Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana

by Anne Rice

book data

779 ratings, 3.76 average rating, 213 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		30%
4		31%
3		24%
2		9%
1		3%

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published

March 4th 2008 (first published 2006) by Knopf Publishing Group

binding

Hardcover, 256 pages

characters

Abigail, Yeshua, Ruben

isbn

1400043522 (isbn13: 9781400043521)

description

Having completed the two cycles of legend to which she has devoted her career so far, Anne Rice gives us now her most ambitious and courageous book, a...more

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12/27/08

Ruth rated it:

Read in December, 2008

The Road to Cana is a novel and does not pretend to be otherwise. It is the story of about a year in Jesus' life, and ends at the wedding at Cana.

Some of the characters are known from scripture; others are creations of Ms. Rice. Jesus is portrayed as being a somewhat strange, but very loving member of a large extended family. James is named as his brother, but it is noted that he was Joseph's son by his first wife, not by Mary. Further the book, which is written in the first person a...more The Road to Cana is a novel and does not pretend to be otherwise. It is the story of about a year in Jesus' life, and ends at the wedding at Cana.

Some of the characters are known from scripture; others are creations of Ms. Rice. Jesus is portrayed as being a somewhat strange, but very loving member of a large extended family. James is named as his brother, but it is noted that he was Joseph's son by his first wife, not by Mary. Further the book, which is written in the first person and told from Jesus' point of view, describes his kinship relationship to several people and then notes "they are my sisters and my brothers". A main character in the book is the bride at the wedding at Cana--Jesus loves her but realizes that marrying her is not his vocation.

Throughout the book Jesus speaks of feeling like something was just beyond where he was. Finally, after his baptism, when He is in the desert, the book says "The dawn came. And the dawn came again, and again. I lay in a heap as the sand blew over me. And the voice of the Lord was not in the wind; and it was not in the sand; and itw as not in the sun; and it was not in the stars. It was inside me. 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." Next, Rice does a great job of fleshing out the story of the three temptations in the desert.

I think a very real temptation in writing a novel about Jesus is to make Him in your image; rather than to allow Him to remake you in His. However, I think Rice does a good job of expanding on the Biblical Christ rather than remaking Him. The scene between Mary and Him at the wedding was almost funny. He didn't want to "go public" but she knew it was time.

If anyone is hesitant about reading this book because of the content of Ms. Rice's vampire books (or some others I'll not mention)I have read that at the the time she wrote the vampire books, she was an atheist and/or agnostic. Since that time she has reverted to her Catholic faith and written these two books about Jesus. Her latest book is about her reversion, and it is on my to be read list.
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06/05/08

Clif Hostetler rated it:

(review of isbn 0739316036)

bookshelves: novel, religion

Read in June, 2008

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 ende...more

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06/04/08

Cindy rated it:

Read in June, 2008

I would NEVER in a million years have predicted that I would even read this book - much less like it. I've picked up a couple of Anne Rice novels in the past and simply couldn't get into them. This, of course, was back in her "vampire" days, and that topic never has really turned me on. I even tried as a child to like Dark Shadows, but it just didn't work for me.

A couple of months ago, though, I heard a review of this book on NPR. I vaguely recalled that Rice had had ...more I would NEVER in a million years have predicted that I would even read this book - much less like it. I've picked up a couple of Anne Rice novels in the past and simply couldn't get into them. This, of course, was back in her "vampire" days, and that topic never has really turned me on. I even tried as a child to like Dark Shadows, but it just didn't work for me.

A couple of months ago, though, I heard a review of this book on NPR. I vaguely recalled that Rice had had some sort of conversion experience, but I was somewhat skeptical and hadn't given it much thought time. The reviewer, however, caused my ears to perk up. My curiosity was amply piqued, and I began to think I might like to give dear old Anne one more chance. I wouldn't risk buying it, but I'd certainly check it out from the public library.

The reviewer's comment that provided the impetus for my change of heart was (and I'm paraphrasing - so apologies to the reviewer) that many writers of religious fiction attempt to tap into the "human" side of Jesus, and thus diminish the "divine." Conversely, others attempt to protect the "divine" aspects of Christ, and are never able to help the reader realize him as "human." Rice somehow manages to tap into both sides of Jesus' character, without diminishing either side in any way. He was right. I'm not sure how she did it - but it is a testament to both her long touted brilliance as a writer, as well as the depth of her conversion experience. Jesus is portrayed during that time of which we know little of his life - just before he started his ministry - as a man with emotions, needs, humor, daily concerns, questions. He is approachable and someone to whom you can relate. Yet one never questions the divinity that lurks beneath the surface. And the fact that we vividly witness him experiencing all that we in our humanity experience, makes it all the more plausible that he truly can (as divine) empathize, not just pity us in, our joys and pains.

