Having read two of Donald Spoto's earlier biographies (of Alfred Hitchcock and Tennessee Williams), I felt that I would be in for a treat to read a more-or-less historical biography of Jesus Christ. What I got instead was a meandering account of bits and pieces of Jesus' life with varying attitudes and no clear direction.

The book begins by seeming to attack assumptions of Christian faith; for example, he claims that there was no immaculate conception, that Mary did not know that her son was the Son of God, and that by all accounts Jesus was like any other person up until the beginning of his ministry. But later, he has no problems accepting the miracles of Jesus, saying only that because we can't disprove them, then it's good enough to believe them. This treatment seemed inconsistent, in that he's apparently willing to question certain aspects of Jesus' life but not others.

Throughout the book, the focus shifted slightly every few paragraphs, making it seem more like a peculiar devotional book than a biography. To be fair here, Spoto says up front that this book isn't intended to be a biography. If that's the case, then what exactly is it supposed to be? He doesn't say, and I can't tell either.

Some interesting questions are raised within which readers may agree or disagree with, but the writing (and therefore reading) style of the book left a poor taste in my mouth. Read Spoto's biography of Alfred Hitchcock instead.

This is a lousy book, but I'm glad that it is. Let me explain
myself--on both counts.

Spoto is a biographer who has written numerous biographies (see the list on p. iii). At the beginning of Chapter 4 he discusses the perspective of the biographer, but the question that arises is: Why didn't he develop his ideas on this more, put them at the beginning of the book, and then use a biographer's unique perspective in his writing about Jesus? He then could have written a unique and valuable book, one using a perspective different from that of the scholar who is simply a Jesus specialist. But instead it is evident from his writing that he hurriedly put some thoughts down on paper without thinking them through carefully, and without spending much (any?) time editing his writing so that it would have coherence.

On the other hand, I'm glad that he slapped the book together. The adult discussion group at the church I attend is currently discussing his book...and the book provides an excellent basis for discussion precisely because it is so lousy!

What a fascinating and exciting book! It's fascinating because at least in my some 16 years of Catholic education throughout grade school to high school and college an in-depth analysis of Jesus' life really wasn't part of the religious education; this book details enormously interesting details of the life of Christ. It's exciting because of the emphasis given and arguments for the presence of the risen Christ in our midst today, not just 2000 years ago. Do I disagree or have doubts about some of Spoto's assertions (was Christ really born in Bethlehem, did He have brothers and sisters, did He know He was God, did his parents know He was God, can one beleive in capital punishment and still be a Christian)? Clearly, yes, I disagree with some of his points. But there are no critical or essential points of the Christian faith(or Catholic faith for that matter) that are disputed by him. I do not for a second doubt the author's love and belief in the risen Christ "that the gospels proclaim". The greatest asset of this book is in it's elucidation of God's ever present love and compassion for us and how we find the "hidden Jesus" in our lives. This truly is a wonderful book that strengthens one's faith and love in Jesus Christ, our risen lord. Highly recommended!

For a one line summary of this work I am hard pressed to find anything better than Robin Wood's summary in his superb 'Hitchcock's Films Revisited'. Spoto's book is, without question well researched (although it does include a large amount of material already contained in John Russel Taylor's authorised biography). But the style of the book makes it incredibly hard to read. I will constrict myself to just two of the major sins of this book. Firstly Spoto looks at every fact or event and puts the most nasty spin he can find on it, leading to incredibly spurious interpretations of Hitchcock's life, and due to the lack of validity makes for very dull reading. The second point is that many of Spoto's readings of the films lead to a set list of doubles which appear in the film, these end up taking large amounts of space for very little gain, again draw your attention to how little enjoyment you are gaining from the book.

There are some plus sides, as already mentioned, the book is very well researched, and there are a few nuggets of interesting information. But all in all not a very interesting or pleasant book, and all I can say is that we are still waiting for the definitive Hitchcock biography.

