Rating: 
Summary: Superb, fresh account of Jesus' last week
Review: A popular revival hymn declares, "There's wonder-working power in the blood of Jesus Christ." We see that blood shed and many wonders in Sigmund Brouwer's The Weeping Chamber. As the novel opens, the narrator's life is in ruins. His obsession with work and profits has killed his wife's love. His son is equally dead, in a warehouse fire that left his daughter crippled and scarred. He sails to Jerusalem for Passover, seeking he knows not what. Each night he writes to his wife begging her forgiveness and contemplates suicide. During the day, he observes the drama surrounding Jesus' crucifixion. He's drawn to the charismatic teacher, whose words and eyes offer the first glimpse of hope he's felt since the fire. He's appalled as religious and political leaders manipulate the law and the crowds to bring about Jesus' death. When he hears rumors of the resurrection, he hastens to see for himself. If it's true, Jesus may have the power even after death to heal his shattered family. Brouwer has written several children's books, westerns and thrillers (among them, Morning Star and Double Helix). In The Weeping Chamber, he uses all that narrative talent to create a fresh, fast-moving and absorbing account of Holy Week. His Jesus is funny, smart and immensely appealing. It's easy to see why hundreds loved him and the powerful feared him. This is an excellent novel to renew your own faith and perhaps kindle interest in your nearest unbeliever.
Rating:
Summary: Superb, fresh account of Jesus' last week
Review: A popular revival hymn declares, "There's wonder-working power in the blood of Jesus Christ." We see that blood shed and many wonders in Sigmund Brouwer's The Weeping Chamber. As the novel opens, the narrator's life is in ruins. His obsession with work and profits has killed his wife's love. His son is equally dead, in a warehouse fire that left his daughter crippled and scarred. He sails to Jerusalem for Passover, seeking he knows not what. Each night he writes to his wife begging her forgiveness and contemplates suicide. During the day, he observes the drama surrounding Jesus' crucifixion. He's drawn to the charismatic teacher, whose words and eyes offer the first glimpse of hope he's felt since the fire. He's appalled as religious and political leaders manipulate the law and the crowds to bring about Jesus' death. When he hears rumors of the resurrection, he hastens to see for himself. If it's true, Jesus may have the power even after death to heal his shattered family. Brouwer has written several children's books, westerns and thrillers (among them, Morning Star and Double Helix). In The Weeping Chamber, he uses all that narrative talent to create a fresh, fast-moving and absorbing account of Holy Week. His Jesus is funny, smart and immensely appealing. It's easy to see why hundreds loved him and the powerful feared him. This is an excellent novel to renew your own faith and perhaps kindle interest in your nearest unbeliever.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for Fans of Biblical Fiction
Review: As far too many writers have proven, it can be a significant challenge to offer a fresh and satisfying perspective on the familiar events in the life of Christ, particularly the final week of Jesus' life on earth and the drama of the crucifixion and resurrection. But if there's one thing Sigmund Brouwer has proven, he's willing to take on a challenge, and his gifts as a writer are clearly equal to the challenges he faces. Brouwer offers a view of the events of Holy Week through the eyes of a merchant named Simeon, who has sacrificed the love and respect of his family in his unrelenting efforts to accumulate wealth. As a visitor to Jerusalem, he has heard of this prophet named Jesus and witnessed His arrival in the city, to the praise and adulation of the people who shouted hosannas at the sight of Him. Throughout what will prove to be a tumultuous week, Simeon wrestles with his personal pain and the memories of the losses he has suffered, his numbing depression, and the suicidal thoughts that seem to offer the only hope for escape from his shame and sorrow. But that was before his encounter with the living Christ. Simeon is, of course, Simeon of Cyrene, the bystander pressed into service by Roman soldiers to carry the cross when Jesus' battered body continually fell under its weight. As you might suspect, his life is transformed in the process. But Brouwer wisely allows that transformation to take place over time, steering clear of a predictable I've-carried-His-cross-and-now-I've-seen-the-light moment. Brouwer's skill as a storyteller is evident in all his