Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana

She loved the book

Anne Rice has once again stepped up to the plate --- This book is beautifully written , I could not put it down until I finished it. The most touching part of the book was Jesus encounter with Satan, the script is powerful & I constantly think of the passages. Brava Anne you have done it AGAIN !!!

I have now read the first two books of Anne Rice's planned 4 on Christ the Lord. The first was a bit slow, but necessary background, but The Road to Cana was very engrossing. She has really captured the culture, the context, and the humanity of Jesus. I was also impressed with the detail on the Jewish traditions, and the stiff moral character of the Jewish culture, in the face of such persecution. Highly recommend these books to people of any religious persuasion. They read more like history than strictly religious books. I know that the dialogue and some circumstances are fictionalized, but the depth of her research clearly shines through and lends the books an air of veracity.

People fear what they do not understand. But what if you feared yourself? Jesus, or Yeshua Bar Joseph as he is known to his family, is just past thirty years of age. He is well aware that there are those around him who still whisper about his birth: the Magi, the gifts, the Angel coming to prophecy his coming. But he wants nothing more than to live a normal life amongst his family. He longs to be a normal man but those around him watch. They wait. The winter has been cruel, dry and no rain has graced the land around them. And so they hope that Jesus will bring great change. It is only a matter of time. While those around him wait for his greatness to reveal itself, Jesus struggles with his lot in life. In love with a kinswoman, Avigail, Jesus knows that he cannot marry her. He does not know everything that is planned for him, but he knows she is not for him. Torn inside, Jesus wonders what his lot in life truly is. He wonders how long he will have to wait before his true purpose is made clear to him. When brigands attack Nazareth, Avigail is harmed, shamed. To save her virtue, Jesus prays to God to bring rain. And he does. When the townspeople come to Jesus to ask him to stop the rain, He again asks God for help; and the rain stops. The whispering around Jesus reaches a fever pitch when news reaches them: Jesus' cousin, John, has emerged from the woods speaking of a prophet, a Messiah. John knows that this Messiah is Jesus. Now Jesus must come to terms with who he is and his destiny; or succumb to temptation by the Devil... Having read Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, I was more than eager to get my hands on Anne Rice's new novel Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana. It continues the story of the life of Christ as he heads towards his destiny. Frankly, I was a little worried. I was worried that the second book wouldn't be as good as the first one. I loved Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt so much. I've read it countless times and it's become one of my all time favourite books. Would The Road to Cana be as breath taking, as incredible, as beautiful? I needn't have worried. Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana is just as meticulously researched as Out of Egypt was and just as beautiful if not more so. In Out of Egypt we saw Christ as a boy. Now we come to know him far more intimately as he struggles with the man he has to become. What I love most about this book is that, though Jesus is divine, Rice has done an amazing job of portraying him as human. She has really given us the ultimate study in human nature as Jesus struggles and then accepts what he is, what he must do. She shows us a man who knows what he must do and the sacrifices he makes to do it. Now, I'm not a Christian. I normally don't read what I would call Christian fiction. Most Christian fiction actually makes me a little uncomfortable. But that doesn't matter. Rice has written a novel that goes beyond the religious aspect of Christianity and embraces the spiritual. This is

I received my copy of Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana mid-morning - I couldn't stop reading - read it almost straight through - Jesus' story, told first person, envelopes you into the emotions that must have been part of this Son of God, who was born of a Virgin, yet still was a man in every sense - The Road to Cana finds Jesus around 30 years of age - a turbulent time for the area - Jews are butting heads with Roman officials...the area is tense. There is a drought in the area - an analogy for the drought of belief? I cannot begin to describe the beauty of Rice's writing - We Christians know the actions of this early time of His Ministry - when all the pieces come together and His path is revealed - Jesus' family, his kith and kin, (including a beautiful kinswoman Avigail). It is mesmerizing. And beautiful, powerful, reverent. This series is amazing. The beginnings - a montage of the first of Jesus' ministry - from casting out demons to baptism with John the Baptist to the miracle of changing water into wine at Cana - I especially like how the wine transformation was handled - the sweetness between Jesus and Mary handled perfectly - I am in awe. Rice does justice to the Lord - the Son of God - One hopes she spreads out Jesus' story out in many, many sequels. Excellent. My niece is going on a trip for a Church project to help an orphanage in Guatemala, and I told her I am giving her Rice's two books about Jesus to read on the plane and to share with her friends who are going with the group. She knows I don't recommend books unless they touch me. Been a while I have been drawn literally into a book, and Rice has hit her stride with this series!

I pre-ordered at my local bookstore, received yesterday, and couldn't put it down until way too late last night, and finished it this morning over breakfast after delivering a baby. Mrs. Rice brings us a portrayal of Jesus as a feeling, caring, joyful, sad man, who knows he is God, and is awaiting his time to begin his ministry. The story is reverent and real, not preachy with King James speech, as some otherwise good historical novels of the early church are. She brings to life the Jewish communities and cultures of the time, all from Jesus' point of view. You feel his love, joy, anger, and questioning, and that of his family and friends who know he is the Messiah, but wonder when he will live out that destiny. She gets you inside Jesus' head - what does it feel like to be in the desert after baptism, and all of a sudden have knowledge of EVERYONE's feelings and lives, that had only been hinted at before, and questions of fate and God, things like that. The theology is from a Catholic perspective, but if you didn't know that, you wouldn't feel it. (Mary is really neat, not preachy) Get this book!