Anne Rice has painted a picture of Christ that might give us an insite into the times of his life. It is interesting how she incorporated the life and times of the Jewish culture along with the birth of my Christian faith.

Anne Rice's second volume in her "Christ the Lord" series is a solid and inspiring novel and better than the first book in the series. One of the chief problems with the first book was narration. Ms. Rice seemed to have problems with balancing the voices of God and the Child. The narration flows much better this time. Ms. Rice is, as always, excellent when it comes to historical research and in recreating the past. She is excellent in showing both the divine and human sides of Jesus. Not surprising considering her experience in horror novels, Ms. Rice does a wonderful job in presenting the Tempting in the Desert. But there are some problems. One of the joys of the first book in the series was a host of strong supporting characters. While a number of them return, they simply are not as interesting. She also seems to play up her created characters and downplay the first Apostles. While Ms. Rice does an excellent job in invoking "lost time" and some of the scenes from the Gospels (the Temptation, the Wedding at Cana), she also allows some scenes to go by in a blur (the calling of the Apostles, the Baptism by John the Baptist). Still, these are minor flaws and do not take away from an interesting novel which is able to offer a different take while still remaining true to the Church and its teachings.

With exquisite writing and excellent scholarship, Rice continues the story of Jesus, this time from his point of view as an adult carpenter. He anxiously awaits the time for his ministry to begin, acting as family and community peacemaker while facing his humanity. The baptism and temptation scenes toward the end of the book are particularly moving, and the miracle at Cana that begins his ministry is rich and joyful.

Anne Rice continues her excellent narrative on the life of Christ in "The Road to Cana" and gives a readable, credible, story line that does not contradict the Tradition of the Catholic Church and a harmony of the Gospels. Her attention to detail of the Holy people and ordinary life of a first century Jewish town is wonderfully helpful for modern readers to understand what the life of Our Lord was like day to day.

The story begins with a horror though, a stoning of boys for an unnamed but suspected crime that a careful reader would assume is a homosexual act.

Rice's narrative style is leaner than her period pieces and her lush prose in, for example, The Witching Hour. One suspects that part of it is Rice's own evolution as a writer, part of it is her own care in writing only what is accurate, probable, and plausible, and part of it is that the lean style echoes the setting of the book: the Mediterranean/desert climate of Judea during the first century.

Rice's horror fans will find much to enjoy, for she is a gifted writer. Those who took up Rice for the first time (as I did) from her earlier "Out of Egypt" will find this work equally satisfying. I eagerly await the next volume.

This second in the author's planned four-part life of Christ, "Road to Cana" is as rich as the first in conveying the atmosphere of His time and the poignant awakening in Christ of his gifts and mission. Having no previous experience with Rice's works (I'm not a vampire fan), I am enchanted by her writing and impressed by the depth of her biblical research. Definitely looking forward to the next two volumes.

The second in the trilogy recounting the lost years of Jesus of Nazareth before the emergence of the New Testament Gospel. Anne Rice continues with the accounts of Jesus at the start of his ministry and covers some more of the lost adult years not written about in the bible. The title refers to the famous water into wine miracle at a wedding that is attributed to Jesus. Great storytelling style as always from Rice. It is clear she really is a Catholic again.

Anne Rice takes your breath away in many moments of this book. This story of Christ - part 2, surely anticipating part 3 - is extraordinarily restrained. Christ's voice is a peaceful, quiet one, framed by thoughtful reflection. His miracles are understated, wielded with minimalist restraint instead of flash and glory. His personae is one of gentle persuasion, not bold command. The Jesus of this story is truly the "lamb", rather than "lion", of God - his authority emanating from a place of inner power rather than external might.

All in all, this imagining of Christ's adult life through to the wedding in Cana is as good an imagining as any, and surely better than most.

I listened to Road to Cana unabridged on audio CD narrated by James Naughton. To my ear, Naughton's pitch is low for Christ - a rumbling bass/baritone, where I imagine Christ with a higher vocal register. Still, Naughton, as you'd expect from a veteran Broadway actor, carries the demanding role with great expressiveness and sincerity. He gives a fine performance overall.

Anne Rice's surprising novel, a creative improvement over the wooden first installment in the series, traces Jesus' adult life just before his public ministry, so he's around 30. Since the Bible says nothing about this period, Rice is free to invent and speculate, putting her imagination to work alongside the prodigious research she conducted for this series. The result is a captivating novel that manages to portray Jesus as both human and divine; he has a believable love interest he is trying to deny, family troubles, and more than the usual round of difficulties with the government. He also has a transcendent quality that is obvious to all who know him, even those who are deeply suspicious of it. As I read it, I was impressed by Rice's ability to make Jesus into a plausible character; that's awfully hard to do with someone who is supposed to be sinless. How can a novelist make a sinless character a fully human, fleshed-out person? Yet Rice manages this feat. The novel is also peopled with other loving, flawed characters.

excellent story, reflecting plenty of research into Jewish life in the first century AD

I have always enjoyed Rice's Vampire Chronicles [who cannot love Lestat, one of the most interesting fictional characters ever developed in the English Language]. I was somewhat surprised to first find that Rice had turned to Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. It certainly seemed outside her normal repertoire. Intrigued, I made the purchase, and learned from her introduction that she more or less had 'rediscovered' her Catholic Heritage after the death of her husband.

