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Loading... Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Palby Christopher Moore
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. I originally heard about "Lamb" about 5 years ago but never got around to reading until a friend read it and really enjoyed the unique approach to the story of Christ. Christopher Moore took many liberties with his portrayal of Christ while filling readers in with a very detailed account of the years that are missing from any account. The story is told from the perspective of Levi or "Biff", Christ's best friend from childhood, who is actually brought back to life by an angel in modern-day to tell his side of the story. Moore explains everything from the miracles to how the Holy Ghost came into being. This novel will definitely not be my last Moore book...I already have "Fool" on my to-read stack. ( )Funny, light-hearted, made me laugh out loud. Bit of a downer ending (obviously). The title says it all. Levi who is called Biff is raised from the dead 2000 years later to share his account of the life of Jesus (who here is called Joshua), most notably the thirty years missing from the other Gospels. During this time Josh and Biff traveled to the East for 17 years, where they shared many adventures, and when they returned he began his ministry.This book is pretty funny. Biff is a bit of an ass but a total joy to read. He claims to have invented all kinds of things, from sarcasm to pencils, and his witty but straightforward storytelling is a delight. But however irreverent this book may be, it remains true to the person of Jesus - his kindness, his generosity, his honesty. It also does not dance around his divinity: he was the Son of God and the Messiah, but not quite in the way the Jews expected. Biff's devotion to him is understandable both as a faithful disciple and a lifelong friend.For most of this book I thought I would be beginning my review with a hearty recommendation against it for any serious Christian. While I still don't know if a Biblical literalist would enjoy this story, I think any Christian (or anyone else) with a fair sense of humor would get a big kick out of it. Moore's epilogue, in which he describes his sources and sheds light on what could have been and what was sheer fiction, sums it up very well: "This story was not meant to challenge anyone's faith; if one's faith can be shaken by stories in a humorous novel, one may have a bit more praying to do." Like most people who are given this book, I didn't know what to expect; and then I was relieved, surprised, and impressed by the ability of Christopher Moore to combine humour and compassion in a story about the "best friend of Jesus Christ" as they grew up together. This is a great book for atheists, agnostics, and Christians or none of the above. There may be many people who would be offended by the suggestion, as made in this book that Jesus Christ had a boyhood pale by the name of Biff, whose story was never told. They may also be offended by the suggestion that Jesus studied the rituals of many other religions before accepting himself as the son of God. But if you can get past all of that, this book is absolutely hilarious. One of Moore's best works! no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0380813815, Paperback)While the Bible may be the word of God, transcribed by divinely inspired men, it does not provide a full (or even partial) account of the life of Jesus Christ. Lucky for us that Christopher Moore presents a funny, lighthearted satire of the life of Christ--from his childhood days up to his crucifixion--in Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. This clever novel is surely blasphemy to some, but to others it's a coming-of-age story of the highest order.Joshua (a.k.a. Jesus) knows he is unique and quite alone in his calling, but what exactly does his Father want of him? Taking liberties with ancient history, Moore works up an adventure tale as Biff and Joshua seek out the three wise men so that Joshua can better understand what he is supposed to do as Messiah. Biff, a capable sinner, tags along and gives Joshua ample opportunities to know the failings and weaknesses of being truly human. With a wit similar to Douglas Adams, Moore pulls no punches: a young Biff has the hots for Joshua's mom, Mary, which doesn't amuse Josh much: "Don't let anyone ever tell you that the Prince of Peace never struck anyone." And the origin of the Easter Bunny is explained as a drunken Jesus gushes his affection for bunnies, declaring, "Henceforth and from now on, I decree that whenever something bad happens to me, there shall be bunnies around." One small problem with the narrative is that Biff and Joshua often do not have distinct voices. A larger difficulty is that as the tone becomes more somber with Joshua's life drawing to its inevitable close, the one-liners, though not as numerous, seem forced. True to form, Lamb keeps the story of Joshua light, even after its darkest moments. --Michael Ferch (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:52 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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