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jocelyn_sp's review
3.0
melodramatic, stirring emotions and thoughts, I am still mentally chewing on it days later. A novel using a fictionalised Paul / Saul was always going to be difficult in spots, and disliked the claim that Thomas was Jesus' twin being 'fact' in the world of the novel, but although parts felt overdone I enjoyed this book. The character of 'Saul' was moving and satisfying. The emotional contrasts between the equality, love and hope of the followers of Jesus and the Greco-Roman cults were well done. The traumatic arc from 'maybe Jesus will return today' to 'this is the 4th generation'. I thought the divisions and personality clashes over-played, but in keeping with the tone and telling of the fiction
di_orourke's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
everworld2662's review
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jadestarting's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
margwould's review
4.0
I think I need more time to digest the novel. It is daunting and beautiful and strange, and yet familiar.
mythicreads's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
bristoni74's review
4.0
Christos Tsiolkas is a Greek Australian author who can be polarizing with his writing. I think he is a wonderful writer but he can be very explicit in his depiction of sex and violence and use of crude language. I would love to rate this novel a 5 for his accomplishment of this book but the world he depicts (whilst likely true) wasn't always enjoyable as a reader - it was too graphic at times.
I had wanted to read this book when it was first released in 2019 but it was only after recently reading Zealot: Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth that I felt I had the historical context and understanding to attempt it. I would recommend reading Tsiolkas's author's note first to understand why he wrote this and the research he undertook. As a homosexual he had a crisis of faith as a young man given Paul's teachings in the New Testament about homosexuality. It was only after a crisis in his late 20's that he returned to Paul's teachings.
Tsiolkas has depicted Paul (Saul in the novel) as a repressed homosexual who persecutes heretics to the Jewish faith because of his shame. As we know Saul became Paul when he converted to Christianity and is instrumental in establishing what was a small Jewish cult into one of the largest religions in the world today.
The ancient world isn't a "nice" one. In fact, Tsiolkas depicts it so vividly I could almost see, touch and taste the stench, dirt, filth, violence and cruelty. Jesus provided an alternative - a God of love and tolerance, a God that valued all human life - that didn't force mothers to abandon their baby daughters, or children that were disabled, that gave hope to the poor and destitute, that slaves and other outcasts would be part of a Kingdom when Jesus returned. But Christianity didn't have an easy path with many think the Jewish cult that believed in a Christ who was a peasant and died on the cross for them were fools. Many were persecuted (horrifically by the Romans).
An epic novel and Tsiolkas has helped me to understand why the people of that time were looking for a Messiah to "save" them to give them hope when many of their lives were so oppressed and subjugated.
I had wanted to read this book when it was first released in 2019 but it was only after recently reading Zealot: Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth that I felt I had the historical context and understanding to attempt it. I would recommend reading Tsiolkas's author's note first to understand why he wrote this and the research he undertook. As a homosexual he had a crisis of faith as a young man given Paul's teachings in the New Testament about homosexuality. It was only after a crisis in his late 20's that he returned to Paul's teachings.
Tsiolkas has depicted Paul (Saul in the novel) as a repressed homosexual who persecutes heretics to the Jewish faith because of his shame. As we know Saul became Paul when he converted to Christianity and is instrumental in establishing what was a small Jewish cult into one of the largest religions in the world today.
The ancient world isn't a "nice" one. In fact, Tsiolkas depicts it so vividly I could almost see, touch and taste the stench, dirt, filth, violence and cruelty. Jesus provided an alternative - a God of love and tolerance, a God that valued all human life - that didn't force mothers to abandon their baby daughters, or children that were disabled, that gave hope to the poor and destitute, that slaves and other outcasts would be part of a Kingdom when Jesus returned. But Christianity didn't have an easy path with many think the Jewish cult that believed in a Christ who was a peasant and died on the cross for them were fools. Many were persecuted (horrifically by the Romans).
An epic novel and Tsiolkas has helped me to understand why the people of that time were looking for a Messiah to "save" them to give them hope when many of their lives were so oppressed and subjugated.
keepingupwiththepenguins's review
4.0
I loved Christos Tsiolkas’s 2008 novel The Slap, but I knew just looking at the blurb of Damascus that it was going to be very different: “a work of immense power and epic scope, taking as its subject nothing less than the events surrounding the birth and establishment of the Christian church”. Allen & Unwin sent me a copy for review, and I was happy to take a giant leap out of my comfort zone.
I’m a big ol’ heathen, so I didn’t have a lot of religious context for what was happening. To me, it almost read like a historic dystopia. But I think that made it all the better, for me to appreciate the poetic language and visceral imagery and raw emotion that Tsiolkas used to depict this world. What I’m saying is you don’t need to be a Christian, or familiar with the historical aspects of Christianity, to read Damascus (and it might actually be better if you aren’t).
An extended review of Damascus is available to subscribers at Keeping Up With The Penguins.
I’m a big ol’ heathen, so I didn’t have a lot of religious context for what was happening. To me, it almost read like a historic dystopia. But I think that made it all the better, for me to appreciate the poetic language and visceral imagery and raw emotion that Tsiolkas used to depict this world. What I’m saying is you don’t need to be a Christian, or familiar with the historical aspects of Christianity, to read Damascus (and it might actually be better if you aren’t).
An extended review of Damascus is available to subscribers at Keeping Up With The Penguins.