The Road to Cana is a worthy successor to the first book in the series, moving along from Christ's youth to his age of ministry. It should be noted that the prose in both of these Books of Jesus are very restrained, muted, and simplistic in nature. The writing is far less flamboyant and dramatic, unlike the Vampire Chronicles, and thus appears to me to show the subtle application of 'simplicity' as a fundamental presentation of the story of the Incarnate Christ.

This style is appropriate for the subject matter, gives an excellent picture of the historical scene, as well as the hesitant intervention of Christ in Human History. There are no surprises, although the story is told with fluid, perceptive clarity.


As a final Note, I would submit that Chapter 22 [?], wherein Jesus engages in a dialogue with Satan, is worth the price of the entire book. It brilliantly, lucidly, and accurately outlines the fundamental basis for the incarnation of Christ, the Delusion of Lucifer, and the underlying Catholic philosophical underpinnings to this complex, yet necessary 'debate' and 'revelation' between God and Satan. This Chapter alone is absolutely stunning in that it captures extremely complex philosophical concepts and presents them in a cogent, coherent 'conversation' between the Father and the Deluded Morning Star. Please read this book. You will not be sorry.

I couldn't put it down. A real page turner! I had to keep reminding myself that it was just fiction. The story seemed so real from such a fresh perspective.

I never really enjoyed Anne Rice's novels until I read this one called
The Road to Cana. But within a short time, her powerful description of the
two young boys who were caught under the same blanket and then stoned
to death by the Jewish villagers for what one assumes was a typical love
affair a la San Francisco style.

For the first time I began to understand what the Christian path to
a more human philosophy of life was all about. With a very short novel,
she has expressed via her key characters what hate, anger, greed,
and true love are all about.

No doubt the dedication of this book to her son Christopher has
a deeper meaning that can only be appreciated after also reading some
of his novels.

I hope that the Southern "profits" like Joyce Meyers can read
this book for a better understanding of the meaning of "love thy
neighbor as thyself."

Great book. James Albertson, Morgan Hill, Calif.

2nd installment in highly attractive Anne Rice story about Jesus Christ, finds God at around age of 30 in Nazareth, where not so young anymore, Yeshua the Sinless is still struggling to discover his divinity amidst problems in his village and arrival of new Roman governor Pontius Pilate. The book is beautifully written in first person with Jesus discovering the sense of humanly love for the woman and finding the way to his destiny. 75% of the book deals with issues unknown from the Bible and is the most intriguing. The last few chapters depicting the baptism in the river Jordan, miracles on the road to Cana, and gathering of the first disciples is much more recognized to us, but still interesting. Despite deep knowledge of the bible, I am eagerly awaiting the continuation of the Jesus story expecting Anne Rice to interlace a bit of her own imagination to help a common reader to understand a possible struggle between Jesus' humanity and divinity.

When I first saw this book, I was sceptical but excited at the same time. After all, I was worried about what path Anne Rice might have taken when writing about the life of Jesus. I sought out and read "Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt" first and then this one.

Anne Rice does a great job of growing and developing the character of Yeshua bar Joseph, from a young boy unaware of the mystery and history of his birth, to a 30-year-old man, where we are when this novel opens up.

All I can say is it is very worth the read. She does a great job of interweaving the stories from the bible into her books. She really painted a terrific visual picture of what life might have been like, but, at the same time, you are seeing it through the life of an observer, a man, Jesus.

Even though we know what happens next, I can't wait to read the next one. I am so excited about it. Can't believe I have to wait!

Anne Rice has pulled off another well written depiction of the life of Christ. In this volume, the author imagines Jesus (Yeshua) just before he takes off on his preaching career that would change the world. Christ still struggles with his identity and over whether he can ever love in the sense of taking a wife. Meanwhile, tiny Nazerath is a place of gossip and at times mob violence. Overall the first two thirds are well written but generally not as good as Rice's original in the series. The last third or so is generally excellent as Christ undergoes the temptation in the wilderness and finally truely begins to understand he is God incarnate. One of Rice's better writing talents seems to be characterization as well as generally smooth storytelling that is able to hold my interest. As good as Lew Wallace's "Ben-Hur" or Douglas's "The Robe" were at times, they could be slow at times as well. While not yet on the level of "Quo Vadis" or Maier's "The Flames of Rome" in my opinion, I think Rice's series is well done and has potential to reach greater heights than it currently attains. I really hopes she writes some more in this series and I especially want to see how she would do the Passion and Resurrection. As a person who generally likes history, I was pleased Rice alluded to the battle at the Teutonburg Forest in 9 A.D. (C.E.) though readers not interested in ancient military history might care less on that count. I am wandering about a couple of details in the story however.
1. People are often seen outside at night in both books. In the first century there were still some lions around parts of Judea to my knowledge and I believe leopards live in parts of Israel to this very day. And then there are the raiders Rice mentions. Would it be safe to be out late at this time?
2. Where is Peter's wife? His mother-and-law is mentioned but I don't remember any mentioning of the disciple's wife.

On the whole though, good writing and excellent characterization. I recommend it.

It's amazing to me how Anne is able to bring you immediately into the life of Jesus as the narrator of this incredible book! Her exhaustive research is evident, but it doesn't interrupt the story. You truly get a sense of what this part of Jesus' life may have been like. I found myself thinking about it for days after I finished it!

The book is based on the most respected Biblical scholarship.
Christ's life in the hidden years is described in some depth.
The presentation personalizes Him in a way that the
Scriptures deal with only tangentially.