It's a quick read, and she's done her history research, so the historical fabric that weaves it all together adds a further measure realism to the story. Biblical scholars may shun the fact that a few miracles appear "out of order" - and some Marianites will appreciate the Mary's virginity remains intact. But as historical/biblical novels go, she really makes it work. I may read the first of the series, AND I may actually go out and buy my own copy . . .(less)

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03/13/08

Jason added it

Read in March, 2008

Anyone audacious enough to attempt to write a narrative version of the life of Christ is bound to get themselves into hot water. Anne Rice, of "Vampire Chonricles" fame is certainly no exception. When word broke that her goal was to write the life of Christ before her death, I'm sure that some diehard fans of her series were hoping for a New Agey, controversial, latter day "Last Temptation of Christ", replete with Jesus and Mary Magdalene sex scenes, and the proverbial Pie in...more Anyone audacious enough to attempt to write a narrative version of the life of Christ is bound to get themselves into hot water. Anne Rice, of "Vampire Chonricles" fame is certainly no exception. When word broke that her goal was to write the life of Christ before her death, I'm sure that some diehard fans of her series were hoping for a New Agey, controversial, latter day "Last Temptation of Christ", replete with Jesus and Mary Magdalene sex scenes, and the proverbial Pie in the Face to traditionalists. Well, no such luck here, as Rice has experienced a conversion experience, and the former self professed atheist (or perhaps agnostic?) has returned to the Catholic Church of her youth. Likely some of her longtime readers feel betrayed or that she's simply gone nuts. But it is what it is, and fans seem to forget that the writer doesn't really owe us anything, that no one ever forced them to pay for her books in the first place, and that if it bothers you, hey, it's a free country, so just walk away.

All that being said, Rice's sophmore effort in "Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana" picks up several years after the first installment, subtitled "Our of Egypt" ended, just before the beginnin of Christ's public ministry.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the first, perhaps in part because I expected the first one to be no good, frankly, and was pleasantly surprised.

One of the problems with this book (and mind, you I did enjoy it) is that unlike the first book, which was mostly the invention of the author, this book starts depicting those New Testament stories that we all know so well, and delves into Christ's mind as an adult.

Believers and non-believers alike have some idea in their head as to who and what Christ was, how he must have felt and what he must have thought in certain situations. What those people need to remember when reading a book like this is that it's not meant to be a theological treatise, but rather one author's interpretation and depiction of those stories. No doubt some purists and fundamentalists will get their vestments in a bunch because Rice does "change" a couple of things, but nothing I would stone anyone over. But any of those changes serve the story she is trying to tell and not rewrite doctrines.

The story seems to concentrate a lot on the town of Nazareth itself at first, depicting it's citizens as backward, bloodthirsty and judgemental, likely paving the way for Christ's message of "judge not, lest ye be judged" in future books. The book opens with the stoning deaths of two little boys accused of "abomination" (use your imagination) and introduces the character of Abigail, a kinswoman of Christ's family who is also shamed and disgraced by equally ignorant "mob mentality" rashness. Jesus takes it on himself to save this girl from the town by arrainging a marraige for her ... and we soon realize that she must be the bridge at the famous wedding of Cana.

Rice's Jesus is well written, human and divine enough for most believers. A traditionalist herself, Rice doesn't have Jesus experimenting with his sexuality as a young man but doesn't shy away from it either.

In this book we meet John the Baptist, see the tempting by Satan in the desert, and culminate with the beginning of Christ's public life.

The one criticism of the book I would have is the subtle transformation of Jesus from Jesus the Carpenter of Nazareth to Jesus the Messiah. One day, he doesn't know what the future holds for him, but knows it's special, to the next moment, he can read minds and seems to have the "mind of God". There wasn't a singular moment of revelation and this transformation happens virtually "off camera" for the reader, even though we never leave Christ, who's our narrator.

All in all, this is a good book and I will definitely read the next installments, of which I would assume there would be only one but she could probably squeeze two out of them, if she wanted to. She averts the boredom of merely rereading rehashed bible stories by integrating interesting, real characters and filling the gaps left by biblical narratives with interesting and fascinating theories. (less)

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03/06/08

Graham rated it:

bookshelves: novels, religion

Read in March, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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07/10/08

Julia rated it:

I would describe Christ The Lord, The Road To Cana by Anne
Rice as a drama, beautifully written, narrated in the first person by Jesus Of Nazareth whom is called at this biblcal
time Yeshua bar Joseph.
Yeshua(Jesus)draws you into the events of his life
articulating his final year before and afer his life changing Baptism at the Jordan,a face-off with Satan,and a stunning description of The Wedding at Cana.
In conversational prose Yeshua depicts his life amongs...more

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05/25/09

Grzesiek rated it:

(review of other edition)

bookshelves: the-best

Jezus dla biografów jest jak góra lodowa pływająca po wodach, której widoczne są tylko fragmenty, a podwodnej reszty trzeba się domyślić, lub podpierać na innych źródłach. W tej powieści autorka stworzyła powieść historyczną po części opartą na apokryfach. W ten sposób spróbowała urealnić życie Chrystusa.

Anne Rice jest znaną i cenioną autorką powieści o wampirach. Całkiem niedawno było o niej głośno, gdyż Rice oficjalnie nawróciła się na katolic...more Jezus dla biografów jest jak góra lodowa pływająca po wodach, której widoczne są tylko fragmenty, a podwodnej reszty trzeba się domyślić, lub podpierać na innych źródłach. W tej powieści autorka stworzyła powieść historyczną po części opartą na apokryfach. W ten sposób spróbowała urealnić życie Chrystusa.

Anne Rice jest znaną i cenioną autorką powieści o wampirach. Całkiem niedawno było o niej głośno, gdyż Rice oficjalnie nawróciła się na katolicyzm. Tak więc dzięki (lub nie) tej przemianie mamy oto trylogię o życiu Chrystusa, ale ucierpieli na tym fani fantastycznych kronik. Autorka obecnie ma 68 lat.

Chrystus Pan. Droga do Kany przedstawia okres życia Jezusa, zanim rozpoczął swoją działalność, a więc przed przemienieniem wody w wino podczas wesela. Wszystkie części tej serii są pisane w formie pamiętnika prowadzonego przez samego Jezusa. Opleciona źródłami apokryficznymi powieść jest świetną lekturą, ale nie dla tych, którzy doszukują się sensacji rodem z Kodu da Vinci. Książka jest drugim tomem trylogii Chrystus Pan.

Na początek spróbuję wam jeszcze przybliżyć samą fabułę. Jezus jest trzydziestolatkiem i jeszcze nie rozpoczął swojej działalności. Mamy więc tytułową drogę do Kany, czyli chrzest w Jordanie, kuszenie na pustynii i pierwsze uzdrowienia. Obserwujemy rozterki i refleksje Jeszuy. Widzimy zachowanie jego krewnych i niezrozumienie celu jego posłania.

Kiedy po raz pierwszy zobaczyłem tę książkę, to zdziwiłem się: “Anne Rice? Chrystus Pan?”. Dopiero później przyswajając sobie tę wiadomość stwierdziłem: “Tak. To ona!”. Dosyć szybko pogodziłem się z tym, gdyż nigdy nie byłem zwolennikiem jej wcześniejszych książek. Może wstyd to przyznać, ale nigdy żadnej nie przeczytałem i nie paliłem się do tego. Tymczasem mając okazję przeczytać jej twórczość w takiej a nie innej wersji nie czekałem na drugą szansę. Jestem mile zaskoczony i cieszę się, że mogłem poznać styl Rice i teraz wiem, za co wszyscy ją cenili. Nie kłamałem pisząc “ceniona autorka”. Cenili ją inni, a teraz także ja ją doceniłem.

Jak już wcześniej wspomniałem - książka została napisana w formie pamiętnika Chrystusa. Jest to jak najbardziej jeden z większych atutów powieści, gdyż prowadzona w ten sposób narracja staje się bardziej rzeczywista i łatwiej można uwierzyć w taki obrót sprawy. Mając przed sobą wspomnienia pisane przez Jezusa, słowa stają się niezwykłe i czyta się je z dziwnym uczuciem, którego nie potrafię opisać. Autorka miała tutaj utrudnione zadania. Ale cóż… Sama je sobie utrudniła. Decydując się na prowadzenie pamiętnika musiała wiedzieć, że trudno jej będzie przelewać wszystkie myśli Jezusa na papier. Ale oczywiście poradziła sobie z tym w mistrzowskim stylu. Wszystka napisała prostym językiem, dostępnym dla każdego czytelnika - nawet tego amatorskiego, gdyż nie trzeba czytać parę razy jednego zdania, by zrozumieć o co w nim chodzi.

