I finished this book only because I hate not following through on anything. I was offended from the beginning and appalled the further along I got into the book. I was expecting a Christian Historical Fiction novel that was based on the times of Jesus. I do not feel that this book fit into that category. I should have stopped on the second page - when the first crass descriptions appeared. I decided to press on since authors sometimes offend in order to make a greater point later on. That really never came.
Historical inaccuracies abound. I realize that historical fiction means that the author weaves a made-up story around historical facts, people, or just cultures and settings. This book was woven around the life of Jesus but did not just fill in holes. It completely changes what is found in scripture. Instead of the names being changed to "protect the innocent", the names were used but the people were changed. Mary Magdalene had seven demons cast from her. There is no evidence of her being the "village whore". Joanna is mentioned as a follower of Jesus and little else is said about her. Her additional storyline is, therefore, expected to be mostly the author's creation. However, scripture tells us that she was one of the women at Jesus' tomb and the novel has her leaving the followers before they return to the tomb. Anna's review points out a few more of these problems and I also agree that the equality of the sexes is taken way too far. Most disturbing of all to me was the portrayal of Jesus being frequently depressed. Yes, he grieved for humanity. He did NOT grieve the failure of His mission.
On a brighter note, I reread almost the entirety of the four gospels in checking the facts.
In short, if you want to read a novel that is VERY loosely based on Jesus and Israel in His time, you might want to read this book. If you want the time, place, and character features to be accurate, skip it. You'll do better to just read the gospels for yourself.
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