The presentation begins with discussions surrounding
the birth of Christ. The Magi approached from the East with
gifts of gold, frankencense and myrrh. The Baptism in
Jordan is referenced concluding with the famous
wedding of Cana.

The presentation ends with the encantation:
"Hear O Israel. The Lord Our God is One. :

She never contradicts what's in the New Testament, but in creating a novel out of a few verses, she certainly adds a whole lot of highly speculative fiction to it.

This is also an excellent book continuing where the previous one stopped.
Anne Rice is an amazing author. I never read her previous books as I don't like vampires. Even though it's a novel, it's very believable and
good reding.

The Road to Cana, a novel about the early life of Christ leading up to his public ministry was so compelling that I found it difficult to put down. The author who is evidently very knowledgeable about scripture and deeply committed to presenting Christ honestly, succeeds in helping us to experience Jesus in an intimate and deeply personal way. To write a novel in which Jesus speaks to us in the first person is a courageous act but one that the author is totally up to doing. She writes beautifully and I really found myself being transported back to the people and events in Christ's life that are not presented to us in the gospels. I especially loved meeting his earthly father Joseph who receives little attention in the gospels. Fascinating too was her treatment of Christ's baptism in the Jordan, His incredible encounter with the devil in the desert and His transformation of water into wine at the wedding in cana. As a believer in Jesus Christ and one of his followers I was thankful for the opportnity to read this book and I look forward to Anne Rice's next novel about Jesus Christ.

Who knew right? Anyway I thought Christ the Lord good but I felt that it was just a fluke or something. Here Rice actually has the foundations of a promising series. The transition of Yeshua bar Joseph from village carpenter to the son of God is something that deserves to be read.

I also have to congratulate the author on giving the little town of where Jesus grew up a life of its own the people have life and even a sense of humor that part of the book was actually very surprising.

I have been reading Anne Rice for years, and I am pleased to say that this 2nd book in the most recent trilogy is excellent and thought provoking. I can't wait until the 3rd book comes out!!!

Who would have ever thought that the "Vampire Chronicles" author could turn out such a beautiful work of art. Truly gives one a sense of what 100% God and 100% man must have been like. Cannot recommend this highly enough.

for years, anne rice has been known for her famous and bestselling books about vampires. she was one of the last successful fiction writers anyone would have expected to write a multi-volume reverent, fictional treatment of the life of christ. but a come-to-jesus (or, more accurately, a come-back-to-jesus) moment several years ago brought her back to the catholic faith of her childhood. she tells this story in the author's note at the end of the first book in this series, christ the lord: out of egypt, one of my favorite books of the year when it came out. that little author's note is, quite literally, worth the price of the first book, all by itself.

that first book tells the fictionalized (but based on what we know from scripture and other historical documents) story of christ from birth through the scene in the temple when he was 12. this second book jumps forward to the year prior to jesus' baptism at the hands of john the baptist, temptation in the desert, and - finally - his first major miracle, the water-into-wine at the wedding of cana. the story is told in first person, in the voice of jesus, which allows rice to explore his thoughts. he's 30-ish, and his family is seriously ticked that he's not married. in fact, jesus is in love with the most eligible girl in his town, who clearly wants to marry him. and we see his struggle, knowing that he cannot and will not marry her (in fact, it is her eventual wedding in cana, at the end of the book -- which provides all kinds of wonderful complexity and struggle).

jesus knows who he is, but is still learning and growing in understanding about how it all works. for instance, we get to follow along as jesus figures out how he speaks in the authoritative voice of god. at first, he knows he is this and does this, but doesn't quite grasp how it works. really interesting stuff.

i had heard from friends that this volume was good, but not as great as the first book. and that's fair. but, still, i would say that this book is great: really, really great. likely to be one of my 10 best books of the year. but the first book was one of my 2 best books of the year i read it. so, yeah, not quite as good as that one; but better than almost every other book out there! i really struggled to connect with the book, and understand what was going on, in the first 30 pages or so. but once i connected, i couldn't stop reading.

if you haven't read the first book, i would suggest you start there, though it's not necessary.

I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical before reading this book as to how JC would be portrayed. But in my struggle to have a more personal relationship with the Lord, this only helped. I read this book in three evening sittings. It was that good. This my first Anne Rice book, and I feel she can be a bit too Hemingway-esque in her details which are overkill and superfluous at times, but for the most part, her detail was welcomed and right accurate according to the times. One thing I did not like was JC's meditation in the desert where he realizes he's God, it's night and day. It seemed a bit artificial. But in the end, I walked away with a deeper appreciation of JC. Rice's depiction of his actions and character are reinforced by His teachings. I liked the scene where he hears a young girl's father crying far off in the distance, reflecting his deep compassion for us. The last part where he's approached by the Nazareth locals was also nice touch, and risky as she speculates on his response with what the people thought was supposed to be a Messiah to bring an uprising of Israel to Rome. But Rice handles many scenes like this with care. Again, the book left me wanting more and I can't wait for her next part in the Trilogy, and I'll probably read "out of Egypt". We must remember, the Christ was to be human, and he struggled with this day in and out. I'll admit it made me think more about the Trilogy of the Father and Son being one, I mean, who was he praying to in the Garden of Gethsemeni? It's still confusing yet beautiful at the same time. This novel helped solidify my faith more and reflect on Christ on a more personal level. After finishing the book, I walked away for a while and thought reflected on this... almost to tears. I would give away all our modern day luxuries and life to have walked and talked with this Yeshua. Oh, how beautiful is Christ.

Loved it. Never read anything by Rice before. Interesting concept on the early life of Christ. Believeable.

After reading, The Lord Jesus Christ Out of Egypt, I was hoping Anne Rice would continue to write about Jesus' life in the same manner. Christ the Lord, The Road to Cana is so engrossing..I can barely put it down. I am ready for the next chapter in His life.

It's almost a high-school literature teacher's joke: Divine 1st person point of view. Any literary person worth their salt knows the only kind of omniscient point of view is 3rd person (or 2nd, in the extremely rare case of Augustine's Confessions). But Anne Rice blithely jumps those literary tracks (as she jumped another, from vampire lit to theography) in order to give us the 1st person perspective of Jesus of Nazareth, God and man, on His way to becoming the Saviour of the world.

One measure of the audacity of Rice's premise is that I approached and read her first few chapters more with fear than with anticipation, three interrelated fears based upon my discomfort in hearing a 21st century author directly ventriloquising Jesus. The first fear was technical. I thought that the Jesus was going to sound too human, that the 1st person narration was going to drain all the awe from Jesus's person. But she pulls it off. If you look hard enough, there are probably cracks where the craft doesn't hold up (because Anne Rice is human!), but on a first reading the Hypostatic Union comes across. Jesus's voice is human, of course, but with a dawning recognition that He is God, and what that fully means for His time on earth. The second fear was specifically sexual. Any 21st century biographer of Jesus is going to have to deal with His sexuality; the audience demands it. But an account of some aching crush or surge of hormones couldn't help but demean the personhood of Jesus, drop Him down to snicker-worthy, and a 21st century audience would be slow to follow a reluctant turning away from some nascent love affair to some Higher Love. We would feel His bodily longings, not feel the Higher Good He alone would feel, and this would cheapen His mission. And, in this book, Jesus is unquestionably, deeply, and bodily in love with a lovely woman. But Rice manages to make the experience also quite unlike any romantic relationship before or since. To avoid clear spoilers I will say only that Jesus was never "in danger" of giving up His mission, nor, except for a few agonised moments, do I think an audience would want Him to. The third fear was more broadly political. Surely, in this most drearily querulous of times, Rice could not avoid the temptation to make a Statement about the political issues that divide our country, the United States, for instance. Surely, ventriloquising the voice of God, she would make God sound like she wanted Him to. There are a few moments where Jesus's voice could be read as joining one side of a debate or other, but more often than not, Rice carefully resists such coopting, and I respect her for it. The audacity of her premise is, on the whole, matched with her success: speaking the human voice of God as it might have been then in such a way that now we can still manage to show Him reverence.

Aside from all that, it is simply a very good story, starts getting especially good about chapter 11. Intelligently Rice chooses the initial Gospel accounts of Jesus's ministry as the end of her story, so that we see the familiar material (during long stretches she stays quite close not only to the Biblical story but to its text) as a crux, not just a beginning, and in that way the old can take on additional meaning.

If there is anything time-bound or contemporary, limited, about the presentation, it may be the human perspective itself, a failure of our current, and our culture's current, imagination to comprehend anything higher than ourselves, for better or for worse. Christ has to come a long way to meet our materialist culture. Of course Rice borders dangerously on sacrilege. But she subverts her own human presentation. Her human Christ is in nearly every respect set apart from His community, even from His family. We come to find out, for instance, that His "brothers" (initially addressed as such) are cousins, that His romantic longing has, well, such an unexpected denouement, that His limited way of knowing (His perspective is Divine, but not omniscient) can expand so gratifyingly. He is human, but being separate from all other humans He can easily, in the course of the book, grow into a fuller understanding and use of His Divinity, and we, having joined Him when His perspective is more human, can more easily follow His remarkable journey into Messianic ministry.

This isn't how it happened (should you believe, as I do, that it happened). But this surely resembles how it happened. I read the final page on a Sunday morning (after a difficult week), closed the book, and having arrived where the book's momentum had carried me felt compelled into worship.

Note: I have not read the first book in the trilogy.

Anne Rice's Jesus deeply touches one's heart with his innocent wisdom, his vulnerabiity, the magnitude of his caring. It is personally heartrending to know what is coming. The Greek word for "to believe in" has the connotation "to trust, have confidence in." Like no other book I've read, this book brings me most clearly to that trust.

I found Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana deeply moving and incredibly clarifying. Before, the events described in the Bible were a jumble in my head although I had read them several times. Now as never before, I had an understanding of what our Lord must have gone through as he became ready to be the sacrifice for our sins. It was fascinating to follow His progress. It seems to me that Ms. Rice must be truly anointed to have provided such a magnificent portrait of our Lord's advent on the Earth. Thank you Ms. Rice . I hope you are forthcoming with other books of this caliber.

FIRST, read "Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt," also by Anne Rice. That is the first book of this trilogy in progress. Both books are wonderful treatments of Christ's youth and self discovery. The first person telling pulled me in, making Christ more familiar than he's ever been for me. The only downside is that readers will finish reading both books too soon. Rice's story telling is a gift... and she has an evolved comprehension of God's patience and mercy which she shares by threading that understanding through the action in both stories. I would like to believe that both books were divinely inspired. After all, who are we to question the ways of the Lord?