Podsumowując dosyć krótki tekst tym razem - książka jest naprawdę świetną lekturą dla każdego, kto choć trochę chciałby dowiedzieć się więcej o życiu Pana. Świetny styl pisarski i kreatywność Rice sprawiają, że tekst do granic możliwości staje się bardzo wiarygodny. Nie jest to nic w stylu kontrowersji Dana Browna, a jedynie Ewangelia skrzyżowana z nieznanymi nam dotąd faktami życia tego człowieka. Ogólnie rzecz biorąc książka nie może zostać potraktowana jako pozycję na jeden wieczór, ale powinna lekko zmusić do refleksji.(less)

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04/15/09

h_tanzil rated it:

(review of other edition)

Tidak seorangpun mampu menuliskan biografi lengkap tentang Yesus. Kita tidak memiliki catatan sejarah tentang tiga puluh tahun pertama kehidupan-Nya. Banyak orang beranggapan bahwa keempat kitab Injil (Matius, Markus, Lukas, Yohanes) memberikan biografi komplit tentang Yesus. Kenyataannya tidaklah demikian. Markus baru memulai kisah Yesus ketika Ia berumur tiga puluh tahun. Matius dan Lukas menambahkan kisah-kisah seputar kelahiran-Nya, dan berbagai pengajaran dari Yesus. Sama seperti kitab Mark...more

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05/01/09

Amy Gonigam rated it:

Read in May, 2009

I truly believe that Anne Rice is one of the great willfully misunderstood artists of our time. In this series - which is remarkable - she does what all artists do: to meditate upon a subject and present it in a new light in order for us to see the subject in a more clarified way.

This series is a fascinating meditation on the humanity and divinity of Jesus and Rice's sincerity, as well as her scholarship, shines through the pages.

I find myself musing on the various med...more

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04/13/09

Purplycookie rated it:

(review of isbn 1400078946)

bookshelves: biography-memoir, book-series, family-saga, historical-fiction, religious

Read in April, 2009

"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:...more

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03/05/08

Karen rated it:

Read in March, 2008

Anne Rice's Christ the Lord books are the best thing she has ever done. What drew me to Christianity was not necessarily the divine Christ but Christ the man. These books paint a wonderful picture of Jesus as a child and during the time leading up to the start of his ministry. When I think of Jesus as human, this comes close to how I picture Him.

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02/11/09

Sara rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, religion

Read in February, 2009

I just loved this book. She takes such difficult subject matter (really ballsy of her to do in my opinion!) and does an excellent job of making Jesus completely approachable in the fully human part of his manifestation. I believed his pain, his joy, and his desires, and in no way did any of those seem to detract from his holiness...and yet, she balanced all that without anything that seemed to bang you over the head with how holy and good Jesus was. I think it's quite a skill to write in such a ...more

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02/26/08

Monica rated it:

Read in July, 2007

A long time ago I went through Rice's Vampire chronicles and Mayfair witch books and was entertained. This book, however, moved me . Like her earlier works, it's as if she tapped into the truth of a myth but this time via subtlety. I love her interpretation of Christ's youth and her portrait of Josepth.

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03/20/09

Kyle rated it:

Read in March, 2009

This story is marvelous. It took me a while to read, about four weeks, but I'm also reading several books at once too and working on my own as well.

Yeshua is fully human, but is also, quite divine. In The Road to Cana there is a wedding about to happen, Avigail is going to marry Reuben. There is a very interesting line running through this that I have always held in the back of my mind, that what if Jesus wanted to marry since he was fully human, but in the same token, divine. He lo...more

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05/06/08

Elaine rated it:

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: anyone

If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. Simple, elegant prose tells the start of Jesus' mission from His own point of view. Wonderful. It left me speechless and in tears. More than worthy follow-up to Out of Egypt.

