The Robe Book

Life-altering.

For the first time, I feel like I have an inkling of what Christ's life was like, with whom he socialized, what he ate, saw, did, and where/and whom he taught. The relationships and accounts of Christ's sermons from fictional eye-witnesses were mesmerizng.

All of the accounts are what we've read about in the New Testament all our lives, but the fictional stories of how those teachings changed the lives of humble people in forsaken villages in a forsaken countryside made me understand how Christianity spread the world over, (regardless of the Romans trying to squelch it out) and how the influence of a few compassionate acts can slowly, quietly change mankind for generations exponentially.

Besides, the details of life in Rome, Jerusalem, and Greece--in Christ's time--were intriguing. Lloyd C. Douglas whisked me to the hills of Cana in a pair of dusty sandals, and dropped me down into the middle of the sunny, baren hills. The whole while with an art history professor whispering into my ear. Delicious!

Plus, I listened to this story as an audio book, and it was nice to hear an Australian accent enacting the Greek and Roman people. The love story isn't half bad along the way either. All of the descriptions of lush Greek melon fields, sunny Roman plazas with fountains, and cool dimly-lit weavers' shops run by old out-spoken Jewish men, were bewitching. I was so sad when this book came to a bang of an end.

The characters, those who change by Christ's example even after his death, are of Attitus Finch quality. This one, I will pick up again. In fact, I think I'll read it to my older children this winter.