Ben Hur

Rating:
Summary: For Students and Scholars Only
Review: According to most scholars Wallace (1827-1905) would have much preferred to be remembered for his military commands as a Union officer during the American Civil War--but following this he turned to literature, writing both poetry and fiction. His 1873 book THE FAIR GOD was immensely popular, and such later works as 1888's THE BOYHOOD OF CHRIST and 1893's THE PRINCE OF INDIA were also well received. But he made his name with a single work: BEN-HUR: A TALE OF THE CHRIST, first published in 1880. An instant and massive best seller, it has been through countless editions, was one of the great stage successes of the early 20th Century, has been filmed twice.

The basic story of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince sent into slavery whose life later intersects with that of Christ, is extremely well known, and Wallace gives it all the blood and thunder that he can muster, cramming page after page with plots and subplots, brutal struggles, shipwrecks, famine, plague--and of course the famous chariot race that Hollywood would so well imprint upon the popular imagination. It is certainly one of the most influential works of both its era and this era.

It is also extremely, extremely Victorian, which is to say that the style is elaborately and deliberately wordy. Detail exists for the sake of detail, Wallace never uses a single word when twenty or more will do, and his sentence construction drips with enough spurious punctuation marks to fuel an entire set of grammar texts. The whole thing seems to go on forever, and the plot construction is heavy handed for good measure.

If you enjoy the works of lesser-known Victorian novelists, you might find BEN-HUR to your tastes. But in spite of this novel's almost legendary reputation, if you shudder at the thought of Charles Dickens you'll cringe over Lew Wallace. Recommended... but only to those studying literary history.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer
who is actually distantly related to Lew Wallace

Rating:
Summary: Adventurous!
Review: As soon as I saw the movie, I had to read the book! It isn't a whole lot like the movie, but it is still really good. If you get bored reading hard-to-read books, read the children's version! If you like adventure, you'll love it!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Balthasar speaks to Ben-Hur: By the sign as I see it, God meant to make us know ourselves created for another better life, such being, in fact, the greatest need of our nature. But, alas, into what habit the nations have fallen! They live for the day as if the present were the all in all... Lew Wallis originaly set out to disprove the Bible. The more he researched into the content of the Bible the more more he was convinced of its truth. This novel was the end product. It certainly makes those days of Christ life come alive!

Rating:
Summary: Aurora's Review
Review: Ben Hur is a great book. It deals with Christianity and one man's jouney to finding the Lord. Ben Hur is a rich young Jewish man with a perfect life. Then his life is shattered by an unfortunate accident. He is sent to be a galley slave for a crime he did not commit. The rest of the book deals with his quest for revenge on the boyhood friend who betrayed him and his desperate search for his mother and sister. Though the book he moves closer to the Lord. Ben Hur is very long and not an easy read.

Rating:
Summary: Lewis Wallace created a classic for all time!
Review: Ben-Hur by Lewis Wallace is a historical novel, published in 1880 and has been widely translated ever since the first edition. The story, i.e., Ben-Hur by Lewis Wallace depicts the oppressive Roman occupation of ancient Palestine and the origins of Christianity. The main character of the novel Judah Ben-Hur is wrongly accused by his former friend Messala (whom is a Roman), of attempting to kill a highly ranked Roman official. He is then sent to be a slave on a ship and his mother and sister are imprisoned. Many years later, he, i.e., Ben-Hur returns and wins a chariot race against Messala; and is later in the story reunited with his now leprous mother and sister. His mother and sister are cured on the day of the Crucifixion, and the family is converted to Christianity. Overall, I would have to say that Lewis Wallace has created one of the most enduring and entertaining novels of all time; and I would definitely recommend it to anyone remotely interested in well-written literature.

Rating:
Summary: A very intriguing, captivating book!
Review: Ben-Hur is a story of a young Jewish prince who is sent as a to the galleys of the Romans. Saving the captian's life he gets adopted by the captian. Even then his troubles are not over. This book is to the very end. Even then you want to read more!

Rating:
Summary: Powerful, uplifting, and fabulous!
Review: Can there be any doubt as to why this book is a classic? It was published over 100 years ago, and is as captivating as any book I have ever read. Initially, I would it difficult because of the complex sentence structure and vocabulary that isn't common any longer. However, once I got into the flow, this book is full of beautiful expression, and it is SOOOOOO exciting! The infamous chariot race scene stimulated my imagination as it hasn't been since I was a child! (I have never seen the movie so I could only imagine!) I couldn't stop myself from cheering Ben along! It is a must read and will change your outlook on life, no kidding!

Rating:
Summary: The film was good, the book is great.
Review: Everyone has seen the film, but the book is even better. There are few books that bring history alive quite like this. The only other that I happen to have recently read is the wonderful "The Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years" in which the spaces left out in Wallace's book are powerfully filled in. Perhaps these two books should be sold as a companion set since both characters easily mesh in the most convincing manner and style.

Rating:
Summary: Epic novel about a man who finds Christ
Review: Gen Lew Wallace originally set about to dispel the myth of Christian belief in the Savior but, in the process, became converted himself to the sacredness of His role. A monumental epic story of Judah Ben-Hur who, falsely accused of having caused the death of the governor of Jersusalem, is sentenced to several years as a slave on Roman galley slaves by his former boyhood friend, Messala, which friend has vowed an unbreakable loyalty to his emperor. Now a classic, it endures well today and provides hope and inspiration for those seeking freedom and peace of soul

Rating:
Summary: SUPERB book
Review: Having been a tremendous fan of the Charleton Heston epic of the same name, I was very pleased and surprised to see this book available for reading.
I recommend it to everyone! The words used in it paint pictures so real you can almost see the people themselves.