Rating: 
Summary: Paul
Review: After reading this book and then reading the Bible stories about Paul, I fealt as though I knew the characters in a more personal way than ever before. I know that it's fiction but it's written in a way that you believe it could have happen that way. I especially like the way he described the difference between Paul and James. Oh one other thing his copy of the book of Galatians is great.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the better Christian novels
Review: I bought this book on a whim. I've read The Robe (see my review - a reader from Ky) and thought it was one of the best books I've ever read. I've read several religious novels and most of them, quite frankly, are not very well written. Paul, by Walter Wangerin Jr. is an exception. He has crafted a very fine tale without letting doctrine get in the way. What doctrine there is unfolds slowly and naturally throughout the novel, mainly through the personalities of the characters. His description of Saul is not exactly what I had pictured in my own head, but it was interesting nonetheless. Not in the class of The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas, but Paul is a very good book in its own right. It makes me want to read The Book of God, also by Wangerin. I found some of the negative reviews of this book to be very much off the mark. They have perhaps let their own personal religious zeal cloud their literary judgment. Bottom line: Paul: A Novel is a very good novel!
Thanks.
Rating:
Summary: How beautiful!
Review: I've read this novel about three different times and I always find something new in it. The way the early church is portrayed is very endearing, yet somehow realistic because of the conflicts involved.Some other reviewers have wondered about the Seneca sections, feeling that they detract from the book rather than add to it. I think Seneca was actually included to serve as a foil to Paul, to be a contrast to him, as well as show the historical context of the plot. There was actually only one thing that sort of bothered me: The whole "speaking in tongues" bit. From what I can gather in the Bible, it wouldn't have been like it was described in the book. I wonder if Mr. Wangerin's personal bias didn't sneak in there. Otherwise, this is an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: One of History's Greatest Stories, Well Told
Review: It's surprising that more authors don't use the epic story of Paul of Tarsus as a fictional base for their stories. I suppose it is because the story itself is so consuming, so grand in scale as to make the description of it a very difficult task. It is a daunting task that Mr. Wangerin accepts, and succeeds. Christianity is what Paul made it. Paul, or Saul in Hebrew, once persecuted the Christian sect with brutal violence at the behest of the Jewish Pharisee leadership. Then, everything changed. God speaks to Paul, asks him why he persecutes his followers. From that moment on, Paul is a man transformed. He is a true believer, absolutely determined to make the Christian faith a universal one, outside of the Jewish community. Many other early church leaders wanted to keep Christianity firmly rooted in Jewish tradition, even including circumsision for any Gentile converts. Paul was a vigorous voice against this, and the stories of his travels and his religious fervor are very enjoyable to read. You really get the sense of religious revival in the book, that so many people of the time left their daily lives and were willing to die for the cause, all because of Paul. To tell such a story, Wangerin uses 10 different narrators. This cuts both ways. While you get a lot of backround and perspective, I felt that none of the narrators really gained a distinctive voice. That hurt the book a bit, but overall the writing is excellant. The setting is described beautifully, as is the wild political situation at the time. It's even more enjoyable if one has prior knowledge of church history, but newcomers will enjoy it as well. Probably the best scene in the book is the fabled meeting of Paul, Peter, John, and James (Jesus' brother). While reading the discussion between these fiery men, you should realize that the decisions they made have a profound effect on the world 2000 years later. Great historical fiction and a very good educational aide also.
Rating:
Summary: Wangerin's Paul
Review: Not being an author, I have always yearned for someone *else* to show the modern world what an incredible drama the stories of Paul & the early church hold. Wangerin has done a very good job, although I have some caveats to offer. On the positive side, the book does a fine job of character development in bringing some of the "stars" to life. Wangerin's James especially, as he struggles with his great respect for Paul & his angry astonishment at some of their differences, makes an impact on me. Some Christians may get anxious at the idea of Wangerin's artistic license as he speculates in order to flush out these characters, but rather than drawing one away from the scriptures, it brings a new excitement about them. At least in this reader! On the down side, the read is a little bumpy. Wangerin employs a variety of voices (Prisca, James, Timothy....interestingly enough, never Paul) to tell the story, and switching gears from person to person can be disorienting. So buckle yourself into your chariot before the journey, but then sit back & enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Paul - Up Close and Personal
Review: Paul:A Novel by Walter Wangerin, Jr. Paul: A Novel is a fictional description of the Apostle Paul's journeys. . . to other lands, certainly, but also toward a more complete Christian personality. If you can make it through the first hundred pages, this book is a gem.
Among the many characters providing a multi-layered view of Paul's struggle to spread the Christian message to the world are Seneca, reflecting the history and politics of the time
and Priscilla, showing the vital role of women in the early Christian church.
Paul becomes a lovable, invigorating and genuine "person" to the
reader as he teaches love, forgiveness and grace. The message: Early Christians survived much conflict as the new church grew and developed, showing us that minor conflict today is surmountable! Hope is within reach of all who live in love!
Rating:
Summary: Epic Adventure
Review: This book lacks nothing. Without giving a history lesson, Mr. Wangein has given us a looking glass into life 2000 years ago, and in particular, the life of Saul of Taurus a Pharisee, prosecuting the new Christians and becoming the Apostle Paul a Christian champion. Beginning with his conversion, Paul's life was filled with enormous challenges, and even greater successes. Opposition from Rome, Jews and even Believers, Paul feared none and conquered most.
Rating:
Summary: Paul the biography
Review: This is a book I have been looking for for a very long time. "Paul" by Walter Wangerin is about the apostle Paul and his mission in the First centry AD to spread the word of Jesus. On his mission he was met by many people who opposed him, the rabbis in the Synagogues, the silversmiths who made pagan idols for worship (the likness of the Greek gods, for example), and even other early church leaders. The fights with Barnabas and other church leaders over whether Jesus completes the Law or eclipses it is facinating. Also the fight over whether circumcision is nessecary for Christians was interesting too (Paul believed it should be an exclusivly Jewish custom). The book is told from the points of view of Prisca, a woman whom Paul mentors in the way of Christ; Luke (who wrote the book of Acts, which is the chief source for Wangerin's book), Timothy, Titus, and even Paul, although the only thing we get from Paul is his letter from to the churches he has establsihed. Paul is shown to be a man of tremndous faith and energy of spirit, even if his body was weak and frail. I really enjoyed this book. I really think that it put many of Paul's letters to the Churches (the books of Galations, Ephesians, Romans, and especially Corinthians, among others) into a perspective that we can understand. I am not saying this book is 100% authentic; it is, after all, a work of fiction. But I think that "Paul" is a plausable idea of how the early Church operated back then, and how we came to have many of the customs we have today. If there is any problem with this book, it is just a little tough to read, it dose get a little dry in places and is a little hard to finish; but it is rewarding if you trudge through it.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining storytelling
Review: Walter Wangerin does a fine job of telling the story of the apostle Paul. This work is fiction, but the writer uses Paul's letters, the book of Acts, and Wangerin's own creative imagination to form the plot. I really enjoyed the author's ideas on how to fill in the "gaps" in Paul's life; and also the artistic liberties he took in more fully developing some of the events. For example, he spends a substantial portion of the book focusing on Paul and his relationship to the church at Corinth. Some of the problems of this church which are implicit in Paul's letters to the Corinthians are creatively expanded by Wangerin. While you may not agree with all of his creative expansions, in most cases they are historically plausible. After all, this is fiction, NOT a work which claims to be absolutely accurate in all historical details. It was especially refreshing to see a writer who does not gloss over the disagreements and differences which were found in the early church. They weren't always one big, happy family. There were personality conflicts and differences in beliefs. This story does a wonderful job of realistically portraying many of these disputes. There were two disappointments I encountered in this book. First, is the lack of character development of Paul. Paul is supposed to be the main character, but it often felt as though I knew Prisca or Timothy better than I knew Paul's character. The second shortcoming was the ending of the book. I won't ruin it for you, but I will say that the author could have made the ending far more dramatic than it was. It just seemed to be a little anti-climactic. Overall, this was a fun book to read and a very creative re-telling of the story of the apostle to the Gentiles.
Rating:
Summary: Wangerin captures Biblical times again
Review: Walter Wangerin's novel THE BOOK OF GOD was an excellent work of art, a filling-in of Biblical narrative that was at the same time daring and faithful to its roots. With PAUL: A NOVEL Wangerin tries his hand at a more in-depth look at one of the most influential people of Western Civilization, Paul/Saul of Tarsus. Wangerin shows exacting scholarship and discipline in this novel. Paul's speech is sprinkled liberally with words pulled directly from his letters to the churches throughout the Mediterranean during the first century AD. Wangerin provides 'fictional' settings for these words, but as in THE BOOK OF GOD, one gets the feeling that Wangerin could have been there himself. A truly effective and wonderful part of this novel is the description and illumination of minor characters from Paul's letters. Wangerin tells Paul's story through the eyes of Paul's contemporaries - Prisca, James, Peter, Timothy, Barnabas, and others all weave narratives throughout the book. They knew Paul, and their stories illustrate the complex person we believe Paul to be. Two minor blemishes keep this from 5 stars, in my opinion. There are several letters from Seneca which, although they illustrate the political setting, seem unconnected the the rest of the story. The other problem is that of the ending. With Wangerin taking so many risks to novelize the story of Paul, one wishes he had been more definitive, more clear at the close of the book. These are minor problems, however, and the bulk of the novel is a wonderful novelization of Paul's time as a missionary in the first century. Wangerin is one of the few contemporary authors who combines a solid Christian faith and desire to tell the Christian story with an ability to actually write stories. With so much dreck in the market being bought simply because it carries the label "Christian," it's good to see that Walter Wangerin can write books that are just good, period.
|
