Amazing. Tons of audacity...and enough faith and talent to pull it off. I wept and laughed. Put Biblical passages I've known and loved for years into a context that gave them even more emotional power. ( )

I bought the first book in this series, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt for its novelty. The Vampire chronicler herself was tackling the life of Christ, and it seemed like an honest endeavour. I bought the sequel as soon as it came out on the strength of the first novel. I wasn’t let down. The Road to Cana even surpasses Out of Egypt.

Here’s why this novel shines:

1. Historical Accuracy: Rice has done her homework. She studied N. T. Wright and many others to ensure she understood the era before embarking.
2. Theological Acumen: Rice has not only done her historical homework—she’s worked through the theology as well. Having just preached a message on the Wedding at Cana, I was happily surprised to discover the theological nuances she revealed in her prose, while never sounding like a text book.
3. Vocational Wrestling: Have you ever wondered when Jesus knew that he was the Messiah, God’s Son, or even God himself? Without giving the novel away, the scenes where Jesus wrestles with his vocation are among the strongest in the book.
4. Contemplative Prayer: A path to contemplative prayer involves reading scripture slowly and placing yourself into the text. What would it be like to stand on the bank of the Jordan River when John the Baptist looked up and caught a glimpse of the one whom he had foretold? How would the crowd react? In a very real sense, this book is a prayer. I found myself compelled to follow Jesus’ life and example all over again as I saw him through Rice’s imagination.

Read this series. For the theologian, Rice places diverse theological ideas into a beautifully concise narrative—which theology’s home in the first place. For the believer, these books will make you love Jesus and think about his life all over again. For those who don’t know much about Christ the Lord, these books are a great introduction to the most enigmatic person in history. ( )

This powerful novel vividly portrays one person's imagined view of what it was like for Jesus to live among us as a human. It covers time in Jesus' life when he is an unknown carpenter living in Nazereth, struggling with feelings of love for a beautiful young neighbor, and with the scorn of many of his other neighbors. Rice certainly does a skillful job of portraying the time period in which He lived and Jesus' family members and neighbors also come to life in a way that the sparse stories of the Bible don't allow for. And the reader even feels an emotional connection to Jesus and hs struggles as we listen to him tell us about life among us in his own words and thoughts. I did think that Rice went too far in portraying Christ's humanity, however, as He did not come across to me as being perfectly sinless like he must have been. But then how can a sin tainted writer portray someone who was perfectly sinless anyway? The emotional impact of Rice's work cannot be denied, and I did well up with sadness at the end and I pondered all the pain that Jesus would have to go through as he chose the path that would lead to salvation for humanity. I highly recommend this book--it will definitely make you think! Also I listened to the audio version and the narrator James Naughton has wonderfully warm voice with captured just the right tone and pace for this book. ( )

The second volume in Anne Rice's trilogy about the life of Jesus Christ.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had a greater knowledge of the source material. I'm an art historian, so I know a fair amount about Christian iconography, but my specialty is the Nativity Cycle. I have an excellent grasp on the events surrounding Christ's birth and I know a decent amount about the Passion, but I'm pretty sketchy on everything in between.

That being the case, I didn't get a whole lot out of this because I didn't know what Rice was building off of. I couldn't read through the book and recognize key events or particular theological debates, as I did with the first volume. I did enjoy the writing, to a certain extent, but the book failed to captivate me because I simply didn't have the background for it.

Recommended to Christians and those with a good working knowlege of Christ's life. Others may have some difficulty. ( )

A book to change the way one thinks about Jesus. An incredible take on some of the every day struggles of Jesus like love along with the Biblical scenes including his baptism and meeting Satan. I was disappointed when the book ended. ( )

"I'd always known who I really was. I was God. And I'd chosen not to know it. Well, now I knew just what it meant to be the man who knew he was God."

As the novel opens, Yeshua (Jesus) struggles with a sense of restlessness of purpose and a deep love for a comely kinswoman. Waves of isolation sweep over him as he comes to understand that serving the Lord's will takes precedence over the desires of his own heart. Whereas the first novel in this series, "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt", hewed so closely to Scripture and to the author's meticulous research, the sequel puts forth the "lost" young adulthood of Jesus, offers wise and haunting speculation where the Bible is silent.

"Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana" takes a big chronological leap forward, and the storytelling seems to reflect the maturation of her subject. Yeshua bar Joseph (Jesus of Nazareth) is now a man on the brink of embracing his identity and his purpose. He's God in the flesh, as he himself knows, but he also struggles with the human desires for companionship, family, and acceptance. His relatives and the local villagers sometimes call him Yeshua, the Sinless. "This is where I live. Not in the Temple, but in the world. And in the world, I learn what the world is and what the world will teach, and I am of the world. The world's made of wood and stone and iron, and I work in it. No, not in the Temple. In the world. And I study the Torah; and I pray with the assembly; and on the feasts I go to Jerusalem to stand before the Lord -- in the Temple -- but this is in the world, all this. In the world. And when it is time for me to do what the Lord has sent me to do in this world, this world which belongs to HNim, this world of wood and stone and iron and grass and air, He will reveal it to me. And what this carpenter shall yet build in this world on that day, the Lord knows, and the Lord shall reveal it."

We follow along as he fights against the ignorance and cruelty that leads to the stoning of two youths suspected of homosexuality. We marvel at the stirring sequences with John the Baptist. We share his anguish when scandal falls upon the innocent, desperate Avigail. Especially moving was his giving up of the only chance he has of a "normal" human life -- that of getting married and raising a family of his own. Instead, Yeshua chooses to turn water into wine -- at the request of his mother, Mary -- when he attended Avigail's wedding at Cana.

Rice, through Yeshua's eyes, lets us in for peeks at the heart of God, as it relates to the human struggle. This culminates in Yeshua's face-off with Satan in the wilderness, during his forty days of fasting -- a masterpiece of textured prose -- and in the following incident with Mary of Magdala. "And then the remembering came, driving away the random voices of censure, the remembering...of every single solitary thing I'd ever done in this, my earthly existence. And sparkling in the density were the moments of pain -- of loss, fear, of sudden regret, of grief, of discomforting and tormented amazement."

For future readers, please pay particular attention to the chapter wherein Jesus engages in a dialogue with Satan; that alone is worth the price of the entire book. It brilliantly, lucidly, and accurately outlines the fundamental basis for the incarnation of Christ, the Delusion of Lucifer, and the underlying Catholic philosophical underpinnings to this complex, yet necessary 'debate' and 'revelation' between God and Satan. This Chapter alone is absolutely stunning in that it captures extremely complex philosophical concepts and presents them in a cogent, coherent 'conversation' between the Father and the Deluded Morning Star.

Not only is this book to be regarded as the latest masterpiece of Anne Rice, but I feel that it can be appreciated by both believers and non-believers alike. You need not be a Roman Catholic like myself or a Christian to appreciate this work.

Book Details:

Title Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana
Author
Reviewed By Purplycookie ( )

Another very bad book from Rice. Gag. ( )

Second in the series and better than the first, The Road to Cana fills in a lot of the unknown or lost periods in the life of Jesus. My only wish would be that the temptation in the desert be expanded a bit. ( )

The story is told from Jesus' own point of view and describes events from the winter before the wedding at Cana through his baptism by John the Baptist, his 40 days in the wilderness and temptations, the calling of the first disciples, up to the wedding at Cana itself.

Although Anne Rice is enough of a story teller to keep you turning the pages and it was definitely a quick read, I felt the first part about how the couple who were to be wed at Cana came to be engaged was far too long (about 3/5 of the book) while everything else was squeezed in.

I had the same feeling I've had with some of her vampire and witch stories, that she doesn't anchor her stories in a particular time and place well. This also raises problems with Jesus' extended family -- I really wasn't sure who was who and what their relationships were a lot of the time. ( )

I never read any of Ann Rice's vampire books, however, I love her new Christ the Lord series. I read Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt when it first came out. This latest one again presents a very human Jesus who is discovering his powers, and gradually beginning his ministry. For me, it was powerful, inspiring, and has me eagerly awaiting the next volume. Make no mistake, it is not going to be a book that will be accepted by all Christians as it embellishes the literal wording of accepted Christian scripture but I found it quite believable, well-researched, and extraordinarily well-written.
The book is written in first person with Jesus as the person relating his own thoughts. The narrator's very quiet but firm voice is one I'd certainly be able to relate to if I ever met the physical Jesus. Anne Rice is really letting us into her return to CatholicismQuote-right ( )

