It's an interesting concept.

However...

It starts off very slow.

It picks up.

And then slows down again. Jesus is only barely mentioned a few times and not until about 100 pages in.

I understand the scene has to be set and background information has to be given, but it's just too slow. And some of the characters are irritating. And others don't seem to have much of a point.

I was really excited to get a glimpse of life during the time of Jesus' ministry, but I was sadly disappointed with this book. ( )

Lund, the author of the expansive The Work and the Glory Series, turns his attention here to documenting the life of Jesus Christ and the impact it had on people at the time. Well-researched and following the gospels accurately, at times however, it gets bogged down with pacing issues, and could have been condensed into one or two books, but such is Lund's style though. However, it is still a good historical fiction series and one that tries to accurately portray the effects Jesus had on those who met him. ( )

This story focuses on the family of a Galilean merchant. The events in their lives occasionally intersect with the life of Christ, who some view with great admiration and others with anger. The father, David ben Joseph, is a merchant who has given much thought to the prophecies concerning the Messiah. His wife, Deborah, is the niece of Judas of Gamla who led the uprising against the Romans at Masada in 6 A.D. Deborah and her son, Simeon, side with the zealots who seek to vanquish Roman oppression. When Christ begins his ministry the family is divided into two groups: those that believe he teaches great truths for all mankind and those that believe him to be a blasphemer and traitor to the Jewish people.
( )

Substance: Lund does a good job of making the history and culture of the Time of Jesus accessible and understandable, although it sometimes slows the narration to inform the reader. The Words and Works of Jesus are woven in as well as can be done under the constraint of never having him say or do anything not recorded in the Gospels. The story-line of the "real people" who interact with and are affected by Jesus is reasonably interesting, but not outstanding.
Style: I like Lund's endnotes to each chapter explaining further about the context, citing the source of the doctrinal aspects, and identifying his authorial liberties with the documented record. However, the characters (good guys) are two-dimensional and much too nice to each other all the time, despite their "conflicts". The "bad guys" are actually a bit more complex. Also, Lund follows other contemporary writers in projecting modern American habits and sensibilities onto his characters, creating pleasant but anachronistic situations. ( )

With this book I was drawn into the story right from the beginning. I particularly enjoyed the way the author worked the teachings and events from Jesus' life into the narration in a natural way, so that it was as if we are there watching the actual events transpire. Lund's work has helped me reach a level of clarity regarding the Savior's ministry. This series did a wonderful job helping me understand which characters in the books are really from the New Testament, and where he was favoring certain scriptural interpretations over others. The chapter endnotes were fantastic and very enlightening! ( )