Posted by Helen on: 06.07.2006 /
Maybe you’ve heard of Anne Rice. She’s written a number of best-selling novels about vampires. She switched direction significantly with her latest novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.
Here’s a description of the novel from an article about Anne Rice on Christianity Today Online:
Christ the Lord tells the story of Jesus through first-person narrative, drawing on the Bible, the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas, and Catholic doctrine. Jesus is part of a large, warm extended family (in the novel, Joseph was previously married and widowed, so Rice’s Jesus has half-siblings). The family is returning to Nazareth after living in Egypt.
I’m interested to hear the following from people with or without beliefs:
One more question - for movie goers:
Comment by: Julie Marie
1Ann Rice is one of the few authors I’ve given myself permission to stop reading once I started. I haven’t read any of her vampire books but I picked up a book that turned out to be erotica - but of the S&M flavor. I was not up for that. I can’t remember the name of the book anymore.
I read about her conversion, and based upon my previous experience with her writing I am interested to see what impact this change has had. From the article I read, she tackled the story with a great sense of responsibliity to not sensationalize and to get it “right.” The source does make a difference to me, although not so much when dealing with a novel as with a more serious work. I doubt I’ll get to her book any time soon, I’ve got church history, theology, and 20th centurty scientific discoveries to get through first :)
As far as vampires vs. Jesus - I’d rather read about Jesus, even if, as in this case, its historical fiction. (and I say this with a smile b/c I already know you As will say its all historical fiction ;)) If it came out in a movie, I’d rent it rather than read the book.
Comment by: NCxian
2I’ve read all (I think) of the Vampire novels and the most (I think) of the Mayfair witches ones. It gets a little hard to tell which books are attached to which series in the later ones.
Anne Rice is an extraordinarily imaginative writer. I also think she is a pretty good writer, in the sense of sucking you in (so to speak) to her environment. But I enjoy shockingly imaginative writing so much (especially science fiction, but sometimes fantasy) that I can read the worst written stuff with pleasure. So my taste may be off here–take it with a grain of salt. (I actually was able to stomach the first Left Behind book, because I was just so taken with the notion that those guys had thought to turn the rapture business into a book. And trust me, it was truly awful).
It does not surprise me that Anne Rice has come to this Jesus-y place. One of the vampire books is called “Memnoch the Devil”, in which Lestat (the main vampire of the books) and the Devil carry on long, Job-like theological discussions. It has been a number of years since I read it, but I thought it evidenced a person thinking long and hard about God, Jesus, good and evil, in a pretty serious way.
I think I will try to go back and read the Memnoch book in conjuction with the Jesus one. It will be interesting to see where she has come from and gone to, over time.
Oh, I too browsed a copy of her erotica in a bookstore, and declined.
I haven’t read many novelizations of stories from the Bible that I can think of. The Red Tent is an interesting book taken from the old testament story of Jacob and his wives and children, written by Anita Diamont (sp?). Probably kind of girly–it focuses on the one daughter who gets about 2 lines in the OT.
Comment by: Helen M.
3My Mom gave me Good Harbor by Anita Diamant for Christmas.
I liked it so I got The Red Tent out of the library and read it. I didn’t like that one though. I found her interpretation of the Bible story irritating.
I’ll share my own thoughts on Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt later.
Comment by: Eliza
4The review you linked, Helen, gives aspects of Ann Rice’s history that I hadn’t read in a review in our local paper - helpful perspective! It says in part:
There’s more later in the review, too, about her writing from a point of pain, and about her prior books (I haven’t read them - tried one, didn’t like it) about vampires being a way to explore life-beyond-death.
There’s also a quote from her former assistant, who says she thinks A.R. “still held a strong connection to her Catholic beliefs” even during her vampire years.
So, it had seemed odd to me, for her to go from vampires to Jesus, but now it makes more sense - exploring two sides of a coin, if you will - death/life, evil/good, etc.
I would rather read a novel about Jesus than vampires, if the quality of writing were good. The source of the novel would be the Bible & the author’s historical research and beliefs…would rather read such a book if the author takes a positive but non-magical approach, if that makes sense. I would be distracted by knowing that the author is fictionalizing a historical figure (or at least historically important figure) & that it’s easy to start confusing fiction & fact in that kind of book.
If there were a movie made on the book, w/ good (secular) reviews, sure I’d go see it..
Comment by: Jim Henderson
5Comment by: NCxian
6I liked it so I got The Red Tent out of the library and read it. I didn’t like that one though. I found her interpretation of the Bible story irritating.
Did you think it wasn’t true or, maybe, respectful to the Biblical account–it did go way far afield, for sure–or did you just find the story irritating period?
I thought it was well-written, and her imagination about the historical period and such just fascinated me. I think I pretty much read it in one sitting.
Comment by: NCxian
7Eliza, thanks for the info on Rice. I think I knew she had had a child who died but not all the other stuff.
Comment by: Peter Walker
8Some colleagues of mine bought the rights to this book to make it into a movie
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Tell us more, Jim! Who, how and when?
Comment by: Helen M.
9NCxian, I’m trying to remember what I didn’t like about The Red Tent. I think I didn’t like the way she portrayed the men - but I can’t remember specifics; I know I didn’t like how nasty she made Rebecca; and I think all the focus on the female religious ritual stuff bored me.
I like that she wanted to affirm and honor the womens part in this story, which we hear little about in the Bible. But to me she went too far the other way.
I wish I could remember more specifically what I didn’t like but I think those were the main things.
Since you liked The Red Tent I’d definitely recommend Good Harbor to you.
Ok: my experience with Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt was quite different from The Red Tent. I heard Anne Rice being interviewed on the radio one day and that was how I heard about the book and how it was a dramatic change in direction for her.
I like novels on CD and my local library has hardly any, so I tend to check out any I see which I have even a remote interest in. One day they had Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and so I checked it out. I was quite hesitant to listen to it because of my issues about Jesus-related things, but I must have been bored one day because I started listening to it.
Jesus having an older brother threw me at first, but not for long. I found myself very much drawn into the story and unexpectedly moved by it. I found it to be a very sensitive and thoughtful treatment of the growing self-awareness of Jesus. I think she appropriately portrayed the understanding he was gaining as a sometimes difficult, sometimes overwhelming, sometimes very lonely one.
I found scenes like the one where Jesus first learns that the rabbis of his home town disapprove of him, and he doesn’t know why, very powerful.
I was pleased to see that NT Wright was one of Anne Rice’s sources since I’ve appreciated his books about Jesus. And I wasn’t altogether surprised because I can see the influence of NT Wright’s view of Jesus on how she depicted him.
I was impressed enough with the book that I’d recommend it to Christians even though it didn’t stick strictly to the Biblical accounts about Jesus. I found it thought-provoking in a good way. And I think it makes Jesus seem more human than he often seems when I hear Christians talk about him. Even though all the traditional doctrines of Christianity do say Jesus was/is/whatever fully human.
I’m not sure whether people who aren’t Christians would find it interesting to read a novel about Jesus. Maybe, if they like historical fiction, because I think she describes the historical setting well.
Comment by: Julie Marie
10Books on CD Helen - what a great idea! I wasn’t even thinking of that - I’m in the middle of a big painting project. I think when I run out to Lowe’s this morning I’ll stop by the library and see what they’ve got.
Not only good conversation here at CatE, but tips on how to occupy your mind while performing a mindless task. What a good use of my morning coffee break!
Comment by: Helen M.
11Julie Marie, I love listening to books on CD while I’m doing ‘mindless tasks’! :)