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12/18/08

A.J. rated it:

Read in January, 2009

When I was a freshman in college I remember reading about half of the first novel, Out of Egypt. I stopped reading it, but I don't recall there being anything particularly wrong with the novel. I guess I just wasn't that interested in the early childhood of Christ. Some people really want to know what those early years were like; me, the only question I ever cared to see dealt with in fictional form is when and how did Jesus come to understand who he was, and what was that moment or series of mo...more When I was a freshman in college I remember reading about half of the first novel, Out of Egypt. I stopped reading it, but I don't recall there being anything particularly wrong with the novel. I guess I just wasn't that interested in the early childhood of Christ. Some people really want to know what those early years were like; me, the only question I ever cared to see dealt with in fictional form is when and how did Jesus come to understand who he was, and what was that moment or series of moments like? I picked this one up having never finished the first, but I had no trouble following along. This novel deals with Christ's life in the months leading up to his baptism by his cousin John, and ends shortly after the wedding at Cana where he turns water into wine.

When I found that this was a first person account through the eyes of Jesus, my reaction was mostly mild skepticism. I mean, it is a tad presumptuous. Whether or not you believe in Jesus as he exists in the gospels or not, that's the basic premise of the story, and the direct result is that the author is going to attempt to tell the story of the most complex figure in the history of literature, not through the eyes of his followers or family, but through the eyes of the Messiah himself. The Messiah who happens to be God. No small task, I assure you.

Yet somehow, some way, Anne Rice managed to pull a book out of that waiting trap. I believe she effectively sidestepped this issue by mainly having Jesus narrate the events surrounding him. His moments of personal reflection are infrequent, and the deep haunting paradox of being a man and God at once are kept vague as they should be. There is no way to understand this mystery; theologians have tried for centuries and come up with nothing. Rice keeps things simple, day to day activities, day to day struggles. Even the prose lacks fanfare. The story is more interpersonal than personal, and it avoids trying to simplify that which has confounded brilliant men for two thousand years.

That isn't to say that the work says nothing interesting about Christ, however. The main reason I found this book to be such a quick read is this very thing. Little details. Most people never realize what a disappointment Christ was to many of his contemporaries. He could argue the law brilliantly but didn't study at Temple. His culture expected him to marry, yet in his early thirties he had not taken a wife. Everyone and their dog thought he was a Warrior King sent to deliver his people from Roman bondage by force of arms. Instead he demands them to do insane things like "take up your cross and follow me," and "love your enemies; pray for those that persecute you." Rice taps into these pressures and avoids stereotype in the character.

Is this what Christ was really like? I don't know. Maybe. That's not important. What's important is that Rice's novel erects a world based in history with a character rooted in the traditions and beliefs of his culture, and the outworking of a vision where the world is made new in ways in which no one had dreamed. Christ's humanity is laid bare in this novel, and so at the very least it's interesting to see one person's take on his extraordinary life.

"Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him." --Napoleon Bonaparte

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03/04/09

Jane rated it:

Read in March, 2009

Covers Jesus' life as it might have been during his adult years while still with his family. Contains alot of historical insight about the life of a skilled carpenter living in Nazareth. Anne puts a Roman Catholic interpretation of who his brothers and sisters were...how they are related. His relationship to Avagail is pure fiction but explores the now popular thought that Jesus would have been tempted by and loved by a beautiful young girl. I have no doubt that he would have been highly attrac...more

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03/11/08

Patricia rated it:

bookshelves: anne-rice-and-stephen-king

Read in March, 2008

In this book, Anne tones down her usually flashy style. Her plain prose allows for a greater picture of Yeshua, the simple carpenter, instead of Christ, the grand Savior, and for that I am thankful.

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02/09/09

Dena rated it:

Read in February, 2009

I listened to this as an audio book and I wasn't as taken with it. I think, for me the reason was that it took liberties with the stories of the Bible that are already familiar. Some of the twists were viable and interesting and had the same ring of "could be that it happened this way" but I think I mentally had trouble with the temptation in the desert more than anything. I loved the handling of the wedding at Cana but was puzzled since this was Christ's first noted miracle and the...more

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01/08/09

Teresa added it

Read in January, 2009

I just finished this book over the holidays and was very impressed with Ann Rice's writing. It's almost like she is more comfortable telling a story with Christ as her central charachter. The book is written in 1st person, as was Out of Egypt, only this time it works better. Ann's telling of 1st century Jewish life and a plausible story of the circumstances surrounding the beginning of Christ's ministry are very realistic. She does an especially good job of presenting Christ as fully man with...more

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