The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel and over 360,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
137 used & new from $0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel
 
 
Start reading The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

List Price: $17.95
Price: $15.34 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $2.61 (15%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Monday, December 7? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Ordering for Christmas? To ensure delivery by December 24, choose Standard Shipping at checkout. Read more about holiday shipping.

28 new from $1.00 106 used from $0.01 3 collectible from $14.00

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Kindle Edition, November 7, 2006 $7.00 -- --
  Hardcover, November 6, 2006 $15.34 $1.00 $0.01
  Paperback, October 27, 2008 $8.00 $1.15 $0.45
  Audio, CD, Audiobook, Unabridged $24.95 $6.00 $0.79
  Audio, Download Offsite Link $13.10 or less with new Audible membership

Best Value

Buy What We Keep: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle) and get The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel at an additional 5% off Amazon.com's everyday low price.

What We Keep: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle) + The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel
Buy Together Today: $25.77

Show availability and shipping details

  • What We Keep: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • This item: The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

We Are All Welcome Here: A Novel

We Are All Welcome Here: A Novel

by Elizabeth Berg
4.0 out of 5 stars (64)  $10.04
Dream When You're Feeling Blue: A Novel

Dream When You're Feeling Blue: A Novel

by Elizabeth Berg
2.8 out of 5 stars (122)  $10.08
True to Form : A Novel

True to Form : A Novel

by Elizabeth Berg
Never Change

Never Change

by Elizabeth Berg
4.1 out of 5 stars (124)  $10.08
Until the Real Thing Comes Along (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Until the Real Thing Comes Along (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

by Elizabeth Berg
3.2 out of 5 stars (92)  $11.16
Explore similar items

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

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)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Berg
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's Elizabeth Berg Page

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel
60% buy the item featured on this page:
The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel 3.3 out of 5 stars (33)
$15.34
Home Safe: A Novel
12% buy
Home Safe: A Novel 3.1 out of 5 stars (66)
$10.20
Dream When You're Feeling Blue: A Novel
12% buy
Dream When You're Feeling Blue: A Novel 2.8 out of 5 stars (122)
$10.08
The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation
9% buy
The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation 4.4 out of 5 stars (35)
$9.20

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

33 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (8)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars A REAL DISAPPOINTMENT, December 31, 2006
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
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.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Joseph and Mary - A Love Story
I was unaware until recently that a novelist had taken a very familiar story, that of the birth of Christ, and given it this twist. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Graceann Macleod

5.0 out of 5 stars The Handmaid and the Carpenter book order
I ordered this book through Amazon from a used book dealer. It arrived in excellent condition, and was well packed. I received it very soon after I ordered. Read more
Published 9 months ago by J. Crockett

3.0 out of 5 stars REALITY sets in for MARY & JOSEPH
Elizabeth Berg is a fantastic writer and though this is a new area for her, the enjoyable prose comes through. However, this is nothing like her other books. Read more
Published 9 months ago by L. J. Schrader

2.0 out of 5 stars Marie's opinion
Dissapointed with this.
Elizabeth is an amazing writer but this did not work for me.
It lacked tension.
Outcome too predictable. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Marie Cosgrave

3.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story but no character development.
I enjoyed this story. The love story between Mary and Joseph was was beautifully depicted and I love the way they were presented as human beings and not perfect. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Emily Braun

5.0 out of 5 stars Another good Berg...
This is the last Berg book I read, and I was not looking forward to it, but warmed to the idea of her own version of what happened between Mary and Joseph. Read more
Published 12 months ago by H

1.0 out of 5 stars unexpected
I was very drawn to read about the relationship between Mary and Joseph, and see them in a more down to earth manner. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Babs

1.0 out of 5 stars What happened to Elizabeth Berg???
She used to be one of my favorite writers, but what has happened to her? She hasn't written a book that I enjoyed in years. Read more
Published 22 months ago by OlyNomad

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely story
Although this book is fiction, the story is real. It reminds us that Mary and Joseph were "human" and had the same feelings and frustrations as the rest of mankind. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Love Shoes

3.0 out of 5 stars A nice little Christmas story
I thought Berg's take on the birth and young life of Jesus, with Mary and Joseph was interesting. Because the story in the Bible leaves a lot of questions unanswered, it is easy... Read more
Published on September 3, 2007 by Kel

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   



So You'd Like to...


Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.