The Nativity Story - A Novel

By Angela Elwell Hunt

Book Overview

Basada en la pel?cula, La Historia de la Navidad es una historia excepcional e inspiradora, muy humana y muy dram?tica, de una jornada de fe. La exitosa autora Angie Hunt ha adaptado el gui?n de La... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1414314620
• ISBN13: 9781414314624
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.6" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Better ending than the movie!

This book is based on the movie (the opposite of a movie being based on a book) so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the book actually has a better, lengthier and more accurate ending than the movie. Bravo!

O Come O Come Emmanuel

I read the book before watching the movie so I went to the film knowing a lot of what was going to happen. If I thought the movie made the familiar characters more human and real, the book does even more so. The book adds to the movie script and includes more scenes that help to develop the characters. Mary is seen as caught between childhood and becoming a married women. We feel her struggle as she has to leave her old life behind. The reader is taken to understand what she went through after the angel told her what was going to happen to her. Since in the Bible, we don't hear a lot about Joseph what is written here shows him as an understanding and devout man. He loves Mary and wants to take care of her and the baby even though it will not be his completely. I enjoyed the research that went on towards the writing of this book. It's full of historical detail and knowledge. You get a feel of the time, from Mary and Joseph's perspective, from Herod's, and the Wise Men. I know there is much debate about when the Wise Men showed up or even how many there are. I just find it amazing that any persons would come, near or far, to see a baby being born. Imagine how the shepherds felt when they saw Jesus, their Messiah had finally come. I also liked the prologue, which showed a modern view on the Nativity which is what most people believe in and have become immune to. The Christmas season should be remembered in the way Hunt portrays the first Christmas. Very simple, with lots of faith and belief. The book shows that these were real people who were struggling to understand why they were chosen, yet they believed without a doubt. We today should follow in their footsteps. Another powerful read from one of my favorite authors.

Very Well Done

It is a rare occasion that a film is better than the book it is based on. The book is almost always superior. However, a book that precedes a film by the same name is typically far better than a book that is based on the film. Only rarely does a textual adaptation of a film equal it. And so it was with little eagerness or expectation that I began to read The Nativity Story, the official novelization of the forthcoming film by the same name. The film of The Nativity Story is set to hit theaters on Friday, December 1. It is billed as a faithful retelling of the biblical story of Jesus' birth. Of course, as with any film based on the Bible, there must be a good deal of artistic license and exploration. I hope to discuss this further after I have seen the film. The book novelization of the film was handled by Angela Hunt, author of over one hundred books, most of which are historical or contemporary novels targeted at women. How well this book represents the film I will not be able to say until I have seen it. If it is a true adaptation I believe I will enjoy the film a great deal. I began reading this book with great skepticism but found myself enjoying it all the way until I had turned the final page. It will not win any Pulitzer Prizes, but is still well-written and enjoyable, even though it feels that perhaps it was rushed just a little bit. Hunt clearly dedicated a good deal of time to understanding Jesus' cultural context and these details add a fascinating dimension to a story we all know so well. Just how closely the book adheres to the biblical story is a discussion that can wait until I review the movie. Suffice it to say, for now, that many scenes and characters in the book are fictitious, invented to fill in details or to create a suitable setting for the story. Details of the personalities of the real characters are also created or adapted as necessary. The story also bows to old church traditions at times, such as in the names of the wise men Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. These names are traditional but can be traced only to the seventh century and are unlikely to be genuine. And yet all of the biblical details are present, I believe, with the rather disappointing exception of "the angel [and] a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'" When considering the story of the nativity and Jesus' early life, the majority of attention tends to be focused on Jesus and Mary with Joseph serving as only a bit player. I found it interesting that in this book Hunt devotes equal time to exploring both of Jesus' earthly parents. While the Bible says little about Joseph, Hunt fleshes out his character into what he probably was - a principled man who dearly loved the Lord. And yet this points to a concern about this type of book. The Bible says almost nothing about Joseph and it may not be expedient for us to remember him in a way that differs fro

great rendition of the "greatest story ever told"

This is the novelization based on Mike Rich's screenplay for the upcoming Nativity Story film. Angela Hunt for the most part tells THE NATIVITY STORY as most readers know it (no sense repeating the obvious). However, surprisingly, she makes her rendition fresh especially humanizing the Three Wise Men by intelligently yet humorously having them tease each other (sort of like locker room bantering) as a needed counterpoint to the cruel excesses of King Herod. Ancient Judea is vividly portrayed so much so that readers will feel they journeyed along side the travelers until they reach the stable while also avoiding Herod. This is a great rendition of the "greatest story ever told" that fans of Christian literature will fully appreciate as the holiday season is upon us. Harriet Klausner