Rating: 
Summary: How to place this book?
Review: My mother sent me this bizarre book as she is wont to ("it looked interesting" or "I read this and wanted to see what you thought"), and I am still unsure how to review it. On the back cover it says: "Quarantine is an imaginative and powerful re-telling of Christ's fabled forty-day fast in the desert." Well, it is imaginative. The actual story has a good deal more to do with the oddball group of people that Jesus meets as he enters the desert for his forty day fast. We meet Jesus briefly toward the beginning of the tale and then again at the very end, but the bulk of the story revolves around an abusive, greedy trader and his dutiful wife, a young headstrong man from outside of the region, an older Jewish man, a young 'barren' Jewish women, and a strange tribal "badu" from the deserts of the south. These self-exiled oddballs confront, anger, and assist each other during their periods of exile - Jesus playing a role only as the shadow existence of a potential prophet (he is a mystery to them and they are alternately awed and angered by him because he will not allow them to engage him.) If these characters were supposed to represent the various forms the devil might have taken in the wilderness - the various forms of evil were certainly not all represented, in fact, with the exception of the trader, these characters were rather benign and even 'good'. In any case, this book would make an excellent selection for a book club, due in large part, because it would lend itself to a good deal of interesting discussion.
Rating: 
Summary: Haunting and enigmatic
Review: What to make of this book? Crace knows the story of Jesus is so well known as to be almost sacrosanct. To take a brief 40 days from that story and develop them into a full blown novel is risky enough. But it's Crace's decision to defy expectations and change the outcome that makes this novel so ultimately haunting. The cruel indifference of the desert scrub provides the backdrop for Crace's ragged band of misfits. Five pilgrims come to the wilderness in search of personal solace, only to be exploited and manipulated by an avaricious merchant Musa. Four succumb. Only the fifth, the mysterious, self-doubting and apparently hallucinating Jesus, remains alone and apart. It is this very isolationism that irritates and intrigues Musa, who apparently owes his life to a brief visit from Jesus as the merchant lay abandoned and dying of fever. A devious, calculating and, yes, even devilish Musa won't rest until he can tempt the young "Gally" from his key-hole cave and coax him into revealing the secrets of his healing powers. Despite his refusal to have anything to do with his desert neighbours, Jesus comes to have a profound effect on all their lives. They leave the harsh hills changed, while the man most responsible for that change remains. There are many biblical allusions: the empty grave, the miraculous waters, the daily temptations, the stones to bread, the double resurrection, even the names of the women who minister to Jesus: Marta and Miri. It is difficult not to seek some profound and underlying message from Crace's simple and poetically written novel. The enigmatic ending is especially haunting, almost giving the book the feel of some ungraspable riddle. But ultimately any search for symbolism would likely diminish the beauty of the language and Crace's meditation on the mystery of God in a relentless landscape.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Disappointing
Review: "Quarantine" is described as a retelling of Christ's forty-day fast in the desert. I was a little disappointed because the book focused, not so much on Christ, as on several other pilgrims who, for reasons of their own, were also fasting in the desert.The real protagonist of the book is Miri, the pregnant wife of the abusive merchant, Musa. While Miri and Musa were interesting, they weren't interesting enough to hold my full attention when Christ was in a cave close by. Worse yet, none of the "quarantiners" seems to be greatly affected by Christ's presence among them other than harboring a mild curiosity. Only Musa recognizes Christ and his interest seems to be interest for his own gain. Although Miri is changed by her experience in the desert, her change comes about through the intervention of another female quarantiner, not Christ. Crace's writing is beautiful. His descriptions of the desert landscape are mesmerizing and almost make up for what I found lacking the this book's plot. The characters are also well-drawn and very believable but other than Miri, I really wasn't able to sympathize or identify with any of them. "Quarantine" will probably delight any Crace fan and readers of literary fiction may like it as well. Be aware, though, that the book isn't really "about Christ" and that even his influence on the other characters is minimal. This is one I read for the gorgeous writing more than for the story.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Disappointing
Review: "Quarantine" is described as a retelling of Christ's forty-day fast in the desert. I was a little disappointed because the book focused, not so much on Christ, as on several other pilgrims who, for reasons of their own, were also fasting in the desert. The real protagonist of the book is Miri, the pregnant wife of the abusive merchant, Musa. While Miri and Musa were interesting, they weren't interesting enough to hold my full attention when Christ was in a cave close by. Worse yet, none of the "quarantiners" seems to be greatly affected by Christ's presence among them other than harboring a mild curiosity. Only Musa recognizes Christ and his interest seems to be interest for his own gain. Although Miri is changed by her experience in the desert, her change comes about through the intervention of another female quarantiner, not Christ. Crace's writing is beautiful. His descriptions of the desert landscape are mesmerizing and almost make up for what I found lacking the this book's plot. The characters are also well-drawn and very believable but other than Miri, I really wasn't able to sympathize or identify with any of them. "Quarantine" will probably delight any Crace fan and readers of literary fiction may like it as well. Be aware, though, that the book isn't really "about Christ" and that even his influence on the other characters is minimal. This is one I read for the gorgeous writing more than for the story.
Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful book from an author on the fast track.
Review: Crace's 'Quarantine' is a breathtaking book of greater subtlety than some of our reviews might suggest. The central character of the book is a ruthless, sadistic and exploitative trader, Musa. Following a close brush with death, Musa becomes convinced that a young Galilean, who is fasting in the desert with others of his faith, unknowingly saved his life. Musa aims to make capitol from those performing their religious duty and to market the healing powers of his saviour. At the end of the book we may draw are own conclusion as to whether the confused, young Galilean, nearly driven to madness by his endeavour, is Jesus. Your opinion will differ according to your belief or interpretation of the Bible. This gives the book the unique ability to engage you on a deeply personal and spiritual level. Crace successfully renders the desert as a harsh and inhospitable screen on which the story plays: The characters are lucidly drawn and make light work of holding one's attention. This results in a highly inventive book and a wonderfully entertaining read.
