Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (Christ the Lord) by Anne Rice
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Book Reviews of Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (Christ the Lord)
Book Review: Interesting way to look at Jesus!
Summary: 3 Stars
Can't wait to read the first in the series. This one read very quickly and was a creative way of exploring some of the issues we all "learned" while growing up about the life of Christ.Book Review: Classic Bound?
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the second book in what is expected to be a trilogy. Book one, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt introduces us to child Yeshua as he and his family return to Israel from exile in Egypt after the death of Herod. The Road to Cana picks up when Yeshua is approximately 31 and is on the verge of beginning his ministry. Rice's grasp of the literary art is second to none and she has brought the full force of it to bear on the task at hand. Her passion for historical accuracy blends with her art and creates a narrative that is easy for the reader to step into.
Rice, a recent concert to Christianity, has said that this trilogy is an act of devotion on her part; a way of serving God through her gifting. As you move through the novel, written in first-person perspective through the eyes of Christ, you sense the passion and devotion in every page. This is not simply a work of Christian fiction however, it is clear that Rice has immersed herself in some serious theology and it practically bleeds through the pages.
Recently Christianity Today reviewed the book and drew a clear distinction between Rice's work and typical Christian fiction. To be blunt most "Christian" fiction is simply very poor writing...a lot of pulp fiction filled with simple moralizing branded with the "Christian" label to exploit a market. Unlike novelizations like the Left Behind series which contains some seriously dodgy theology Rice's work is exceptional on many levels and depending upon how the last book unfolds the series could be bound to become a classic.
Highly recommended. It would make a great book club selection too.
Book Review: Emotionally capturing sequel well worth hardcover price
Summary: 5 Stars
In later 2005 I picked up the new hardcopy novel "Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt" by Anne Rice while heading to Vancouver for a week. Having always found Rice a brilliant storyteller and unrivalled historical researcher, I was intrigued that she had decided to take on the life of Jesus in her next projects (first person from Christ's perspective, no less). I was not disappointed. As a prolific reader, I rarely find time to reread books, this one has already brought me back more than once.
Needless to say, I was thrilled when I saw that the next installment in the series had hit shelves. Where the first book introduced us to Jesus as a child, returning home after years in Egypt, the second book "Christ The Lord: Road To Cana" picks up the story in the droughted winter prior to Jesus baptism by John. Moving towards His first miracle in Cana (as the title suggests), Rice uses this novel to set the stage for Jesus' coming ministry and ultimately journey to the cross.
In a daring, but powerful exploration of Christ's humanity, the story begins with Jesus' wrestling with His feelings from a beautiful woman (whom it is expected He will marry) that He knows can never come to fruition. While stories of His birth set Him apart as different, people are uneasy with a man Jesus age remaining unmarried. The unjust stoning of suspected homosexual youth in Nazareth hint at the uncertainty some feel towards Jesus. Even His family do not understand, but ultimately stand by Him.
The story continues, powerfully retelling the events of Jesus baptism, His temptation in the wilderness and calling of His disciples. Rice choose to also include, prior to the wedding in Cana, Christ's exorcizing of Mary Magdalene's demons. While the timing of this miracle detracted something from the later miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding, I believe it is easily overlooked, fitting well nonetheless. The book finishes, as it promises, in Cana, where we are ushered into the extravegant wedding rites to Jesus day. After transforming the water into wine, seen by a small number of family and followers, Jesus leads His disciples to the road on a journey towards Jerusalem.
Some critics of the first novel felt that the story was bogged down in too much historical and cultural details, an assertion I disagree with. Those details brought the world of Christ (and ultimately the Gospel as well) to vivid life for me. While the second book lacked these details (for which I was slightly disappointed), where it shone the brightest was in the development of the emotional realities the Jesus and those around Him might have felt. Jesus was fully divine, but He was also fully human, a fact clearly seen in this novel. Did it come at the expense of His divinity? I do not think so, trusting that Rice will explore that aspect more thoroughly in later volumes.
