Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana
| Author | Anne Rice |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Published | 2008 |
| Publisher | Anchor Books |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 336 pp (first edition) |
| Preceded by | Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt |
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana is a novel depicting the life of Jesus, written by Anne Rice and released in 2008. It is the sequel to Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, and is part of a proposed four-part series about the life of Jesus.
Reviews[edit]
Publishers Weekly called the novel "beautifully observed ... culmination of an intimate family saga of love, sorrow and misunderstanding". In dealing with the issues of Jesus's early childhood, the reviewer said that "Rice undertakes a delicate balance: if it is possible to create a character that is simultaneously fully human and fully divine, as ancient Christian creeds assert, then Rice succeeds."[1]
References[edit]
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Life of Christ (2 book series)
Mass Market Paperback Edition
by Anne Rice (Author)
Having completed the two cycles of legend to which she has devoted her career so far, Anne Rice gives us now her most thoughtful and powerful book, a novel about the childhood of Christ the Lord based on the gospels and on the most respected New Testament scholarship.
The book’s power derives from the passion its author brings to the writing, and the way in which she summons up the voice, the presence, the words of the young Jesus who tells the story.
Books in this series (2 books)
1
Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt: A Novel
by Anne Rice (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars (854)
Having completed the two cycles of legend to which she has devoted her career so far, Anne Rice gives us now her most thoughtful and powerful book, a novel about the childhood of Christ the Lord based on the gospels and on the most respected New Testament scholarship.
The book’s power derives from the passion its author brings to the writing, and the way in which she summons up the voice, the presence, the words of the young Jesus who tells the story.
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2
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana: Christ the Lord
by Anne Rice (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars (470)
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The second novel in Anne Rice's hugely ambitious, moving, and masterful portrayal of the life of Christ, following Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.
It’s a winter of no rain, endless dust, and talk of trouble in Judea. All who know and love Jesus find themselves waiting for some sign of the path he will eventually take. After his baptism, he is at last ready to confront his destiny. At the wedding at Cana, he takes water and transforms it into red wine. Thus, he’s recognized as the anointed one and called by God the Father to begin a ministry that will transform an unsuspecting world.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Christ the Lord
“Riveting. . . . Rice's book is a triumph of tone -- her prose lean, lyrical, vivid -- and character. As he ponders his staggering responsibility, the boy is fully believable -- and yet there's something in his supernatural empathy and blazing intelligence that conveys the wondrousness of a boy like no other. . . . With this novel, she has indeed found a convincing version of him; this is fiction that transcends story and instead qualifies as an act of faith. Joins Nikos Kazantzakis's The Last Temptation of Christ and Endo's A Life of Jesus as one of the bolder re-tellings.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Praise for Blood Canticle
“When Anne Rice releases a new book in The Vampire Chronicles series, cheers from her huge fan base can be heard everywhere.”
—The Edmonton Journal
About the Author
Anne Rice is the author of twenty-six books. She lives in La Jolla, California.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
I was seven years old. What do you know when you’re seven years old? All my life, or so I thought, we’d been in the city of Alexandria, in the Street of the Carpenters, with the other Galileans, and sooner or later we were going home.
Late afternoon. We were playing, my gang against his, and when he ran at me again, bully that he was, bigger than me, and catching me off balance, I felt the power go out of me as I shouted: “You’ll never get where you’re going.”
He fell down white in the sandy earth, and they all crowded around him. The sun was hot and my chest was heaving as I looked at him. He was so limp.
In the snap of two fingers everyone drew back. It seemed the whole street went quiet except for the carpenters’ hammers. I’d never heard such a quiet.
“He’s dead!” Little Joseph said. And then they all took it up. “He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead.”
I knew it was true. He was a bundle of arms and legs in the beaten dust.
And I was empty. The power had taken everything with it, all gone.
His mother came out of the house, and her scream went up the walls into a howl. From everywhere the women came running.
My mother lifted me off my feet. She carried me down the street and through the courtyard and into the dark of our house. All my cousins crowded in with us, and James, my big brother, pulled the curtain shut. He turned his back on the light. He said:
“Jesus did it. He killed him.” He was afraid.
“Don’t you say such a thing!” said my mother. She clutched me so close to her, I could scarcely breathe.
Big Joseph woke up.
Now Big Joseph was my father, because he was married to my mother, but I’d never called him Father. I’d been taught to call him Joseph. I didn’t know why.
He’d been asleep on the mat. We’d worked all day on a job in Philo’s house, and he and the rest of the men had lain down in the heat of the afternoon to sleep. He climbed to his feet.
“What’s that shouting outside?” he asked. “What’s happened?”
He looked to James. James was his eldest son. James was the son of a wife who had died before Joseph married my mother.
James said it again.
“Jesus killed Eleazer. Jesus cursed him and he fell down dead.”
Joseph stared at me, his face still blank from sleep. There was more and more shouting in the street. He rose to his feet, and ran his hands back through his thick curly hair.
My little cousins were slipping through the door one by one and crowding around us.
My mother was trembling. “He couldn’t have done it,” she said. “He wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“I saw it,” said James. “I saw it when he made the sparrows out of clay on the Sabbath. The teacher told him he shouldn’t do such things on the Sabbath. Jesus looked at the birds and they turned into real birds. They flew away. You saw it too. He killed Eleazer, Mother, I saw it.”
My cousins made a ring of white faces in the shadows: Little Joses, Judas, and Little Symeon and Salome, watching anxiously, afraid of being sent out. Salome was my age, and my dearest and closest. Salome was like my sister.
Then in came my mother’s brother Cleopas, always the talker, who was the father of these cousins, except for Big Silas who came in now, a boy older than James. He went into the corner, and then came his brother, Justus, and both wanted to see what was going on.
“Joseph, they’re all out there,” said Cleopas, “Jonathan bar Zakkai, and his brothers, they’re saying Jesus killed their boy. They’re envious that we got that job at Philo’s house, they’re envious that we got the other job before that, they’re envious that we’re getting more and more jobs, they’re so sure they do things better than we do—.”
“Is the boy dead?” Joseph said. “Or is the boy alive?”
Salome shot forward and whispered in my ear. “Just make him come alive, Jesus, the way you made the birds come alive!”
Little Symeon was giggling. He was too little to know what was going on. Little Judas knew, but he was quiet.
“Stop,” said James, the little boss of the children. “Salome, be quiet.”
I could hear them shouting in the street. I heard other noises. Stones were hitting the walls of the house. My mother started to cry.
“You dare do that!” shouted my uncle Cleopas and he rushed back out through the door. Joseph went after him.
I wriggled out of my mother’s grasp and darted out before she could catch me, and past my uncle and Joseph and right into the crowd as they were all waving and hollering and shaking their fists. I went so fast, they didn’t even see me. I was like a fish in the river. I moved in and out through people who were shouting over my head until I got to Eleazer’s house.
The women all had their backs to the door, and they didn’t see me as I went around the edge of the room.
I went right into the dark room, where they’d laid him on the mat. His mother was there leaning on her sister and sobbing.
There was only one lamp, very weak.
Eleazer was pale with his arms at his sides, same soiled tunic, and the soles of his feet very black. He was dead. His mouth was open and his white teeth showed over his lip.
The Greek physician came in—he was really a Jew—and he knelt down, and he looked at Eleazer and he shook his head.
Then he saw me and said:
“Out.”
His mother turned and she saw it was me and she screamed.
I bent over him:
“Wake up, Eleazer,” I said. “Wake up now.”
I reached out and laid my hand on his forehead.
The power went out. My eyes closed. I was dizzy. But I heard him draw in his breath.
His mother screamed over and over and it hurt my ears. Her sister screamed. All the women were screaming.
I fell back on the floor. I was weak. The Greek physician was staring down at me. I was sick. The room was dim. Other people had rushed in.
Eleazer came up, and he was up all knees and fists before anyone could get to him, and he set on me and punched me and hit me, and knocked my head back against the ground, and kicked me again and again:
“Son of David, Son of David!” he shouted, mocking me, “Son of David, Son of David!” kicking me in the face, and in the ribs, until his father grabbed him around the waist and picked him up in the air.
I ached all over, couldn’t breathe.
“Son of David!” Eleazer kept shouting.
Someone lifted me and carried me out of the house and into the crowd in the street. I was still gasping. I hurt all over. It seemed the whole street was screaming, worse than before, and someone said the Teacher was coming, and my uncle Cleopas was yelling in Greek at Jonathan, Eleazer’s father, and Jonathan was yelling back, and Eleazer was shouting, “Son of David, Son of David!”
I was in Joseph’s arms. He was trying to move, but the crowd wouldn’t let him. Cleopas was pushing at Eleazer’s father. Eleazer’s father was trying to get at Cleopas, but other men took hold of his arms. I heard Eleazer shouting far away.
There was the Teacher declaring: “That child’s not dead, you hush up, Eleazer, who said he was dead? Eleazer, stop shouting! Whoever could think this child is dead?”
“Brought him back to life, that’s what he did,” said one of theirs.
We were in our courtyard, the entire crowd had pushed in with us, my uncle and Eleazer’s people still screaming at each other, and the Teacher demanding order.
Now my uncles, Alphaeus and Simon, had come. These were Joseph’s brothers. And they’d just woken up. They put up their hands against the crowd. Their mouths were hard and their eyes were big.
My aunts, Salome and Esther and Mary, were there, with all the cousins running and jumping as if this were a festival, except for Silas and Justus and James who stood with the men.
Then I couldn’t see anymore.
I was in my mother’s arms, and she had taken me into the front room. It was dark. Aunt Esther and Aunt Salome came in with her. I could hear stones hitting the house again. The Teacher raised his voice in Greek.
“There’s blood on your face!” my mother whispered. “Your eye, there’s blood. Your face is cut!” She was crying. “Oh, look what’s happened to you,” she said. She spoke in Aramaic, our tongue which we didn’t speak very much.
“I’m not hurt,” I said. I meant to say it didn’t matter. Again my cousins pressed close, Salome smiling as if to say she knew I could bring him back to life, and I took her hand and squeezed it.
But there was James with his hard look.
The Teacher came into the room backwards with his hands up. Someone ripped the curtain away and the light was very bright. Joseph and his brothers came in. And so did Cleopas. All of us had to move to make room.
“You’re talking about Joseph and Cleopas and Alphaeus, what do you mean drive them out!” said the Teacher to the whole crowd. “They’ve been with us for seven years!”
The angry family of Eleazer came almost into the room. The father himself did come into the room.
“Yes, seven years and why don’t they go back to Galilee, all of them!” Eleazer’s father shouted. “Seven years is too long! That boy is possessed of a demon and I tell you my son was dead!”
“Are you complaining that he’s alive now! What’s the matter with you!” demanded my uncle Cleopas.
