Sister Wendy's Nativity

Rating:
Summary: Text and Art don't match
Review: I am a great admirer of Sister Wendy and highly recommend her A Child's Book of Prayer in Art as a five star book.

In this book, however, there are several instances where the painting details of which she is speaking don't appear in the book. On page 42 she states, "A desperate angel in the lower margin semaphores to them;..." This angel is not included. On page 91 the painting has apparently been printed backward or the text on the facing page reveals that neither Sister Wendy nor her proof rereaders can tell left from right. On page 62 the description seems not to be of the illumination opposite. The text states, "Even sadder is the figure on the left, seen moving away from the group into the loneliness of remorse. Judas,..." No one appears to be moving away and Judas is pictured as kissing Jesus. It is all annoying enough to make the book not worth the price, even with the Amazon discount.

The concept of the book is worthy; it covers the story of Jesus from Adam through Pentecost to Heaven using mostly previously unpublished pictures from the Vatican Libraries to celebrate the onset of the third Christian millenium. The purchase of A Child's Book of Prayer in Art would be a more apt celebration. Those seeking to explore the wonder of Jesus's birth with Sister Wendy would be better off with Sister Wendy's Story of Christmas.

Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Sister Wendy!
Review: Once again, Sister Wendy has produced a delightful book on art and religion. This one mostly deals with the birth of Jesus, but it touches upon the later events in his life as well. The paintings are tiny, from mostly anonymous artists from the late medieval period. When blown up to book size, these tiny paintings can look rather crude. But Sister Wendy zooms in on them with her spiritual microscope, and with her trademark contemplative style, draws forth from these miniatures profound spiritual revelations--meanings the artists probably never intended. At least not consciously. She then extends the "message" of the paintings into meditations on what their significance is to contemporary religious thought and life's contemporary moral dilemmas. You marvel at her perceptiveness.As another reviewer pointed out, there are some editing problems in the book. In a few instances, the paintings and their associated commentaries don't quite match up. But this flaw won't detract from your enjoyment of the book.I'm one atheist who is always happy to plunk down money for a new Sister Wendy book. And this one is certainly no exception. You'll want to re-read it during every Xmas season.