Whenever a novel about Christ is written, especially one which attempts the first person perspective of Jesus Himself, there are bound to be challenges. Inevitably creative license, personal beliefs and biases and other factors will colour the story. These novels are no exception, with aspects that will leave some Christians frustrated with the liberties taken.
That being said, Anne Rice presents a remarkably orthodox perspective through the unique lens of narrative fiction. She does not claim her works to be "Gospel", admitting that every write does (and must) bring themselves to the story. These books should not be read as a replacement for the Bible, but can serve to creatively challenge our limited and biased expectations of who Jesus was (is) and how He lived. In this way, these books are a gift to readers, serving almost as icons to a deeper understanding of Christ the Lord.
For myself, both books were easily worth the full hardcover price. Surprisingly, they made me hungry for Scripture like I haven't been for some time, drinking in the Gospels with fresh and new understanding. I highly recommend both books to be read carefully and with discernment, but with enjoyment as well.
www.missional.blog.com
Book Review: Another Anne Rice Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
This Anne Rice series gives Jesus a characteristic that encourages people to relate to him in a more realistic sense than as the Son of God. Rice's depiction of Jesus allows us to see him as `just' a man. She does this masterfully by writing from a first person point of view allowing her readers to sharing his thoughts, his conversations, and his humanity. "The Road to Cana" gives us possible insight into how difficult Jesus' life must have been due to the conflicts with temptations of the flesh versus the destiny of the Son of God.
"The Road to Cana" begins shortly before Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptist and concludes with the miracle at Cana, in which Jesus casts out Mary's demons. For some reason, no one "way back when" thought it necessary to chronicle his whole life. Maybe it was too boring, and there was nothing significant. In my mind, his humanity as a man, and not the Son of God, is extremely significant. There are so many beautifully human moments in both of Rice's "Christ the Lord" books.
Interestingly, Ms. Rice held to the belief that the angel came to Mary, the wise men came to celebrate his birth, and Jesus was the Son of God. This surprised me a bit. To be honest, I really expected that she would have taken a slightly different approach. I thought it would be a "normal" birth. All through this series she references the Christian story of Jesus' birth. I think Rice did a wonderful job of pulling me back, not letting me forget that this is a story about the Son of God.
Anne Rice has branched out with the "Christ the Lord" books. As far as fans go, you either love her writing or you hate it. However, I foresee a whole new genre of reader will pick up these books and truly enjoy them. She may have some fans from her previous works that will not like this venture; but if they are loyal fans, they'll read the "Christ the Lord" books. They may not like the story, but they will fully appreciate her writing. This particular series will not cause a decrease in Anne Rice fans at all.
While I could see Ms. Rice could get much criticism for daring to write a story about something that could be construed as blasphemous, I recommend this story to religious believers and non-believers. The writing is beautiful, the humanity presented is very believable, and the story is a wonderful possibility of what could have been.
Book Review: Poetic and passionate writing paves "Road"
Summary: 4 Stars
Ms. Rice continues her trilogy with her second book "Road to Cana". What I enjoyed most about this sequel (and "Out of Egypt") is the poetic writing and expressive language. When I began reading Road to Cana, I was impressed by how quickly I envisioned the young Jesus in Out of Egypt. The character remains strongly intacted. Rice creates a very compassionate Jesus that keeps in line with Christological knowledge, but that is fictional and imaginative. Rice attempts to portray Jesus struggling with his humanity and divinity as he and others await a sign that would begin his ministry. I commend her poetic and passionate style, but there is hardly much conflict between Jesus' humanity and divinity. I expected more fictional license to explore a very human Jesus, but instead got, while sensitive and loving, a very safe Jesus Christ. Near the end, what should be the major meat of Jesus' ministry is rushed through. I craved more exploration and creativity. An average 240 pages hardly seems fitting enough for Christ the Lord. I guess that's why there's the Bible.
While the growth in the main character is quite obvious, the Christological exploration of Jesus Christ's humanity and divinity are very light and safe. Rice's ability to use words to paint emotions and mileu are "Road to Cana" strongest points. I enjoyed it but left thristy for more.