Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

3 reviews

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a clever laugh-out-loud satire that skewers religion, power, and notions of masculinity. Moore drops tidbits of humor every couple of pages - how does he come up with this stuff? He’s obviously brilliant and irreverent, and he doesn’t care if he makes people mad. He happily points out that if a reader is knowledgeable enough to know which Bible quotes are real, that reader likely quit the book already. 

The story tells about the years of Jesus’ life that aren’t covered in the Gospels, from his childhood to his early 30s. We get an extended road trip (where the road is traveled on foot or camel) to India and China as Jesus and Biff search for knowledge from the three Wise Men. We learn why Chinese food became so popular on Christmas. Instead of calling the landmark the Great Wall of China, they feel the Ostentatious and Unpleasant Wall of China is a better name. 

Moore treats Jesus’ last few days with great dignity while still showing a funny side. Biff gambles with the soldiers under the cross, waiting for him to die while struggling not to lose his temper, so he can remove Jesus’ body to safety for the resurrection. The grief and despair of the apostles and Jesus’ family is palpable. 

This is one of my favorite funny books. It turns out that Moore himself is a Wise Man, too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

thehmkane's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

3.25

Funny. Early-2000s-typical homophobia, sexism, and ableism, but a worthwhile read. Definitely some dark parts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

emohell's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

holy shiiiiiiiit this book. one of the most heartfelt and emotional books i’ve read in a long time despite being marketed purely as a comedy. what a beautiful story of friendship.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicide