further invasion by the Romans. Unfortunately the marriage was a huge mistake and only serves to further divide the Jews and Arabs adding to the hatred between the two cultures.
There is so much of interest and relevance in this book. It gives a historical perspective of the Passion Play.
I
June 19, 2012
Douglas did a a fantastic job of making Simon Peter my friend. I want to meet him.
January 9, 2016
I see comments in the reviews that this doesn't stick to the scriptures - why should it? It's a novel about the birth of Christianity not a Christian novel. I take more exception to the liberties taken with historical fact. I first read this aged 8 and since also but not for over 30 years. Like my comments on the companion volume The Robe the language is dated, no great problem - but it is not the book I remembered. It is I who have changed and become more exacting; this remains a good read, however.
April 9, 2020
I think I may have found this one more interesting than The Robe, I enjoyed the way that St. Peter, Christ, and John the Baptist were brought to life, though it dragged just a wee bit (a very wee bit) at the end after the Resurrection.
March 13, 2022
I wanted to love this SO badly, but I didn’t enjoy it. The Robe is one of my favorite books of all time, so I think I had high expectations and was sorely disappointed.
The book was so disjointed with so many characters; we don’t get introduced to Peter for MANY chapters, and I felt his character was so underdeveloped for the book supposedly being all about him (it is, after all, called The Big Fisherman). I was only invested in the story of Peter because I know him from Scripture. I was hoping this book would give me a unique and interesting take on this character of Peter, but it did not. It even skipped over some of the most important parts of Peter’s life and journey. We barely heard anything about the story of Peter denying Jesus 3 times, and the book only alluded to “Peter, do you love me?” - which I think is one of the MOST powerful and important pieces of Peter’s story. Such strange choices.
The side story of Fara and Voldi was enjoyable at times but I truly don’t see the point of it.
Other reviews mention that Douglas takes liberties with stories from Scripture, which is true, and irritating. For example, when Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, in the Bible she jumps up and immediately starts waiting on Jesus. In the book, she falls back asleep. In the book, the miracle of the loaves and fish is just about people sharing the food they brought. Also, Andrew was more hesitant to follow Jesus in the book, but in Scripture, he is the one who tells his brother Simon that he has met the Messiah.
They are little things but they build up over the course of the book, and I just found myself irritated. Peter is my absolute favorite figure in Scripture, my favorite saint, and this book just didn’t do him justice.
Lastly, Jesus (and therefore Peter) seemed to constantly focus on the coming of the Kingdom (Scripturally accurate), but their main focus is on happiness - and peace and love. That’s all well and good, but what about repentance and forgiveness of sins? That is a HUGE missing component in this book and I really struggled with Jesus speaking about people finding happiness. It was a huge miss for me.
I finished the book because I kept hoping it would get better or I would find some gem in it, but I just wouldn’t recommend this read to anyone.
Read The Robe. It’s a masterpiece. So strange they came from the same author.
The book was so disjointed with so many characters; we don’t get introduced to Peter for MANY chapters, and I felt his character was so underdeveloped for the book supposedly being all about him (it is, after all, called The Big Fisherman). I was only invested in the story of Peter because I know him from Scripture. I was hoping this book would give me a unique and interesting take on this character of Peter, but it did not. It even skipped over some of the most important parts of Peter’s life and journey. We barely heard anything about the story of Peter denying Jesus 3 times, and the book only alluded to “Peter, do you love me?” - which I think is one of the MOST powerful and important pieces of Peter’s story. Such strange choices.
The side story of Fara and Voldi was enjoyable at times but I truly don’t see the point of it.
Other reviews mention that Douglas takes liberties with stories from Scripture, which is true, and irritating. For example, when Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, in the Bible she jumps up and immediately starts waiting on Jesus. In the book, she falls back asleep. In the book, the miracle of the loaves and fish is just about people sharing the food they brought. Also, Andrew was more hesitant to follow Jesus in the book, but in Scripture, he is the one who tells his brother Simon that he has met the Messiah.
They are little things but they build up over the course of the book, and I just found myself irritated. Peter is my absolute favorite figure in Scripture, my favorite saint, and this book just didn’t do him justice.
Lastly, Jesus (and therefore Peter) seemed to constantly focus on the coming of the Kingdom (Scripturally accurate), but their main focus is on happiness - and peace and love. That’s all well and good, but what about repentance and forgiveness of sins? That is a HUGE missing component in this book and I really struggled with Jesus speaking about people finding happiness. It was a huge miss for me.