This book is my favorite of the series so far. Rice makes her characters so believable that I have to remind myself that it is fiction. Rice did a lot of research for this book and major events in Jesus life at this time were included in the book. I was afraid that Rice would lose her voice when she started her Christian writings, but I was pleasantly surprised that the book had the same voice that I know and love. I actually wrote Rice an email asking her to hurry and finish the third book so I could read it. That is just how much I enjoyed this book. ( )

Jesus - he is called Yeshua bar Joseph - during a winter of no rain, endless dust, and talk of trouble in Judea. Legends of a Virgin birth have long surrounded Yeshua, yet for decades he has lived as one among many who come to the synagogue on the Sabbath. All who know and love him find themselves waiting for some sign of the path he will eventually take. And at last we see him emerge from his baptism to confront his destiny - and the Devil. We see what happens when he takes the water of six great limestone jars, transforms it into cool red wine, is recognized as the anointed one, and urged to call all Israel to take up arms against Rome and follow him as the prophets have foretold. ( )

This is a first person autobiographic narrative by the person known to history as Jesus of Nazareth. This book covers the period of time of several months leading into the beginning of his ministry. Since it is a novel it can cover a lot of details that are left out of the Gospel accounts. Thus this book can describe many details of events that are not covered in the New Testament. For example, this book explains how the valuable gifts brought by the wise men at the time of Jesus' birth ended up being used by the family. Also, this book explains what Satan looked like during his visit with Jesus during the forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. Now that I know the answers to those questions from this book, I can't imagine the answers being any different. I guess I should also mention that this book explains in detail how Jesus can have all those brothers and sisters and his mother still be a perpetual virgin.

The author has done her historical research and has done a good job describing the geographic and historical context of the time. However, she has strictly limited her use of history to only those facts that are compatible with the orthodox understanding of who Jesus was. Thus, this book can be comfortably read by people with traditional Christian beliefs. Her many years of writing about Vampires has helped her develop the skills needed to write a story about a young man who is God. Only Anne Rice could write such a narrative in first person and end up with a half believable account.

This is the second book in a series of novels about the life of Jesus. The reader will want to read Christ The Lord: Out Of Egypt before this book to get the story in the correct chronological order. ( )

A historic look at Jesus, the man who realizes his godliness. ( )

I received my latest Anne Rice novel in the mail early this week and finished reading it just yesterday. I couldn’t put it down.

The book chronicles fictionally Jesus’ life just before his three-year ministry and concludes with the water-to-wine miracle at the wedding.

This is the second book in Rice’s latest series, “Christ the Lord”, and if you remember, I read and reviewed the first book back in August of ‘06. I enjoyed reading it as much or maybe even a bit more than the first book and loved imagining the story taking place as I read the words.

The most striking part of the story for me was Rice’s take on Christ being tempted. Rice gives new clarity to Hebrews 4:14-16:

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [ESV]

Those verses to a young man like myself growing up trying to be like Jesus was always a curious thought because the only temptations we read about Jesus having were in the wilderness by Satan and those temptations weren’t nearly as tempting to a young teenager!

Ms. Rice gives a great picture of Jesus the man - fully-man - being tempted in thought and action and yet NOT succumbing to the temptations presented to him!

I know the book would be a great discussion-starter for any group of people willing to read it together - with the realization that it is fictional account of the life of Christ built around some extra-biblical stories and the wonderful imagination of Anne Rice. ( )

People fear what they do not understand. But what if you feared yourself?

Jesus, or Yeshua Bar Joseph as he is known to his family, is just past thirty years of age. He is well aware that there are those around him who still whisper about his birth: the Magi, the gifts, the Angel coming to prophecy his coming. But he wants nothing more than to live a normal life amongst his family.

He longs to be a normal man but those around him watch. They wait. The winter has been cruel, dry and no rain has graced the land around them. And so they hope that Jesus will bring great change. It is only a matter of time.

While those around him wait for his greatness to reveal itself, Jesus struggles with his lot in life. In love with a kinswoman, Avigail, Jesus knows that he cannot marry her. He does not know everything that is planned for him, but he knows she is not for him.

Torn inside, Jesus wonders what his lot in life truly is. He wonders how long he will have to wait before his true purpose is made clear to him. When brigands attack Nazareth, Avigail is harmed, shamed. To save her virtue, Jesus prays to God to bring rain.

And he does. When the townspeople come to Jesus to ask him to stop the rain, He again asks God for help; and the rain stops. The whispering around Jesus reaches a fever pitch when news reaches them: Jesus' cousin, John, has emerged from the woods speaking of a prophet, a Messiah. John knows that this Messiah is Jesus.

Now Jesus must come to terms with who he is and his destiny; or succumb to temptation by the Devil…

Having read Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, I was more than eager to get my hands on Anne Rice's new novel Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana. It continues the story of the life of Christ as he heads towards his destiny.

Frankly, I was a little worried. I was worried that the second book wouldn't be as good as the first one. I loved Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt so much. I've read it countless times and it's become one of my all time favourite books. Would The Road to Cana be as breath taking, as incredible, as beautiful?

I needn't have worried. Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana is just as meticulously researched as Out of Egypt was and just as beautiful if not more so. In Out of Egypt we saw Christ as a boy. Now we come to know him far more intimately as he struggles with the man he has to become.

What I love most about this book is that, though Jesus is divine, Rice has done an amazing job of portraying him as human. She has really given us the ultimate study in human nature as Jesus struggles and then accepts what he is, what he must do. She shows us a man who knows what he must do and the sacrifices he makes to do it.

Now, I'm not a Christian. I normally don't read what I would call Christian fiction. Most Christian fiction actually makes me a little uncomfortable. But that doesn't matter. Rice has written a novel that goes beyond the religious aspect of Christianity and embraces the spiritual. This is not a book about religion but a story of love, family, forgiveness and redemption.

You don't have to be a Christian to enjoy this book. I know that there are plenty of people out there who probably don't want to give it a chance based solely off of its subject matter. I've had people scoff at me when I told them how incredible Rice's Christ the Lord books are.

I know that some of you, reading this review, are still scoffing. But they're amazing books, people. And Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana is the best book that Rice has ever written. It transcends genres and religion and is seriously good storytelling and amazing historical fiction. Its prose is like poetry and I was moved beyond words as I read it.

I know that I will be reading Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana again as I eagerly await the next instalment in the life of Jesus. ( )

If I were to excerpt all the sections that presented new, stirring, and inspiring ways to consider Jesus as fully human and fully God, I would have to include about two-thirds of this book. Time and again I was astounded at Anne Rice's mastery of delicate subtlety in conveying a truth in her meditation of Christ among us as he comes to his ministry.

Some reviewers have mentioned their difficulties with various aspects of events portrays in village life such as a stoning or of Jesus' attraction to a local maiden. However, for me these were believable incidents. Perhaps that is because I was prepared by having read Two From Galilee by Marjorie Holmes long ago in my truth-seeking days. I enjoyed that book, and the sequel as well, but those books contain nothing near the power and insight that Rice has when conveying Jesus to us in everyday life. I especially enjoyed the contrast between his tendency to "hang back," as his relatives termed it, while still being able to love and appreciate the people around him. Even when being chewed out by a fellow villager, Jesus can still appreciate the beauty with which the enraged fellow gesture. This gives us the feeling that he can always find something to love in his fellow man, even when we would not under similar circumstances.

The vivid contrast between "hanging back" and his sudden assertive command after baptism is definite and startling. We see this emerge in the way Jesus speaks with the devil in the desert and then later when he is asserting that the Messiah is working in time to bring God to everyone. One gets a sense that in Jesus' complete trust and willingness to do God's will, that he is becoming fully "himself" and all is becoming clear to him on the journey.

Rice's writing is so masterful that readers may need to remind themselves that these are personal meditations of Jesus' life. She makes remarkably few false steps and these are not a matter of lacking adherence to the truth as much as when her personal meditation may not match step with those of the reader.

It is no secret that I did not enjoy the first book in this series (Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt), as the midrash felt false and forced to me. Therefore, I was stunned but quite pleased to find this book such a personal revelation of inspiration for my own meditations on Jesus. Anne rice has given us a treasure if we use it wisely. Personally I can tell you that it will be going into my regular rotation of meditative reading to provide ongoing food for thought.

