The Messiah
This is the third in a series of novels about Jesus. In Two from Galilee (1972) Holmes told the story of Mary and Joseph. In Three from Galilee ( LJ 9/15/85) she created an imaginary childhood and youth for Jesus. Here she deals with his ministry and Passion. The events of this period, unlike the previous ones, are well known, which hampers Holmes a little. As always, she is best at scenes and characters that bring biblical times to life. In creating Peter's wife, for instance, or the family interaction between Mary and Martha, she is excellent. Her strict adherence to the biblical portrait of Jesus has its drawbacks, however; he seems a bit stilted in places. But on the whole, Holmes has done a remarkably good job, giving us a believably divine human and nicely drawing the characters that surround him. For public libraries. C. Robert Nixon, M.L.S., W. Lafayette, Ind.Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.