kratositaly's review
5.0
"THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST is the summation of the thought and experience of a man whose entire life was spent in the battle between spirit and flesh. Out of the intensity of Kazantzakis' struggle, and out of his ability to reconcile opposites and unite them in his own personality, came art which succeeded in depicting and comprehending the full panorama of human experience."
These words by P.A. Bien found in the notes of this religious novel perfectly capture the complexities and beauty of this retelling of Jesus' life story. By treating the son of God like a flawed human rather than a perfect deity, he adds new depth to a story old two millenia, managing to make it more relevant to the doubt-filled times we are all living through. A bit on the long side, but very well worth a read.
These words by P.A. Bien found in the notes of this religious novel perfectly capture the complexities and beauty of this retelling of Jesus' life story. By treating the son of God like a flawed human rather than a perfect deity, he adds new depth to a story old two millenia, managing to make it more relevant to the doubt-filled times we are all living through. A bit on the long side, but very well worth a read.
benhwhite's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
pagesofnectar's review
4.0
Best Kazantzakis' book I've read so far!
As I see it, this is a book Christianity needs. God is presented as the caring, forgiving instructor of humanity and not as a tyrant Christians should fear. Religion is presented as the inspirational and motivational faith that grows along with all other aspects of one's personality without overshadowing them. I mean, this book is so soft and important, needed especially in times when the church wants to use its power to direct people towards prejudice. It just filled my heart with peace and happiness; it's really sad that Kazantzakis was judged and accused for providing people with a book that shows Christ as a humaine figure with passions and weaknesses, instead of the distant immaculate figure that makes it hard for people to love and believe in Him. Also, a big shoutout for Mary the Magdalene getting the appreciation she deserves - it made my soul so happy! All in all, to everyone who has the maturity to realise that faith is something that should come from your heart, sincerely, and not from typical rules that stop you from living your life; this is gonna warm your heart!!
As I see it, this is a book Christianity needs. God is presented as the caring, forgiving instructor of humanity and not as a tyrant Christians should fear. Religion is presented as the inspirational and motivational faith that grows along with all other aspects of one's personality without overshadowing them. I mean, this book is so soft and important, needed especially in times when the church wants to use its power to direct people towards prejudice. It just filled my heart with peace and happiness; it's really sad that Kazantzakis was judged and accused for providing people with a book that shows Christ as a humaine figure with passions and weaknesses, instead of the distant immaculate figure that makes it hard for people to love and believe in Him. Also, a big shoutout for Mary the Magdalene getting the appreciation she deserves - it made my soul so happy! All in all, to everyone who has the maturity to realise that faith is something that should come from your heart, sincerely, and not from typical rules that stop you from living your life; this is gonna warm your heart!!
caractacus's review
3.0
Neither as good as I remembered nor as good as the movie, unfortunately. Some of the historical research is just ... distractingly nonexistent. Not just nitpicky things like Mary Magdalene being called "the Magdalene" before actually moving to Magdala, but things like "why is everybody walking around eating corn on the cob."
ifthebook's review
3.0
This book turned out to be completely different than I thought it would be. I thought I'd be getting an exploration of Jesus's life if he hadn't decided to become the Messiah and die on the cross, etc., etc. That's not what this is at all. Yeah, that was a portion of it, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a very small portion. Most of this was just a re-telling of Jesus's life, but it was a good re-telling. Kazantzakis isn't afraid to make some tough decisions about Jesus's character and therefore make him really compelling. I appreciated that.
rrsharp's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
pepper1133's review
I'm a bad, bad Catholic, but I just couldn't get through this. I'm going to blame it on the translation.
susanj13's review
5.0
A fictional account of Jesus' conflict between the flesh and the spirit. The book starts out a little slowly (or so I felt), but then just completely sucks you in with the beautifully translated, passionate narration of the incidents from the New Testament. Highly recommended for both believers and non believers alike, provided it is read with an open mind.