Christ the Lord by Anne Rice

[enelya_taralom]

Has anyone read this? What did you think?

[3toraiseup]

Nobody answered this... so here's what I have read:

I didn't read the book, but I was considering it. I read an endorsement by a good Catholic magazine that is orthodox to the teachings of the Church. At first, they recommended the book, but in a later issue, they rescinded their endorsement due to reader complaints. The complaints were that Anne Rice, not in this particular book, but in interviews, has voiced dissenting views from the Catholic Church on certain issues. Due to her public comments, the magazine decided not to endorse the author.

It was their position that while the book was benign, they didn't want to support a dissenting author.

[Davidnic]

I just read it and was pleased. She does manage to depict a Christ of the Gospels.

There is some mention of the infancy stories that are not canon, but it does not revolve around them and they do not harm the story.

I was very pleased with how she did St. Joseph and remained with tradition.

I was sad to see in the above post that the book was endorsed and then the endorsement rescinded. But I can see why they would independent of the book itself. The book itself is a fine work and does not try to rewrite Christ.

If anyone is worried, I'd say read her authors note at the end (it is several pages). It explaines her intentions and how she came to write the book.

All in all I liked it. I can see that some people might not like the touching on the infancy tales, but that is brief and does not try to overwhelm the depiction of Christ.

[NewMan99]

The book is awesome - I cannot recommend it too highly. The controversy is over her "dissent" regarding homosexuality. Her son is gay. The book itself, though, is thoroughly orthodox. Considering how far she has come in her journey I found both the book and her personal story to be an inspiration.

[in2Nas]

Did anyone read Christ Our Lord: Out of Egypt? That was her coming out book I guess....I might read that one first. She is strange though, she claims all he gothic horror books had Christian inuendos in them, then went full blown Catholic after her husband (who was an athiest) passed away.

[3toraiseup]

I read several of the Vampire Chronicles years ago... I can't say I 'caught' much of her faith inuendos... though I wasn't exactly looking for them either. The Vampire Chronicles were pretty racey and romantic in a gothic horror kind of way. What I did pick up from them was her love of New Orleans and the charm the city held. I always wanted to visit NO after reading them.

[3toraiseup]

I just checked this book out of the library yesterday. I am in the middle of rereading my all-time favorite book, yet still I had to take a peek at 'Christ the Lord' and I had a HARD time putting it down yesterday! It captured my attention from the very first page and I can't wait to read more! Life is rough when you have two good books going at the same time. :D

[enelya_taralom]

Thanks everyone! I gotta say I am very interested in this book, and do think supoorting it willbe a good thing.

I can understand the concern over supporting an author whose comments on certain issues are questoionable, though. I do my best to try and not support celebrities who are actively and vocaly pro-choice, for example, but sometimes it gets hard to figure out the line between loving the sinner, supporting their good and God in them and hating the sin.

I had a discussion like this regarding Disney once. They are very big pro-choice supporters, not to mention their use of sweat-shops. I mentioned in RCIA once that I was having a hard-time figuring out whether or not I should go to Disneyland because of this. One replied with Christ walked amoung the sinners. That begs the question though, how does on reconcile the two? How do we walk amoung the sinners without supporting the sin? One woman said, go to Disneyland as a family :) I thought that was a clever answer, but it can be hard when faced with issues such as this one with Ann Rice and her book, to figure out WWJD.

[Jasma]

I got the book for Christmas & couldn't put it down. It is captivating. It was interesting to me to think about the more human side of Jesus. I also realized that this is a work of FICTION and should be taken as such, but it did get me thinking that though He was God, Jesus was human. As far as Anne Rice... she can't help but love her son. He is a child of God just like us. I don't know that she is saying that she is promoting homosexuality, or more if she's just saying she loves her son... I'm not sure. Either way, it's a good book.