books, and THE WEEPING CHAMBER is no exception. He creates a compelling backstory for Simeon's life and offers up the relevant details of that life a little at a time, keeping the reader in a continual state of curiosity about this man who has lost the will to live. He allows the story to unfold naturally through a seamless, gripping narrative and the daily letters Simeon writes to the wife whose love he has carelessly discarded. Even the familiarity of Palestine at the time of Christ gets a fresh makeover in Brouwer's hands, with the scenes that take place in Simeon's seaside home in his native Cyrene providing a welcome contrast to the hustle and bustle of Passover-week Jerusalem. Add to that the ability to write that most elusive of fictional elements --- believable dialogue --- and it's not hard to see why Brouwer has such a loyal fan base. THE WEEPING CHAMBER breathes new life into the story of Simeon and the journey from Palm Sunday to the empty tomb, just as a brief encounter with Jesus breathes new life into a man whose spirit is slowly dying. For fans of biblical fiction, especially those who have been disappointed by other historical novels set at the time of Christ, Brouwer's latest is a must-read. --- Reviewed by Marcia Ford
Rating:
Summary: Moving
Review: I am not extremely emotional. This book got me. I read it in one sitting, I was on the verge of tears, and when the book was done, I promptly brought it to my friend and gave it to her to read.
The last week of Christ is masterfully tied to the "last week" of another man. Sigmund Brouwer writes this story's sentimental string through letters of the latter man to his wife.
Read if you are in a mood desiring sentimental love and sacrificial love.
Rating:
Summary: I found this book to be spiritualy moving, an excellent read
Review: I attend church regularly and read my bible often.But I must say the Weeping Chamber opened a view into Jesus life and that of the life and times of the disiples that I have never experienced. Thank You Mr. Brouwer God Bless You.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Work!
Review: I really enjoyed this christian fiction book. It was also a powerful depiction of history. Very enjoyable and heartwarming.
Rating:
Summary: I highly recommend this account of Jesus' last week.
Review: Sigmund Brouwer has written a beautiful and exciting novel that captures the last week of Jesus' life. It is biblically accurate. We see this last week through the eyes of one man who through his encounter with Jesus receives healing and restoration. It is a moving story that ministers to the heart of the reader. I highly recommend it to all.
Rating:
Summary: Touched Inside
Review: The title of my review best describes the impact this book has had on my soul. Sigmund Brouwer confirms that the human heart is the center of spiritual struggle and wholeness. Brouwer touches the depth of human struggle in his story told of two men in parallel frames. While the tragedy of one man is that he plumits into a distructive fight for release from torment and self distruction, unbeknown to him, he encounters in another man who is the Christ, the real meaning of human freedom and liberation. The story begins with a man who is identified much later as Simon, who is standing in his own perception of what is his own weeping chamber, his own dark burial cave, comtemplating his life and fate. The story ends with the same man standing inside the bright burial chamber of the other man in the story, the Christ. The issues surrounding his own life find resolution through his increasing involvement in the life of the other man. They become linked in a redemptive process, and identify the true weeping chamber to be the soul of man, the house where it is possible for the mind to descend into the heart. Brouwer perhaps captures a core reality in the biblical account of salvation history. The story strives for biblical and cultural accuracy. It is entertaining in that it is told with hints of the investigative or detective like approach. However, this approach does not diminish the overall purpose of the author, which I feel is to enlighten us in the dynamics of the spiritual work place of the human mind and heart, that is the soul. Congratulations!
Rating:
Summary: The Weeping Chamber
Review: This book is a great read! After reading it I decided to offer it to the reading group at church. It was very moving, we all enjoyed reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read!
Review: This book is a great read! After reading it I decided to offer it to the reading group at church. It was very moving, we all enjoyed reading it.
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