Took a little time to get going but once it did I read the book in two days. Extremely well researched and insightful. Have always been a Hitch fan, but was never aware of what a disturbed and internalized individual he was. The depth of this portrayal of the subject is surprising. Typically, a story like this will delve into relationships in the subject's life but Hitchcock really didn't have any. The author does a nice job of explaining the probable reasons for this. I recommend this book to fans of Hitchcock the man because it goes a long way in explaining why he made the films he did. Not to be confused with a technical "anthology", it's more like a psychological analysis into the twists and turns of the inside of Hitchcock's head. He was a strange dude!

Spoto's life of Hitchcock, originally published in 1983, is one of the best biographies of a film director we have in English. It's a warts and all portrait, but instead of pitying or disliking Hitchcock for his idiosyncrasies and meannesses, we come to admire him even more for his singular dedication to the art of movies (and he was an artist, not merely "the master of suspense", to use an essentially narrow and insulting characterization). And as far as sheer technique goes, sheer mastery of the medium, Hitchcock probably was/is unsurpassed among modern day filmmakers.

Spoto gives us detailed accounts of the making of each of Hitchcock's major films. He really did dislike actors, calling them cattle, but he of course had a fascination with blonde actresses. The book's most poignant segment is the episode invovling Hitchcock's infatuation with Tippi Hedren (a mediocre performer at best who should have been grateful for a great man's attention and adoration), which ultimately ended in humiliation and unhappiness for both of them. Spoto is wrong, however, about MARNIE. It is one of the director's greatest movies, as moving and sad a depiction of desperation as has been committed to celluoid. It fully deserves its late revival in critical favor.

This is a clearly written, highly entertaining biography, and one of the closest glimpses we are liking to get straight from the director's chair.

At age 31 Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy became the First Lady and thus the most recognized woman in the world. Three years later, at age 34, she witnessed the bloody murder of her husband on that dreadful day in Dallas. For the next four days this young woman shared her private loss in a very public way, as she "showed the country how to grieve." If she did nothing else with her life Jackie Kennedy would still be remembered as a very remarkable person. But, thanks to Donald Spoto's serious, yet warm and sympathetic biography we have a fuller picture of Jacquelie Bouvier Kennedy-Onassis long before Dallas and for the remaining thirty years of her significant life.

This book is not for those interested in the dirt and dish that so mistakenly is perceived as fact when writing about the Kennedys. There is none of that here. Rather, Spoto approaches his subject with a desire to understand the person by searching for the purpose and meaning she gave to her experiences, as recounted by those who knew her best. He writes in a style that is gaceful and respectful, mirroring his life as a monk, as well as the way Mrs. Kennedy-Onassis tried to live her life.

With all her wealth, opportunity, and experiences, Spoto emphasizes that her greatest accopmlishement in this extraordinary life was simply that she was a devoted and loving mother to her two children. A complex task for us all, made more difficult by having to parent under the constant glare of public curiosity.

Perhaps the most telling passage of the book, one that speaks to the truer character of JBKO, is when she was asked why she never chose to respond to the tabliods, the critics, or myriad of others who fed off her celebrity status. In other words, to just give her side of the story! Her reply was that the dirt and gossip would continue, she could not control that, but she faithfully believed that "they can never steal my soul." Therefore, no explaination, clarification or defense was necessary.

Those who admire Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and seek to explore the depth of her life beyond the myths, you will find this book worth reading. For those looking for something else -- keep searching.

I'm a new fan of Jackie Onassis in fact this is the first biography I've read about her. It seemed that the author really cared about his subject and wanted to bring honor to the life that Jackie lived and not to tabloid rumors. If you want a book about Jackie's rumored steamy romances with various men this book is not for you, but if you want a book that focuses on Jackie's many accomplishments than I highly recommend it.

I had always wanted to find out more about the famous 'Mrs. Kennedy'. I picked this one and found it hard to put it down. From her chilhood to the time she died, Spoto writes in a delightful fashion that is easy to read and understand. After reading this touching and heartwarming portrayal of America's Royal, she became one of my favorite people. It includes quotes from her close friends and indulges you in her charity projects and her relationship with Caroline and John Jr. It tells of her deep love for JFK and the loyalty she had to her family. The only thing I disliked about the book was the beginning, which was like reading the beginning of the Bible. It told all about her ancestors history and was quite boring in my opinion. Aside from that though, this is a great book which helped spawn my interest in Jackie.