From the "Grassroots of Galveston"

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	• Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana Anne Rice Knopf, 2008 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 72 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

From the "Grassroots of Galveston"

Finished It!!!As a huge fan of the work of Ms. Rice, I was very excited to read the second installment in her wonderful stories based on the Life of Christ. The first novel in the series had a profound effect on my own life and spirituality, so this follow up was a very much anticipated piece of work. And I must say WOW. Could this be one of her best books ever written? She is an inpsiration. Don't you EVER forget that Anne! Your'e supposed to be doing this... and all that you have done before has lead to these wonderful works which you write for the Lord. Simply cannot WAIT for the next one. And as for the comment about maybe one day writing a Christian novel about Lestat...I hope it does happen. Save him! But there are so many directions in which Anne could go after she finishes her series based on Christ. Who knows what she will write next! "The Road to Cana", What a blessing! True fans everywhere are rejoicing. Thank you for the art, your craft, your gift. Love - B. Ragan of the "Island"

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Beautiful Story

Anne Rice is an artist with words! It is so enjoyable to read a book that is written by a truly brilliant storyteller.

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Incredible Beyond Words

People fear what they do not understand. But what if you feared yourself?

Jesus, or Yeshua Bar Joseph as he is known to his family, is just past thirty years of age. He is well aware that there are those around him who still whisper about his birth: the Magi, the gifts, the Angel coming to prophecy his coming. But he wants nothing more than to live a normal life amongst his family.

He longs to be a normal man but those around him watch. They wait. The winter has been cruel, dry and no rain has graced the land around them. And so they hope that Jesus will bring great change. It is only a matter of time.

While those around him wait for his greatness to reveal itself, Jesus struggles with his lot in life. In love with a kinswoman, Avigail, Jesus knows that he cannot marry her. He does not know everything that is planned for him, but he knows she is not for him.

Torn inside, Jesus wonders what his lot in life truly is. He wonders how long he will have to wait before his true purpose is made clear to him. When brigands attack Nazareth, Avigail is harmed, shamed. To save her virtue, Jesus prays to God to bring rain.

And he does. When the townspeople come to Jesus to ask him to stop the rain, He again asks God for help; and the rain stops. The whispering around Jesus reaches a fever pitch when news reaches them: Jesus' cousin, John, has emerged from the woods speaking of a prophet, a Messiah. John knows that this Messiah is Jesus.

Now Jesus must come to terms with who he is and his destiny; or succumb to temptation by the Devil...

Having read Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, I was more than eager to get my hands on Anne Rice's new novel Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana. It continues the story of the life of Christ as he heads towards his destiny.

Frankly, I was a little worried. I was worried that the second book wouldn't be as good as the first one. I loved Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt so much. I've read it countless times and it's become one of my all time favourite books. Would The Road to Cana be as breath taking, as incredible, as beautiful?

I needn't have worried. Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana is just as meticulously researched as Out of Egypt was and just as beautiful if not more so. In Out of Egypt we saw Christ as a boy. Now we come to know him far more intimately as he struggles with the man he has to become.

What I love most about this book is that, though Jesus is divine, Rice has done an amazing job of portraying him as human. She has really given us the ultimate study in human nature as Jesus struggles and then accepts what he is, what he must do. She shows us a man who knows what he must do and the sacrifices he makes to do it.

Now, I'm not a Christian. I normally don't read what I would call Christian fiction. Most Christian fiction actually makes me a little uncomfortable. But that doesn't matter. Rice has written a novel that goes beyond the religious aspect of Christianity and embraces the spiritual. This is not a book about religion but a story of love, family, forgiveness and redemption.

You don't have to be a Christian to enjoy this book. I know that there are plenty of people out there who probably don't want to give it a chance based solely off of its subject matter. I've had people scoff at me when I told them how incredible Rice's Christ the Lord books are.

I know that some of you, reading this review, are still scoffing. But they're amazing books, people. And Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana is the best book that Rice has ever written. It transcends genres and religion and is seriously good storytelling and amazing historical fiction. Its prose is like poetry and I was moved beyond words as I read it.

I know that I will be reading Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana again as I eagerly await the next instalment in the life of Jesus.

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Excellent

Rumors have always abounded that Yeshua bar Joseph was miraculously a virgin birth child. However, he never gave that a second thought as he faithfully attends synagogue every Sabbath just like his brother James and everyone else in the village of Nazareth. However, recently Yeshua has had emotional issues between his religious calling and his love for a kinswoman. He knows what he must do, but is reluctant to embrace it as he sadly realizes he is about to lose his youth though he accepts the cause is worth the cost. On the "Road to Cana" he changes water to wine at the family wedding of Reuben and Avigail. Three years later Yeshua starts preaching the people must return to God. He performs miracles as he walks the path that the Lord has assigned to him.

The first Christ the Lord tale (see OUT OF EGYPT) was a strong opening story, but added little poetic license to the gaps of what is already known of Jesus. THE ROAD TO CANA is much deeper and better as Anne Rice provides an insightful look at Yeshua that miraculously makes him human as he covets love and feels loneliness with his increasing understanding of the heavenly mission bestowed on him. He displays human feelings yet Godly responsibilities that converge at the wedding where a family dispute has led to unhappiness at a moment that all should be rejoicing.

Harriet Klausner

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A road worth taking

On the invocation page of this fine novel Anne Rice includes a quote from Karl Rahner which is very important for interpreting her project: "The truth of the faith can be preserved only by doing a theology of Jesus Christ, and by redoing it over and over again." This is indeed what Anne Rice is doing in this series of books: doing a theology of Jesus in narrative form. A very specific conception of Christian belief takes shape in these pages: one in which evil derives mostly from misunderstandings, impatience and limitations of perspective (the stoning of the two young boys suspected of homosexuality is bound to be controversial), Time is a gift which makes life worth living and the power of God is most evident in the simple pleasures of life, in a "vast, vital world of blowing wheat and shining sun" (p.198) Whatever one makes of its orthodoxy, it is a powerful, heartfelt, deeply thoughtful vision that should be taken seriously by theologically minded people.

As a novel it is fairly well-written and as fascinating as the first book in its depiction of the historical and social reality of the 1st Century. Jesus' longing for Avigail is poignant, although Rice treads delicately here, as many Christians would probably be offended if they saw Jesus portrayed as having actual lustful thoughts. There is more than a hint of apocryphal material here, as in Jesus' comment to his brother that "Heaven and earth were made for you, James. You'll come to understand", which is from the Gospel of Thomas. Interestingly, the book is at its best when speculating about Jesus's life where the Gospels are silent. When we actually come to the Gospel events of baptism, temptation and miracle, the narration becomes strangely flat and literal, without the nuanced character-building and development which characterized the earlier parts of the book. On the other hand, a number of familiar stories from the Gospels are interconnected in interesting ways, and the overall effect is a very readable life of Jesus.

Anne Rice keeps going from strength to strength. She has shown considerable courage and determination in researching the world of Jesus to the best of her ability, and the result is a narrative theology of Jesus the likes of which we have seldom seen. It is to be treasured, both devotionally and as a work of literature.

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reviews: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, page 14, 15

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