Unexpectedly sunny versions of some of Scripture’s most famous narratives with some useful takeaways.
A Christian author’s account of humorous stories from the Bible.
The Old and New Testaments have plenty of moments of violence, betrayal, and tragedy, so it may at first seem like a nearly impossible task to enumerate its humorous moments. But Reese (Victorious!, 2017) is nothing if not persistent, and she adopts a jocular tone as she relates various biblical tales in a lighthearted way. When she retells the story of Jonah, for instance, and gets to the point where he stubbornly refuses to prophesy to Nineveh, she writes, “I believe God probably found Jonah’s theatrics comical as well as pitiful, which is why He didn’t wring his stiff little neck and put him in his place.” In writing about Elijah, she describes his struggles against Baal as “more exhausting than John Wick’s fight scenes.” And when she’s writing about rare instances of actual humor in the Bible, such as a scene in which St. Paul literally talks a man named Eutychus to death, her prose is particularly enthusiastic: “He was also a notoriously incessant talker,” she writes. “Yep, you heard right. He was a ‘chatterbox’, ‘motormouth’, ‘chatty-Cathy’, ‘gum-flapper’ aka ‘Sir Talks-a lot’.” This has a cumulative cheering effect, and Reese broadens it in several ways; she includes detailed, colored maps to illustrate the stories, and her textual commentaries skillfully find deeper lessons in them. About the travails of Tamar, for instance, she writes, “One lesson learned here is, don’t let anyone come between you and your dreams because God’s got big plans for you if you’re bold enough to take it.” About Samson, she points out that he acts without fear and tells readers that “we all should ask God for this type of courage in similar situations.” Christian parents will particularly enjoy sharing this book with their children.
Unexpectedly sunny versions of some of Scripture’s most famous narratives with some useful takeaways.Pub Date: April 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-981715-18-3
Page Count: 168
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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