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Product details
Publisher : Fawcett (October 31, 2006)
Language : English
Mass Market Paperback : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 0345436830
ISBN-13 : 978-0345436832
Item Weight : 6.2 ounces
Dimensions : 4.13 x 0.82 x 6.84 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #305,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#714 in Religious Historical Fiction (Books)
#1,355 in Biographical Historical Fiction
#2,175 in Christian Historical Fiction (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.5 out of 5 stars 854 ratings
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Top reviews from the United States
Pastor C
2.0 out of 5 stars A Good Novel But Rice Writes From a Roman Catholic Perspective and Draws From False Gospels
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2018
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The most important thing to remember when reading this book is that it is a novel, a story made up by the author for entertainment and enjoyment purposes. There's no denying Rice's storytelling abilities. She draws you in and captivates you with the narrative. This book is hard to put down; one you start reading, you will want to finish.
So then if it's a good read that's hard to put down, then why 2 stars? Well, if I was rating the book as a novel only, then I would probably give it 4 or 5 stars; however, Rice states at the beginning of the book that the book is intended to be a "realistic fictional portrait of Our Lord in Time," but then she goes on to state that though the book is fiction, she committed herself to thorough research of Jesus, the Gospels, the NT, and 1 century greco-roman civilization. I appreciated her commitment to researching and investigating. She insists that her portrayal is based on her research into the Bible and history. However, those familiar with biblical scholarship in general and NT scholarship in particular quickly realize that Rice's writing is based more on the convictions of the Roman Catholic Church and pseudo-gospels than NT scholarship. For instance, in the beginning of the book, Rice has Jesus kill a boy and then bring him back to life as well as make clay birds become real birds, which of course come from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas which has been shown to be a fake gospel. This is a clear instance of her research not being as thorough as advertised. Furthermore, she holds that Joseph was married before Mary and had all of Jesus' brothers and sisters by the other woman and that Mary remained a virgin for the entirety of her life, which is an instance of her commitment to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church rather than basing her thoughts on the teachings of Scripture–which says nothing about Mary's perpetual virginity or Joseph being previously married.
Again, this really is a good novel and a joy to read for novel's sake, but readers–especially those who are Evangelical–must be cautiously aware of Rice's influence and be discerning when reading. It is a novel, not fact or history.
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Dave
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome insight
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2018
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This book has impacted me in ways that no book has ever in the past. It gives me a more personal, intimate insight to Jesus that I have never had. I realize it is a fictional story, yet the insight I have obtained is nonetheless absolute.
Jesus is real to me. I do not struggle with a knowing that he lived and died on the cross, then was raised. Perhaps this belief grants me an enjoyment of the novel that others may not obtain.
I think and read about Christ in a new light now. I am not sure if this will continue, yet I believe I will never be the exact same as I was before reading this novel.
I urge readers to carefully read the Anne’s thoughts past the end of the novel. It highlights her path in coming to faith as well as the immense research she poured over.
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lindaluane
5.0 out of 5 stars Jesus as a child in his own words
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2017
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This is the story of Jesus as his life might have been as a child growing up. It is told from the first person perspective of child Jesus. I believe many people forget that Jesus was Jewish and he lived the life that a Jewish person would have lived while growing up. Understanding his experiences and daily life as a Jewish person during those tumultuous times is what Anne Rice portrays in her book. I think many people even forget that Jesus would have to have been a child - they see him as a baby and grown man only - lol In this book we are faced with the realistic possibility of an uncertain, non-confident Jesus who is in limbo about what he is to do, who he is, and is uncertain about the world and his place in it. He is a child - a child who is learning
I believe that Anne Rice does a wonderful job of portraying this perspective. i am waiting for the sequel now
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Angel
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book so much!!!
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2017
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This book is unlike any book I've ever read about Christ! Anne Rice's tale is both gripping, emotional and transformative!! You experience the life of a young Jesus in a very unique way and when she describes scenes that took place in the Bible, Anne's descriptive style makes you feel like you are right there experiencing the things that Christ saw and felt! I used this book to help my son better identify with and understand Christ - his life and the time in which he lived.
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Standee
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2017
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I've always liked reading Anne Rice novels. This is quite a turn from the previous subject matter that I'm used to from her. This is a marvelous story of Jesus as a child growing up not realizing his true nature. An almost impossible blending of fact and fiction, this book hits the mark. I really enjoyed this reverent and seemingly historically accurate account of the very early life of Jesus Christ. Through extensive research and a wonderful imagination, Anne Rice brings to life a story that, I at least, have never heard. I don't think you will be disappointed.
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Traffic
5.0 out of 5 stars A Vary Interesting Book Based On Jesus' Early Childhood.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2019
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I wasn't sure what to expect of this book before I read it. I had read several of Anne Rice books before, my favourite being Memnoch the Devil, so this book a new experience for me.
I am a Christian and so was intrigued to read a book about the childhood of Jesus as there is virtually nothing out there on his childhood, other than a few scant verses in the Bible, and some Apocryphal writings.
I have to say, I was hooked by this book. Obviously the author draws on what little information there is in the Bible, but it's also obvious that she has read the so called "Apocryphal" material, such as Thomas' The Infancy Gospel of Jesus, in which there is a story of Jesus, being about 5-years-old, killing another similar aged boy for simply bumping into him. This made its way into Anne's book. It is evident too that, understandably, Anne had to use a bit of poetic licence here when writing this book. If she didn't, if she used what was only written down in the Bible and Apocryphal books, this book itself would probably be about 5 pages long. But Anne has written a remarkable story of Jesus' childhood covering the ages of about 5 to 7. It was so interesting to read and wonder how close it is to how Jesus actually acted, thought, played and reasoned with all that was happening around him during those years of his life. I found myself engrossed. I note there is a second book in this series ("The Road to Cana"); I will certainly be buying and reading this next. Good work, Anne. A remarkable book indeed.
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Caroline Lawrence
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2020
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I love this book! Not only does Rice get the historical details of Jewish daily life in the Graeco-Roman culture of the first century absolutely right but she writes in a breathtaking way about the emotional journey of a 7-year-old boy who discovers he has supernatural powers because he is the son of God. I can give no higher praise that to say I wish I had written this. It is a legacy Anne Rice can be proud of. Suitable for children as well as adults. Brava!
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Robbo
5.0 out of 5 stars I have really enjoyed this book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2018
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I have really enjoyed this book, its clear that the author has done a great deal of historical reasearch into the first century Jewish life. I learnt a lot. Even though it's a fictional account of what the author believes Jesus' life as a child might have been like, it still made me think and strengthened my personal connection with Christ. Thankyou Anne.
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Pilko
5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed it and I fully recommend it to everyone
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2016
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It took me 3 days to read. It was enthralling; I really enjoyed it and I fully recommend it to everyone. It is an amazing story. I shall keep this book as part of my personal library and reread it from time to time. You learn a lot about Jesus as a child, his relatives, how brutal life was under the Romans and how young his mother Mary was.
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T Curtis/ E Curtis
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read and Thought Provoking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2013
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Great food for thought, although fictional gives insight into what the early history of our Lord might have been like.
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vol 2
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shirtlessreader
5.0 out of 5 stars Some stories were meant to be told. And some of these are meant to be told by Anne. (With spoilers!)
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2021
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There are stories so vital that they are meant to be told. Such a one is this story.
And then, there are stories that are meant to be told by Anne Rice. And I thank God/the Cosmos/the Universe that she heeded the call to write Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana.
Originally published in 2008, this is the sequel to Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, which was made into a beautiful indie movie entitled The Young Messiah. I know that Ms. Rice meant to write a third novel but has abandoned the project. As to that, many has already been written
in various articles. Ms. Rice has spoken about that in her interviews with Nola Cancel. We need not go into that here.
The novel covers the events of Jesus' adult life before the wedding at Cana, recorded in the gospel according to St. John chapter 2. We find a fully human, flesh-and-blood Jesus here. One who was tempted in every way (just like I am, and so I relate to Him), as the writer of Hebrews attests, but is Sinless (and so I worship Him). This is not the Jesus of Relativism, shifted and reshaped according to our image and liking. This is a characterization delicately handled by Ms. Rice's rigorous research—which is her singular and distinct discipline for every book she writes.
It almost feels sacrilegious that, as an Anne Rice fan, Lestat de Lioncourt takes only second spot as my favorite character of hers. Yeshua bar Joseph takes the top spot. But this is true.
The voice of Jesus in this novel told in first person point-of-view is clearly distinct from the seven-year-old Child that He was in the first novel, Out of Egypt. In fact, every character in this novel has a distinct voice, and so everyone is memorable.
Jesus' daily life feels almost like rural Philippines (where I live). Everyone He meets and speaks to goes through a profound change, if they let Him. Whether it is having a private conversation with Him, or crying on His shoulder, or running to His arm for solace and rescue, Jesus changes people from within, gently and indelibly.
We know that the turning of the water into wine is Jesus' first recorded miracle in the gospel of John, and so Jesus in this novel acts with restraint in regards to His being God and All-Power. He has
assumed human form and human life, and decides in each moment to be fully human, to respect and submit to the customs of the tight-knit community He belongs to. He even succumbs to exhaustion, frustration, and loneliness, as we all sometimes do.
I am not interested in the many arguments or naysayers of supposed Bible scholars who panned and contested this work of historical fiction. There will always be volumes written about and will be written about this controversial Son of Man, and these "authorities" will inevitably contradict each other. In my opinion, Rice's depiction of Jesus does not betray the Gospels. That Rice has refused (hopefully she would change her mind) to write a third book is unfortunate, sure, but I can say that her two novels brought me to read the Gospel of John, which feels like a natural progression or continuation of the Christ the Lord books. And if these works of fiction brought me to reading the Gospel, then it works out for my good.
When I revisited John's Gospel, the Jesus John depicted felt all the more human, all the more flesh-and-blood, because of Anne's novels. Truly, the Word became flesh.
Rice's prose here is textured. You feel the dryness of the drought in the language, and then the thunderous, torrential rain, and the sprawling grandness of a Jewish wedding. She writes about events not told in the Bible, moving to the familiar events of Christ's baptism. Two chapters in and already I am weeping for the characters and the injustice they suffered. We feel for the women in this patriarchal society. We palpably feel the tension of the political climate and unrest (two things very real in 2021 as far as my country, and neighboring Myanmar, are concerned), that when the peace in their community was shaken (an important plot point!) I found myself screaming and gasping for breath. Even though we move to the events already told in the Gospels, I found my heart beating in eager anticipation and suspense at what will happen next. As a page-turner, this novel does not disappoint.
Rice's superb talent for writing horror is not lost in the Temptation scene in the desert. The nightmarish events are retold with such realism, that at Christ's triumph I found my heart rejoicing, calling Jesus my Champion, my Hero!
The ending, though, is my favorite part. And I cry out, "Yeshua! Yeshua! Yeshua! Hear O Israel. The Lord Our God Is One."
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Ginny E.
5.0 out of 5 stars I can hardly speak, my heart and head are full of thoughts
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2018
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This, together with her first book about Young Jesus, painted a story of Jesus that was more relatable and not as vague as what is told in the Bible. These stories allowed us to grow with the boy who was to be Christ our Savior when he became a man. Through it we can feel how Jesus grew into his God directed role, knowing instinctively how to bring the clay doves to life, but from within a child’s innocence, not fully comprehending the power of the miracle. And, it showed us that he was indeed a man, having all the feelings of a man, but destined to grow beyond them to fulfill his purpose. Thank you, Anne Rice.
