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The Victor by Patricia St. John
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 13, 2025
Patricia St. John is usually a stirring author, and this one did not disappoint. I wonder why it’s not just as popular as Twice Freed. It’s just as good, and is the counterpoint to it, covering the time of Jesus’ ministry. This Biblical fiction builds a story around the family, mainly the brother, of the girl whose Phoenician mother would not give up asking Jesus to heal her daughter. He tested her faith and humility by calling her a racial epithet, and she passed the test. All accounts of Christ are very respectful and done by narrative of the witnesses afterwards. St. John does not shy away from the evil aspects of life in her books, and I think that’s why her books are affective. They touch the heart, because she’s not smarmy or sentimental, but portrays realistically in all her books that Christ is the answer to this hurting world.
November 26, 2024
Philo, the son of a fisherman in first century Tyre, is traumatised by his sister’s sinister illness. When his father drowns, the family is thrown into poverty. Only little Ione provides a ray of sunshine.
Dramatical events
Rumours of a mysterious prophet with miraculous powers begin to circulate. But Philo’s bitterness against the harsh new master of his family’s boat moves him to take revenge. Fearing being found out, he flees to the Lake of Galilee, where his uncle lives, married to a Jewess, the daughter of a Pharisee. But here, too, Philo feels unwanted and unhappy.
Amazing stories concerning the travelling prophet Jesus circulate. Philo meets a man he delivered of evil spirits, who is now joyful and hard-working, although his neighbours ostracise him. Some call him an imposter, some say his power comes from the devil. Others flock to hear him and rejoice over his miracles.
Things come to a head when the healer is executed. But when Philo joins his uncle and cousin on a trip to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost, a tangible excitement pervades the community. No one dares to speak openly about it, but rumour has it that the prophet is alive.
Philo’s guilt and hopelessness torment him and he struggles to understand what is happening around him. Is Jesus the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews? In which case he, a Gentile, has no hope. Or could he be what some people are saying: the Saviour of the World?
Appraisal
The Victor brings to life many familiar biblical incidents from the life of Jesus – healing blind and leprous people, feeding the five thousand, raising Jairus’s daughter, calming the storm. But his final days on Earth remain clouded in mystery.
Patricia St John paints a realistic and vivid picture of the living conditions of both the Syro-Phoenicians of Tyre and the Jewish people in Galilee. She brings out the anguish of their devastating ailments and struggles to survive, as well as the joy of having their lives touched and redressed by the prophet.
Dramatical events
Rumours of a mysterious prophet with miraculous powers begin to circulate. But Philo’s bitterness against the harsh new master of his family’s boat moves him to take revenge. Fearing being found out, he flees to the Lake of Galilee, where his uncle lives, married to a Jewess, the daughter of a Pharisee. But here, too, Philo feels unwanted and unhappy.
Amazing stories concerning the travelling prophet Jesus circulate. Philo meets a man he delivered of evil spirits, who is now joyful and hard-working, although his neighbours ostracise him. Some call him an imposter, some say his power comes from the devil. Others flock to hear him and rejoice over his miracles.
Things come to a head when the healer is executed. But when Philo joins his uncle and cousin on a trip to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost, a tangible excitement pervades the community. No one dares to speak openly about it, but rumour has it that the prophet is alive.
Philo’s guilt and hopelessness torment him and he struggles to understand what is happening around him. Is Jesus the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews? In which case he, a Gentile, has no hope. Or could he be what some people are saying: the Saviour of the World?
Appraisal
The Victor brings to life many familiar biblical incidents from the life of Jesus – healing blind and leprous people, feeding the five thousand, raising Jairus’s daughter, calming the storm. But his final days on Earth remain clouded in mystery.
Patricia St John paints a realistic and vivid picture of the living conditions of both the Syro-Phoenicians of Tyre and the Jewish people in Galilee. She brings out the anguish of their devastating ailments and struggles to survive, as well as the joy of having their lives touched and redressed by the prophet.
March 13, 2026
Historical fiction about a Syro-Phoenician boy named Philo. He lives in a seaside fishing village with his cheerful younger sister, quiet father, and a mother who devotes herself to their eldest daughter, a victim of dangerous demonic episodes. They begin to hear remarkable accounts of a Jewish healer called Jesus.
The setting and characters are well drawn. The story is ambitious—interwoven with Philo’s own adventures and journey of the soul, we are immersed in numerous eyewitness accounts that paint an incredibly thorough picture of the life of Jesus and His impact on people. Is it too ambitious and a little drawn out at times? Maybe. But I enjoyed it. It was like meeting up with long-beloved friends as Philo crosses paths with people mentioned in the NT gospel stories. I have a soft spot for the story of the man of the Gadarenes, and Philo’s meeting with him did not disappoint (full disclosure: I was jumping up and down with happiness!).
It’s also ambitious in the questions it explores: What—or who—is the greatest power? Who is Jesus? Is He only for one people? What about seeking revenge? What about sin and repentance? What about the Holy Spirit?
I listened to the audiobook, wonderfully narrated by Jonathan Karim (yay for a Middle Eastern accent in a Middle Eastern story!).
The setting and characters are well drawn. The story is ambitious—interwoven with Philo’s own adventures and journey of the soul, we are immersed in numerous eyewitness accounts that paint an incredibly thorough picture of the life of Jesus and His impact on people. Is it too ambitious and a little drawn out at times? Maybe. But I enjoyed it. It was like meeting up with long-beloved friends as Philo crosses paths with people mentioned in the NT gospel stories. I have a soft spot for the story of the man of the Gadarenes, and Philo’s meeting with him did not disappoint (full disclosure: I was jumping up and down with happiness!).
It’s also ambitious in the questions it explores: What—or who—is the greatest power? Who is Jesus? Is He only for one people? What about seeking revenge? What about sin and repentance? What about the Holy Spirit?
I listened to the audiobook, wonderfully narrated by Jonathan Karim (yay for a Middle Eastern accent in a Middle Eastern story!).
January 21, 2026
I like it but wish it wasn’t so much about God. I mean, why is literally EVERY SINGLE PATRICIA ST JOHN BOOK about God? They start out nice but end up goody-goody. Why can’t P. St John write something different for a change? I read all her other books. The characters started out nice, ended up loving their darling Saviour and Shepherd and so on and so on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2026
I like this book. After Illyrica got better it was a bit—a BIT—more boring but I still enjoyed it. Oh, and why does literally ALL THE BOOKS by Patricia St John have to have God or whatever in it?
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews