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Agatha Christie Mallowan – Star Over Bethlehem | Review

Title: Star Over Bethlehem

Author: Agatha Christie Mallowan

Type: Fiction/Poetry

Page Count: 208

Rating: 3.5/5

Okay, so this book was essentially all about religion, and seeing as I’m not a Christian, that meant that I didn’t really care too much about the stories that were told here. The second half of the book is also literally just Poems, her poetry collection, and I’ve read that before.

Still, as a general rule, I’d still recommend this one to people who want to learn a little bit more about Agatha Christie, and I can also see why it’s published under her third surname (Christie was her second, but she later remarried).

So I’d probably recommend this one, even with the caveat that it’s definitely not for everyone. I think it’s mostly going to be of interest to her long-term fans, but I’m one of those so I enjoyed it.

Learn more about Star Over Bethlehem.

Philip Pullman – The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ | Review

Title: The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

Author: Philip Pullman

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 252

Rating 4.5/5

Finally, a retelling that I can get on board with! I’ve never been a fan of retellings as a general rule because I don’t really see the point. Sure, sometimes they can be disruptive, but as a general rule they seem to be used to crowbar inclusivity into fiction, and it seems to me that the best way to be truly inclusive is to create original stories featuring minorities, rather than just rehashing the same story but changing the gender, sexuality or ethnicity of the main character. But perhaps that’s just me.

Here, though, Pullman basically uses a retelling to investigate our attitudes towards religion and ultimately poses some uncomfortable questions for those who follow the Christian faith. Luckily, I’m an atheist, and so I pretty much just read this in the same way that I’d read the bible: as a work of fiction. Except that this has much better story telling.

But I do think you could still enjoy this if you were religious, too. In fact, Pullman’s spin on biblical tales is kind of refreshing, taking a subject matter that I’m not particularly fond of and bringing it to life. I also liked how he managed to make both Jesus and Christ feel like two very different characters, and I know which one I prefer. Read it.