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Judith Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Keep your copy of Josephus handy!
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2016
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I could not help but think back to the novel Memnoch The Devil, and the scene where Lestat encounters The Lord out in the middle of the desert. It is at this point that the reader may expect there to be the inclusion of a first-person narrative by The Lord himself. Instead, Anne Rice has fulfilled that anticipation with two novels about the childhood and life up to about age 30 of Yeshua bar Joseph.
The Devil in "Cana" reminds me of both Memnoch (don't forget the wings), and the ghostly "Goblin" of Blackwood Farm -- Memnoch, because he thinks he is clever, and can make anyone believe what he claims is true, and Goblin, because he is a mirror image of Tarquin Blackwood, just as The Devil here materializes as a mirror image of Yeshua!
In both book, be sure to read the addenda for more reading, and information on the research and the use of literary (not historical) characters. If you have the time (time is a very important factor in Cana), find a copy of Josephus. Rice delved into his writings, and you owe it to yourself to see exactly what he had to say -- and why Rice chose him as an authoritative source.
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Orphan
5.0 out of 5 stars Very thought provoking, beautifully written series.
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2020
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I have read both books of Anne Rices' "Christ the Lord" series. I loved them each time a read them. Rice is a wonderfully
talented writer. I did believe that the series was to be a trilogy and am hoping that Rice will return to finish it. I have read several of her other works ( Angel Time, Of Love and Evil, Cry to Heaven), and enjoyed those too but feel that she is wasting her time and talent with her werewolf fiction. So sad to waste a talent like hers on that drivel.
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Cordula Roosa-Riedener
5.0 out of 5 stars Anne just cannot help to be brilliant. Guess as another Catholic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2015
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Well, Anne just cannot help to be brilliant. Guess as another Catholic, who spent years away from the faith and am slowly finding my way back, there is a very deep connection to her work.
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Andrew Connal
3.0 out of 5 stars Anne Rice in religious mode
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2014
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The second of her Christ the Lord novels, based on the Gospels and Pseudepigrapha, and told in her fluent and convincing manner. There may be a few modern colourings but the story is well told and the dramatic tension is well maintained.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2013
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I thought this was a very interesting take on the life of Christ whilst remaining true to the gospels. The first person narrative attempted to give us an insight into how Jesus gradually became aware of his intended ministry. I know this is fiction but nonetheless I thought it a powerful and inspirational novel
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barker
3.0 out of 5 stars I found this book to be a refreshing source of words and feelings. It's like one is reading the bible. I really enjoyed it and h
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2016
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I found this book to be a refreshing source of words and feelings. It's like one is reading the bible. I really enjoyed it and hope that there will be more like it.
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M. Woischneck
5.0 out of 5 stars Anne at her best
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2013
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different from her fantasy writing it takes us on a journey into the time and mores of The Lord - very well written and researched ! for christians and non-believers all the same, cause it s simply great historic writing !
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The Road to Cana
(Christ the Lord #2)
by
Anne Rice
3.85 · Rating details · 6,655 ratings · 613 reviews
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.(less)
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Hardcover, 242 pages
Published March 4th 2008 by Knopf Publishing Group
Original Title
The Road to Cana
ISBN
1400043522 (ISBN13: 9781400043521)
Edition Language
English
Series
Christ the Lord #2
Characters
Yeshua, Reuben, Azazel
Setting
Nazareth (Israel)
Other Editions (47)
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Jun 04, 2008Cindy rated it it was amazing
Shelves: book-club
I would NEVER in a million years have predicted that I would even read this book - much less like it. I've picked up a couple of Anne Rice novels in the past and simply couldn't get into them. This, of course, was back in her "vampire" days, and that topic never has really turned me on. I even tried as a child to like Dark Shadows, but it just didn't work for me.
A couple of months ago, though, I heard a review of this book on NPR. I vaguely recalled that Rice had had some sort of conversion experience, but I was somewhat skeptical and hadn't given it much thought time. The reviewer, however, caused my ears to perk up. My curiosity was amply piqued, and I began to think I might like to give dear old Anne one more chance. I wouldn't risk buying it, but I'd certainly check it out from the public library.
The reviewer's comment that provided the impetus for my change of heart was (and I'm paraphrasing - so apologies to the reviewer) that many writers of religious fiction attempt to tap into the "human" side of Jesus, and thus diminish the "divine." Conversely, others attempt to protect the "divine" aspects of Christ, and are never able to help the reader realize him as "human." Rice somehow manages to tap into both sides of Jesus' character, without diminishing either side in any way. He was right. I'm not sure how she did it - but it is a testament to both her long touted brilliance as a writer, as well as the depth of her conversion experience. Jesus is portrayed during that time of which we know little of his life - just before he started his ministry - as a man with emotions, needs, humor, daily concerns, questions. He is approachable and someone to whom you can relate. Yet one never questions the divinity that lurks beneath the surface. And the fact that we vividly witness him experiencing all that we in our humanity experience, makes it all the more plausible that he truly can (as divine) empathize, not just pity us in, our joys and pains.
It's a quick read, and she's done her history research, so the historical fabric that weaves it all together adds a further measure realism to the story. Biblical scholars may shun the fact that a few miracles appear "out of order" - and some Marianites will appreciate the Mary's virginity remains intact. But as historical/biblical novels go, she really makes it work. I may read the first of the series, AND I may actually go out and buy my own copy . . . (less)
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Dec 27, 2008Ruth rated it really liked it
The Road to Cana is a novel and does not pretend to be otherwise. It is the story of about a year in Jesus' life, and ends at the wedding at Cana.
Some of the characters are known from scripture; others are creations of Ms. Rice. Jesus is portrayed as being a somewhat strange, but very loving member of a large extended family. James is named as his brother, but it is noted that he was Joseph's son by his first wife, not by Mary. Further the book, which is written in the first person and told from Jesus' point of view, describes his kinship relationship to several people and then notes "they are my sisters and my brothers". A main character in the book is the bride at the wedding at Cana--Jesus loves her but realizes that marrying her is not his vocation.
Throughout the book Jesus speaks of feeling like something was just beyond where he was. Finally, after his baptism, when He is in the desert, the book says "The dawn came. And the dawn came again, and again. I lay in a heap as the sand blew over me. And the voice of the Lord was not in the wind; and it was not in the sand; and itw as not in the sun; and it was not in the stars. It was inside me. I'd always known who I really was. I was God. And I'd chosen not to know it. Well, now I knew just what it meant to be the man who knew he was God." Next, Rice does a great job of fleshing out the story of the three temptations in the desert.
I think a very real temptation in writing a novel about Jesus is to make Him in your image; rather than to allow Him to remake you in His. However, I think Rice does a good job of expanding on the Biblical Christ rather than remaking Him. The scene between Mary and Him at the wedding was almost funny. He didn't want to "go public" but she knew it was time.
If anyone is hesitant about reading this book because of the content of Ms. Rice's vampire books (or some others I'll not mention)I have read that at the the time she wrote the vampire books, she was an atheist and/or agnostic. Since that time she has reverted to her Catholic faith and written these two books about Jesus. Her latest book is about her reversion, and it is on my to be read list.
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May 26, 2020Debbie rated it it was amazing
Recommended to Debbie by: My sister, Annette
Shelves: own, historical-fiction, 2020-reads, favorites, biblical-fiction, christianity
Once again, Anne Rice writes a knowledgeable, dignified and respectful fictional account of what Jesus's life may have been like prior to the New Testament. Her research into how Jewish society in Israel dealt with homosexuality, fornication and rape during the time when Jesus (or as in this story, Yeshua) was a young man is quite enlightening and informative. I appreciate how Jesus is portrayed as a quiet man of integrity. My favourite part that filled me with emotion was when Jesus meets John the Baptist at the Jordan River and becomes deeply aware of His spiritual transformation. A very moving book! Highly recommend! (less)
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Sep 29, 2010K.D. Absolutely rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: religion, gift-book, retelling
Changing anything on The Holy Scriptures is a risky move for any novelist. No matter whether that novelist is known to be great or mediocre, some people would not want their deep-seated belief to be rock by just any mortal author. Some people are curious but they almost always resist literary pieces that would challenge whatever is already written in The Holy Bible. After all, that book has been with us for thousand years, scrutinized by many scholars, translated into many languages and being held sacred by one-third of the world's population (1.5 to 2.2 billion).
Last month, I read Anne Rice's Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. I found the characters and events that she incorporated into the fictional stage in Jesus life as a child fascinating and charming. So, I was so happy when my friend Sherish gave me this audiobook of its sequel, Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana because I wanted to know what other stuff would Rice risk to incorporate into the life of Jesus in addition to those already captured in The Holy Bible.
If Book 1 is about the child Jesus at the age of 8, this Book 2 is about the teen Jesus up to the time when he was tempted by the devil and the miracle of wine in Cana. The fictional characters in Book 1 are still here: James, the paternal half-brother of Jesus, Salome his cousin, Cleopas, his uncle, etc. But the ones played key role is Avigail the 15-y/o teenager that James would want Jesus to marry and Jason who is Jesus competition to Avigail's heart. It seems that during Jesus time, all men should marry as only the cripple and the lunatic are the ones that could or should end up as bachelor. There are many subplots like the stoning of two boys that were suspected to be homosexuals and their significance was only revealed during the 40-day temptation scene in desert. That scene is mentioned in The Holy Bible. Rice just beautifully expounded the dialogues that sounded like a Nicholas Sparks's or Hallmark card's lines. That portion is the one that I liked and made me give 3 stars ("I like it!") rating for this audiobook.
Of course, the voice of the narrator is a joy to hear especially if you are driving in the highway outside the flooded street and rainwater splashing and pouring everywhere. Last night, I was in EDSA stuck in the traffic below the flyover in front of the statue of Mother Mary. The big buses atop the flyover were splashing tons of water on my car roof and I was listening to the temptation in the desert. The dialogues just calmed me down and I just ignored the water and the heavy rain as I know the Good Lord will be there to protect me.
I guess that if a book doesn't blaspheme or distort The Holy Bible by adding or changing what is already written, then that book is okay. If that book's intent is to heighten one's belief then it is a must-to-read book. With the temptations around that could weaken our faith, we also need to strengthen it by reading something that will bring us back to God's fold or maybe just to erase our worries when faced with fear be it just because of a storm in the middle of the street in one dark starless night.
God bless you my friend, Sherish!
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Dec 26, 2013Ron Charles rated it it was ok
Shelves: religion-spirituality
As a Christian, I appreciate the reverence and piety that Anne Rice brings to her second novel about the life of Jesus, "Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana." But as a reader, I kept wishing some gay vampires would swoop in to liven things up. There's no questioning Rice's sincerity in this epic project, begun in 2005 with "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt." Indeed, sincerity marks every page, every interview and especially her devout Web site, which immediately inspires your computer to sing "Ave Maria." (Seriously.)