I wish I could write as good a review as this book deserves. I cannot. All I can do is to exhort you to read it for yourself. ( )

Not my cup of tea. Masters of this niche, including Marek Halter, just hold no interest for me. But if you like historical fiction, you'd probably love it.

“It’s where I live, my lord,” I said. “Not in the Temple, but in the world. And in the world, I learn what the world is and what the world will teach, and I am of the world.” (page 99)

When I started to read Anne Rice’s latest book, Christ The Lord: The Road to Cana, I did so knowing that I have two biases: (1) I love the way Anne Rice writes and (2) I love to read fictional accounts based on the Bible. Having enjoyed Rice’s first Christ book, I had high hopes for The Road To Cana, and all in all, I was not disappointed.

The Road to Cana detailed Jesus’s life in his early thirties when he was a carpenter living with his family in Nazareth. In Rice’s depiction, Jesus (still known as Yeshua) struggled with his identity. In his heart, he knew that he was the Son of God, but he tried to live a “normal life” of peace and worship. However, Jesus knew that he could not live out all aspects of an average Jewish man, including marriage or having children, despite pressures from his family and villagers. In essence, Jesus tried to keep his holy birth a secret while going about his daily life – until events transpired that brought his purpose to light.

In this book, Rice drew out Jesus’s human qualities. For example, Jesus was in love with a young woman, Avigail, and dreamed about her at night. At times, he maintained a cool head, but other times, he bumbled like a clumsy suitor, often making mistakes that jeopardized the social norms of unmarried men and women in Jewish culture. Another example was Jesus’s struggle with his older brother, James. As the oldest child, James was in charge of the household, but living with the Son of God gave James an inferiority complex (and understandably so). James fought with Jesus about getting married, dealing with the Romans and household duties – and Jesus’s patience was tried at many times, which often led to an “exchange of words” between the brothers.

While the first two-thirds of the book was devoted to Jesus’s struggle as a man, the last third of the book dealt with his epiphany of why he was the Son of God and his purpose among humans. This section of the book is classic Anne Rice, full of imagery, allusions and struggles between good and evil. The Devil made an appearance, and I was reminded of Rice’s Memnoch The Devil from the vampire series. In fact, her depiction of The Devil was so true to her earlier character that I believe it to be intentional. Jesus’s epiphany was hard to read as he cried over humans’ flaws, starved himself to death and denied himself water. But he emerged sure of his purpose and more in love with humanity than ever before.

Upon completion of Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, I felt like I had just finished the second book of a trilogy. It had many “transitional” and “setting up for the big finish” aspects to it. I hope Rice delves into a third book about Christ because I find her storytelling and historical research so compelling. Her Christ books are a great addition to the literary canon of Biblical fiction. If you enjoy religious narratives or are a fan of Anne Rice, this is one book that I recommend for your bookshelf. ( )

How can she pack so much into so little. It reads like a much larger book. There is so much of the tapestry of life in this book. I was taken with her understanding of what Jesus must have gone through in the desert before he took up his ministry. I am now waiting for the next one. ( )

Stunning tale of what could have happened in Christ's life between his presentation at the Temple and the wedding at Cana. Rice depicts Christ's life as part of an extended Jewish family living in Nazareth and she interweaves together Biblical incidents and cultural responses in a way that gave me a deeper understanding of Jesus's life, times and his stories. For example, I never quite understood the Sunday school tales in which Jesus was followed and surrounded by crowds of people who sat on hillsides and seashores to listen to him preach. Didn't they have lives and jobs? Rice shows just how desperate the Jews were for a leader who would release them from the occupation by the brutal Romans who defiled their holy land. She has already set us up for his followers' disappointment in his unwillingness to work for a military solution to their problems.

She also portrays a very human Jesus in exquisite emotional agony as he comes to term with the reality that he will never marry and makes himself let go even the sweet dreams of domestic bliss.

His experience in the desert was painful to read about and his ultimate understanding that He is the path to mankind's salvation made me weep. He asked God, "What judgment can there ever be for man, woman, or child---if I am not there for every heartbeat at every depth of their torment?" p. 182

What a great Lenten read. Thank you, Anne Rice. ( )