I finished the book because I kept hoping it would get better or I would find some gem in it, but I just wouldn’t recommend this read to anyone.
Read The Robe. It’s a masterpiece. So strange they came from the same author.
April 30, 2023
După ce am fost foarte impresionată de "Cămașa lui Hristos" am simțit nevoia să citesc povestea și din perspectiva apostolilor prezentată în "Marele Pescar".
În acest roman autorul îl portretizează pe Sfântul Apostol Petru de la tinerețea sa de pescar până la sfârșitul vieții la Roma.
Personajul Simon se dezvoltă de-a lungul întâmplărilor la care asistă, trecând de la tânăr răzvrătit și autoritar la cea mai importantă figură a creștinismului de după Hristos. M-am bucurat să întâlnesc în această carte mult mai des prezența fizică a lui Iisus Hristos, spre deosebire de "Cămașa lui Hristos", unde acțiunea se petrece predominant în absența Sa.
Cred că în "Marele Pescar", Douglas aduce mai multe elemente de ficțiune și omite momente importante descrise în Biblie (de exemplu Botezul Domnului), lucru care nu mi - a plăcut, fiindcă aveam alte așteptări. De asemenea, aș fi vrut să detalieze mai mult unele scene și personaje.
I-am dat 4 ⭐ din aceste motive și fiindcă m-am raportat la cealaltă scriere a sa, net superioară. Este, totuși, o lectură plăcută și era mai bine să fi citit întâi "Marele Pescar", apoi "Cămașa lui Hristos", ceea ce vă sugerez și vouă dacă aveți cele două cărți pe lista de lecturi.
În acest roman autorul îl portretizează pe Sfântul Apostol Petru de la tinerețea sa de pescar până la sfârșitul vieții la Roma.
Personajul Simon se dezvoltă de-a lungul întâmplărilor la care asistă, trecând de la tânăr răzvrătit și autoritar la cea mai importantă figură a creștinismului de după Hristos. M-am bucurat să întâlnesc în această carte mult mai des prezența fizică a lui Iisus Hristos, spre deosebire de "Cămașa lui Hristos", unde acțiunea se petrece predominant în absența Sa.
Cred că în "Marele Pescar", Douglas aduce mai multe elemente de ficțiune și omite momente importante descrise în Biblie (de exemplu Botezul Domnului), lucru care nu mi - a plăcut, fiindcă aveam alte așteptări. De asemenea, aș fi vrut să detalieze mai mult unele scene și personaje.
I-am dat 4 ⭐ din aceste motive și fiindcă m-am raportat la cealaltă scriere a sa, net superioară. Este, totuși, o lectură plăcută și era mai bine să fi citit întâi "Marele Pescar", apoi "Cămașa lui Hristos", ceea ce vă sugerez și vouă dacă aveți cele două cărți pe lista de lecturi.
April 25, 2014
I have conflicting feelings regarding this novel. It's a great book in itself - obviously researched, and a good retelling of the story of Simon Peter, one of Jesus' followers. The characters are believable and understandable. Unfortunately I have two issues with the book as a whole. Firstly, why bring in the various different Arabian characters - as the parts concerning them was interesting but didn't really lead anywhere. And secondly, a lot of it didn't really fit with what I know of the Bible.
Overall okay, if you're reading it for a good story.
Overall okay, if you're reading it for a good story.
December 27, 2020
Nice fiction on how would it be to follow Jesus as a disciple in his time.
February 16, 2024
His OCs are great, his fanon is iffy, his canon characterization is terrible.
June 2, 2024
Most of this is so beautiful, helping to fit what we know into the daily and broader social life of the time of Peter. But the parts about Peter seem the least clear. It almost seems like Douglas wants to write about Peter, but never really develops a clear picture of him, or never knows exactly how to tell it.
April 26, 2016
Lloyd C. Douglas is a master at using research to build a world for his books. The depth of his knowledge of the ancient world is astounding. This is a fictional story, of course, so some of the details involving the Arabian history are purposefully inaccurate, and some are unintentionally inaccurate possibly just because we have found so much more out since he wrote the book.
I think my favorite aspect of this book was the relationship he depicted between Jesus and the apostles. A lot of times, even though the Bible is clear that the apostles misunderstood Him, we as readers don't understand the gulf between the apostles and Jesus. Jesus was so alone and completely misunderstood. His followers didn't ever understand Him until after He was gone and they were given the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost. Even the friendships between Jesus and the individual apostles during His life were so different from how I had always imagined them, because they never truly knew Him.