[UWGTrebleClef]

Has anyone read this? What did you think?
I read this book as soon as it came out, and I really enjoyed it. I had already been a fan of Anne Rice, because I read many of her Vampire Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned, Memnoch the Devil...etc), and I enjoyed those books. I knew she had been an atheist when she wrote most of the Vampire Chronicles, and when I heard that she had converted back to the Catholic faith I couldn't believe it. She has a neat conversion story. For any of you who plan on reading the book, I recommend turning to the back and reading the Author's Note first, before you read anything else. She talks about the research involved in writing the novel and also she gives a little testimony of her conversion back to the Catholic faith.

By the way, Christ the Lord is going to be a series... I emailed Anne Rice (you can go to annerice.com and get her email address) and asked her and she said she was working on the next installment right now, and there will probably be four books total.

Also, Christ the Lord is going to be adapted into a movie. I heard that Anne Rice is writing the screenplay, and the plan is to have the movie in theatres in time for Christmas 2007. Peace everyone

[Dolorosa]

I read this book as soon as it came out, and I really enjoyed it. I had already been a fan of Anne Rice, because I read many of her Vampire Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned, Memnoch the Devil...etc), and I enjoyed those books. I knew she had been an atheist when she wrote most of the Vampire Chronicles, and when I heard that she had converted back to the Catholic faith I couldn't believe it. She has a neat conversion story. For any of you who plan on reading the book, I recommend turning to the back and reading the Author's Note first, before you read anything else. She talks about the research involved in writing the novel and also she gives a little testimony of her conversion back to the Catholic faith.

By the way, Christ the Lord is going to be a series... I emailed Anne Rice (you can go to annerice.com and get her email address) and asked her and she said she was working on the next installment right now, and there will probably be four books total.

Also, Christ the Lord is going to be adapted into a movie. I heard that Anne Rice is writing the screenplay, and the plan is to have the movie in theatres in time for Christmas 2007. Peace everyone
I didn't read it because I heard that the divinity of Christ was challenged in the book. Is there any truth to that?

[3toraiseup]

I am nearly finished with the book and the only person that has challenged His divinity was an "angel" in his dreams -and you can guess the name of that angel I'll bet!

[LADY DI]

Anne Rice's Book ( Christ The Lord ) Has Got A Lot Of Good Reviews--i'm Thinking Of Reading It. Glad To See That Some Of You Here Like It.

[D'Ann]

I started to read this book myself, but was distracted. I need to go back and read it. Sounds like a good book.

[3toraiseup]

D'Ann,

I think you'll enjoy the book if you try it again. I just finished and highly recommend it. It's a great read... lots of action woven in and out of the main plot. The ending is great - and I think the book reminded me of 'The Passion' movie because it places you right in the setting. You will picture yourself inside the room with Jesus, Mary and Joseph. You will sense the major political struggles of the time and the intimate family life of the Holy Family.

[LADY DI]

D'Ann,

I think you'll enjoy the book if you try it again. I just finished and highly recommend it. It's a great read... lots of action woven in and out of the main plot. The ending is great - and I think the book reminded me of 'The Passion' movie because it places you right in the setting. You will picture yourself inside the room with Jesus, Mary and Joseph. You will sense the major political struggles of the time and the intimate family life of the Holy Family.

YOU CONVINCED ME - I WANT TO READ THIS BOOK. :)

[faithmom]

And just when I was wondering what my next good read should be.

Thanks!

[enelya_taralom]

wow, thanks guys!! Yup I think I'm gonna pick this one up :)

[faithmom]

I read it, and did not find his divinity challenged at all, in fact, confirmed. It takes the perspective of how he grasps the profoundness of being divine as a child. There is a huge "ahah!" moment toward the end that is good for all of us. Finally, the author's notes at the end help one to understand what a person who returns to faith goes through, especially one who has great gifts that can touch others (writing, in Anne Rice's case).

And YES we all know who the beautiful/horrible angel is when we read it.

My recommendation is to read it.

[faithmom]

With Christmas coming, if you wan't your reading to focus on the big J....this would be a good one to get you in touch with the Holy Family and our King.

[faithmom]

Just thought I would post this now as a good purchase for a Christmas present, so it moves up on the threads right when someone might be looking for a last minute idea.;)

Merry Christ's Mass!

[sealightseasalt]

I haven't read it. Is it good?

[NewMan99]

It is very good. I highly recommend it.