Joseph & Mary, A Love Story

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Love Story
Review: Joseph & Mary: A Love Story by Nathan A. Lewis is a tribute to the ultimate love story depicted in the Bible between Joseph and Mary. It is a fictionalized story of one of the greatest loves known, yet with a twist. Lewis has taken the story and brought it to the 21st Century. As told in the Bible, Mary, a virgin, is carrying the child of God and shares the news with Joseph, the man she plans to marry. He accepts the gift and helps raise Jesus as his own child, yet he has feelings of inadequacy and questions if he can even compare his love to that of God. The story continues through Jesus' life and Joseph's death, with the focus on the love and relationship between Joseph and Mary.

This is one of those books that may leave a big question mark once finished. While I knew the story from my teachings of the Bible, I still felt a bit weird reading a fictionalized account, with dialogue to match. It didn't seem quite right in a way, but I did enjoy reading the story for the most part. I would have liked to have seen more interaction between Joseph and Mary.

The dialogue, while perhaps close to the story, seemed a bit forced and simplistic at times. The characters were not given the depth needed to fully carry off this revised version of the story. Overall, it was okay, but I think the book would be better served as a teaching aide to those not familiar with the Bible instead of a stand-alone story. To someone who studies the Bible, the story may be viewed as blasphemous.

Reviewed by Mz. Melody for Loose Leaves Book Review

Rating:
Summary: A Love Story
Review: Perhaps one of the most well-known and beautiful of the biblical stories is that of the birth of Jesus. The story as we are told begins with an Angel relaying a message to Mary regarding a miracle that will forever change her, the world and the faith of millions. This blessed event has been read about, celebrated, debated and re-enacted throughout the centuries. Author Nathan A. Lewis has taken on the daunting task of re-telling the story by delving into the relationships between Mary, Joseph and Jesus. In JOSEPH & MARY: A Love Story, Lewis chronicles the courtship of the two from the immaculate conception to the raising of Jesus. Lewis also deviates from the biblical story by setting his novel in the modern world.

As with any re-telling of a known story, the present author carries a great burden. Although Lewis does not stray from the original message of love, family, and faith, he does not make the story his own either. It would have been great if there were more in-depth probing of the possible feelings that Joseph and Mary had for one another, their reaction to raising the child of God and the relationship they had with Jesus. As a work of fiction, there was a license to truly do more of a re-telling than to simply re-cast the characters in the 21st century. The scene where Joseph learns that his supposedly virginal fiancée is carrying a child that is not his, but also claiming the child to be that of God, could have been dramatic and heartfelt, yet I found it a bit unemotional and flat.

I find the biblical version beautiful and heartfelt. I didn't see it here. I do think that JOSEPH & MARY: A Love Story would be a good supplement to the teaching of the biblical story, for it is told in a straightforward manner, and being set in the modern world gives the story a bit of a more personal feel and it is easy to comprehend. However, as a novel, it unfortunately, falls short. The dialogue and interactions between the characters just felt too restricted and unemotional for such a grand story of love and faith. (RAW Rating: 2.5)

Reviewed by L. Raven James
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers