The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel
Author(s):
Elizabeth Berg
Label: Ballantine Books
Publisher(s):
Ballantine Books
Studio: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Binding: Paperback
List Price: $10.00
Our Price: $8.00
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Editorial Reviews
Product Description
This wonderful novel transports us to Nazareth in biblical times, where we meet Mary and Joseph?and understand them as never before: young, in love, and suddenly faced with an unexpected pregnancy. Aided by a great and abiding love, they endure challenges to their relationship as well as threats to their lives as they come to terms with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the birth of their child, Jesus. For Mary, the pregnancy is a divine miracle and a privilege. For Joseph, it is an ongoing test of his faith?in his wife as well as in his God. Exquisitely written and imbued with emotional truth and richness of detail, The Handmaid and the Carpenter explores lives touched profoundly by miracles large and small.
Praise for The Handmaid and the Carpenter
?The oldest story ever told becomes fresh, even modern. [Grade:] A.?
?Entertainment Weekly
?Poetic, reflective, and intricate . . . There is a crystalline humanity, a logical vulnerability in [Elizabeth] Berg?s imaginative interpretation [that] brings novel resplendence to a familiar story.?
?Booklist
?Sweetly lyrical and yet movingly realistic.?
?New York Daily News
?[Berg] movingly takes the story of the least ordinary couple in history, and by respectfully evoking the rhythms and rituals of
daily life, makes them more human, yet no less transcendent.?
?Richmond Times-Dispatch
?Imaginative and compelling.?
?Star Ledger
Customer Reviews
Marie's opinion
Dissapointed with this.
Elizabeth is an amazing writer but this did not work for me.
It lacked tension.
Outcome too predictable.
Descriptions became irritating.
A beautiful story but no character development.
I enjoyed this story. The love story between Mary and Joseph was was beautifully depicted and I love the way they were presented as human beings and not perfect. My only two problems with this book were tha it was too short and there was no character development. Mary and Joseph were chosen for the faith they displayed. Mary was discontented throughout most of the book and Joseph never beleived Mary at all. That was a little dissapointing but I think the author was just trying to depict the very human doubts and fears they must have had. Just don't read the story expecting some great revelation on the part of the characters
Another good Berg...
This is the last Berg book I read, and I was not looking forward to it, but warmed to the idea of her own version of what happened between Mary and Joseph. It's very unique, and I really liked it. It's short, but I read it in one sitting. It's heart warming and touching, and is thought provoking. I like that she did this, and it's so different from anything else she's written.
Nice but forgettable...
There are a few things I liked about "The Handmaid and the Carpenter." For one, it has a great title, with a possible double meaning that you learn only at end. It also has a lovely cover that immediately puts you into the Christmas spirit. And it also nicely evokes the customs of this time and culture: the food, spices, locations. Overall it is a pleasant retelling of the Nativity Story.
But therein lies the problem. The Nativity Story is already so familiar, and Elizabeth Berg doesn't do much to expand on it. We don't really get too much insight into Mary and Joseph, so what we've left with is a nice retelling of a story we've all heard many times. This is an easy read -- you can get through it over the course of an afternoon or evening -- but it is also a forgettable one.
unexpected
I was very drawn to read about the relationship between Mary and Joseph, and see them in a more down to earth manner. However, it is my impression that the author describes the characters as shallow teenagers, with concerns belonging more to an American 21st century, than actual Nazareth in the year 4BC. She fails to inlcude in her story the dedication to prayer these two people probably shared, after all they were the chosen ones to raise God's only Son. The connection with God is hardly mentioned. Mary and Joseph spend a lot of time praying, in direct contact with God, Even at the birth, they were in the presence of the Lord, can you imagine the extasis of one 's soul in such presence! Mary and Joseph were spiritually evolved compared to the rest of humanity, not only they come off as merely man and woman in this story, but really shallow and silly at it.
Needles to say I was very dissapointed...Sorry!
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