My favorite parts were the treatment of the story of the tax collector, and the unexpected reference to the "camel" parable without actually saying so. And of course, the theme throughout, if you love something with all your heart, you give it away. I had to cry! I've read both of the "Christ The Lord" novels, and I'm actually dreading the third because I know what's coming. I've never read Anne Rice before, and I think this is wonderful writing.

I also highly recommend The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore by Deepak Chopra, for another interesting view of the man who was Yeshua bar Joseph.

More a short story than a novel. Character development interesting but would have liked more - more scope, more depth.

After reading Ms Rice's Christ the Lord out of Egypt I had to read this book too. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommended it everyone I know. It tells the story of a part of Jesus' life we know little to nothing about and makes it so believable that it could very well have occurred this way. I'm hoping Ms Rice continues to write more on this subject. I will eagerly get those books and read them voraciously!!

Like most here have said, the second-half of the book was clearly the most interesting. When news came to the village that John the Baptist had come out of the wilderness and was fulfilling the Prophecy, I actually began to shake, anticipating Yeshua's trip to the river. It's the kind of shake you get when you're a little too cold, but nothing I could do would stop the shaking! Finally, when he was baptised and began his journey into the wilderness, I calmed down. His conversations with Satan were phenominal! What an imagination to build that from the scriptures!

My favorite line from the entire book came at the onset of his journey into the desert: "Well, now I knew just what it meant to be the man who knew he was God." I had to stop reading for a while to recover from that line, then read it over and over again!

I also enjoyed Him telling James: "I am weary of you, by brother... in my heart, I'm weary."

The last page of the book is sheer genius and made my heart swell with Happiness!

This is a beautifully done continuation of Anne's "Christ the Lord" series. Her characterizations are brilliant, her story-line faithful to the Scriptures, and her theology superb. I loved the first book, "Out of Egypt", and this one was even more satisfying.

Anne Rice has written a book full of paradox. It is simultaneously challenging and comforting, orthodox and questioning, historically accurate and fictional, lean and richly told. Like the Pope's book, Jesus of Nazareth, this novel amounts to Anne Rice's personal search for the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rice is a Catholic, and this review is written as a Catholic review. It should go without saying however that all Christians and all people would benefit from reading Rice's latest, and perhaps best, work.

The book is both orthodox and questioning. In the opening few chapters Rice raises the question of homosexuality. Yet, Rice artfully deals with the issue, which arises when two boys are stoned to death in Nazareth without a trial because of the suspicion of sodomy. Jesus can not stop the stoning, neither can the Rabbi of the village who tried valiantly while demanding the witnesses be brought forward. Jesus is prevented from intervening by his elder brother James, but He is aghast at the mob "justice." The question as to the boy's guilt is not truly settled until Satan tempts Jesus in the dessert. However Jesus (Yeshua) offers the reader no easy answers. In fact, immediately following this ordeal, we are introduced to the character Avigail, whom Yeshua loves. When Jesus is struggling with this human conjugal love (remarkably sinless and free of lust) the Scripture verses that Christ ponders are those same verses John Paul II considered when writing the Theology of the Body. "Man and woman He created them; it is not good for man to be alone; for this reason a man will leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife." It is as if Rice is challenging the reader to deal with the Scriptural and moral evidence and to draw their own conclusions or reexamine already held beliefs.

Some may find this part of the book challenging as they have become Catholics because of the Church's teachings on sex and sexuality. Catholics who rejoice in the Church's teachings on sex and sexuality and attempt to live them report that they find these teachings glorious, life-giving, and liberating. Rice perhaps disagrees, but she is so humble that she raises the question and refuses to put her own biases into Yeshua's heart or mouth. This level of restraint is remarkable, and shows a mature Catholic artist dealing in a non-scandalous way with the teaching authority of her Church. The result is two or three challenging but humble chapters that encourage the reader to think. By even raising the issue of homosexuality in this way, Rice has opened herself to criticism as someone who has an agenda. The criticism from some will be pointed and perhaps angry, and this will be understandable. However, her restraint and honesty deserve praise. It is because of this restraint and honesty that many thinking Catholics who love the Church's teachings and consider themselves orthodox may well find themselves as comforted as they are challenged by Rice's book. Rice, it seems, is a liberal when it comes to the moral teachings of the Church; but she is a liberal with a decidedly open mind and heart. This is a rarity among progressives in the Church who are increasingly bitter, angry, and hateful towards their fellow Catholics who embrace what the Church teaches. Furthermore, when it comes to creedal Christianity, Rice is uncompromisingly orthodox and refuses to fall into the modernist traps of denying Christ's divinity, His historical reality, or the reality of His real and literal bodily resurrection. This uncompromising faith is what makes her a Christian, and she is a brave one at that.

The role of women is also addressed, as Avigail is victim of an attempted rape early in the book. The role of women, their place in the world, and their role as followers of Jesus are issues that are raised and dealt with in a sensitive manner. Remarkably, the raising of these two politically correct shibboleths in the very beginning of the text does not detract from the authenticity of the novel, and neither episode is overly modernistic and therefore distracting. This is a result of Rice's restraint and artistic competence.