Having made a fortune off erotica and horror since she started publishing novels in 1976, the Mistress of the Macabre announced a few years ago that her work had led her to Jesus Christ, another character whose life story revolves around blood. And why shouldn't her flock of readers follow her from darkness into light? Her publisher's faith is well founded: Out of Egypt was a bestseller in hardback and paperback; the advent of "The Road to Cana" is being celebrated with a first printing of 500,000 copies. Talk about feeding the multitude.
While her initial volume concentrated on a 7-year-old Jesus trying to figure out who he is, this new installment picks up the story when he's 30, living with his large, extended family in the dusty, backward village of Nazareth. He has no doubts now about who he is: "I am Christ the Lord," he tells us on the opening page, but this is several months before he's baptized by John and begins his public ministry. He's still just a humble carpenter, keeps to himself, tries to brush off those rumors about miracles and wisemen attending his birth. "My way had always been to look down," he says. "The subject of whisper and insult through much of my life, I seldom confronted a man with my gaze, but rather turned away and sought my work as a matter of course. It was a quiet demeanor."
It was a weird way of speaking, too. And this is a severe limitation: Rice's Jesus can bear the sins of the world, but he can't convincingly carry the burden of narrating his own story. His voice vacillates between modern Christian orthodoxy and New Age gooeyness: "Something inside me let go," he tells us while meditating in his special grove. "It had been a long while since I'd savored such a moment, since I'd let the tight prison of my skin dissolve. I felt as if I were moving upward and outward, as if the night were filled with myriad beings and the rhythm of their song drowned out the anxious beating of my heart. The shell of my body was gone. I was in the stars."
The novel opens during a crippling drought and widespread protests against the new governor, Pontius Pilate, who has reportedly defiled the Temple in Jerusalem with images of the Roman emperor. In this atmosphere of desperation and unrest, two Nazarene boys are accused of being gay and, before any investigation or trial can take place, stoned by a mob. This seems like a return to hallowed ground for Rice, who enlivened old stories about the undead with homoerotic energy. Her Nazareth is scared straight. Jesus's family is anxious about his sexual orientation. Why hasn't he married already? "Are you a man beneath those robes?" someone taunts him. "A man? You understand me?" In a little village like this, people talk, rumors can kill.
But it's just a tease: Rice isn't really interested in exploring questions about Jesus's sexuality. He is the Christ. (See the first page.) He knows it; we know it. And though most of the story focuses on whether Jesus will marry a pretty, brutally repressed girl named Avigail, -- spoiler alert!-- it's never in the cards. Oh, he pines for her a bit and even dreams of her, but there's nothing approaching the emotional conflict that Nikos Kazantzakis dared to consider in "The Last Temptation of Christ" more than 50 years ago.
The Gospels are notoriously laconic about Jesus's life before his ministry began. Indeed, the earliest and -- many historians assume -- most reliable one, the Book of Mark, doesn't even start until Jesus is an adult. Consequently, Rice has invented much of the day-to-day action of this novel, but what she describes fits neatly with biblical tradition and particularly with Roman Catholic theology. Some readers may find this orthodoxy comforting, but it dulls the novel, keeping it from delivering anything new, challenging or engaging. Rather than rediscovering the startlingly iconoclastic figure that speaks and acts in the Gospels, Rice peers at him through the frosted lens of her faith. In the closing pages of the book, Jesus tells his disciples, "I will go on, from surprise to surprise," but in fact, this highlights the most fundamental problem of the novel: It's virtually surprise-free.
It would be nice to say that Rice runs into the same problem Milton confronted in "Paradise Lost": The devil is so much more mesmerizing than the Son of God that it's hard to keep him from stealing the show. But Rice's devil isn't too interesting, either. The Prince of Darkness appears late in the novel, after Jesus's 40-day fast in the wilderness. You'd think the author who put teeth back in vampire fiction could give us a devil with a little spunk, but he's not much scarier than a salesman at Saks:
" 'You take a good look at these soft clothes!' he shouted, mouth quivering like that of a child. 'You'll never see yourself dressed in this manner again.' He groaned. He doubled in pain as he groaned. He shook his fist at me."
And your little dog, Toto, too!
As promised, the novel concludes in Cana, with that famous wedding that runs out of wine. The servants are rushing about. Jesus sees panic in his mother's eyes. "Something was very wrong," he realizes. "It was a disaster of unlikely and dreadful proportions."
Jesus, ain't that the truth.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/... (less)
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Mar 13, 2008Jason added it
Anyone audacious enough to attempt to write a narrative version of the life of Christ is bound to get themselves into hot water. Anne Rice, of "Vampire Chonricles" fame is certainly no exception. When word broke that her goal was to write the life of Christ before her death, I'm sure that some diehard fans of her series were hoping for a New Agey, controversial, latter day "Last Temptation of Christ", replete with Jesus and Mary Magdalene sex scenes, and the proverbial Pie in the Face to traditionalists. Well, no such luck here, as Rice has experienced a conversion experience, and the former self professed atheist (or perhaps agnostic?) has returned to the Catholic Church of her youth. Likely some of her longtime readers feel betrayed or that she's simply gone nuts. But it is what it is, and fans seem to forget that the writer doesn't really owe us anything, that no one ever forced them to pay for her books in the first place, and that if it bothers you, hey, it's a free country, so just walk away.
All that being said, Rice's sophmore effort in "Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana" picks up several years after the first installment, subtitled "Our of Egypt" ended, just before the beginnin of Christ's public ministry.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the first, perhaps in part because I expected the first one to be no good, frankly, and was pleasantly surprised.
One of the problems with this book (and mind, you I did enjoy it) is that unlike the first book, which was mostly the invention of the author, this book starts depicting those New Testament stories that we all know so well, and delves into Christ's mind as an adult.
Believers and non-believers alike have some idea in their head as to who and what Christ was, how he must have felt and what he must have thought in certain situations. What those people need to remember when reading a book like this is that it's not meant to be a theological treatise, but rather one author's interpretation and depiction of those stories. No doubt some purists and fundamentalists will get their vestments in a bunch because Rice does "change" a couple of things, but nothing I would stone anyone over. But any of those changes serve the story she is trying to tell and not rewrite doctrines.
The story seems to concentrate a lot on the town of Nazareth itself at first, depicting it's citizens as backward, bloodthirsty and judgemental, likely paving the way for Christ's message of "judge not, lest ye be judged" in future books. The book opens with the stoning deaths of two little boys accused of "abomination" (use your imagination) and introduces the character of Abigail, a kinswoman of Christ's family who is also shamed and disgraced by equally ignorant "mob mentality" rashness. Jesus takes it on himself to save this girl from the town by arrainging a marraige for her ... and we soon realize that she must be the bridge at the famous wedding of Cana.
Rice's Jesus is well written, human and divine enough for most believers. A traditionalist herself, Rice doesn't have Jesus experimenting with his sexuality as a young man but doesn't shy away from it either.
In this book we meet John the Baptist, see the tempting by Satan in the desert, and culminate with the beginning of Christ's public life.
The one criticism of the book I would have is the subtle transformation of Jesus from Jesus the Carpenter of Nazareth to Jesus the Messiah. One day, he doesn't know what the future holds for him, but knows it's special, to the next moment, he can read minds and seems to have the "mind of God". There wasn't a singular moment of revelation and this transformation happens virtually "off camera" for the reader, even though we never leave Christ, who's our narrator.
All in all, this is a good book and I will definitely read the next installments, of which I would assume there would be only one but she could probably squeeze two out of them, if she wanted to. She averts the boredom of merely rereading rehashed bible stories by integrating interesting, real characters and filling the gaps left by biblical narratives with interesting and fascinating theories. (less)
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Jun 05, 2008Clif Hostetler rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: novel, religion
This is a first person autobiographic narrative by the person known to history as Jesus of Nazareth. This book covers the period of time of several months leading into the beginning of his ministry. Since it is a novel it can cover a lot of details that are left out of the Gospel accounts. Thus this book can describe many details of events that are not covered in the New Testament. For example, this book explains how the valuable gifts brought by the wise men at the time of Jesus' birth ended up being used by the family. Also, this book explains what Satan looked like during his visit with Jesus during the forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. Now that I know the answers to those questions from this book, I can't imagine the answers being any different. I guess I should also mention that this book explains in detail how Jesus can have all those brothers and sisters and his mother still be a perpetual virgin.
The author has done her historical research and has done a good job describing the geographic and historical context of the time. However, she has strictly limited her use of history to only those facts that are compatible with the orthodox understanding of who Jesus was. Thus, this book can be comfortably read by people with traditional Christian beliefs. Her many years of writing about Vampires has helped her develop the skills needed to write a story about a young man who is God. Only Anne Rice could write such a narrative in first person and end up with a half believable account.
This is the second book in a series of novels about the life of Jesus. The reader will want to read Christ The Lord: Out Of Egypt before this book to get the story in the correct chronological order. (less)
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Oct 29, 2013Jeannie Walker rated it it was amazing
I especially loved this book, although it is fiction - It is about my best friend, Jesus Christ.
This brilliant author went to special lengths in her creative writing about Jesus and the Gospels.
Yes, it is hard to believe that there was a person who was human and yet so divine as to be the Son of God. Personally, I love reading anything about God and His infinite love, and His beloved son, Jesus Christ.
I have no doubt that this series was met with much skepticism, criticism and controversy. I am so glad the author didn't listen or give in to the naysayers. The world is stalked by relentless evil. I believe we can all learn from Anne Rice. She does her research and then brings that learning to us in a beautiful way. I loved reading about the early life of Jesus, walking the road with him, watching Him make miracles happen.
My dear friends, time is a valuable gift and life is too short to have regrets. I hope you read this beautiful novel. A talented, and very beautiful person carefully and skillfully crafted it especially for us. I hope you always believe something wonderful is going to happen even with all the ups and downs. I hope you never take a day for granted and cherish the little things for every day is another special gift from God. Having the opportunity to read this book was a big blessing for me and I believe it will be a blessing in one way or another for you too.
Jeannie Walker Award Winning Author
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Nov 14, 2012Linore rated it it was amazing
Fascinating and imaginative, this fictional account of the year leading up to Jesus' public ministry might be a little hard to swallow in some ways, but I give Ms. Rice five stars for a masterful attempt: She gives words to the inner life of Jesus himself. I don't think the book completely succeeds, mind you. She portrays a Jesus who isn't aware of his actual deity-- who chooses not to be aware of it, that is--until circumstances propel him into public life. I just can't buy such ignorance on his part. Likewise, there is never a feeling of his closeness, his ONENESS with God. Nevertheless, there is rich prose, a beautiful appreciation of life as a human being (not just as God become flesh; indeed, it is too little of the latter); and a wonderful bringing to life of first century Jewish life. This aspect of the story in itself is a huge accomplishment. Another weakness, however, is the Catholic view of Mary as a perpetual virgin ( which Ms. Rice defends as being biblical. With so much scholarship refuting this--not to mention Scripture itself!--it is a choice rather than a studied conclusion, however). Still, this is a highly readable, if unorthodox approach to trying to understand the humanity of the Lord, and worth the read for the ingenious ways Rice incorporates the biblical record of events into the life of Christ as it unfolds before the reader. I have to add, despite all this, that I sincerely hope no one else tries it! Giving thoughts to Jesus Christ is a dangerous game. (less)
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Life of Christ (2 book series)
Mass Market Paperback Edition
by Anne Rice (Author)
Having completed the two cycles of legend to which she has devoted her career so far, Anne Rice gives us now her most thoughtful and powerful book, a novel about the childhood of Christ the Lord based on the gospels and on the most respected New Testament scholarship.
