The Robe [Paperback]

Lloyd C. Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 1999

A Roman soldier, Marcellus, wins Christ's robe as a gambling prize. He then sets forth on a quest to find the truth about the Nazarene's robe-a quest that reaches to the very roots and heart of Christianity and is set against the vividly limned background of ancient Rome. Here is a timeless story of adventure, faith, and romance, a tale of spiritual longing and ultimate redemption.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lloyd C. Douglas began his literary career after leaving the ministry at the age of 52. All of his novels, essays, and short stories relied on his spiritual background for thematic and creative inspiration. At the height of his popularity, Douglas was receiving on average 100 letters a week from fans. One of these letters provided the inspiration for The Robe. Hazel McCann, a department store clerk from Ohio, wrote to Douglas asking what he thought had happened to Christ's garments after the crucifixion. Douglas immediately began working on a novel based on this concept, sending each chapter to McCann as he finished it. Douglas and McCann finally met in 1941, and it is to her that Douglas has dedicated the book.

The movie of The Robe-stars Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Michael Rennie, Dean Jagger, Jay Robinson, Richard Boone and Jeff Morrow.

Also available from Download eBooks: The Robe; Magnificent Obsession; The Big Fisherman; Green Light; Disputed Passage; White Banners

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

Lloyd Cassel Douglas (1877-1951) began his writing career in midlife, after working for many years as a minister. He gained international fame with his novels Magnificent Obsession 91929) and The Robe (1942).

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (April 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395957753
• ISBN-13: 978-0395957752
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It doesn't get any better than this ..., February 26, 2006

By 

D. VELLKY (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Robe (Paperback)

As a classic many recognize in the movie version, I'd have to say to anyone that has seen the movie and not read the book, you're missing a lot. The movie is a cheap imitation of a novel that sucks you in from page one and doesn't let go until the end. Rarely do I read a book more than once ... I have read this book several times. Some authors have the inherent ability to draw you into the world they've created. Some authors possess the uncanny talent to make you really know the characters - love them or hate them. Some authors can make you feel as though you're walking side by side with the characters, living with them and enduring their emotions, seeing the things that they see. Some authors just have IT, and Lloyd C. Douglas is one of them.

The sweeping pageantry of one man's quest to find truth in a world corrupted is a quest that will stay with you long after the final page has been turned. Without giving too much away, the quick synopsis would be this: The story begins with Marcellus Gallio, the son of the rich Roman Senator Marcus Lucan Gallio, being commissioned to take command of the Roman fort at Minoa (Gaza). His trusted slave and friend, Demetrius, makes the journey with him, and they find at the fort a desolate scrap of land and a group of ruthless ruffians who don't take kindly to leadership. Marcellus takes firm control at Minoa, and it is from here that he and Demetrius end up in Jerusalem during Passover. It is at this particular Passover that Jesus is tried under Pontius Pilate and crucified. The detachment from Minoa, lead by Marcellus, is ordered to execute Jesus. During the Crucifixion, the officers get drunk to avoid the harsh reality of the task they've been assigned. They start to gamble and at one point, they gamble for Christ's robe. Marcellus wins, and his acquiring the Robe sets off a chain of events that leads to his eventual search for the truth behind the man who wore it. At first, as a man who does not believe in religion or in supernatural occurrences, Marcellus is skeptical of the miracles Jesus performed. He is especially skeptical when told of the Resurrection. At every point, he is searching for logical ways to explain the miracles. His transformation from a skeptic to a believer is logical in its progression and one that is miraculous to behold. Nothing comes across as choppy or unbelievable, and the change in Marcellus's character is a slow evolution over time.

In addition, I like that Jesus is not actually portrayed as a corporeal character in the book. Everything that deals with Him is after the Crucifixion, and Marcellus must learn about Him through the Disciples and the people who knew Him. Through their conviction, Marcellus discovers the truth and the belief he has sought.

This novel is the complete experience of everything a novel is supposed to be: Excellent characterization, believable, intriguing plot and conflict, solid sense of time and place, and a climactic ending of triumphant redemption that will leave you in tears. At the end, you're almost sad to turn the last page, disappointed to leave such a world - such an experience - behind. Though only my opinion, I cannot speak highly enough for this book and for this author who has completely revolutionized my opinion of what a novel is supposed to be.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas, April 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Robe (Paperback)

Lloyd C. Douglas' The Robe has become my favorite book. I came upon the book quite by accident a few years ago, and I have since read it 3 times. This book is not just a great religious novel, it is a great novel. Even if the reader is not a Christian, he/she will find it hard to put down. The reader is drawn in from the very first paragraph. Douglas certainly has a knowledge of ancient Rome and Judea, and he uses historical references to great effect. The characters are some of the most richly crafted I have ever read. The tale works on many levels: a love story; a tale of suspense; a tale of political intrigue; and, ultimately, a triumph of the human spirit and the power of personal redemption. For those without a clear view of Chritianity (which is easy to understand these days), this book is for you. While a novel, this book is probably a fairly accurate portrayal of the early Jesus movement in Judea and in Rome. This book should be on every bookshelf.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book!, March 19, 2000

By 

Reb (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Robe (Paperback)

'And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots' Matthew 27:35

One day in March, I was completely bored to death. My Grandma, tired of seeing me mope about, told me to get interested in a good book. Having no good books to read I told my Grandma to pick one out for me. She casually told me that The Robe was a good book and told me to find it off of the shelf that held all of her books that she got from The Peoples' Book Club. It had beautiful illustrations. I sat down to read it and from the first page I was immediately hooked.

That was in the year 1997. It is the year 2000 now and ever since then I have read The Robe 3 times and am in the middle of reading it again.

It is the most enduring story of Marcellus Gallio, a wealthy Tribune and son of a senator in ancient Rome. When he is ordered to put a man he knows is not guilty to death by crucifixion, he goes insane. Marcellus is accompanied in this story by the tragic Demetrius, his slave, and Diana, the woman he loves and a niece to the Emperor. Marcellus, after being healed, goes on a quest to learn of the mysterious man he put to death. And discoves he is not dead at all.

This book takes 508 pages to unfold. But it is told with such mesmerising characters and such keen historical detail that you wish it would never end.