A Love Divine [Hardcover]

Alexandra Ripley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1996

A fictionalized portrait of Joseph of Arimathea provides an intriguing look behind the myth of the wealthy Jew who gave his own tomb for the burial of Jesus and who, according to legend, carried the tenets of Christianity to Britain. By the author of Scarlett. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The deft use of historical detail trumps the uneven quality of her prose as Ripley's new novel (after the bestselling Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind) delivers a vivid portrait of the far reaches of the Roman Empire and of the life and times of Joseph of Arimathea. In a postscript to this lengthy work, Ripley notes that little is known about Joseph except that he was wealthy and gave his own tomb for the burial of Jesus. Basing her plot on the legend that Joseph was a seaman and tin trader who brought Christianity to England, Ripley weaves the tale of a farmer's son whose passion for the sea carries him to prominence and power while still young. She details his friendships with King Herod and Augustus Caesar, his lifelong love affair with his first wife (even after he remarries), his establishment of a Jewish settlement in ancient Britain among the Celts and their Druid priests, the healing of Joseph's crippled daughter by Jesus and, finally, Joseph's decision to preach the teachings of Christ throughout the Roman Empire. Jesus doesn't appear until late in the book; soon after, Joseph hears of the crucifixion and, in a beautifully rendered scene, removes the body from the cross. The dialogue tends to be wooden early on and contains concentrated doses of religious sentimentality when Joseph and his daughter begin their preaching. But Ripley creates several inspired historical cameos (Herod, Pontius Pilate, Salome) and skillfully incorporates a wealth of visual and architectural, as well as religious, political and social, detail into her engrossing story. Major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The author, well known for Scarlett (LJ 8/90), presents prodigious biblical research recreating the life of Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy Jewish seaman who provided his own tomb for Jesus. Much of the story centers around the time preceding the birth of Christ when Joseph amasses a fortune from his love of the sea. He marries his true love, Sarah, when she is 12 years old; their child, born crippled, ultimately leads Joseph to Jesus. These are startling, often violent times, when the slightest deviation from religious law requires the sacrificing of live animals and when political deception regularly results in the deaths of hundreds. Ripley has fashioned an intelligent, resourceful character in Joseph, whose far-flung travels allow the epic to unfold in a natural manner. Although some dialog sounds too contemporary for a biblical setting and the length is formidable, this book will have strong appeal for readers of Christian and historical fiction. Recommended for all fiction collections.
-?Terrill Persky, Woodridge P. L., Ill.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 712 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books; 1ST edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446516910
• ISBN-13: 978-0446516914
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #658,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read it for the History, July 2, 2000

By 

Marian Powell - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Love Divine (Mass Market Paperback)

The first 500 pages of this novel deserve five stars. It tells the story of Joseph of Arimathea, beginning when he runs away from home at the age of 12. His father is a bitter man who wants to keep his son safe on the farm in Arimathea. (His own father had been murdered by the Romans by order of Herod). The adventures of young Joseph as he learns to be a sailor are marvelous as is the background. The Mediterranean world ruled by Rome comes to life and you are absolutely there. Not content with that, we also travel on a secret mission to Great Britain for tin, but the author obviously loves the politics of Rome. I've seen the famous "I, Claudius" and got confused. This novel covers much the same period of time but makes a lot more sense. The rulers of Rome seem like real people, as does Joseph as he rises to power. Joseph wants to beat the Romans at their own game so to speak, following the old cliche that "the best revenge is living well". He works his way up to wealth and power to the point where it seems perfectly logical that that the Emperor Augustus should turn to him and ask how his old friend Herod is! All that is interesting and most novels would end here, once Joseph has made it to the top. However, he is also a religious Jew, or would like to be. Something that gives the novel power is his endless struggle to figure out what compromises he can make and still be Jewish. That's a modern struggle. He never finds an answer. He reaches middle age and feels a little empty and dissatisfied. Then personal tragedy strikes and he becomes desperate to find meaning in a life suddenly meaningless. One of the many strengths of A Love Divine is the way it gives feel of Roman politics and how inevitably they were leading to the crucifixion of Jesus. Unfortunately, by this time, we are at page 516 and suddenly the story speeds up. Joseph becomes a Christian, decides to be an apostle, tries to preach, starts traveling and we rush along not having time to get to know all the new people and new situations that are being introduced. From here to the end the novel is a little disappointing in comparison to the first 500 pages. The story being told is so vast and sweeping that it cries out to be two novels or even a trilogy. Too much is crammed into the final 200 pages so the result is a novel that is merely good instead of superlative. It is still one of the best historical novels I have read and highly to be recommended just on the basis of the vivid picture of the times. It can be read with enjoyment just for the history, although you'll be left remembering Joseph and several dozen of his friends.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great novel, November 6, 2003

By 

Cynthia Selene (Miskolc, Hungary) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Love Divine (Mass Market Paperback)

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".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down!, April 9, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Brick, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Love Divine (Mass Market Paperback)

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!