The book’s power derives from the passion its author brings to the writing, and the way in which she summons up the voice, the presence, the words of the young Jesus who tells the story.
Books in this series (2 books)
1
Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt: A Novel
by Anne Rice (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars (854)
Having completed the two cycles of legend to which she has devoted her career so far, Anne Rice gives us now her most thoughtful and powerful book, a novel about the childhood of Christ the Lord based on the gospels and on the most respected New Testament scholarship.
The book’s power derives from the passion its author brings to the writing, and the way in which she summons up the voice, the presence, the words of the young Jesus who tells the story.
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2
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana: Christ the Lord
by Anne Rice (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars (470)
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The second novel in Anne Rice's hugely ambitious, moving, and masterful portrayal of the life of Christ, following Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.
It’s a winter of no rain, endless dust, and talk of trouble in Judea. All who know and love Jesus find themselves waiting for some sign of the path he will eventually take. After his baptism, he is at last ready to confront his destiny. At the wedding at Cana, he takes water and transforms it into red wine. Thus, he’s recognized as the anointed one and called by God the Father to begin a ministry that will transform an unsuspecting world.
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===
Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Christ the Lord
“Riveting. . . . Rice's book is a triumph of tone -- her prose lean, lyrical, vivid -- and character. As he ponders his staggering responsibility, the boy is fully believable -- and yet there's something in his supernatural empathy and blazing intelligence that conveys the wondrousness of a boy like no other. . . . With this novel, she has indeed found a convincing version of him; this is fiction that transcends story and instead qualifies as an act of faith. Joins Nikos Kazantzakis's The Last Temptation of Christ and Endo's A Life of Jesus as one of the bolder re-tellings.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Praise for Blood Canticle
“When Anne Rice releases a new book in The Vampire Chronicles series, cheers from her huge fan base can be heard everywhere.”
—The Edmonton Journal
About the Author
Anne Rice is the author of twenty-six books. She lives in La Jolla, California.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
I was seven years old. What do you know when you’re seven years old? All my life, or so I thought, we’d been in the city of Alexandria, in the Street of the Carpenters, with the other Galileans, and sooner or later we were going home.
Late afternoon. We were playing, my gang against his, and when he ran at me again, bully that he was, bigger than me, and catching me off balance, I felt the power go out of me as I shouted: “You’ll never get where you’re going.”
He fell down white in the sandy earth, and they all crowded around him. The sun was hot and my chest was heaving as I looked at him. He was so limp.
In the snap of two fingers everyone drew back. It seemed the whole street went quiet except for the carpenters’ hammers. I’d never heard such a quiet.
“He’s dead!” Little Joseph said. And then they all took it up. “He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead.”
I knew it was true. He was a bundle of arms and legs in the beaten dust.
And I was empty. The power had taken everything with it, all gone.
His mother came out of the house, and her scream went up the walls into a howl. From everywhere the women came running.
My mother lifted me off my feet. She carried me down the street and through the courtyard and into the dark of our house. All my cousins crowded in with us, and James, my big brother, pulled the curtain shut. He turned his back on the light. He said:
“Jesus did it. He killed him.” He was afraid.
“Don’t you say such a thing!” said my mother. She clutched me so close to her, I could scarcely breathe.
Big Joseph woke up.
Now Big Joseph was my father, because he was married to my mother, but I’d never called him Father. I’d been taught to call him Joseph. I didn’t know why.
He’d been asleep on the mat. We’d worked all day on a job in Philo’s house, and he and the rest of the men had lain down in the heat of the afternoon to sleep. He climbed to his feet.
“What’s that shouting outside?” he asked. “What’s happened?”
He looked to James. James was his eldest son. James was the son of a wife who had died before Joseph married my mother.
James said it again.
“Jesus killed Eleazer. Jesus cursed him and he fell down dead.”
Joseph stared at me, his face still blank from sleep. There was more and more shouting in the street. He rose to his feet, and ran his hands back through his thick curly hair.
My little cousins were slipping through the door one by one and crowding around us.
My mother was trembling. “He couldn’t have done it,” she said. “He wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“I saw it,” said James. “I saw it when he made the sparrows out of clay on the Sabbath. The teacher told him he shouldn’t do such things on the Sabbath. Jesus looked at the birds and they turned into real birds. They flew away. You saw it too. He killed Eleazer, Mother, I saw it.”
My cousins made a ring of white faces in the shadows: Little Joses, Judas, and Little Symeon and Salome, watching anxiously, afraid of being sent out. Salome was my age, and my dearest and closest. Salome was like my sister.
Then in came my mother’s brother Cleopas, always the talker, who was the father of these cousins, except for Big Silas who came in now, a boy older than James. He went into the corner, and then came his brother, Justus, and both wanted to see what was going on.
“Joseph, they’re all out there,” said Cleopas, “Jonathan bar Zakkai, and his brothers, they’re saying Jesus killed their boy. They’re envious that we got that job at Philo’s house, they’re envious that we got the other job before that, they’re envious that we’re getting more and more jobs, they’re so sure they do things better than we do—.”
“Is the boy dead?” Joseph said. “Or is the boy alive?”
Salome shot forward and whispered in my ear. “Just make him come alive, Jesus, the way you made the birds come alive!”
Little Symeon was giggling. He was too little to know what was going on. Little Judas knew, but he was quiet.
“Stop,” said James, the little boss of the children. “Salome, be quiet.”
I could hear them shouting in the street. I heard other noises. Stones were hitting the walls of the house. My mother started to cry.
“You dare do that!” shouted my uncle Cleopas and he rushed back out through the door. Joseph went after him.
I wriggled out of my mother’s grasp and darted out before she could catch me, and past my uncle and Joseph and right into the crowd as they were all waving and hollering and shaking their fists. I went so fast, they didn’t even see me. I was like a fish in the river. I moved in and out through people who were shouting over my head until I got to Eleazer’s house.
The women all had their backs to the door, and they didn’t see me as I went around the edge of the room.
I went right into the dark room, where they’d laid him on the mat. His mother was there leaning on her sister and sobbing.
There was only one lamp, very weak.
Eleazer was pale with his arms at his sides, same soiled tunic, and the soles of his feet very black. He was dead. His mouth was open and his white teeth showed over his lip.
The Greek physician came in—he was really a Jew—and he knelt down, and he looked at Eleazer and he shook his head.
Then he saw me and said:
“Out.”
His mother turned and she saw it was me and she screamed.
I bent over him:
“Wake up, Eleazer,” I said. “Wake up now.”
I reached out and laid my hand on his forehead.
The power went out. My eyes closed. I was dizzy. But I heard him draw in his breath.
His mother screamed over and over and it hurt my ears. Her sister screamed. All the women were screaming.
I fell back on the floor. I was weak. The Greek physician was staring down at me. I was sick. The room was dim. Other people had rushed in.
Eleazer came up, and he was up all knees and fists before anyone could get to him, and he set on me and punched me and hit me, and knocked my head back against the ground, and kicked me again and again:
“Son of David, Son of David!” he shouted, mocking me, “Son of David, Son of David!” kicking me in the face, and in the ribs, until his father grabbed him around the waist and picked him up in the air.
I ached all over, couldn’t breathe.
“Son of David!” Eleazer kept shouting.
Someone lifted me and carried me out of the house and into the crowd in the street. I was still gasping. I hurt all over. It seemed the whole street was screaming, worse than before, and someone said the Teacher was coming, and my uncle Cleopas was yelling in Greek at Jonathan, Eleazer’s father, and Jonathan was yelling back, and Eleazer was shouting, “Son of David, Son of David!”
I was in Joseph’s arms. He was trying to move, but the crowd wouldn’t let him. Cleopas was pushing at Eleazer’s father. Eleazer’s father was trying to get at Cleopas, but other men took hold of his arms. I heard Eleazer shouting far away.
There was the Teacher declaring: “That child’s not dead, you hush up, Eleazer, who said he was dead? Eleazer, stop shouting! Whoever could think this child is dead?”
“Brought him back to life, that’s what he did,” said one of theirs.
We were in our courtyard, the entire crowd had pushed in with us, my uncle and Eleazer’s people still screaming at each other, and the Teacher demanding order.
Now my uncles, Alphaeus and Simon, had come. These were Joseph’s brothers. And they’d just woken up. They put up their hands against the crowd. Their mouths were hard and their eyes were big.
My aunts, Salome and Esther and Mary, were there, with all the cousins running and jumping as if this were a festival, except for Silas and Justus and James who stood with the men.
Then I couldn’t see anymore.
I was in my mother’s arms, and she had taken me into the front room. It was dark. Aunt Esther and Aunt Salome came in with her. I could hear stones hitting the house again. The Teacher raised his voice in Greek.
“There’s blood on your face!” my mother whispered. “Your eye, there’s blood. Your face is cut!” She was crying. “Oh, look what’s happened to you,” she said. She spoke in Aramaic, our tongue which we didn’t speak very much.
“I’m not hurt,” I said. I meant to say it didn’t matter. Again my cousins pressed close, Salome smiling as if to say she knew I could bring him back to life, and I took her hand and squeezed it.
But there was James with his hard look.
The Teacher came into the room backwards with his hands up. Someone ripped the curtain away and the light was very bright. Joseph and his brothers came in. And so did Cleopas. All of us had to move to make room.
“You’re talking about Joseph and Cleopas and Alphaeus, what do you mean drive them out!” said the Teacher to the whole crowd. “They’ve been with us for seven years!”
The angry family of Eleazer came almost into the room. The father himself did come into the room.
“Yes, seven years and why don’t they go back to Galilee, all of them!” Eleazer’s father shouted. “Seven years is too long! That boy is possessed of a demon and I tell you my son was dead!”
“Are you complaining that he’s alive now! What’s the matter with you!” demanded my uncle Cleopas.
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Product details
Publisher : Fawcett (October 31, 2006)
Language : English
Mass Market Paperback : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 0345436830
ISBN-13 : 978-0345436832
Item Weight : 6.2 ounces
Dimensions : 4.13 x 0.82 x 6.84 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #305,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#714 in Religious Historical Fiction (Books)
#1,355 in Biographical Historical Fiction
#2,175 in Christian Historical Fiction (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.5 out of 5 stars 854 ratings
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Pastor C
2.0 out of 5 stars A Good Novel But Rice Writes From a Roman Catholic Perspective and Draws From False Gospels
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2018
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The most important thing to remember when reading this book is that it is a novel, a story made up by the author for entertainment and enjoyment purposes. There's no denying Rice's storytelling abilities. She draws you in and captivates you with the narrative. This book is hard to put down; one you start reading, you will want to finish.
