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Jan 31, 2012

Kemper rated it:

The last ten years have mutated my views on religion. I went from a vague agnostic live-and-let-live attitude to a full blown distrust and dislike of mass worshipping of mysterious deities. When it wasn’t being used as an excuse to murder people who believed different things, then it was being used to deny basic scientific concepts or prevent consenting adults from marriage based on gender. Overall, I’d become convinced that humanity was far too stupid to use religion as anything but yet anoth More...

17 comments like (64 people liked it)

Jul 29, 2009

Chris rated it:

If you've been following my reviews over the last few years, I don't see any reason why I should have to put a caution into this, but here it is: if you're not interested in speculative fiction, open to the reinterpretation of the life of Jesus, speculation on the gaps in the gospels and the possibility of pan-religious values having been vital to the formation of Christianity, then you should probably not read this book. Nor should you really be using the internet - there's just too much nasty More...

5 comments like (67 people liked it)

Oct 04, 2009

Kim rated it:

What I remember from CCD:

• It was Tuesday nights and that meant that I missed Who’s the Boss
• All the really obnoxious cheerleaders went to my church (Our Lady of Perpetual Help-OLPH!)
• I had to go to CCD so I could get confirmed or I couldn’t get married in a church (so I was told every time I tried to feign an illness or a menstrual cramp)
• We would be ushered into the school/rectory thing where we had to choose 3 colored rings which represented 3 differe More...

19 comments like (61 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Aaron rated it:

Christopher Moore is a sick, sick fuck. And I mean that in a good way.

I found a copy of this wonderfully hilarious novel at the Champaign Public Library Book Sale and decided that I ought to own a copy. It holds up well on a second read and served to fill a nostalgia for Kurt Vonnegut, whose death I may not ever get over. This book is very reminiscent of Vonnegut in its plotting and style and wisecracks and it certainly filled a hole. I've read everything Vonnegut ever wrote and I wa More...

3 comments like (17 people liked it)

Mar 09, 2008

Shannon rated it:

**some spoilers**

Lamb starts with one of my favourite quotes, which sets the scene very aptly: "God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh" (Voltaire). A deceptively slim-looking book (but one that is absolutely heavenly to hold - no pun intended - with it's glossy floppy cover and delicate leaves), Lamb is, as the title says, the (fictional) story of Christ's childhood as told by his best friend Levi who is called Biff.

Now, Moore doesn't More...

4 comments like (27 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

smalls rated it:

OK, I finished the book! Whoohoo! All in all, it was ok for me. I laughed a lot in the beginning...
some of my favorite lines were
"Revelations 2; Just When you thought it was safe to sin."
and "Actually , I thought I'd stay Josh. Your mother needs someone to look after her, and she's still a relatively attractive woman. I mean a guy could do worse."

My absolute favorite part was the lizard in the beginning. I laughed so hard! very fun and creativ More...

5 comments like (8 people liked it)

Dec 28, 2011

Jennifer (aka EM) rated it:

Beautifully imagined, and even though I probably missed a lot of the biblical references, I caught enough to make the experience satisfying.

Moore notes, in his afterword, that he expects most readers not to be strong Christian believers as those who are perhaps wouldn't give this book the time of day anyway. So, he writes reassuringly, for those of us who missed some or most of the allusions, we are invited to confer with those who might have a better grasp of the details.*

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2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Apr 01, 2008

Kristen rated it:

Remember back in 9th grade when you wrote a wonderful, insightful papers for every assignment and then, eventually, you got cocky, got drunk on your own brilliance, got sloppy and lazy with self assurance? And, inevitably, your next paper would come back with a comment from your teacher that went something like this "Accurate, and mildly interesting, but doesn't compare with your previous work...What happened?" This is what I felt like writing in my copy of "Lamb" ab More...

5 comments like (12 people liked it)

Oct 20, 2011

brian rated it:

Hello! One of the most humorously engaging books I’ve read in a while. Painfully, I’ve gone through the rest of Moore’s oeuvre confirming my theory that he channeled Tom Robbins and perhaps some other lesser authors to write this literary slice of heaven. As a side note, I attended a reading and was thoroughly blown away for two reasons. First, I learned why Moore doesn’t do readings. He is f-ing horrible at reading, let alone his own words. BUT, it was so incredibly horrible that it made the wh More...