Rating: 
Summary: "A village view of god that was not scholarly."
Review: From its dramatic opening in which a trader lies dying in a tent while his caravan continues on to Jericho without him, to the confusing days following the death of Jesus, Crace's novel of forty days' "quarantine" in the wilderness startles, fascinates, and ultimately haunts. Readers who embrace a literal interpretation of the Bible may be offended by the premise and plot of this novel, in which Jesus and four other pilgrims seek spiritual enlightenment in separate caves in the bleak wilderness. Each, including Jesus, faces personal demons as s/he wrestles with solitude, starvation, and thirst. For those who regard events in the New Testament as symbolic, rather than literal, the novel offers a surprising new way of experiencing and interpreting the trials in the wilderness, the death and burial of Jesus, and ultimately the influence of Jesus on succeeding generations. Crace's descriptions of the natural world are breathtaking. Using vivid verbs, musical cadences, unique metaphors, and acutely perceived observations about man, nature, and the spirit, he brings the wilderness into sharp focus, often personifying nature and its creatures without a trace of romanticism. "The clouds came down to sniff the hills, to scratch their bellies on the thorns," "Clouds and lightning moved away, banging on their shields," and sounds of wind that "could be mistaken for the vast percussion of the storm-pressed, canvas billows of a ship" are among the hundreds of vibrant and unique images which bring nature to life and illustrate man's closeness to it. With a similar focus on men as humans within nature and the wilderness, he attempts to recreate the quarantine experience and man's desire to connect with a higher power. Jesus, like the other pilgrims, is human here, a man rooted in the real world of his day and subject to the same urges as other men. He is different from them, however, in his determination not to yield to privation as he seeks union with God through his visions and hallucinations. This is not a book that will appeal to everyone. Though Crace's purpose is not to debunk, he does challenge our understanding of what happened between the forty days in the wilderness and the resurrection and its significance. The language is stunning, the characters are fascinating, the imagery is unique, and the power of nature is overwhelming--but one's enjoyment of the book ultimately depends on one's willingness to consider alternative interpretations of some of the basic tenets of Christianity. Mary Whipple
Rating:
Summary: Daring and original.
Review: Jezus of Galilea is looking for a place where he can retire for forty days without food. But he's not alone. In the desert of Judea live other parttime hermits. They have each their own cave, their own reason to be there and have different beliefs.
From what they are going through and from what they say it becomes clear why they have chosen for seclusion.
The only thing I have a problem with is that Jezus acts as if he was some scared animal. But on the other hand Jim Crace has the courage to write a novel that is daring and original. In a certain way it makes him related with Boelgakov and his 'The Master and Margarita'.
Rating:
Summary: A delight
Review: My only regret in reading this book is taht it didn't go on longer. I disovered it in a recommended books section never having heard of this wonerful author. This is English writing at its heights. You can almost taste the red earth that is the ground that the novel is set on. Several authors have delved into the author's religious predicament (he is apparently very influenced by his religious beliefs) and others analyse it within the contact of their own religious view points. If you take out the fact that the main character is called Jesus, you need not even think about this dimension to the book except that its subject matter does delve into the spiritual in the same way a Paolo Coelho book does. Here is writing that reminds you of Patrick Suskind's imagination in its ability to make you taste the essence of the environment that is being described. A wonderful sory that has you imagining how you would be acting and reacting if you found yourself in this setting with these characrters. I almost wanted to write down some of the lines of the book, so remarkably crafted where they ( much in the same way I did with Birdsong or The life of Pi). I don't know if I would rank this at the pinnacle of writers of the English language but certainly his ability to tell a wonderful story is among the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Holliwood like
Review: What are you looking for: If you are looking for an entertaining book, this is it. Characters are well differentiated and the plot develops smoothly as in a Hollywood movie. The story is straightforward and goes at a fast pace. Only the climax does not fit with the rest, why would Jesus be resuscitated? It seems that the author only introduced it to fit with history and give his novel a pseudo-spiritual dimension which it does not have. If you are looking for an historical novel that would embed you into the mind of people 2000 years ago: you cannot be further from it. Characters are all modern occidental actor transposed to an older age (and several historical inconsistencies attest of that). They all have free will, think constantly about what they are doing, calculate and eventually do what is best for themselves. They are all completely egocentric, even Jesus (who is said to have selfish thoughts at the beginning of the novel). In this era, and as it is still the case in some countries, customs were not merely a collection of formulas and attitudes, they were the root of social communication. This dimension is completely absent from the novel. Also, characters do not have feelings, they just have thoughts. Yet, at that time, it was probably feelings and social binding that was directing people action rather than thoughts. The only relatively interesting part is the struggle of Jesus with himself, though once more, it is only about thoughts and it is very egocentric (Jesus exclusively thinks about himself). It helps to demystify Jesus-man.
Rating:
Summary: He makes you think.
Review: Jim Crace's novels are so different from one another that it's hard to believe they're written by the same person. Quarantine, that's ostensibly about Christ's 40 days in the desert, really revolves around the others staying in caves while Christ goes through his forty day fast. The other characters are very interesting: there is a woman who wishes her husband had stayed dead, there is a merchant suffering from a terminal illness, and there are several other unique individuals to interact with these. The novel's central idea involves the self-imposed suffering of people and their reasons for it. This novel will likely upset those with strong views on either side of this issue in terms of religion. The funny part of that, however, is that the novel isn't really about religion per se, it's about the way that people perceive religion. All in all, this is a thought-provoking novel well worth your time.
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