So then if it's a good read that's hard to put down, then why 2 stars? Well, if I was rating the book as a novel only, then I would probably give it 4 or 5 stars; however, Rice states at the beginning of the book that the book is intended to be a "realistic fictional portrait of Our Lord in Time," but then she goes on to state that though the book is fiction, she committed herself to thorough research of Jesus, the Gospels, the NT, and 1 century greco-roman civilization. I appreciated her commitment to researching and investigating. She insists that her portrayal is based on her research into the Bible and history. However, those familiar with biblical scholarship in general and NT scholarship in particular quickly realize that Rice's writing is based more on the convictions of the Roman Catholic Church and pseudo-gospels than NT scholarship. For instance, in the beginning of the book, Rice has Jesus kill a boy and then bring him back to life as well as make clay birds become real birds, which of course come from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas which has been shown to be a fake gospel. This is a clear instance of her research not being as thorough as advertised. Furthermore, she holds that Joseph was married before Mary and had all of Jesus' brothers and sisters by the other woman and that Mary remained a virgin for the entirety of her life, which is an instance of her commitment to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church rather than basing her thoughts on the teachings of Scripture–which says nothing about Mary's perpetual virginity or Joseph being previously married.
Again, this really is a good novel and a joy to read for novel's sake, but readers–especially those who are Evangelical–must be cautiously aware of Rice's influence and be discerning when reading. It is a novel, not fact or history.
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Dave
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome insight
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2018
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This book has impacted me in ways that no book has ever in the past. It gives me a more personal, intimate insight to Jesus that I have never had. I realize it is a fictional story, yet the insight I have obtained is nonetheless absolute.
Jesus is real to me. I do not struggle with a knowing that he lived and died on the cross, then was raised. Perhaps this belief grants me an enjoyment of the novel that others may not obtain.
I think and read about Christ in a new light now. I am not sure if this will continue, yet I believe I will never be the exact same as I was before reading this novel.
I urge readers to carefully read the Anne’s thoughts past the end of the novel. It highlights her path in coming to faith as well as the immense research she poured over.
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lindaluane
5.0 out of 5 stars Jesus as a child in his own words
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2017
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This is the story of Jesus as his life might have been as a child growing up. It is told from the first person perspective of child Jesus. I believe many people forget that Jesus was Jewish and he lived the life that a Jewish person would have lived while growing up. Understanding his experiences and daily life as a Jewish person during those tumultuous times is what Anne Rice portrays in her book. I think many people even forget that Jesus would have to have been a child - they see him as a baby and grown man only - lol In this book we are faced with the realistic possibility of an uncertain, non-confident Jesus who is in limbo about what he is to do, who he is, and is uncertain about the world and his place in it. He is a child - a child who is learning
I believe that Anne Rice does a wonderful job of portraying this perspective. i am waiting for the sequel now
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Angel
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book so much!!!
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2017
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This book is unlike any book I've ever read about Christ! Anne Rice's tale is both gripping, emotional and transformative!! You experience the life of a young Jesus in a very unique way and when she describes scenes that took place in the Bible, Anne's descriptive style makes you feel like you are right there experiencing the things that Christ saw and felt! I used this book to help my son better identify with and understand Christ - his life and the time in which he lived.
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Standee
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2017
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I've always liked reading Anne Rice novels. This is quite a turn from the previous subject matter that I'm used to from her. This is a marvelous story of Jesus as a child growing up not realizing his true nature. An almost impossible blending of fact and fiction, this book hits the mark. I really enjoyed this reverent and seemingly historically accurate account of the very early life of Jesus Christ. Through extensive research and a wonderful imagination, Anne Rice brings to life a story that, I at least, have never heard. I don't think you will be disappointed.
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Traffic
5.0 out of 5 stars A Vary Interesting Book Based On Jesus' Early Childhood.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2019
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I wasn't sure what to expect of this book before I read it. I had read several of Anne Rice books before, my favourite being Memnoch the Devil, so this book a new experience for me.
I am a Christian and so was intrigued to read a book about the childhood of Jesus as there is virtually nothing out there on his childhood, other than a few scant verses in the Bible, and some Apocryphal writings.
I have to say, I was hooked by this book. Obviously the author draws on what little information there is in the Bible, but it's also obvious that she has read the so called "Apocryphal" material, such as Thomas' The Infancy Gospel of Jesus, in which there is a story of Jesus, being about 5-years-old, killing another similar aged boy for simply bumping into him. This made its way into Anne's book. It is evident too that, understandably, Anne had to use a bit of poetic licence here when writing this book. If she didn't, if she used what was only written down in the Bible and Apocryphal books, this book itself would probably be about 5 pages long. But Anne has written a remarkable story of Jesus' childhood covering the ages of about 5 to 7. It was so interesting to read and wonder how close it is to how Jesus actually acted, thought, played and reasoned with all that was happening around him during those years of his life. I found myself engrossed. I note there is a second book in this series ("The Road to Cana"); I will certainly be buying and reading this next. Good work, Anne. A remarkable book indeed.
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Caroline Lawrence
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2020
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I love this book! Not only does Rice get the historical details of Jewish daily life in the Graeco-Roman culture of the first century absolutely right but she writes in a breathtaking way about the emotional journey of a 7-year-old boy who discovers he has supernatural powers because he is the son of God. I can give no higher praise that to say I wish I had written this. It is a legacy Anne Rice can be proud of. Suitable for children as well as adults. Brava!
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Robbo
5.0 out of 5 stars I have really enjoyed this book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2018
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I have really enjoyed this book, its clear that the author has done a great deal of historical reasearch into the first century Jewish life. I learnt a lot. Even though it's a fictional account of what the author believes Jesus' life as a child might have been like, it still made me think and strengthened my personal connection with Christ. Thankyou Anne.
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Pilko
5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed it and I fully recommend it to everyone
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2016
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It took me 3 days to read. It was enthralling; I really enjoyed it and I fully recommend it to everyone. It is an amazing story. I shall keep this book as part of my personal library and reread it from time to time. You learn a lot about Jesus as a child, his relatives, how brutal life was under the Romans and how young his mother Mary was.
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T Curtis/ E Curtis
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read and Thought Provoking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2013
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Great food for thought, although fictional gives insight into what the early history of our Lord might have been like.
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shirtlessreader
5.0 out of 5 stars Some stories were meant to be told. And some of these are meant to be told by Anne. (With spoilers!)
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2021
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There are stories so vital that they are meant to be told. Such a one is this story.
And then, there are stories that are meant to be told by Anne Rice. And I thank God/the Cosmos/the Universe that she heeded the call to write Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana.
Originally published in 2008, this is the sequel to Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, which was made into a beautiful indie movie entitled The Young Messiah. I know that Ms. Rice meant to write a third novel but has abandoned the project. As to that, many has already been written
in various articles. Ms. Rice has spoken about that in her interviews with Nola Cancel. We need not go into that here.
The novel covers the events of Jesus' adult life before the wedding at Cana, recorded in the gospel according to St. John chapter 2. We find a fully human, flesh-and-blood Jesus here. One who was tempted in every way (just like I am, and so I relate to Him), as the writer of Hebrews attests, but is Sinless (and so I worship Him). This is not the Jesus of Relativism, shifted and reshaped according to our image and liking. This is a characterization delicately handled by Ms. Rice's rigorous research—which is her singular and distinct discipline for every book she writes.
It almost feels sacrilegious that, as an Anne Rice fan, Lestat de Lioncourt takes only second spot as my favorite character of hers. Yeshua bar Joseph takes the top spot. But this is true.
The voice of Jesus in this novel told in first person point-of-view is clearly distinct from the seven-year-old Child that He was in the first novel, Out of Egypt. In fact, every character in this novel has a distinct voice, and so everyone is memorable.
Jesus' daily life feels almost like rural Philippines (where I live). Everyone He meets and speaks to goes through a profound change, if they let Him. Whether it is having a private conversation with Him, or crying on His shoulder, or running to His arm for solace and rescue, Jesus changes people from within, gently and indelibly.
We know that the turning of the water into wine is Jesus' first recorded miracle in the gospel of John, and so Jesus in this novel acts with restraint in regards to His being God and All-Power. He has
assumed human form and human life, and decides in each moment to be fully human, to respect and submit to the customs of the tight-knit community He belongs to. He even succumbs to exhaustion, frustration, and loneliness, as we all sometimes do.
I am not interested in the many arguments or naysayers of supposed Bible scholars who panned and contested this work of historical fiction. There will always be volumes written about and will be written about this controversial Son of Man, and these "authorities" will inevitably contradict each other. In my opinion, Rice's depiction of Jesus does not betray the Gospels. That Rice has refused (hopefully she would change her mind) to write a third book is unfortunate, sure, but I can say that her two novels brought me to read the Gospel of John, which feels like a natural progression or continuation of the Christ the Lord books. And if these works of fiction brought me to reading the Gospel, then it works out for my good.
When I revisited John's Gospel, the Jesus John depicted felt all the more human, all the more flesh-and-blood, because of Anne's novels. Truly, the Word became flesh.
Rice's prose here is textured. You feel the dryness of the drought in the language, and then the thunderous, torrential rain, and the sprawling grandness of a Jewish wedding. She writes about events not told in the Bible, moving to the familiar events of Christ's baptism. Two chapters in and already I am weeping for the characters and the injustice they suffered. We feel for the women in this patriarchal society. We palpably feel the tension of the political climate and unrest (two things very real in 2021 as far as my country, and neighboring Myanmar, are concerned), that when the peace in their community was shaken (an important plot point!) I found myself screaming and gasping for breath. Even though we move to the events already told in the Gospels, I found my heart beating in eager anticipation and suspense at what will happen next. As a page-turner, this novel does not disappoint.
Rice's superb talent for writing horror is not lost in the Temptation scene in the desert. The nightmarish events are retold with such realism, that at Christ's triumph I found my heart rejoicing, calling Jesus my Champion, my Hero!
The ending, though, is my favorite part. And I cry out, "Yeshua! Yeshua! Yeshua! Hear O Israel. The Lord Our God Is One."
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Ginny E.
5.0 out of 5 stars I can hardly speak, my heart and head are full of thoughts
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2018
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This, together with her first book about Young Jesus, painted a story of Jesus that was more relatable and not as vague as what is told in the Bible. These stories allowed us to grow with the boy who was to be Christ our Savior when he became a man. Through it we can feel how Jesus grew into his God directed role, knowing instinctively how to bring the clay doves to life, but from within a child’s innocence, not fully comprehending the power of the miracle. And, it showed us that he was indeed a man, having all the feelings of a man, but destined to grow beyond them to fulfill his purpose. Thank you, Anne Rice.
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Judith Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Keep your copy of Josephus handy!
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2016
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I could not help but think back to the novel Memnoch The Devil, and the scene where Lestat encounters The Lord out in the middle of the desert. It is at this point that the reader may expect there to be the inclusion of a first-person narrative by The Lord himself. Instead, Anne Rice has fulfilled that anticipation with two novels about the childhood and life up to about age 30 of Yeshua bar Joseph.
The Devil in "Cana" reminds me of both Memnoch (don't forget the wings), and the ghostly "Goblin" of Blackwood Farm -- Memnoch, because he thinks he is clever, and can make anyone believe what he claims is true, and Goblin, because he is a mirror image of Tarquin Blackwood, just as The Devil here materializes as a mirror image of Yeshua!
In both book, be sure to read the addenda for more reading, and information on the research and the use of literary (not historical) characters. If you have the time (time is a very important factor in Cana), find a copy of Josephus. Rice delved into his writings, and you owe it to yourself to see exactly what he had to say -- and why Rice chose him as an authoritative source.
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Orphan
5.0 out of 5 stars Very thought provoking, beautifully written series.
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2020
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I have read both books of Anne Rices' "Christ the Lord" series. I loved them each time a read them. Rice is a wonderfully
talented writer. I did believe that the series was to be a trilogy and am hoping that Rice will return to finish it. I have read several of her other works ( Angel Time, Of Love and Evil, Cry to Heaven), and enjoyed those too but feel that she is wasting her time and talent with her werewolf fiction. So sad to waste a talent like hers on that drivel.
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Cordula Roosa-Riedener
5.0 out of 5 stars Anne just cannot help to be brilliant. Guess as another Catholic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2015
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Well, Anne just cannot help to be brilliant. Guess as another Catholic, who spent years away from the faith and am slowly finding my way back, there is a very deep connection to her work.
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Andrew Connal
3.0 out of 5 stars Anne Rice in religious mode
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2014
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The second of her Christ the Lord novels, based on the Gospels and Pseudepigrapha, and told in her fluent and convincing manner. There may be a few modern colourings but the story is well told and the dramatic tension is well maintained.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2013
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I thought this was a very interesting take on the life of Christ whilst remaining true to the gospels. The first person narrative attempted to give us an insight into how Jesus gradually became aware of his intended ministry. I know this is fiction but nonetheless I thought it a powerful and inspirational novel
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barker
3.0 out of 5 stars I found this book to be a refreshing source of words and feelings. It's like one is reading the bible. I really enjoyed it and h
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2016
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I found this book to be a refreshing source of words and feelings. It's like one is reading the bible. I really enjoyed it and hope that there will be more like it.
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M. Woischneck
5.0 out of 5 stars Anne at her best
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2013
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different from her fantasy writing it takes us on a journey into the time and mores of The Lord - very well written and researched ! for christians and non-believers all the same, cause it s simply great historic writing !
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The Road to Cana
(Christ the Lord #2)
by
Anne Rice
3.85 · Rating details · 6,655 ratings · 613 reviews
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.(less)
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Hardcover, 242 pages
Published March 4th 2008 by Knopf Publishing Group
Original Title
The Road to Cana
ISBN
1400043522 (ISBN13: 9781400043521)
Edition Language
English
Series
Christ the Lord #2
Characters
Yeshua, Reuben, Azazel
Setting
Nazareth (Israel)
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Jun 04, 2008Cindy rated it it was amazing
Shelves: book-club
I would NEVER in a million years have predicted that I would even read this book - much less like it. I've picked up a couple of Anne Rice novels in the past and simply couldn't get into them. This, of course, was back in her "vampire" days, and that topic never has really turned me on. I even tried as a child to like Dark Shadows, but it just didn't work for me.
A couple of months ago, though, I heard a review of this book on NPR. I vaguely recalled that Rice had had some sort of conversion experience, but I was somewhat skeptical and hadn't given it much thought time. The reviewer, however, caused my ears to perk up. My curiosity was amply piqued, and I began to think I might like to give dear old Anne one more chance. I wouldn't risk buying it, but I'd certainly check it out from the public library.
The reviewer's comment that provided the impetus for my change of heart was (and I'm paraphrasing - so apologies to the reviewer) that many writers of religious fiction attempt to tap into the "human" side of Jesus, and thus diminish the "divine." Conversely, others attempt to protect the "divine" aspects of Christ, and are never able to help the reader realize him as "human." Rice somehow manages to tap into both sides of Jesus' character, without diminishing either side in any way. He was right. I'm not sure how she did it - but it is a testament to both her long touted brilliance as a writer, as well as the depth of her conversion experience. Jesus is portrayed during that time of which we know little of his life - just before he started his ministry - as a man with emotions, needs, humor, daily concerns, questions. He is approachable and someone to whom you can relate. Yet one never questions the divinity that lurks beneath the surface. And the fact that we vividly witness him experiencing all that we in our humanity experience, makes it all the more plausible that he truly can (as divine) empathize, not just pity us in, our joys and pains.
It's a quick read, and she's done her history research, so the historical fabric that weaves it all together adds a further measure realism to the story. Biblical scholars may shun the fact that a few miracles appear "out of order" - and some Marianites will appreciate the Mary's virginity remains intact. But as historical/biblical novels go, she really makes it work. I may read the first of the series, AND I may actually go out and buy my own copy . . . (less)
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Dec 27, 2008Ruth rated it really liked it
The Road to Cana is a novel and does not pretend to be otherwise. It is the story of about a year in Jesus' life, and ends at the wedding at Cana.
Some of the characters are known from scripture; others are creations of Ms. Rice. Jesus is portrayed as being a somewhat strange, but very loving member of a large extended family. James is named as his brother, but it is noted that he was Joseph's son by his first wife, not by Mary. Further the book, which is written in the first person and told from Jesus' point of view, describes his kinship relationship to several people and then notes "they are my sisters and my brothers". A main character in the book is the bride at the wedding at Cana--Jesus loves her but realizes that marrying her is not his vocation.
Throughout the book Jesus speaks of feeling like something was just beyond where he was. Finally, after his baptism, when He is in the desert, the book says "The dawn came. And the dawn came again, and again. I lay in a heap as the sand blew over me. And the voice of the Lord was not in the wind; and it was not in the sand; and itw as not in the sun; and it was not in the stars. It was inside me. I'd always known who I really was. I was God. And I'd chosen not to know it. Well, now I knew just what it meant to be the man who knew he was God." Next, Rice does a great job of fleshing out the story of the three temptations in the desert.
I think a very real temptation in writing a novel about Jesus is to make Him in your image; rather than to allow Him to remake you in His. However, I think Rice does a good job of expanding on the Biblical Christ rather than remaking Him. The scene between Mary and Him at the wedding was almost funny. He didn't want to "go public" but she knew it was time.
If anyone is hesitant about reading this book because of the content of Ms. Rice's vampire books (or some others I'll not mention)I have read that at the the time she wrote the vampire books, she was an atheist and/or agnostic. Since that time she has reverted to her Catholic faith and written these two books about Jesus. Her latest book is about her reversion, and it is on my to be read list.
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May 26, 2020Debbie rated it it was amazing
Recommended to Debbie by: My sister, Annette
Shelves: own, historical-fiction, 2020-reads, favorites, biblical-fiction, christianity
Once again, Anne Rice writes a knowledgeable, dignified and respectful fictional account of what Jesus's life may have been like prior to the New Testament. Her research into how Jewish society in Israel dealt with homosexuality, fornication and rape during the time when Jesus (or as in this story, Yeshua) was a young man is quite enlightening and informative. I appreciate how Jesus is portrayed as a quiet man of integrity. My favourite part that filled me with emotion was when Jesus meets John the Baptist at the Jordan River and becomes deeply aware of His spiritual transformation. A very moving book! Highly recommend! (less)
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Sep 29, 2010K.D. Absolutely rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: religion, gift-book, retelling
Changing anything on The Holy Scriptures is a risky move for any novelist. No matter whether that novelist is known to be great or mediocre, some people would not want their deep-seated belief to be rock by just any mortal author. Some people are curious but they almost always resist literary pieces that would challenge whatever is already written in The Holy Bible. After all, that book has been with us for thousand years, scrutinized by many scholars, translated into many languages and being held sacred by one-third of the world's population (1.5 to 2.2 billion).
Last month, I read Anne Rice's Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. I found the characters and events that she incorporated into the fictional stage in Jesus life as a child fascinating and charming. So, I was so happy when my friend Sherish gave me this audiobook of its sequel, Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana because I wanted to know what other stuff would Rice risk to incorporate into the life of Jesus in addition to those already captured in The Holy Bible.
If Book 1 is about the child Jesus at the age of 8, this Book 2 is about the teen Jesus up to the time when he was tempted by the devil and the miracle of wine in Cana. The fictional characters in Book 1 are still here: James, the paternal half-brother of Jesus, Salome his cousin, Cleopas, his uncle, etc. But the ones played key role is Avigail the 15-y/o teenager that James would want Jesus to marry and Jason who is Jesus competition to Avigail's heart. It seems that during Jesus time, all men should marry as only the cripple and the lunatic are the ones that could or should end up as bachelor. There are many subplots like the stoning of two boys that were suspected to be homosexuals and their significance was only revealed during the 40-day temptation scene in desert. That scene is mentioned in The Holy Bible. Rice just beautifully expounded the dialogues that sounded like a Nicholas Sparks's or Hallmark card's lines. That portion is the one that I liked and made me give 3 stars ("I like it!") rating for this audiobook.
Of course, the voice of the narrator is a joy to hear especially if you are driving in the highway outside the flooded street and rainwater splashing and pouring everywhere. Last night, I was in EDSA stuck in the traffic below the flyover in front of the statue of Mother Mary. The big buses atop the flyover were splashing tons of water on my car roof and I was listening to the temptation in the desert. The dialogues just calmed me down and I just ignored the water and the heavy rain as I know the Good Lord will be there to protect me.
I guess that if a book doesn't blaspheme or distort The Holy Bible by adding or changing what is already written, then that book is okay. If that book's intent is to heighten one's belief then it is a must-to-read book. With the temptations around that could weaken our faith, we also need to strengthen it by reading something that will bring us back to God's fold or maybe just to erase our worries when faced with fear be it just because of a storm in the middle of the street in one dark starless night.
God bless you my friend, Sherish!
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Dec 26, 2013Ron Charles rated it it was ok
Shelves: religion-spirituality
As a Christian, I appreciate the reverence and piety that Anne Rice brings to her second novel about the life of Jesus, "Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana." But as a reader, I kept wishing some gay vampires would swoop in to liven things up. There's no questioning Rice's sincerity in this epic project, begun in 2005 with "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt." Indeed, sincerity marks every page, every interview and especially her devout Web site, which immediately inspires your computer to sing "Ave Maria." (Seriously.)
Having made a fortune off erotica and horror since she started publishing novels in 1976, the Mistress of the Macabre announced a few years ago that her work had led her to Jesus Christ, another character whose life story revolves around blood. And why shouldn't her flock of readers follow her from darkness into light? Her publisher's faith is well founded: Out of Egypt was a bestseller in hardback and paperback; the advent of "The Road to Cana" is being celebrated with a first printing of 500,000 copies. Talk about feeding the multitude.
