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The Good Man Jesus & The Scoundrel Christ (2011)

by Philip Pullman(Favorite Author)

3.32 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Canongate

series

Canongate Myths

review 1: Having only read Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' I wasn't sure what to expect in a book about Jesus. I knew that he didn't like like the church, which doesn't bother me as I'm not a fan of that corrupt organization either. This is an entertaining, thought provoking tale. In which Jesus and Christ are brothers, instead of one man. Pullman's version of events actually make the whole thing more belivable. And it does attack the church, well I say attack, basically paints the real picture of the church which some believers might find offensive.I loved the afterword in the book, how Pullman became a non beliver is pretty much the same story as mine and I liked the question posed at the end. I would save him. But what would the faithful do?
review 2: I wasn't sure wh... moreat to expect when reading this, but it was certainly a much simpler story that I had anticipated, with the messages sometimes very obvious and sometimes quite unclear.The idea behind the novel, that Jesus was born a twin with brother Christ, is a simple but effective premise for Pullman to explore the idea that Jesus was just a politically active, inspiring person. Rewriting the story with a bit more historical context, and a lot of embellishment in the character of Christ, allows the reader to rexamine the stories that, in the English speaking world, seem so familiar. Pullman's use of language reinforces this: much more colloquial, down to earth and the complete opposite of rhetorical and impenetrable Biblical verse.But the overall effect on me was a bit underwhelming - there are no poetic and beautiful passages that jump out at the imagination, and the portrayal of Jesus and his ideas feels like it lacks enough depth for the reader to really understand him as a new character. In many ways, the novel seems like a springboard for bigger ideas that are only just touched upon in the narrative. less

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