Here are 40 of Jesus' parables retold by one whose gifts of imagination and story-telling have served her well. Sometimes the New Testament parables of Jesus are found compressed into so few words that the reader may not only fail to understand their significance for today, but even miss them altogether. Mrs. Armstrong puts each parable into an appropriate setting, plausible enough to ring true, and for the most part lets the story, elucidated by her, tell its own message. But parallels to life today, whether it be lived in city or country, are abundant, and the reader finds these a welcome and unobtrusive addition to the-text. These 40 stories would make excellent private reading for the 40 days of Lent. There are to be both Protestant and Catholic editions.