It is also due the fact that Rice is relentless in her pursuit of historical accuracy. In her first book Rice demonstrated a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of first century Israel, and that same knowledge informs her characters, informs their actions, and informs their motives. An especially rich character in this regard is Jason, who is ends up being the "rich man" of the Gospel who goes away sad when Jesus asks him to give up everything he has to follow him. I will not give away anything of this character. He is so richly painted that it would ruin an important part of the book.

The entire book is richly told for that matter. We see the sights, smell the smells, and feel the feelings of first century Israel. However, despite the richness, the book is incredible short, under 200 pages, and the prose is leaner than anything I have ever read by Rice before. To this reader, this book feels more like Hemmingway than many of Rice's past books, especially the lush vampire novels of my youth.

Any person who loves the writing of Anne Rice and has found her journey home to the faith of her fathers interesting and heartening will benefit from this book. Everyone, regardless of faith and regardless of perspective, should give this book a chance. It is great literature; perhaps the best Rice has ever written. Whether the subject matter makes it impossible to be recognized as such remains to be seen.

In his seminal book, "Life of Christ," beloved Catholic broadcaster/evangelist Fulton Sheen describes the wedding at Cana as "a rehearsal for Golgotha" and Christ's Crucifixion. "There is a striking parallel between His Father's bidding Him to His public death and His mother's bidding Him to His public life," he writes. "Obedience triumphed in both cases; at Cana, the water was changed into wine; at Calvary, the wine was changed into blood."

Anne Rice builds her magisterial Christian novel around three seminal Gospel events: Jesus' first miracle of turning water to wine at Cana, His temptation by Satan in the desert, and His baptism at the Jordan. Each precedes Christ's ministry (it gives nothing away to say the book ends with Jesus and His apostles starting their commission) and points to what He will do and who He was (is): each marks where His fully divine and human natures met, battled, and triumphed.

Staying fully within Gospel tradition, "Road to Cana" builds an historically accurate, compelling narrative to follow 2006's "Out of Egypt." Here, Jesus (again called Yeshua, "the sinless") stands amid family and village strife as fellow Nazoreans want to rebel against Roman occupation. He must also deal with an increasingly dry season (Rice vividly portrays parched lands and sky quelled by cold baths and swallows of water) which His prayers end to family amazement.

Most powerfully throughout the book, Jesus transforms His love for the town's most beautiful single woman, Avigail. His humanity yearns in dreams for married life's closeness and physical affection (not to mention quelling concerns over not being married at his age). But as He realizes and accepts His mission, His love for her becomes as brother to sister. Her offer of physical closeness (arising from pain and needing acceptance) becomes His counteroffer of spiritual comfort after a painful family rejection. His financial and spiritual support of her marriage, with colorful celebration and surprising conclusion, becomes the start of His obedience not only to His mother (who attended Cana and to whom Rice's gives warm, witty repartee to Her Son) but to His Father in Heaven. Within this fictional subtext, Rice gives a powerful, overlooked example of a sacrifice Christ made for humanity.

It adds all the more Gothic drama to His desert battle with the self-described "Helel Ben-Shahar" (the one Christ called "The Lie" and "Lord of the Flies"). Rice includes each Scriptural word they exchanged, but Jesus' describing His mission and battle plan to defeat Satan should be a template for ministers and rouse joy in faith-filled readers.

"The Road to Cana," carries Ms. Rice's hallmarks from her new career phase: meticulous accuracy, balance between Christ's roles as family member, friend, arbiter, perceived political hero, real spiritual hero and finally, lone figure between His heavenly Father and the world He came to save. The book ends where that journey began, and "Road to Cana" builds a compelling narrative linking each of those signposts. Highly entertaining, inspirational, and recommended.

I bought both books by Anne Rice in the Christ the Lord series. Both are excellent. I found them scripturally correct as much as possible - remembering that they are fiction. I will share them with friends. They present interesting ideas and made me feel that Jesus was more human than I had really thought about. The Divine makes it hard to see the human. These books helped strengthen my faith - besides being good reads.

Second in a great series. Obviously not scripturally accurate as it covers times in Christ's life not documented, but excellent speculation integrated with scripture.

I purchased this for my 5 hour commute twice a week. Absolutely enthralling. I love this as much as I loved the first one! Anne Rice is an unbelievable talented story-teller! I am so glad she devoted her live to Christ!

The figure of Christ is persistently interesting, and Anne Rice has given us a yet another fascinating take. Christ was God, before He was born, during His life, and after His Resurrection. Yet He was also a man. If He had not been a true man, His willing sacrifice on the cross wouldn't have counted to redeem mankind from its debt of sin. If He had not been true God, likewise. And yet there is the tension between the two conditions that might be captured in the soldier's half-sincere taunt to Christ on the cross: If you be God, come down from the cross and save yourself! So the rather forensic question of 'what did the suspect know, and when did he know it' takes on compelling drama when the suspect is Christ, and Anne Rice has given us a portrait of a complex individual with flashes of insight and an enduring charity for neighbor, with a 'weakness' for the good and beautiful in humanity that leads Him to the road of His Father. We see Him in the day-to-day slugfest of life, disliked by some, respected by all, frustrating to those with a linear and unshakable plan. Rice has applied her always-formidable skills in characterization to a mysterious and fascinating Man God, and the result is even more satisfying than her earlier work.

She did it again. Amazing portraial of the historical facts. A 2000 year old story with a fresh look at life during the time of Christ.

