A Christian tale that features an unusual animal protagonist.
A debut novel tells the story of Jesus’ Crucifixion through the eyes of the donkey who carried him through the streets of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Lukas is a young, crippled donkey with one blind eye. His life in the stables is full of pain and torment, but his faith in God is unwavering. He wants desperately to be able to provide transportation to someone just once, despite the impediment of his twisted leg. One day, his wish is granted when a kind stranger requests to ride him. During the short journey, Lukas is amazed to discover that he is not in any pain and is able to walk without tripping. People in the streets part for the pair to pass, laying down palm fronds and cheering for the man on Lukas’ back. Lukas is so thrilled by his success that he wants desperately to see this caring stranger again and learn more about him. He is granted a dream, a vision of this man being tortured and nailed on a cross. He learns that the rider was none other than Jesus, the Son of God. After this harrowing vision, which seems as though it would be the climactic event of Price’s novel, Lukas is thrown into memories of his past, and readers learn of his birth and upbringing and how he was destined for the honor of carrying Jesus, just like his fortunate father and grandfather before him. The straightforward Christian narrative is punctuated by debut illustrator Collins’ masterfully drawn horses and donkeys laid over various collage images, all in black and white. To fully enjoy this heartfelt story with a surprising main character, readers must be willing to take for granted that stable animals would have an understanding of the Bible. In a short afterword, the author asserts that this book is for young readers who enjoy The Lion King and the Harry Potter series, though the connections to these works seem tenuous. Depicting the rewards of following God’s will, this volume should appeal to readers who appreciate retellings of biblical events from unexpected viewpoints.
A Christian tale that features an unusual animal protagonist.Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4497-7753-1
Page Count: 108
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942
ISBN: 0060652934
Page Count: 53
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943
Hoffman (The Red Garden, 2011, etc.) births literature from tragedy: the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple, the siege of Masada and the loss of Zion.
This is a feminist tale, a story of strong, intelligent women wedded to destiny by love and sacrifice. Told in four parts, the first comes from Yael, daughter of Yosef bar Elhanan, a Sicarii Zealot assassin, rejected by her father because of her mother's death in childbirth. It is 70 CE, and the Temple is destroyed. Yael, her father, and another Sicarii assassin, Jachim ben Simon, and his family flee Jerusalem. Hoffman's research renders the ancient world real as the group treks into Judea's desert, where they encounter Essenes, search for sustenance and burn under the sun. There too Jachim and Yael begin a tragic love affair. At Masada, Yael is sent to work in the dovecote, gathering eggs and fertilizer. She meets Shirah, her daughters, and Revka, who narrates part two. Revka's husband was killed when Romans sacked their village. Later, her daughter was murdered. At Masada, caring for grandsons turned mute by tragedy, Revka worries over her scholarly son-in-law, Yoav, now consumed by vengeance. Aziza, daughter of Shirah, carries the story onward. Born out of wedlock, Aziza grew up in Moab, among the people of the blue tunic. Her passion and curse is that she was raised as a warrior by her foster father. In part four, Shirah tells of her Alexandrian youth, the cherished daughter of a consort of the high priests. Shirah is a keshaphim, a woman of amulets, spells and medicine, and a woman connected to Shechinah, the feminine aspect of God. The women are irretrievably bound to Eleazar ben Ya'ir, Masada's charismatic leader; Amram, Yael's brother; and Yoav, Aziza's companion and protector in battle. The plot is intriguingly complex, with only a single element unresolved. An enthralling tale rendered with consummate literary skill.
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1747-4
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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