A Love Divine

I was really curious how can anyone make a 800-page long novel out of that short line that referred to Joseph of Arimathea in the Bible. It was done surprisingly well. Again we see the rich panorama that makes the Ripley novels outstanding, this time it is the ancient Middle East, Rome and Britain, and again we meet a bunch of lovable characters including Joseph, his family and friends, his lovely daughter Ella and lots of historical persons. I liked the way Jesus was in the story, he didn't really appeared in the story but had a great impact on the characters' life. Although Joseph's conversion to Christianity is written beautifully and the second half of the book is about the early days of Christianity, this is not a religious novel, but a story of ordinary people who happened to live in that age, and we can feel their happiness, sorrows, pain and joy as if they were our friends.If you liked this, also read Barbara Wood's "Soul Flame".

This book is a must for people who enjoy historical fiction. Ripley takes all of the facts and legends about Joseph, blends them with the historical context of Israel, and comes up with a beautiful, story that just could be true! I couldn't put it down!

Alexandra Ripley does an excellent job telling this epic story from the male perspective of Joseph of Arimathea. Her character development is excellent, as is her depiction of "real life" in the ancient Middle East. A great read for anyone who likes a novel with a strong historical bent to it!

This story was a unique match of fact and fiction. After reading the story you can look at it and say, "well yes it could have happened that way." This book has made me want to delve more into history. I will be searching out places that I would have never been interested in seeing before just to get an insight into what may have happened. Read this book, it can make you laugh, cry, angry, you can run the whole kambit of emotions before you finish this book

The panorama of "the world of " Joseph of Arimathea was spread before the reader's eyes. Ripley carries you to parts of the world that are not normally thought of by readers who are thinking of the life of Jesus as it would connect to the life of Joseph of Arimathea.. Life on the open sea, life in Alexandria , life in Rome, life in Briton, all give the reader a new understanding of the world during the life of Jesus. The "Love Divine" between Joseph and his wife was laced throughout the book. IT is well worth the time spent in the pages for the reader to come away with a new respect for Joseph of Arimathea and for Alexandra Ripley