As a fan of Anne Rice horror novels I did not know quite what to think of her writing a series a novels on Jesus. I was quite happy to hear of her return to the Catholic faith, but was rather skeptical as to what these novels would be like. I received Christ the Lord: Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana for review so I was finally able to indulge my curiosity. When someone decides to write a novel of Jesus from a first person perspective either they are pretty prideful to do so or have some measure of humility in undertaking the task. I believe the latter to be true in this case.

The novel doesn't start off that well with the stoning of two adolescent boys for alleged homosexuality and I thought that perhaps this novel would be more about ideology than trying to plumb the depths of the incarnation.

Tom at Disputations ably noted my second concern about the novel.

"And I may have rolled my eyes as Jesus moons over the beautiful young girl who lives across the street. (Not to worry, though; Rice's Jesus knows that the personal problems of a Messiah don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.)"

The main thing you might wonder about a first person perspective of Jesus of how the author would handle Jesus being fully man and fully God. The first half of the novel mainly concentrates on Jesus' humanity while not discounting his divinity. It is not the "ignorant Jesus" portrayal that is such a common theological fad and the novel has Jesus being aware of his mission to a degree and at times calls in this knowledge.

The novel has Joseph as having been previously married and that the Apostle James is a step-brother and has him living to just before his public ministry. This idea comes from the Protoevangelium of James and I believe she also used some of this apocryphal Gospel in her first book on Jesus. This though is a perfectly acceptable and orthodox understanding concerning Joseph and the brethren of the Lord. Regardless she uses it to good effect. I found quite interesting the question she brings up in how the villagers might have seen Jesus who would have been somewhat of an oddity having never married. She references the Annunciation, the miracle of Jesus' birth, the angels proclaiming his birth, and the Magnificat in the text and I enjoyed the way it was incorporated and not cast into question in any way.

The problem with so many writers is that they can only see through the lens of their time. That they have to layer on modern attitudes onto people who lived in more ancient times. The movie The Nativity Story demonstrated this problem by having a Mary displaying teenage angst and at first not accepting Joseph as chosen for her husband. Anne Rice though was able to write of the people in Jesus's village in what seemed to me to be in an authentic way. Their concerns and worries were the concerns and worries of the time. The characters are nicely fleshed out and quite believable.

The first half of the novel dwells in the period of time just before Jesus' public life and the end of his hidden life. The plot for this first half is somewhat interesting, but it is when Jesus's cousin John the Baptist appears on the world stage that we come to firmer ground. It is this second half that I found quite enjoyable to read and loaded with many insights into his public ministry. Her description of meeting his cousin and being baptized and then going into the desert verge on a meditation of these events. Especially the temptation in the desert is a very imaginative description of the events and I think some of the best writing in the book. The Gospels has the calling of the Apostles compacted in time and the book treats their calling in the same way. Very rapidly we meet the Apostles and they come to join and follow Jesus and we see them at the wedding of Cana. The description of the events at Cana are also quite stirring and I found the interaction between Jesus and his mother Mary brought tears to my eyes and will help me when praying the Luminous Mysteries.

I had a couple of minor qualms of the first half of the novel which I mentioned at the beginning of the review, but I found the book to be totally worthwhile and really quite an amazing effort. There is no deconstruction of Jesus and the novel is quite orthodox and a very fruitful meditation on Jesus by Anne Rice. It really makes me look forward to the next novel in the series and I will be going back to read the first one. The best thing I can say about "The Road to Cana" is that it will be one I will put on my reread list.

First of all, the reader in this audio book is excellent. Secondly, Anne Rice has provided a lot of information to ponder. It certainly puts Christ's life in a more secular perspective. We often forget he had to experience the trials and tribulations of a mortal man. It made me appreciate and understand his sacrifices and pain and suffering even more. I realize Rice has written fiction, but she certainly has given me "food for thought."

THIS IS AN VERY GOOD INTERPRETATION OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST AS A YOUNG MAN. EVEN THOUGH IT IS WRITTEN AS FICTION, I FOUND IT VERY USEFUL FOR MY SPIRITUAL WALK WITH CHRIST. IT ALLOWS ME A CLOSER IDENTIFICATION WITH THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST. IT WAS AN EASY BUT ENTHRALLING READ. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT AND EAGERLY LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT BOOK

As a fan of Anne Rice horror novels I did not know quite what to think of her writing a series a novels on Jesus. I was quite happy to hear of her return to the Catholic faith, but was rather skeptical as to what these novels would be like. I received Christ the Lord: Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana for review so I was finally able to indulge my curiosity. When someone decides to write a novel of Jesus from a first person perspective either they are pretty prideful to do so or have some measure of humility in undertaking the task. I believe the latter to be true in this case.

The novel doesn't start off that well with the stoning of two adolescent boys for alleged homosexuality and I thought that perhaps this novel would be more about ideology than trying to plummet the incarnation.

Tom at Disputations ably noted my second concern about the novel.

"And I may have rolled my eyes as Jesus moons over the beautiful young girl who lives across the street. (Not to worry, though; Rice's Jesus knows that the personal problems of a Messiah don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.)"

The main thing you might wonder about a first person perspective of Jesus of how the author would handle Jesus being fully man and fully God. The first half of the novel mainly concentrates on Jesus' humanity while not discounting his divinity. It is not the "ignorant Jesus" portrayal that is such a common theological fad and the novel has Jesus being aware of his mission to a degree and at times calls in this knowledge.

