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Lädt ... How Far to Bethlehem?von Norah Lofts
   Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch.  PhilSyphe | Dec 26, 2023 |   Melchior is a scholar trained at Pyongyang University in Korea: a passionate astronomer, who has exhausted his sizable inheritance by building a magnificent observatory from which he can observe the heavens. With all his heart fixed on the skies, he barely notices the things of this world, such as his mutely adoring slave Senya, or their rapidly dwindling supplies. Elderly master and aged slave are on the verge of starvation when Melchior glimpses something extraordinary – a new star, which brings omens and prophecies which disturb him deeply. Despite his great age, he becomes determined to head west, into unknown country, in search of a child, due to be born somewhere near a town said to be called Jerusalem. Impractical, innocent and single-minded, he sets out... For the full review, please see my blog: https://theidlewoman.net/2016/12/26/how-far-to-bethlehem-norah-lofts/ (  ) TheIdleWoman | Apr 9, 2017 | The book begins with an aged 'wise man' Melchior and his lifework overshadowing everything else. His slave/maidservant keeps him alive and as his story progressed, I kept thinking about her and hoping it would track back and she would be OK. Melchior travels and ends up nearly dead at Gaspar's castle. Gaspar has his own reasons to travel with Melchior and they two set off. They meet with Balthazar who is/was a slave but very clever and knows languages. Now the three of them are traveling together. Melchior with his knowledge, Gaspar with his money, and Balthazar with his gift of languages. Elsewhere in the book is the story of Mary, Joseph, and others. The same Nativity characters, but brought to life through Norah Loft's storytelling. (  ) Auj | Dec 18, 2015 | ) Woodcat | Jan 10, 2010 |  ) samfsmith | Dec 10, 2009 | keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
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Melchior had never seen anything like it; the star was so bright, so full of tragedy and glory. He knew at once that it was his task to find the child and warn its parents. But Melchior was old, poor and unwise in the ways of men. Providence took him to the barbarian king, Gaspar, who wanted to know if this great King in the East would be a threat to his empire. It was Balthazar, the escaped slave with a wonderful knowledge of languages, who helped them find their way across hazardous and violent country to Judea. Just as the three men began their journey, a young girl stood bravely before her betrothed husband in Nazareth trying to find the words to tell him that she was pregnant. Not only was the child not his but she had never known a man. How could she make him understand that their destiny was to raise the Christ-child together? Norah Lofts 1965 classic novel weaves together all the characters of the Nativity, from the gentle strength of Mary and the kindness and loyalty of Joseph through the tempestuous journey of the three Wise Men and the tragedy of the shepherds to the misery of the the innkeeper and his wife. As the day of the miraculous birth drew closer, all those who were to take part in in the greatest story ever told were given the choice whether to sink beneath their fear or to seek salvation Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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 Google Books — Lädt ...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.91Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt: (3.98)
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4
With no definitive main character, Mary and Joseph share the limelight with the three wise men/kings. The shepherds are less featured, and of the three, only one is fully developed as a character.
Interestingly, we also get the life story of the inn keeper, which is a surprise, as in most retellings of the Nativity, he’s little more than an ‘extra’.
I love the author’s characterization of Mary.
The chapters are multi third-person specific, occasionally veering into third-person omniscient. It works well, though I would’ve preferred another chapter on Mary and Joseph or the shepherds instead of the one on two Roman officials, which felt like filler material.
Although the story lags every so often, this is on the most part a very good novel written by an original and talented author. (