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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
One of the writing gals rec’d this book several years ago and it seemed like a good option to add some variety to my TBR this year. It’s also one of the longest books on the TBR; the audiobook was a solid 22 hours long.
This is one of those immersive historical fictions that fits alongside Eagle of the Ninth and Stephen R. Lawhead’s Pendragon trilogy. I absolutely LOVED Douglas’s narrative voice and descriptions, and I quickly fell in love with Marcellus as a young commander (and then shifted my affection to Demetrius, naturally). While it did drag plot-wise at times (especially around the last quarter of the story), it was an easy story to listen to and held my interest. Very glad I chose to read it now rather than later in the year, as it works well to be read around Easter. My only complaint was that it got a bit muddled with the theology. I guess that’s a hazard of the genre.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Totally enjoyed - and I've never seen the movie!
This is that old fashioned kind of book - lots of characters - a cast of thousands. But it really made me think about coming to know Christ, and what it cost some of those first believers. Now I want a *real* copy of the book for my shelves.
This is that old fashioned kind of book - lots of characters - a cast of thousands. But it really made me think about coming to know Christ, and what it cost some of those first believers. Now I want a *real* copy of the book for my shelves.
Sincerely enjoyable.
Was it written spectacularly? Nah. It's a simple work of few pretenses--a little heavy on the adverbs, actually. Nevertheless, the story is powerful, and the pages went by quickly. It's been a while since I've been that into a book. The ending was a bit of a shock, but in retrospect it seems quite right. So bah, I say, to the naysayers! Bah!
That is all. 4 well-earned stars
Was it written spectacularly? Nah. It's a simple work of few pretenses--a little heavy on the adverbs, actually. Nevertheless, the story is powerful, and the pages went by quickly. It's been a while since I've been that into a book. The ending was a bit of a shock, but in retrospect it seems quite right. So bah, I say, to the naysayers! Bah!
That is all. 4 well-earned stars
Epic novel set at the time of (and following) the Crucifixion - not a fast read for me, but glad I took the time to read.
The Robe, which most would remember as the movie filmed in the 50's and starring Victor Mature, was actually first a very popular novel that sold over 2 million copies in one printing. It was written by a prominent minister by the name of Lloyd C. Douglas, who also wrote a number of other novels with religious overtones. Among them was another for which he is famous, titled Magnificent Obsession. Having seen the movie several times on television as a child, when I learned it was also a novel, I found it in my high school library and read it. Though I enjoyed it, it was clearly written in a different time period, and with a sort of stilted, formal style that seems to me to be characteristic of novels written earlier in the 20th century. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the story as a boy, and especially the slightly superior feeling of having read the book upon which the movie everyone had seen was based.
Side note: Though Victor Mature was a popular actor, I never much cared for his portrayals of any sort...he always seemed to me to be a bit smarmy, oily in personality, and carrying a faintly mocking air even when he was trying to act the part of someone humble and sincere. Supposedly, he once said that he was successful with religious themed movies because he could "make with the holy look." I don't know whether that is true, but it certainly fits with what I believe about him.
Side note: Though Victor Mature was a popular actor, I never much cared for his portrayals of any sort...he always seemed to me to be a bit smarmy, oily in personality, and carrying a faintly mocking air even when he was trying to act the part of someone humble and sincere. Supposedly, he once said that he was successful with religious themed movies because he could "make with the holy look." I don't know whether that is true, but it certainly fits with what I believe about him.
3.5 stars
The Robe was a powerful, thought-provoking read, particularly for fiction. The plot follows Marcellus, a Roman legate/centurion, who crucifies Jesus Christ and later wins his robe. Interaction with the robe causes Marcellus to go mad and eventually seek more information about mysterious Galilean. He is joined by Demetrius, his devoted Greek slave. The book interacts with many familiar faces from Acts and takes creative license in picturing the conversations, personalities, and primary stories of the early church. In some ways, it does a really good job. It caused me to think more deeply about familiar Bible stories and gives flesh and color to oft-read passages. I like how it humanized the early church.
However, the book is also cheesy and occasionally repetitive. The POV jumps around a bit making it difficult to pinpoint a main character for the first few chapters. Demetrius seems to be as much a main character as Marcellus, but then he quite randomly disappears for whole sections. I didn't care for the author's interpretation of what happened at the feeding of the 5,000. I also found it hard to believe the plot line of the robe. Its almost magical abilities make it difficult to take the overall story seriously.
Wisdom and cheese stand side by side in this novel and sometimes it is hard to separate them. However, it is worth the effort for a new look at an old event.
The Robe was a powerful, thought-provoking read, particularly for fiction. The plot follows Marcellus, a Roman legate/centurion, who crucifies Jesus Christ and later wins his robe. Interaction with the robe causes Marcellus to go mad and eventually seek more information about mysterious Galilean. He is joined by Demetrius, his devoted Greek slave. The book interacts with many familiar faces from Acts and takes creative license in picturing the conversations, personalities, and primary stories of the early church. In some ways, it does a really good job. It caused me to think more deeply about familiar Bible stories and gives flesh and color to oft-read passages. I like how it humanized the early church.
However, the book is also cheesy and occasionally repetitive. The POV jumps around a bit making it difficult to pinpoint a main character for the first few chapters. Demetrius seems to be as much a main character as Marcellus, but then he quite randomly disappears for whole sections. I didn't care for the author's interpretation of what happened at the feeding of the 5,000. I also found it hard to believe the plot line of the robe. Its almost magical abilities make it difficult to take the overall story seriously.
Wisdom and cheese stand side by side in this novel and sometimes it is hard to separate them. However, it is worth the effort for a new look at an old event.
The source for the overblown biblical movie, yet the book is far more thoughtful and nuanced. Marcellus, the Roman tribune tasked with executing Jesus, resembles a modern day intellectual cynic. As he traverses Palestine, trying to find a "rational" explanation for what has occurred, his encounters with the followers of Jesus lead to his spiritual awakening.