The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Berg's sweetly understated dramatization of the Nativity story casts Mary and Joseph as provincial teenagers who try to honor family tradition in spite of challenging circumstances. Alternating between the voices of the holy couple, Berg relates a romance that blossoms at the wedding of relatives between the 16-year-old carpenter from Nazareth and the comely 13-year-old girl originally from Sepphoris. Mary, dreamy and intractable, already entertains notions of miraculous circumstances surrounding her own birth to her barren mother, Anne. Joseph is instantly smitten and engenders the trust of both families for a betrothal, yet Mary holds back, cherishing a sense of greater destiny. Escaping a near rape by a Greek man by the river, Mary then receives the angel's message that she will bear an extraordinary son, despite never having known a man; the sadly unwed Mary must return to Joseph, who repudiates her until he, too, is visited in a dream by an angel directing him on the honorable course. With Herod's decree that everyone return to their hometowns to register for the census, Joseph and the near-term Mary set off on their arduous and momentous journey to Bethlehem. Berg handles the gospel passages with a tender reverence. (On sale Nov. 7)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this poetic, reflective, and intricate novel, Berg turns her perceptively observing eye away from the vagaries of contemporary relationships that form her usual subject and journeys back to the dawn of Christianity to focus on the nascent relationship of Joseph and Mary. Mary is not quite 13 when she meets Joseph, and their instant attraction is rendered with powerfully sweet simplicity, a tone that Berg maintains throughout this spare, precise gem. It is during the period of betrothal in which she and Joseph are pledged to each other before becoming man and wife that Mary is visited by the Holy Spirit and finds herself with child. Thanks to her pure faith in both God and herself, Mary is able to accept the pregnancy for the marvel that it is. Joseph's faith, however, in Mary, in God, and, ultimately, in himself, is less certain. Depicted as an intelligent, inquisitive, impassioned woman, Mary both finds and is given the strength to endure the unique responsibility bestowed upon her. Joseph is equally complex: resolute yet sensitive, devout yet unsettled, sure of his actions, if not his feelings. There is a crystalline humanity, a logical vulnerability in Berg's imaginative interpretation of these religious figures, which brings novel resplendence to a familiar story. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Random House (November 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400065380
• ISBN-13: 978-1400065387
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #183,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Nice Story, November 15, 2006

By	Lori "loripink" (Sharon Hill, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This book was so interesting to read. We all know the story of the birth of Jesus, and how Mary conceived him. But this book made you realize that Joseph and Mary were REAL people, with real hopes, dreams, fears, and yes, desires!

I love Elizabeth Berg, and had I not known it was by her, I might not have guessed that it was by her, and I don't mean that in a bad way, but just that the style was different from what I am used to from her. She is branching out, trying new things. I love her books and anxiously await each one. They are about real people with real struggles, not "fluff" like Danielle Steel these days. I guess it's not fair to compare authors, but we all do it!

Nice book for this time of year, especially. Never hesitate to pick up an Elizabeth Berg book. Her insights are amazing.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A REAL DISAPPOINTMENT, December 31, 2006

By	Ellen Hanson "avid reader" (New York) - See all my reviews

I really wanted to like this book. As an Elizabeth Berg fan, when I discovered that Berg - a poetic writer of women's fiction - actually wrote a book set in Nazareth about the birth of Jesus Christ, I eagerly ordered a copy. Although Berg admits she took liberties with the story of Jesus' birth, and she clearly was trying to portray Mary and Joseph as three dimensional, I found both her writing style and character development quite shallow here. Also, she took Mary and Jospeh places I simply didn't want to go (i.e., I cringed while reading about 16 year old Joseph masturbating, and found myself repelled by the description of 13 year old Mary as filled with sexually yearning). If it's a unique bible story you're looking for, check out Anne Rice's "Christ the Lord - Out of Egypt" instead.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed in One of My Favorite Authors, February 15, 2007

By	Emily in NJ (Maplewood, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

When I saw a new Elizabeth Berg novel at my local library, I eagerly snapped it up, since I have enjoyed everything of hers that I have ever read. This time, however, I was greatly disappointed.

The story here seemed contrived - forced, somehow. Perhaps this was because I knew the "real" story. Joseph and Mary were presented here as love-struck teenagers, which was sweet. I thought - hoped - that this book would maintain that sweetness throughout. It did not. Joseph "evolved" into a more domineering man, which was especially interesting in light of his own feeling of being cuckolded. The fact that he never fully believed Mary, nor did he hand himself over to faith, somehow undercut what could have been a beautiful tale.