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Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (Christ the Lord)
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Average Rating:  out of 71 Reviews
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Price: $25.95
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Sale: $13.12
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Manufacturer: Knopf
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EAN (European Article Number): 9781400043521
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Hardcover
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Author: Anne Rice
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Publisher: Knopf
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Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
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Publication Date: 2008-03-04
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Reading Level: 256
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Description: Anne Rice’s second book in her hugely ambitious and courageous life of Christ begins during his last winter before his baptism in the Jordan and concludes with the miracle at Cana.
It is a novel in which we see Jesus—he is called Yeshua bar Joseph—during a winter of no rain, endless dust, and talk of trouble in Judea.
Legends of a Virgin birth have long surrounded Yeshua, yet for decades he has lived as one among many who come to the synagogue on the Sabbath. All who know and love him find themselves waiting for some sign of the path he will eventually take.
And at last we see him emerge from his baptism to confront his destiny—and the Devil. We see what happens when he takes the water of six great limestone jars, transforms it into cool red wine, is recognized as the anointed one, and urged to call all Israel to take up arms against Rome and follow him as the prophets have foretold.
As with Out of Egypt, the opening novel, The Road to Cana is based on the Gospels and on the most respected New Testament scholarship. The book’s power derives from the profound feeling its author brings to the writing and the way in which she summons up the presence of Jesus.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: A Soul-Stirring Reminder |
Date: 2008-03-29 |
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Details: When Anne Rice first announced her intentions to tell the story of Christ the Lord, she was met with a barrage of questions, criticism, and support. Her storytelling to date had given only subtle hints of her desire to stir the soul toward things of God, and in fact some blamed her for quite the opposite. With great skepticism, readers on both sides of spiritual lines awaited the release of "Out of Egypt." I found the book to be intriguing, elegantly understated, yet a bit dry.
"The Road to Cana" takes a big chronological leap forward, and the storytelling seems to reflect the maturation of her subject. Yeshua bar Joseph (Jesus of Nazareth) is now a man on the brink of embracing his identity and his purpose. He's God in the flesh, as he himself knows, but he also struggles with the human desires for companionship, family, and acceptance. His relatives and the local villagers sometimes call him Yeshua, the Sinless.
From the opening pages of this book, there are layers of meaning and beauty. Rice's story meets every expectation in this, her second christological novel, and I was swept up in the drama of village life, relational conflicts, and restrained divinity. Rice, through Yeshua's eyes, lets us in for peeks at the heart of God, as it relates to the human struggle. This culminates in Yeshua's face-off with Satan in the wilderness, during forty days of fasting--a masterpiece of textured prose--and in the following incident with Mary of Magdala. From there, Rice shifts her story from conflict into beauty, as Yeshua verbalizes his purpose to his new followers and his family.
I am not moved often to tears by books, but "The Road to Cana" touched me in deep ways, reminding me again of the honesty and integrity of Christ the Lord. This is soul-stirring fiction that brushes up with the truth and power of the Gospel. This is more than I could've imagined coming from the pen of Anne Rice. It's a book to be read, enjoyed, experienced--and to be brought to life in the hearts of readers everywhere. |
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Review Summary: THE JOURNEY CONTINUES. BRILLIANTLY! |
Date: 2008-03-04 |
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Details: Not only did I love this book and think it may be Anne Rice's best work to date, I also feel that it can be appreciated by both believers and non-believers alike.
Following upon the first, superb volume in her Christ the Lord series, Rice continues her first person account of the life of Jesus (Yeshua) in this spectacular and moving volume two: The Road to Cana.
The tale picks up with Yeshua at thirty years old, livng and working on the eve of his ministry, struggling to come to terms with both his human and divine identities. Certain of who he is from page one ("I'm Christ the Lord"), he wrestles with others and himself over his own expectations of himself.
His family and friends are eager for him to marry and are exasperated at his reticence to do so, as is the beautiful, passionate Avigail, who's deeply in love with him. The tensions also mount as he anxiously awaits for the moment to reveal his identity and commence his ministry.
Rice's stirring rendering follows Yeshua as he struggles to balance both the human and the divine within him. The reader is drawn close to him by Rice's powerful, meditative, transcendant depiction. We follow along as he fights against the ignorance and cruelty that leads to the stoning of two youths suspected of homosexuality. We share his anguish when scandal falls upon the innocent, desperate Avigail. We marvel at the stirring sequences with John the Baptist. Especially dramatic is Yeshua's encounter with Satan in the desert, as spellbing as any passage with the vampires and witches of Rice's earlier work.
One of the most moving closing chapters in literature history, one which always moves me to tears, shows Yeshua at the wedding of Avigail, as he shepards her toward a union with another man, forever giving up any possibility of a life with her, of a "normal" life, as he performs his first miracle and gathers his disciples about him and prepares to go out into the world and finally begin his ministry.
Throughout the entire novel Rice seamlessly weaves the delicate balance of humanity and divinity in her portrait of Yeshua. This depiction is born from both deep personal faith and from a wealth of research and just as with Out of Egypt, the result is highly inspirational to believers and, at the very least, a great, thoughtful read even for non-believers.
This is a huge achievement for Anne Rice and leaves one waiting anxiously for the next installment just as for years we eagerly awaited each upcoming journey of Lestat. Thank you, Anne, and God bless you. |
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Review Summary: A continuation of an amazing series - |
Date: 2008-03-06 |
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Details: I received my copy of Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana mid-morning - I couldn't stop reading - read it almost straight through - Jesus' story, told first person, envelopes you into the emotions that must have been part of this Son of God, who was born of a Virgin, yet still was a man in every sense - The Road to Cana finds Jesus around 30 years of age - a turbulent time for the area - Jews are butting heads with Roman officials...the area is tense. There is a drought in the area - an analogy for the drought of belief?
I cannot begin to describe the beauty of Rice's writing - We Christians know the actions of this early time of His Ministry - when all the pieces come together and His path is revealed - Jesus' family, his kith and kin, (including a beautiful kinswoman Avigail). It is mesmerizing. And beautiful, powerful, reverent.
This series is amazing. The beginnings - a montage of the first of Jesus' ministry - from casting out demons to baptism with John the Baptist to the miracle of changing water into wine at Cana - I especially like how the wine transformation was handled - the sweetness between Jesus and Mary handled perfectly - I am in awe. Rice does justice to the Lord - the Son of God -
One hopes she spreads out Jesus' story out in many, many sequels.
Excellent.
My niece is going on a trip for a Church project to help an orphanage in Guatemala, and I told her I am giving her Rice's two books about Jesus to read on the plane and to share with her friends who are going with the group. She knows I don't recommend books unless they touch me.
Been a while I have been drawn literally into a book, and Rice has hit her stride with this series! |
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Review Summary: Incredible Beyond Words |
Date: 2008-03-10 |
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Details:
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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Review Summary: Classic Bound? |
Date: 2008-03-22 |
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Details: 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. |
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