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I read this by mistake, thinking it was the original. It's not. It's an "updated" version to coincide with the gigantic flop that was the movie remake. Warning bells started going off as the language sounded too modern and it seemed like a novelization of a movie rather than a book. Unfortunately I can't say if the problem is that she's adapting a movie rather than the original novel since I haven't read the original. But given the additional material in this book where the author confesses to not liking the original book, chances are this isn't very faithful to the material.

Ben-Hur seems to have been a bait and switch originally with a "tale of the Christ" that's really just tacked onto an adventure tale. It's hard to see why this was one of the best selling book of its time, but easy to see why it made for a great movie adaptation. ( )

Book 103 - Lew Wallace - Ben-Hur - A Tale of the Christ

A sprawling epic told through the eyes and life of the young Judah Ben-Hur. A book so vast it is divided into 8 other books. It was also considered the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century.

The book begins with the story of the Magi and their journey to Bethlehem. The depth to which the background is imagined is astonishing and is so full of life and detail we could almost imagine this was actually historical truth.

Interestingly we are not introduced to Ben-Hur, a Jewish Prince, and how an accidental death would set him on the road to meeting Christ and watching key moments in His life as both tales are told in parallel…criss crossing over the following years. This leads to Ben-Hur being the man that offers vinegar to Christ on the Cross and his and others conversion on that fateful day.

Betrayal…redemption…real, pure love…and being part of history is at the heart of this story.

But boy is it hard going…poetic…full of early Christian imagery … and so so so long.

A challenge…a truth…a tale for the ages…but honestly…the Christ story should always be easier than this. ( )

This was one of the most popular books in America in the late 19th century. There are shades of The Count of Monte Cristo with a winged man seeking revenge, but it gets a little lost along the way. Some elements were fascinating, like the chariot race, while others, like an Egyptian love interest, dragged. I loved seeing the story of Christ from an outside POV and his mother & sister’s healing. I’m glad I read it, but I wouldn’t read again. ( )

Old version in English. Collectable