Cradle and All

Back in the 80's, I read the original version of this book, "[book: Virgin]" (I've got a short review of that version on it's page, if you're interested.) It was a fun little story and really kept me guessing.

"Cradle and All" is almost like a totally different book, written on the same basic theme. Essentially, both books tell the story of two girls who are virgins, but have inexplicably become pregnant. Of course, the Roman Catholic Church is involved, sending priests to investigate and to see if they can determine if one of them actually is carrying the new Messiah.

"Cradle and All" struck me as being a lot more developed than "Virgin" was, and there are a number of changes from the original - including, if I'm remembering correctly, show more an interesting little twist on the ending. Patterson does a great job giving each character a distinct voice, and most of the non-supernatural events play out in a convincing way - especially the media circus!

The only letdown for me was that, especially with some of the newer material (and especially with the twist at the end,) there are some questions that are left uncomfortably open. I would have loved to have found out more about what happens to the girls, and there are some supernatural events that - during the main part of the story seem to fit in quite well, but once I got to the end, I felt that some of them ended up not making a lot of sense.

Those letdowns aside (and they're not huge letdowns) the book was really good and kept me interested enough for me to keep coming back to it. As I said in my review of the original "Virgin," it's not high art, and it's not meant to be. It's your summer-blockbuster suspense flick where you check your logic at the door and enjoy the ride. show less

The ancient hope that a new messiah would someday be born to save the world is a topic I never imagined James Patterson would explore, but I found this book to be engaging and suspenseful. I always enjoy this author's no-nonsense way of writing and his ability to create wonderful characters, and he did not disappoint. Fathers Nicholas Rosetti and Justin O'Carroll are sent to investigate two young girls who appear pregnant yet virgins. One is Kathleen Beavier—a rich girl living in America—who has a past but seems intact. The other is Colleen Galaher—an impoverished fourteen-year-old living in the Irish village of Maam Cross. As the investigation intensifies, the world erupts in unexplained famines, floods, and a new polio epidemic, show more as if something evil is approaching. Things escalate when Rome sends in another investigator—this time a woman—Anne Fitzgerald, a long time friend of the Church and Father O'Carroll's. Just when I thought I had the end predicted, the plot twisted into another direction I didn't see coming, which I found very satisfying. show less

The best thing about this standalone ‘thriller’ is the cover and that is about as good as it gets. It is many things, but it is not very thrilling it gives a poor pastiche of Roman Catholic beliefs which may wind people up too.

Patterson is usually a decent thriller writer, and the book is well written, but the story is unbelievable. Yes, we all know the Catholic Church is bonkers at the best of times and the Vatican moves in mysterious ways. I feel that this book seems to make fun of many aspects of the Catholic Church and its beliefs.

To cut along story short there are two virgins one in Ireland and one in the USA, one may be the Son of God and the other the son of Satan. Quite obviously the son of Satan cannot be an American.

Really show more this is a poor book and is not worth buying, borrow it from a library if you really must read it. show less

Virgin births and demonic forces were not what I expected from a James Patterson novel. It was fast-paced and kept me reading till the end, but looking back after the final twist, I'm not sure how some of the incidents fit....

An unexplained pandemic, a far deadlier form of polio, is reaching epidemic proportions in Los Angeles, Boston, famines and floods are rampant in Mexico and Asia.
And two girls, claiming to be virgins, are pregnant. Are they the fulfillment of the Fatima miracle in which the Virgin Mary gave a prophecy to three small children? According to the prophecy, one child will be the Messiah, the other the Antichrist.

The archdiocese hires a former nun turned private investigator, the Vatican sends its chief investigator of miracles; their task is to determine the truth . . . and to protect whichever child is the Messiah.

This reworking of Patterson’s “Virgin” [1980] offers readers enough twists and turns in the fast-paced plot to keep the show more pages turning to the surprisingly wicked twist. show less

Cradle and All was a thoroughly enjoyable holiday e-read. I did not pick the ending and while the plot was a little out there by today’s scientific standards it was one which was a real page turner and kept my interest until the very end.

The religious theme may be off putting to some readers but I found it quite enjoyable.

Loved this book! 4.5 stars. This is the James Patterson worth reading. A former nun must investigate not one, but two modern day immaculate conceptions. Of course the Catholic Church cannot imagine such a thing actually occurring. There are definitely the expected religious references, and although I was raised catholic, you don’t have to be Catholic to understand. I could actually see this turning into a series. I wanted more when the book ended and I haven’t read a Patterson book like that in a while.