56 comments like (6 people liked it)

Apr 16, 2009

Patrick rated it:

When angels are sent to earth, they refer to it as going ‘dirt-side.’ Most don’t like their assignments.

Raziel, an angel who missed the Virgin Mary annunciation by ten years (he got distracted), has been sent dirt-side two thousand years later to resurrect Jesus’ best friend Levy (called Biff) so he can write a fifth gospel. The power (singular) that be claims mortals need a new one.

Biff and Raziel ensconce themselves in a hotel room. The angel watches television 24/7 (an More...

2 comments like (7 people liked it)

Feb 04, 2012

Lance Greenfield rated it:

This is an hilarious take on the missing years of Jesus, known as Joshua bar Joseph in this account. The four gospels which mad it into the New Testament miss three decades of the Messiah's life. Only two of them say much about his birth, one describes a brief episode when Jesus was about twelve where he spends some time in discussion with the elders in the synagogue, but they largely concentrate on the short years of his ministry leading up to his crucifiction and resurrection.

Lamb More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Nov 11, 2008

Tara rated it:

There is something so blasphemous about this book and yet I just laughed from page 1 to the end!

I was raised in a Christian household and knew the story of Jesus forwards and backwards. Or at least I thought I did. Now, I try not to take myself to seriously and I try to maintain a certain amount of humor about my faith and religion as a whole. This book made me bust a gut and there were several times when just a little of "pee" came out, that's how hard I was laughing.
More...

10 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Rob rated it:

Irreverent.

I believe that is the word that appears in every published review. It's fitting; this novel is hand-crafted to earn that adjective. And in that way, it is almost unfair to call it "irreverent" because your credibility as reader is called into question. Did you even bother to read it? Don't you have some kind of feedback of your own?

Of the novels by Christopher Moore that I have read to date, this is undoubtedly his strongest work. And it's defin More...

4 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 15, 2011

Noce rated it:

Non so come iniziare: avete presente i film per i bambini, che siete costretti a vedere sul divano insieme a loro?

All'inizio partite con scetticismo, la storia l'avete già vista mille volte, anche se non vi ricordate i dettagli, sapete soprattutto che fine avrà, quali sono i punti deboli ecc...
Poi, com'è, come non è, vi lasciate prendere la mano.
Allungate le gambe, vi rilassate, guardate il vostro compagno di “avventura” e piano piano vi ammorbidite, rimanete colpiti dalle More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 06, 2008

Chris rated it:

I've been a apostle of Christopher Moore's manic, wonderful fiction since the publication of his brilliant first novel, Practical Demonkeeping. For years now, I've spread the Word, bringing friends and random strangers into the fold, spreading the gospel of twisted humor to the previously uninitiated.

Until I read LAMB, his latest novel, I would have said that Blood Sucking Fiends (A Love Story) was not only his best book, but a feat of comic wonder and wondrous comedy that even the g More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Punk rated it:

Lamb chronicles Christ's missing years, from childhood to age 33. Here he's known as Joshua (from the Hebrew Yeshua), and the book is told from the point of view of Biff, Joshua's best friend, which has the distinction of making this novel read a lot like a buddy film. Biff loves Joshua and would do anything for him, and that's a good story no matter who you are.

Moore is his usual irreverent self, but most of that is spent on Biff rather than Joshua. Perhaps the most profane thing he More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Kelly rated it:

I read this in high school, so take the maturity of my opinion for what you will, but I thought it was absolutely hilarious at the time. Yes, some of the humor is rather juvenile and that kind of made it even better back then. I remember there was also a sweet pathos to it, despite the fact that it is so clearly set up to be a ridiculous, satirical, farce of a novel. It will suddenly hit you with a serious point, or show you the darker side. Then move right back into the hilarity. Sometimes it h More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Aug 13, 2008

Hayley rated it:

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

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2012

Kat rated it:

A Lamb tale was written by Moore,
with naughty descriptions galore.
But Josh's pal Biff,
was really quite spiff.
And now I am left wanting more.

(Translation for folks whose gift of tongues does not include Limerick-ese:)

Lines 1 and 2 = This is the story of the life of Jesus (aka Josh), but Moore has outdone even Ted Turner's most outrageous colorizing job. If you like Monty Python humor, then you'll probably find it terribly funny, as I did.

More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 31, 2008

Amy rated it:

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

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Mar 03, 2009

Dana rated it:

I found this review...it pretty much sums it up for me. I don't really feel like writing a review right now, but I want to remember this book later.

Review from Amazon.com

"Finding some real theology in a bawdy sarcastic laff-riot parody of a gospel is like finding either real butter or a dead frog in your movie popcorn, depending on your own religious perspective. It is a wonderful addition for some, a cause for disgust in others, and a complete surprise to ever More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Feb 24, 2008

Ginny rated it:

I hope Jesus was at least a little bit like the character portraying him in "Lamb." While the intentional historical inaccuracies show him studying Eastern philosophy and kung fu, it does seem probable and desirable that Jesus would have spent time learning as much as he could about the world and its people. It's also believable that he would have had friends and contemplated an adolescent desire for female companionship. What is not believable is that his friend would have been named More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 15, 2007

Sean rated it:

I feel like I might have been able to appreciate this book a little bit more if I had been more familiar with the more traditional gospels of Jesus Christ -- the Matthew, Mark, Luke and John variety. Then again, if I had been, I feel like I might have been more offended by the notion of Jesus learning kung fu or having his childhood friend give him the play-by-play of a prostitutional encounter, so maybe it worked out for the best.

Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Christ More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 29, 2007

Eli rated it:

Lamb is a funny book in the slapstick, irreverent tradition of Douglas Adams and Tom Robbins, and a really thought provoking look at what shaped the thoughts of Jesus in the years before his ministry. It's an interesting combination, and Moore pulls off the balance between slapstick and reverence with a delicate touch. Ultimately, though, I found myself wishing for more of the thought provoking stuff and less of the adolescent giggles.

This was particularly true for me in terms of se More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jun 12, 2007

Tom rated it:

This is one great book, just freaking hilarious while also being pretty useful to me.

Lamb gives me context where I hadn’t completely understood before.

Christopher tells the story of Christ from birth. While he talks about his life after he comes out and begins preaching openly, he focus much more on Christ’s formative years, everything from an interest in sin to learning the ways of the Buddha.

This is, of course, a complete work of fiction. Everything is mad More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Joanne rated it:

This is my first Christopher Moore book and if time allows, not the last. I really enjoyed it, however it took me an astonishingly long time to get through it considering how easy a read it is.

Well, I have two words to sum this book up: Outrageously hilarious. It was laugh out loud on the metro funny. I love how Moore filled in the 20 or so years of Jesus' life that the world is ignorant of with Jesus exploring the ancient religions of the world with his best friend Biff. I fe More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Feb 18, 2009

Sonja rated it:

One of the best books I’ve read in a long while. When I picked it up, I was expecting a playful, sacrilegious romp, which I got, but I was surprised to find something of much more depth too. For people like me, who grew up in the church, but have—uh—strayed somewhat in our later years, Jesus is an interesting problem. Even if we still claim to believe in God, what can we do about Jesus and all that wacky stuff he said, and is there a way to get down to his message without that whole sacrifice-fo More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Dec 11, 2008

Dana rated it:

First time Jesus Christ ever died that I felt like I'd lost a friend. Hilarious scenes, beginning with Jesus/Joshua reviving his brother's pet lizard every time his brother plays with him so hard he breaks him. Another favorite is when Biff invents espresso in the Antioch marketplace and Jesus/Joshua jitters around on a caffeine high healing everyone.

You'll be either outraged or amused or both, and it'll make you think, too.

All angels are blond.
All blondes are dum More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Nov 14, 2008

Maevon added it

Christopher Moore makes me happier than Paris Hilton on crack

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Mar 16, 2009

edh rated it:

Levi, better known as Biff, is brought back to life by an angel in the year 2000 to give his long-missing testimony to the world as the best buddy of Jesus—Yeshua called Joshua. Josh and Biff ’s story covers the time left out of the Bible, from after Jesus’s birth to the beginning of his public ministry. Bawdy jokes and language will send some readers running, but those who appreciate all-too-human humor will stick around for this hilarious tale of the antics of two guys from Galilee. (my annota More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)