Not for children, not for the weak hearted, not for the empathetic. This book pulls no punches and is more full of hurt and gut-wrenching violence than many others known for gratuitous violence.

It certainly is moving and leaves a lasting impression - I wish I hadn't read it because I can never erase the terrible images from my mind. I didn't find it uplifting, only disturbing, and I wish I had had someone to warn me before reading it.

Sorry but I'm giving it only 2 stars because, while the author's writing is superb, the rating should reflect that the content is not appropriate for everyone.

I strongly recommend reading the author's *wonderful* book, The Book of the Dun Cow, one of the best and most uplifting I have ever read.

This was a very difficult book to read. It probably won't have much impact on you if you haven't read Book of the Dun Cow first, but if you have, prepare to cry like a baby. The story picks up with the aftermath of the battle that ended the previous book. Unlike most fantasy novels where life goes back to normal, the Book of Sorrows deals seriously with the grim consequences. Into the midst of it comes a profound spiritual struggle - Chauntecleer's old enemy Wyrm uses uses the Rooster's sense of failure to lead him to embark on a course of action which will have disastrous consequences for all involved.

No fictional tale had ever moved me to tears until I read The Book of Sorrows. Wangerin's poetic prose and eloquent storytelling abilities return in this sequel to The Book of the Dun Cow. Through these two stories I befriended Chauntecleer, Pertelote, and John Wesley Weasel. The final third of the story was one long weep, and in the end I felt as if I had lost a lifelong friend. My only regret is that there will be no more tales from this coop. The Book of Sorrows and The Book of the Dun Cow are on my list of best and favorite books I have had the pleasure to read.

Not being an author, I have always yearned for someone *else* to show the modern world what an incredible drama the stories of Paul & the early church hold. Wangerin has done a very good job, although I have some caveats to offer.

On the positive side, the book does a fine job of character development in bringing some of the "stars" to life. Wangerin's James especially, as he struggles with his great respect for Paul & his angry astonishment at some of their differences, makes an impact on me. Some Christians may get anxious at the idea of Wangerin's artistic license as he speculates in order to flush out these characters, but rather than drawing one away from the scriptures, it brings a new excitement about them. At least in this reader!

On the down side, the read is a little bumpy. Wangerin employs a variety of voices (Prisca, James, Timothy....interestingly enough, never Paul) to tell the story, and switching gears from person to person can be disorienting. So buckle yourself into your chariot before the journey, but then sit back & enjoy!

Walter Wangerin's novel THE BOOK OF GOD was an excellent work of art, a filling-in of Biblical narrative that was at the same time daring and faithful to its roots. With PAUL: A NOVEL Wangerin tries his hand at a more in-depth look at one of the most influential people of Western Civilization, Paul/Saul of Tarsus.

Wangerin shows exacting scholarship and discipline in this novel. Paul's speech is sprinkled liberally with words pulled directly from his letters to the churches throughout the Mediterranean during the first century AD. Wangerin provides 'fictional' settings for these words, but as in THE BOOK OF GOD, one gets the feeling that Wangerin could have been there himself.

A truly effective and wonderful part of this novel is the description and illumination of minor characters from Paul's letters. Wangerin tells Paul's story through the eyes of Paul's contemporaries - Prisca, James, Peter, Timothy, Barnabas, and others all weave narratives throughout the book. They knew Paul, and their stories illustrate the complex person we believe Paul to be.

Two minor blemishes keep this from 5 stars, in my opinion. There are several letters from Seneca which, although they illustrate the political setting, seem unconnected the the rest of the story. The other problem is that of the ending. With Wangerin taking so many risks to novelize the story of Paul, one wishes he had been more definitive, more clear at the close of the book.

These are minor problems, however, and the bulk of the novel is a wonderful novelization of Paul's time as a missionary in the first century. Wangerin is one of the few contemporary authors who combines a solid Christian faith and desire to tell the Christian story with an ability to actually write stories. With so much dreck in the market being bought simply because it carries the label "Christian," it's good to see that Walter Wangerin can write books that are just good, period.

What an incredible book! Walter Wangerin brings his readers a fine story of the Apostle Paul, from his time as a pharisee and persecutor of those following "The Way" to a crusader for the Gentiles. Although the story itself is fiction, it is grounded in passages of Acts and Paul's letters, as well as in the larger Truth of Christ's love and sacrifice freeing us from the constrictive Laws of Moses to the freedom of living under love for God and for others.

Indeed, I'd recommend this book simply because it describes so vividly both sides of an argument that nearly tore the First Century believers apart -- whether Gentile converts must follow Jewish laws, most notably that of undergoing circumcism. As a Christian living nearly 2000 years after the birth of the Church, I barely understood why there was an argument argument, let alone both sides of it. It may also serve as a reminder for Christians today who bicker and argue over Biblical interpretation that the Church has survived many a disagreement before, and it will again.

The book also humanizes Paul, showing him as someone who could find joy -- I mean heart-felt, giggling joy -- in the salvation of Christ, as well as someone who felt immense sorrow and anger. Wangerin also gives us a plausible explanation for the "thorn" Paul obliquely describes in his writings. Of course, all those whippings and the stoning were bound to leave him a physically broken man, so while we can't take that explanation as gospel (no pun intended), we can at least take it as a reasonable explantion.

Finally, the book is well written, and each voice that tells its part of the story is unique. You will not, for example, confuse Prisca's narrative with Titus's! All in all, a wonderful book, well worth the time it takes to read such a long and involved narrative.

Everything in Whole Prayer made so much sense. Only a month after I've read it, I find myself advising my friends in their prayer lives using Wally's words. Prayer is communication between us and God, it is not just asking God for something and expecting him to fulfill our wishes. I originally checked Whole Prayer out of the library, I can't wait to buy it and read it again.

I think my favorite part was being able to "see" what Wally was describing in the first chapter about Alaska. His descriptive style amazes me. I felt as if I was experiencing Alaska for the first time along with him and Thanne.