Never learn... * Christ the Lord review

Some people never learn. I am one of them. I'm about to make that great mistake again...

I'm starting two books at the same time. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Imitation of Christ. How's that for balance? :)

At least Imitation is short (under 100 pages). But, like Augustine a month or so ago, I don't expect this one to be a quick and easy read.

And Potter... well... I've been there before. So not too bad. I figured if I'm going to re-read the series in order, I need to get going.

***

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt was a wonderful book... even better than I expected. True, accept it as fiction, as one woman's interpretation and imagining of what Jesus' childhood *might* have been like, and it's a fascinating read. I loved how she made Jesus character so believable... I found it easy to accept that he was God in the form of a very real and human boy. I loved her characterization of Mary -- young and innocent, yet strong and wise. I loved how she brought out the ugliness and beauty of the world Jesus had come to live in and ultimately rescue; it was a world in need of rescuing... perhaps even worth rescuing.

And I appreciated Anne Rice's tight style and reverent approach. I could tell that she honored and cared about the subject, with a careful eye to detail and making the ancient world come alive. The Author's Note at the end was especially fascinating... she sort of reminded me of reading Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis in her description of coming from a religious background to years of atheism to finally a very real and rational faith. Her commentary on the research that went into creating this book is a bit long for an "author's note," but very much worth the read.

So all in all, I enjoyed it a lot... I'll probably buy this one eventually for my personal library, and I am waiting for more! I love her style and approach and hope she will put out some more books on a similar line... because I'd rather not go back to her earlier career and read Interview with a Vampire or stuff like that. :)

Okay. In the time spent writing that review, I probably could have cleared a chapter or two of Chamber of Secrets. Shoot.