Paul: A Novel [Import] [Paperback]

Walter Wangerin (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Zondervan; Unabridged edition (December 1, 2003)
• ISBN-10: 0310261686
• ISBN-13: 978-0310261681
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Walter Wangerin Jr. is widely recognized as one of the most gifted writers writing today on the issues of faith and spirituality. Starting with the renowned Book of the Dun Cow, Wangerin's writing career has encompassed most every genre: fiction, essay, short story, children's story, meditation, and biblical exposition. His writing voice is immediately recognizable, and his fans number in the millions. The author of over forty books, Wangerin has won the National Book Award, New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year Award, and several Gold Medallions, including best-fiction awards for both The Book of God and Paul: A Novel. He lives in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he is Senior Research Professor at Valparaiso University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An imaginative work that rings of authenticity., August 28, 2000

By 

John W. Gillis (Natick, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Paul: A Novel (Hardcover)

A colorful appropriation of the life and times of Paul of Tarsus, largely extrapolated (with commendable constraint) from the letters of Paul and from the Acts of the Apostles, as seen through the eyes of several of the characters who occupy those books. Readers looking here for an ideological soapbox upon which to climb will be disappointed, as Paul is neither painted as the buffoon that so many moderns seemingly wish him to be, nor as a blameless, misunderstood hero.

Some of the characters (e.g. Simon Peter and James) seem, if not one dimensional, at least too thin. Even Paul's character seems to suffer a bit here and there from underdevelopment, but in fairness to Wangerin, I'm certain it would take a writer the equal of Shakespeare to do full justice to a character of Paul's magnitude. On the other hand, characters like Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, and Prisca jump out from the dusty corners of the New Testament to become confidants of the reader. To my mind, Prisca steals the show, so to speak. Her rapt love for Paul (and his Voice) gives us a clue as to how this upended Pharisee managed to turn the world itself on its head: dividing both the Jewish and Gentile worlds down the middle, and changing the course of history forever.

I must say that I thought the Seneca sections were unnecessary and detracted from the whole (How did this end up in here?). The relevance of the situation in Rome to the story at hand was never made clear, what little bearing it did have on the young Christian movement was never really treated, and it almost seems to occupy its space for little reason other than to provide the book with the kind of scandalous juice that would be lacking in a story focused only on the birth of the Church. If these chapters were removed, the book would lose nothing but heft, and would gain in coherence.

This disappointment was offset by the surprising presence of, at times, large sections of Paul's actual letters to the churches (colorfully translated). Perhaps it was cynical of me to be surprised by this, but I did not expect a modern novel *about* Paul to leave Paul much room to speak for himself. Much of Paul's oratory is also scriptural, but even where it is not, Wangerin displays an accomplished theologian's grasp of Paul's thought, giving us imagined words from Paul that ring true to his heart.

This is perhaps Wangerin's principal accomplishment here: he does not tell us his own "story" using Paul as his puppet voice, rather he tells us convincingly of Paul, of the problems that he faced, and of what it might have meant to have known him in his day. All in all: nice work, Walter. Recommended reading.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW, I'd like to give this one SIX STARS, April 19, 2001

By 

Just-a-girl "abc-survivors.net" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul: A Novel (Hardcover)

I finished this book several days ago and have been pondering how to describe it. It is surprising that another reviewer was so critical of Wangerin's portrayal of Paul. Paul wrote much about suffering and weakness, and about glorying in Christ alone. This book gives some plausible reasons why he did so. It completely changed my view of Paul.

As a girl who grew up knowing Christ, Paul sometimes baffled me. In fact, he sometimes offended me. I thought he had a view of women that painted us inferior...I remember as a teenager wrestling with his words and thinking of God's negative view of me! So Paul has not always been beloved in my life.

That is why I am genuinely thankful for this novel. It opened my eyes to the passion of Paul. It made me see the apostles and their writings in a living, breathing context. I know that this book is fiction, and I am sure that there are parts of it that are complete fiction. But now I can read the New Testament as a part of an amazing story. Instead of reading a passage and immediately looking for things that apply to me, I am more able to read it as the powerful history that it is. I don't see Paul as preaching at me, but as living for the same Spirit who is in me. I see him as a brother heeding an amazing calling - the same calling that I have. And the way that he lived for that calling is so inspiring. The way he impacted the church, even though he suffered greatly, is an example for us.

Wangerin used Bible verses and references throughout this novel. Through the events that unfold, he shows all of the drama and passion that were behind the words. We see the great conflicts of the day that inspired Paul's words.

Buy this book! You will want to read it more than once. The writing style is fascinating, but not too complex for the average reader. I just can't recommend it enough, especially for those who have read a lot of Scripture and could use a refreshing read. It will make you want to pull out your Bible and read more! I have even purchased two more of Wangerin's books because of this one's impact. Oh, and God used this book to help me in a time of despair. It would be great for a depressed Christian who is easily discouraged when reading Scripture. It is encouraging and inspiring, and it made me remember why I love the Lord and Scripture so much.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging portrait of what might have been, September 5, 2000

By 

Kurt Granzow (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Paul: A Novel (Hardcover)

Take the book of Acts and then try to fill in all the details by painting a written portrait of what things might have been like. That is basically what Walter Wangerin does in this engaging novel. Staying true to Biblical sources, Mr. Wangerin shows us Paul in a way that many people may have never seen him before. The Paul we see here is one who is often disliked by his fellow believers, but always respected. We see Paul as a man of such strong convictions that people can't help but have strong reactions to him, either positive or negative. The only complaint I had about the book was that it slowed down in places. Otherwise, this is a very well-written fictional account of someone who we know about only in Scripture. This novel does a neat job of taking you back to those times when God was moving in his people and letting you play with the idea of "I wonder what it might have been like to be there." It is well worth the read.