The novel has Joseph as having been previously married and that the Apostle James is a step-brother and has him living to just before his public ministry. This idea comes from the Protoevangelium of James and I believe she also used some of this apocryphal Gospel in her first book on Jesus. This though is a perfectly acceptable and orthodox understanding concerning Joseph and the brethren of the Lord. Regardless she uses it to good effect. I found quite interesting the question she brings up in how the villagers might have seen Jesus who would have been somewhat of an oddity having never married. She references the Annunciation, the miracle of Jesus' birth, the angels proclaiming his birth, and the Magnificat in the text and I enjoyed the way it was incorporated and not cast into question in any way.

The problem with so many writers is that they can only see through the lens of their time. That they have to layer on modern attitudes onto people who lived in more ancient times. The movie The Nativity Story demonstrated this problem by having a Mary displaying teenage angst and at first not accepting Joseph as chosen for her husband. Anne Rice though was able to write of the people in Jesus's village in what seemed to me to be in an authentic way. Their concerns and worries were the concerns and worries of the time. The characters are nicely fleshed out and quite believable.

The first half of the novel dwells in the period of time just before Jesus' public life and the end of his hidden life. The plot for this first half is somewhat interesting, but it is when Jesus's cousin John the Baptist appears on the world stage that we come to firmer ground. It is this second half that I found quite enjoyable to read and loaded with many insights into his public ministry. Her description of meeting his cousin and being baptized and then going into the desert verge on a meditation of these events. Especially the temptation in the desert is a very imaginative description of the events and I think some of the best writing in the book. The Gospels has the calling of the Apostles compacted in time and the book treats their calling in the same way. Very rapidly we meet the Apostles and they come to join and follow Jesus and we see them at the wedding of Cana. The description of the events at Cana are also quite stirring and I found the interaction between Jesus and his mother Mary brought tears to my eyes and will help me when praying the Luminous Mysteries.

I had a couple of minor qualms of the first half of the novel which I mentioned at the beginning of the review, but I found the book to be totally worthwhile and really quite an amazing effort. There is no deconstruction of Jesus and the novel is quite orthodox and a very fruitful meditation on Jesus by Anne Rice. It really makes me look forward to the next novel in the series and I will be going back to read the first one. The best thing I can say about "The Road to Cana" is that it will be one I will put on my reread list.

I give 4 stars for Rice's writing skills although I find the content of this book quite odd.

Rice writes in her book that (1) the Lord has an older half-brother James, and (2) he struggles to control his passion for this beautiful woman called Avigail.

There is biblical significance for Jesus to be the first born. Moreover, in the Bible, on Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem and later, their escape to Egypt, there was no mention of a child of Joseph from a previous marriage. Also, the Lord could not possibly fall fleshly for an earthly woman. There is difference between being in love and to lust for a woman. To lust for a woman is a sin which the Lord may be tempted to commit but did not. To fall in love, the Lord would have to allow it to happen despite his knowledge of this woman (her sins, her flaws and her lust for Him), His ministry on the earth and His devotion to God the Father. The Lord may find this woman appealing, but He would still have to reach to a point where he allowed Himself to fall before he actually fell for her.

In the Bible Simon Peter once demanded the Lord to leave him, because he could not bear the gnawing contrast he sensed between his sinfulness and the Lord's holiness. A woman in her sound mind can not look upon Jesus, face-to face, and still have lust or the thought of a marital union. And I do not believe that women are spritually retarded or inferior compared to St Peter and cannot tell their own sins and that the Lord is holy. In the Bible, the Lord rebuked those who look at women and have a thought of lust. It is unlikely that the Lord would tolerate a woman like Avigail to shamelessly tell Him, "..take me as your harlot. Please, I don't care." (2008, p121) The biblical Jesus, most likely, would have said to her something like what he said the Simon Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!" Soon after this explicitly suggestive conversation in the grove, the Jesus in the book even gave away his gifts from the Magi to Avigail to be the funds of her wedding with Reuben, Hananel's rich grandson, although the gifts he received from the Magi symbolise his kingship, royalty and sacrifice (priesthood). The book, in my opinion, flows smoothly, though the the portrayal of the Lord is quite irrational, sentimental and unbearably sensual.

Rice writes in her book that (1) the Lord has an older half-brother James, and (2) he struggles to control his passion for this beautiful woman called Avigail. The tone is also very sentimental, and the worse, it is written in the first person through the Lord's perspective. Rice really makes the Lord talk and think like a woman.

In the Bible, on Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem and later, their escape to Egypt, there was no mention of a child of Joseph from a previous marriage. Moreover, the Lord could not possibly have passion for a woman. How could an all-knowing God fall fleshly for an earthly woman? I mean, he was like her father. He created her, knowing all her weaknesses, imperfections and maybe also some foolishness. I wonder how the Lord could still fancy her like an earthly man does!

In our fallen state, a man or a woman can only feel the conviction of his or her sins and shortcomings in the presence of God. Therefore Simon Peter even once demanded the Lord to leave him, because he could not bear the gnawing contrast he sensed between his sinfulness and the Lord's holiness. A woman in her sound mind can not look upon Jesus with lust or the thought of a marital union. This is serious; this book is talking about another Jesus different from the holy One in the Bible.

Anne Rice's Wedding at Cana is a wonderfully written novel. I appreciate her blend of what we know to be written in the Bible and what is believed could be true. What a wonderful depiction of Christ as both human and God. Highly recommended!