While her initial volume concentrated on a 7-year-old Jesus trying to figure out who he is, this new installment picks up the story when he's 30, living with his large, extended family in the dusty, backward village of Nazareth. He has no doubts now about who he is: "I am Christ the Lord," he tells us on the opening page, but this is several months before he's baptized by John and begins his public ministry. He's still just a humble carpenter, keeps to himself, tries to brush off those rumors about miracles and wisemen attending his birth. "My way had always been to look down," he says. "The subject of whisper and insult through much of my life, I seldom confronted a man with my gaze, but rather turned away and sought my work as a matter of course. It was a quiet demeanor."
It was a weird way of speaking, too. And this is a severe limitation: Rice's Jesus can bear the sins of the world, but he can't convincingly carry the burden of narrating his own story. His voice vacillates between modern Christian orthodoxy and New Age gooeyness: "Something inside me let go," he tells us while meditating in his special grove. "It had been a long while since I'd savored such a moment, since I'd let the tight prison of my skin dissolve. I felt as if I were moving upward and outward, as if the night were filled with myriad beings and the rhythm of their song drowned out the anxious beating of my heart. The shell of my body was gone. I was in the stars."
The novel opens during a crippling drought and widespread protests against the new governor, Pontius Pilate, who has reportedly defiled the Temple in Jerusalem with images of the Roman emperor. In this atmosphere of desperation and unrest, two Nazarene boys are accused of being gay and, before any investigation or trial can take place, stoned by a mob. This seems like a return to hallowed ground for Rice, who enlivened old stories about the undead with homoerotic energy. Her Nazareth is scared straight. Jesus's family is anxious about his sexual orientation. Why hasn't he married already? "Are you a man beneath those robes?" someone taunts him. "A man? You understand me?" In a little village like this, people talk, rumors can kill.
But it's just a tease: Rice isn't really interested in exploring questions about Jesus's sexuality. He is the Christ. (See the first page.) He knows it; we know it. And though most of the story focuses on whether Jesus will marry a pretty, brutally repressed girl named Avigail, -- spoiler alert!-- it's never in the cards. Oh, he pines for her a bit and even dreams of her, but there's nothing approaching the emotional conflict that Nikos Kazantzakis dared to consider in "The Last Temptation of Christ" more than 50 years ago.
The Gospels are notoriously laconic about Jesus's life before his ministry began. Indeed, the earliest and -- many historians assume -- most reliable one, the Book of Mark, doesn't even start until Jesus is an adult. Consequently, Rice has invented much of the day-to-day action of this novel, but what she describes fits neatly with biblical tradition and particularly with Roman Catholic theology. Some readers may find this orthodoxy comforting, but it dulls the novel, keeping it from delivering anything new, challenging or engaging. Rather than rediscovering the startlingly iconoclastic figure that speaks and acts in the Gospels, Rice peers at him through the frosted lens of her faith. In the closing pages of the book, Jesus tells his disciples, "I will go on, from surprise to surprise," but in fact, this highlights the most fundamental problem of the novel: It's virtually surprise-free.
It would be nice to say that Rice runs into the same problem Milton confronted in "Paradise Lost": The devil is so much more mesmerizing than the Son of God that it's hard to keep him from stealing the show. But Rice's devil isn't too interesting, either. The Prince of Darkness appears late in the novel, after Jesus's 40-day fast in the wilderness. You'd think the author who put teeth back in vampire fiction could give us a devil with a little spunk, but he's not much scarier than a salesman at Saks:
" 'You take a good look at these soft clothes!' he shouted, mouth quivering like that of a child. 'You'll never see yourself dressed in this manner again.' He groaned. He doubled in pain as he groaned. He shook his fist at me."
And your little dog, Toto, too!
As promised, the novel concludes in Cana, with that famous wedding that runs out of wine. The servants are rushing about. Jesus sees panic in his mother's eyes. "Something was very wrong," he realizes. "It was a disaster of unlikely and dreadful proportions."
Jesus, ain't that the truth.
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Mar 13, 2008Jason added it
Anyone audacious enough to attempt to write a narrative version of the life of Christ is bound to get themselves into hot water. Anne Rice, of "Vampire Chonricles" fame is certainly no exception. When word broke that her goal was to write the life of Christ before her death, I'm sure that some diehard fans of her series were hoping for a New Agey, controversial, latter day "Last Temptation of Christ", replete with Jesus and Mary Magdalene sex scenes, and the proverbial Pie in the Face to traditionalists. Well, no such luck here, as Rice has experienced a conversion experience, and the former self professed atheist (or perhaps agnostic?) has returned to the Catholic Church of her youth. Likely some of her longtime readers feel betrayed or that she's simply gone nuts. But it is what it is, and fans seem to forget that the writer doesn't really owe us anything, that no one ever forced them to pay for her books in the first place, and that if it bothers you, hey, it's a free country, so just walk away.
All that being said, Rice's sophmore effort in "Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana" picks up several years after the first installment, subtitled "Our of Egypt" ended, just before the beginnin of Christ's public ministry.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the first, perhaps in part because I expected the first one to be no good, frankly, and was pleasantly surprised.
One of the problems with this book (and mind, you I did enjoy it) is that unlike the first book, which was mostly the invention of the author, this book starts depicting those New Testament stories that we all know so well, and delves into Christ's mind as an adult.
Believers and non-believers alike have some idea in their head as to who and what Christ was, how he must have felt and what he must have thought in certain situations. What those people need to remember when reading a book like this is that it's not meant to be a theological treatise, but rather one author's interpretation and depiction of those stories. No doubt some purists and fundamentalists will get their vestments in a bunch because Rice does "change" a couple of things, but nothing I would stone anyone over. But any of those changes serve the story she is trying to tell and not rewrite doctrines.
The story seems to concentrate a lot on the town of Nazareth itself at first, depicting it's citizens as backward, bloodthirsty and judgemental, likely paving the way for Christ's message of "judge not, lest ye be judged" in future books. The book opens with the stoning deaths of two little boys accused of "abomination" (use your imagination) and introduces the character of Abigail, a kinswoman of Christ's family who is also shamed and disgraced by equally ignorant "mob mentality" rashness. Jesus takes it on himself to save this girl from the town by arrainging a marraige for her ... and we soon realize that she must be the bridge at the famous wedding of Cana.
Rice's Jesus is well written, human and divine enough for most believers. A traditionalist herself, Rice doesn't have Jesus experimenting with his sexuality as a young man but doesn't shy away from it either.
In this book we meet John the Baptist, see the tempting by Satan in the desert, and culminate with the beginning of Christ's public life.
The one criticism of the book I would have is the subtle transformation of Jesus from Jesus the Carpenter of Nazareth to Jesus the Messiah. One day, he doesn't know what the future holds for him, but knows it's special, to the next moment, he can read minds and seems to have the "mind of God". There wasn't a singular moment of revelation and this transformation happens virtually "off camera" for the reader, even though we never leave Christ, who's our narrator.
All in all, this is a good book and I will definitely read the next installments, of which I would assume there would be only one but she could probably squeeze two out of them, if she wanted to. She averts the boredom of merely rereading rehashed bible stories by integrating interesting, real characters and filling the gaps left by biblical narratives with interesting and fascinating theories. (less)
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Jun 05, 2008Clif Hostetler rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: novel, religion
This is a first person autobiographic narrative by the person known to history as Jesus of Nazareth. This book covers the period of time of several months leading into the beginning of his ministry. Since it is a novel it can cover a lot of details that are left out of the Gospel accounts. Thus this book can describe many details of events that are not covered in the New Testament. For example, this book explains how the valuable gifts brought by the wise men at the time of Jesus' birth ended up being used by the family. Also, this book explains what Satan looked like during his visit with Jesus during the forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. Now that I know the answers to those questions from this book, I can't imagine the answers being any different. I guess I should also mention that this book explains in detail how Jesus can have all those brothers and sisters and his mother still be a perpetual virgin.
The author has done her historical research and has done a good job describing the geographic and historical context of the time. However, she has strictly limited her use of history to only those facts that are compatible with the orthodox understanding of who Jesus was. Thus, this book can be comfortably read by people with traditional Christian beliefs. Her many years of writing about Vampires has helped her develop the skills needed to write a story about a young man who is God. Only Anne Rice could write such a narrative in first person and end up with a half believable account.
This is the second book in a series of novels about the life of Jesus. The reader will want to read Christ The Lord: Out Of Egypt before this book to get the story in the correct chronological order. (less)
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Oct 29, 2013Jeannie Walker rated it it was amazing
I especially loved this book, although it is fiction - It is about my best friend, Jesus Christ.
This brilliant author went to special lengths in her creative writing about Jesus and the Gospels.
Yes, it is hard to believe that there was a person who was human and yet so divine as to be the Son of God. Personally, I love reading anything about God and His infinite love, and His beloved son, Jesus Christ.
I have no doubt that this series was met with much skepticism, criticism and controversy. I am so glad the author didn't listen or give in to the naysayers. The world is stalked by relentless evil. I believe we can all learn from Anne Rice. She does her research and then brings that learning to us in a beautiful way. I loved reading about the early life of Jesus, walking the road with him, watching Him make miracles happen.
My dear friends, time is a valuable gift and life is too short to have regrets. I hope you read this beautiful novel. A talented, and very beautiful person carefully and skillfully crafted it especially for us. I hope you always believe something wonderful is going to happen even with all the ups and downs. I hope you never take a day for granted and cherish the little things for every day is another special gift from God. Having the opportunity to read this book was a big blessing for me and I believe it will be a blessing in one way or another for you too.
Jeannie Walker Award Winning Author
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Nov 14, 2012Linore rated it it was amazing
Fascinating and imaginative, this fictional account of the year leading up to Jesus' public ministry might be a little hard to swallow in some ways, but I give Ms. Rice five stars for a masterful attempt: She gives words to the inner life of Jesus himself. I don't think the book completely succeeds, mind you. She portrays a Jesus who isn't aware of his actual deity-- who chooses not to be aware of it, that is--until circumstances propel him into public life. I just can't buy such ignorance on his part. Likewise, there is never a feeling of his closeness, his ONENESS with God. Nevertheless, there is rich prose, a beautiful appreciation of life as a human being (not just as God become flesh; indeed, it is too little of the latter); and a wonderful bringing to life of first century Jewish life. This aspect of the story in itself is a huge accomplishment. Another weakness, however, is the Catholic view of Mary as a perpetual virgin ( which Ms. Rice defends as being biblical. With so much scholarship refuting this--not to mention Scripture itself!--it is a choice rather than a studied conclusion, however). Still, this is a highly readable, if unorthodox approach to trying to understand the humanity of the Lord, and worth the read for the ingenious ways Rice incorporates the biblical record of events into the life of Christ as it unfolds before the reader. I have to add, despite all this, that I sincerely hope no one else tries it! Giving thoughts to Jesus Christ is a dangerous game. (less)
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