Rating: 
Summary: Turning water into wine.
Review: I arrived at his 377-page fictional life of Jesus after first reading Jose Saramago's more recent novel, BLINDNESS, which was published in 1998, the same year the Portugese writer won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Both novels reveal a gifted writer at the heighths of his talent. Saramago's life of Jesus covers familiar Biblical territory, including the mysterious Annunciation, his birth in a cave followed by the Slaughter of the Innocents, his flight from home and his retreat into the desert, his miracles, and his Crucifixion. It also strays bravely from the Gospels into areas such as Joseph's crucifixion and Jesus's loss of virginity to Mary Magdalene, areas that will undoubtedly leave many readers feeling uncomfortable. For believers and unbelievers, Saramago's novel should be travelled with an open mind.Saramago's story of Jesus operates on a realistic level. Angels appear as beggars, God appears as a cloud of dust, and the Devil appears as a shepherd named "Pastor." One notable exception, however, occurs at pages 305 to 362, where Jesus, God, and the Devil share a boat on a lake for a profound dialogue. Saramago creates a protagonist in Jesus who not only appreciates the joys of what it means to be human--family, nature, and eros, but who also demonstrates unwavering loyalty to God. Throughout his life, he is haunted by nightmares of a father who wants to kill him. Saramago's fictional account of the life of Jesus is nothing less than brilliant. Those readers interested in such fiction should also read QUARANTINE, Jim Crace's fascinating account of Jesus's forty days in the wilderness. G. Merritt
Rating: 
Summary: Really hard to read.
Review: This is really a good book but not for me. ýt is really hard to read and once you start to read another book it is very hard to keep on reading this one.
If I look at from the literature side, this book is pretty good.I am not familiar with the subject and I did not know that Saramago had to leave Portugal after this book.
Rating:
Summary: The atheist's bible
Review: Jose Saramago's "The Gospel according to Jesus Christ" does not need any reviews. The author already has a Nobel prize for literature and, if what I heard last week from a well informed source is correct, the Vatican has put the book on its "no-no" list and the author was induced to move from conservative Portugal to more liberal Spain. Need any open-minded author (or reader) better recommendations? Certainly not. And it is much better reading than Bertrand Russell's "Why I am not a Christian" (which, more correctly, should have been "Why I am an atheist"). The "Gospel..." is a readable story and an esthetic, free-flowing, beautifully written parable on the life of J.C. which slowly but surely, first in between the lines and later with gradually increasing gusto, condemns theism totally and absolutely. This indeed has been done more efficiently before in "howlers" written by British schoolboys: "Faith is when you believe something you know is not true..." but for those inclined to read good books rather than howlers the "Gospel..." will do much better. Warmly recommended to Christians, Jews, Moslems and all other theists and non-theists (for that matter).
Rating:
Summary: a mosaic
Review: There are, without a doubt, people who do not believe anything than what the Bible says, to the 't'. Those people should not read this book, because they have enough anger in their lives as it is. Before reading, your mind should be open to the idea that Jesus was an actual person, which many Christians seem to ignore. This book is on morality and guilt. This is not an evil book, by any stretch of the imagination. It is about how the world looks through crying eyes. Read it if you have ever had difficulty combining what we know of Bible history with the bible itself. Read it if you like books with morality and wisdom.
Rating:
Summary: can we be anymore alone?
Review: I've witnessed god and the devil talking in a boat with jesus and they act as if jesus isn't there. if god as man is ignored by the highest of spritual powers then we are all lost. This is a fine exploration man's place in the universe. King Solomon would be proud. This is a great book of fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Small Remark on the author
Review: Saramago did not have to leave the country because of this book, since he was already living abroad for nearly a decade, namely in the spanish Lanzarote islands, where he still lives with his spanish wife. His book did disturb a few catholic zealots; but he was and still is well-beloved by the great majority of the portuguese population.
Rating:
Summary: The Myth of Jesus
Review: This is the first book I read by Saramago. Belonging to a very different culture and background, a lot of facts were difficult for me to relate to but slowly the book surrounds you like dense fog and its impossible after that to put it down. It gives you excellent insight into how the religions of our world evolved and unwinds the myths and the aura that surrounds them. Being a hindu by religion, i could find the patterns across both my religion and catholicism which lead one to the same conclusion. Mankind is too easy to be awed by miracles and mythisize the same. Saramago is definitely a master at narration. All the time, while reading the book, I got this feeling as if somebody is reading it out for me to just listen and absorb. A must read for believers and atheists alike.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps as beautiful as the original...
Review: One of my favorite novels of all time. Even in translation, Saramago's book manages to be powerful, instructive, humorous, and inspiring - and in some ways more beautiful and tragic than the original telling in the Good Book itself. TGATJC is written as a more literal and objective version of the New Testament, where the characters' thoughts and motives are the core focus of the story. Jesus is for the most part an unwilling participant in God's greater plans to 'advertise' himself, and stuggles with the revelation that he is indeed the 'lamb of God.' Throughout the book, Jesus explores his humanity through making friendships, finding love, and conversing with the devil. The true beauty of the work is Saramago's ability to heighten your sympathy and compassion for Christ by presenting him as a far less 'perfect' being, one who is much easier to identify with. The conversation between Christ, God and the Devil is definitely a highlight of the story, and many of the ideas discussed were both eye opening and rather frightening. Saramago provides some very interesting thoughts on the purpose of religion, the morality of Satan and the personal motives of God himself. This book is written in the same vein as Satanic Verses, so beware if you're easily offended by alternative presentations of religious ideology.
Rating:
Summary: Jesus as a real man
Review: Nobel prize winning author Jose Saramago has written his version of the life of Jesus Christ. This book was so controversial in Portugal, that Saramago had to leave his home country. The book describes the life of Jesus Christ, starting with the angel coming to Maria. Josef and Maria are living in a small hovel and even though Josef is a decent carpenter, it is very hard for him to make enough money for his family. So after Maria has given birth to their son in a small cave just outside Bethlehem, he moves to Jerusalem to help with the building of the Temple. He overhears 2 soldiers talking about the order to kill all small children and without hesitation he runs all the way back to Bethlehem. He saves his little family but is later overcome with remorse that he did not warn the other parents. After Josef has been killed by the Roman soldiers, who accidentally take him for a Jewish freedom fighter, Jesus -at that time an angry young man in his puberty- stays a little longer with his mother but then decides to go his own way. Essentially all the events which are mentioned in the bible are also told in this book, but in a different and historically problably more authentic way. The love story between Jesus and Maria Magdalen, a very strong, independent woman in the book, is truely superb. The highlight of the book is when Jesus, God and the Devil stay on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. God tells them what he has in store for mankind in the future. He describes the Inquisition, the martyrs, the killing in his name. The Devil is overcome by grief and offers God a kind of truce in order to save these peoples lifes, but God refuses the offer. This makes God the villain of the story. This book is a must read for people who are not orthodox Christians.
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking and fantastic fiction
Review: Having a BA in English, I've read many, many works of fiction. I picked up this novel on my own, and it astounded me. The book would be a fantastic read even if it did not involve the icons. Yet involving these icons enriches the story. Saramongo reminds us that the main characters are, in fact, human beings. I'm speaking of the English translation, and I'm sure it's even more lyrical and moving in the original language. You truly must read the book to know what I'm talking about, but the language is smooth, dizzying, and absorbing.
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