While reading this I marveled at how GOD used small town folks to start a revolution that is now the religion of 2.2 billion people. Especially considering how confused these men and women were about Jesus and His motives and intentions, I am blown away. But His compassion supersedes everything. Thank goodness!
Great book. Fantastic author. I hope to follow in his footsteps some day.
I think my favorite aspect of this book was the relationship he depicted between Jesus and the apostles. A lot of times, even though the Bible is clear that the apostles misunderstood Him, we as readers don't understand the gulf between the apostles and Jesus. Jesus was so alone and completely misunderstood. His followers didn't ever understand Him until after He was gone and they were given the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost. Even the friendships between Jesus and the individual apostles during His life were so different from how I had always imagined them, because they never truly knew Him.
While reading this I marveled at how GOD used small town folks to start a revolution that is now the religion of 2.2 billion people. Especially considering how confused these men and women were about Jesus and His motives and intentions, I am blown away. But His compassion supersedes everything. Thank goodness!
Great book. Fantastic author. I hope to follow in his footsteps some day.
January 7, 2011
A story about the disciple Peter before and after meeting Jesus. The first sixth of the book develops a story of the ages-old conflict between the Jews and the Arabs. As I was reading it, I was rather confused about how it connected with Peter and the other disciples. Later it became clear and the characters from the first part had their own encounters with John the Baptist, and later, Jesus.
Reading this, I found myself wondering what it was like living in the days when Jesus walked the earth. We have 2000 years of history to look back on - but what was it like at the time hearing about this prophet and the teachings and the miracles.
Reading this, I found myself wondering what it was like living in the days when Jesus walked the earth. We have 2000 years of history to look back on - but what was it like at the time hearing about this prophet and the teachings and the miracles.
November 5, 2012
Wow, this book took me a long time to read...3 1/2 months...but it was really good and worth the time it took. It takes the story of Simon the fisherman and how he meets Jesus and becomes Peter. It also has a couple of historical fiction side stories which are interlaced with Peter's story. This author also wrote "The Robe" which is one of my favorite books. I love how he pulls the main character from that book into this book as a minor character. Also, Jesus' robe from the first book plays a small role in this. This book was really well done and I will add it to my list of highly recommended reading.
January 6, 2013
Disappointing. The story was interesting enough but Douglas took such huge liberties with the historical facts that it spoiled the story for me. The Robe was done so excellently -- mostly centering on the fictional story with only some believable conjectures about the biblical characters that made it delightful. But some of the fictionalized biblical events in The Big Fisherman totally denied, in effect, the events themselves. This was Douglas's last book and he should have quit while he was ahead after The Robe
March 24, 2010
The story of Peter and how he becomes an apostle. Also Fara and Voldi, two Arabians. I liked this, but not as much as the Robe. I did enjoy references here and there to the characters in the Robe. Overall, I found it slow going, and I just wanted to finish so I could read something more exciting. I couldn't agree with Douglas' interpretations of some of the Biblical happenings. I think I would have enjoyed more of Fara and her life.
December 31, 2016
Probably 2.5 stars. I enjoyed the story, especially Fara and Voldi. I also liked the links to The Robe. But the inaccuracies in regard to scriptures bothered me and ultimately I couldn't overlook the liberties taken. Sure, it's fiction. But when based on historical events, I prefer to have history accurately portrayed. And I felt the storyline for Fara and Voldi just dropped after a great build-up.
January 6, 2017
While I loved this book, I had a hard time focusing on it for long periods of time due to the writing being a little dry. I especially liked how the Romans weren't all painted at bad guys.
All in all, this was a really fun really good read
All in all, this was a really fun really good read
July 19, 2011
This wasn't as good as THE Robe. It was good enough but the author and I disagree on how things happened.
July 16, 2021
I most definitely recommend The Robe by the same author.
July 15, 2024
After years of picking up and putting down this book I gave up. The Robe is better.
February 19, 2025
The robe was a masterpiece, so maybe my expectations were too high. It didn't hit me hard, and I struggled to feel like it could have been real. A good read, but not a favorite.
November 9, 2021
This book is 70+ years old and reads like a season of The Chosen.
Lloyd C. Douglas finished this book not long before he died and it's terrific. In The Big Fisherman, we get to peek into the life of Simon Peter and see Lloyd's perspective on Peter's experience with Jesus. Along the way, we get just a hint of the experience that Lloyd himself had with Jesus.
Though not theologically dense, it paints a great picture of times that are not all that far into the past and points forward to the not-too-distant future when Jesus returns.
Lloyd C. Douglas finished this book not long before he died and it's terrific. In The Big Fisherman, we get to peek into the life of Simon Peter and see Lloyd's perspective on Peter's experience with Jesus. Along the way, we get just a hint of the experience that Lloyd himself had with Jesus.
Though not theologically dense, it paints a great picture of times that are not all that far into the past and points forward to the not-too-distant future when Jesus returns.
February 21, 2015
Simon ontmoet Jezus tegen de achtergrond van het leven in Palestina tijdens de Romeinse bezetting. Simon is is een visser op het meer van Galilea, maar gaat Jezus volgen als discipel. Door Simons ogen, zien we de wereld van tweeduizend jaar geleden en de daden van Jezus. Simon die de naam Petrus heeft gekregen, wat Rotssteen betekend, verloochend Jezus uiteindelijk drie keer.
Waardering/mening
Een apart verhaal waar ik heel lang over heb moeten nadenken over hoeveel sterren ik het moest geven. Omdat ik het niet goed kan plaatsen en ik sommige dingen toch echt wel twijfelachtig vind, geef ik het een twijfelachtige 3 sterren. Ik hoop dat ik het boek nog een keer kan lezen. Mogelijk speelt mijn gevoel tegenover het kerkelijke verhaal wel mee.
Over de auteur
Geboren in 1877 in Columbia City. Hij was een Amerikaanse minister en op latere leeftijd een auteur. Zijn hele leven heeft godsdienst en vooral Lutherse religie een belangrijke rol gespeelt. Dit komt ook terug in een aantal van zijn boeken. In 1929 brengt Douglas zijn eerste boek uit "Magnificent Obsession". Hij schrijft "The Robe" uit en daarvan verkoopt hij de rechten om een een film ervan te laten maken. Deze komt uit in 1953. Na zijn overlijden
In 1951 overlijdt Douglas. Meer informatie kan je vinden op
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
of op
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0235160/
Overige boekinformatie
Uitgeverij: De Geïllustreerde Pers
375 pagina's; Hardcover
Leesperiode : november 2006
Het boek is verfilmd als "The Big Fisherman" en is in 1959 uitgebracht.
Hoofdrolspeler is Howard Keel. Director is Frank Borzag. De vrouwelijke hoofdrol werd gespeeld door Susan Kohnen
Waardering/mening
Een apart verhaal waar ik heel lang over heb moeten nadenken over hoeveel sterren ik het moest geven. Omdat ik het niet goed kan plaatsen en ik sommige dingen toch echt wel twijfelachtig vind, geef ik het een twijfelachtige 3 sterren. Ik hoop dat ik het boek nog een keer kan lezen. Mogelijk speelt mijn gevoel tegenover het kerkelijke verhaal wel mee.
Over de auteur
Geboren in 1877 in Columbia City. Hij was een Amerikaanse minister en op latere leeftijd een auteur. Zijn hele leven heeft godsdienst en vooral Lutherse religie een belangrijke rol gespeelt. Dit komt ook terug in een aantal van zijn boeken. In 1929 brengt Douglas zijn eerste boek uit "Magnificent Obsession". Hij schrijft "The Robe" uit en daarvan verkoopt hij de rechten om een een film ervan te laten maken. Deze komt uit in 1953. Na zijn overlijden
In 1951 overlijdt Douglas. Meer informatie kan je vinden op
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
of op
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0235160/
Overige boekinformatie
Uitgeverij: De Geïllustreerde Pers
375 pagina's; Hardcover
Leesperiode : november 2006
Het boek is verfilmd als "The Big Fisherman" en is in 1959 uitgebracht.
Hoofdrolspeler is Howard Keel. Director is Frank Borzag. De vrouwelijke hoofdrol werd gespeeld door Susan Kohnen
February 24, 2024
I would like to give this 5 stars.... The author is such a gifted writer, I felt transported into the story, as if I was right there. But, so much in the story doesn't match the Bible. I know it's fiction but it still really bothers me. In many ways, the author detracts from the miraculous nature of the gospel message. For example, in the Palm Sunday scene, when Jesus makes His triumphal entry to Jerusalem, the act of acquiring the donkey for Him to ride on is written as just some people's scheme. Jesus had no hand in it! In the feeding of the 5000, he makes it sound like it was just a case of stingy people being made to feel generous and sharing after listening to Jesus' preaching. And when Peter visits the centurion Cornelius, after his vision of clean and unclean animals, no one is converted! So disappointing to me, when authors of biblical fiction deviate purposely from the record of the Bible. Filling in fictional details to flesh out a story is fine, but not deliberately changing events that ARE recorded.
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