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To send Mrs. Rice your thoughts on Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, please e-mail her directly at anneobrienrice@gmail.com.
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__________________
Posted 2/11/10
Dear Anne,
I recently read Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt. At first, I was sceptical. I wanted so badly to read another Vampire Chronicle book, was thirsting for Lestat, that I was afraid that this book was going to be way out of my "reading league". Boy was I wrong. I was beyond pleasantly surprised! You have such an amazing way of describing things, whether it's a tree with moss or a candelabra on the wall, to the scent of the night air. When I read your books, I can escape for hours in another world, a movie in my own mind. Out of Egypt was no different for me.
You captivated me from the beginning all the way til the end of the book. All along the way, I have searched in myself for that faith that I have been struggling to take hold of. I was afraid that growing up with the strong Catholic beliefs of my parents, that it would prevent me from developing my own sense of spirituality, my place and faith in this world, this life, and more so, myself.
As a writer, I am mediocre at it's best (and I'm just giving myself
a little credit on that haha) but for as long as I can remember,
you've inspired me to write, to keep writing, to write when it hurts, which where my best work comes from (tooting my own horn, i should be ashamed haha) But I have learned that I am my own worst enemy, and I stopped being afraid of the unknown just a few short years ago. Lestat helped me build my attitude, Louis helped me stay humble always, Claudia has reminded me of the brattier side of myself, the adult dying to get out of the child's body, but mostly, you have helped me discover much more about myself by being able to escape into your beautiful stories.
Thank you for sharing your amazing writing with me. For opening my eyes, knowing that there is nothing to fear but fear itself, that
vampires are totally sexy, that writing helps me heal in more ways
than I could ever truly know. Thank you Anne. From the bottom of my heart.
Sincerely,
Nikki Bowersox
Posted 12/8/09
Dear Ms. Rice,
My name is Carolyn. I am a cradle Catholic from Kansas, a product of a
Catholic elementary and high school education. I grew up terrified of
vampires: in books, on film, in my imaginings and nightmares. This
fear has kept me from reading any of your vampire novels, even to this
day. When I learned of your return to Catholicism and of your series
Christ the Lord, I must admit that I was skeptical. After all, you
were behind the creation of some of literature's darkest characters.
This skepticism served as a deterrent to my reading Christ the Lord:
Out of Egypt and Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana until a few months
ago, when I decided that I would trust in my childhood education, as
well as my recently completed graduate study at the University of
Notre Dame in theology; surely these tools would provide a sound
compass for determining the merit of your novels about the life of my
beloved Jesus Christ.
I could not put either book down, nor have I been able to get them out
of my mind in the weeks since I finished reading them. As I read, I
was brought frequently to the verge of tears, and even now, the mere
thought of certain passages generates the same reaction deep within my
soul.
Your scholarly approach in depicting a historical Jesus and your use
of apocryphal and primary sources were clearly governed by your desire
to convey the humanity of Christ the Lord with a tenderness beyond
anything I have encountered. With every page, I felt the ardor of your
love for Jesus; it permeated every letter of every word, and it
inspired in me a deeper, more intimate love for Jesus than anything I
have ever read in my years of theological study.
I am grateful to you for your beautiful contribution in these
books--for your meticulous scholarship, and for your appreciation of
Christian imagination. It seems that scholarship and imagination are
often at odds with one another, yet you have woven them into a
seamless garment, and the Christian world is better for it.
I am most anxious to learn whether or not the publication of the third
installment is on the horizon. As a composer of music, I know that the
creative process can be particularly exhausting, and I can only
speculate that the extremely personal subject matter of these novels
and the research involved in writing them render them even more
exhausting for you than other works. I hope that we, your audience,
will have the joy of reading the conclusion of the series before too
long.
I pray that God will continue to inspire you; the hand of Divine
Providence has clearly been at work in the creation of the first two
novels of the series, and I have faith that the final installment will
be a crowning achievement for you, as well as a reflection and
manifestation of the unfathomable love of Jesus Christ for the human
family that He died to save.
May God bless you always, and may you continue to be guided by your
love for Jesus.
Thank you.
Yours humbly in Christ,
Carolyn
Posted 11/3/09
I really enjoyed your books about Christ and for stepping out with your testimony and sharing your coming back to the Church
You words are mirrors of others and of me as I have struggled with faith. You have encouraged me to continue with the fight on a daily basis and to LIVE for the Christ
thank you
Teresa Pelton
Irving, TX
Posted 8/4/09
Dear Mrs. Rice,
I read with great interest the Liguorian interview with you in November 2008. Through that I learned a little of your life. I spent the Summer of 1972 in Denton, Tx. working with the priests at Immaculate Conception Parish. After that summer I left Holy Trinity Seminary, where I had spent 5 years studying for the priesthood. I mention that because it crossed a path you had already traveled atcollege in Denton.
I just finished your book Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt. I appreciate all the research you did in preparing for the novel. The book helped me imagine the historical period in which Jesus lived. It also helped serve as a great meditation on our Lord's early life. I also thank you for your Notes in the book. The Notes provided great background for what you are about.
What you are doing (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) is truly uplifting. Thanks for sharing your struggles and your journey with all of us! I am a retired federal investigator and asylum officer. Currently I pray weekly at an abortion clinic and serve as a lector in our parish. It was particularly inspiring when you described the conversation between Mary and Jesus regarding the conception of Jesus. Mary spoke of her feeling after saying yes to the angel and immediately being aware of the new life within her.
Again, thank you for your work and for helping us realize what the Lord has done for all of us. God bless.
Frank Faecke
Posted 6/30/09
Dear Anne,
I have recently finished reading "Called out of Darkness", "Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt" & "Christ the Lord, Road to Cana" and I just have to share with you how much I love all three of these books!
I am a "cradle Catholic" and like you, have had times when I felt
separated from the church, and regrettably as a result, separated from our Lord. "Called out of Darkness" touched me in ways I can barely put into words. The powerful story of your call from atheism to a renewed relationship with Jesus is beautifully written, and it spoke to me in a very personal way. Thank you so much for sharing your story and for awakening in me a deeper desire to "Go to Him".
As for the "Christ the Lord" books, I am awed at your remarkable
ability to create a believable explanation of the times in Jesus' life
where there is little biblical information. You've made it possible
to imagine His fears, His human struggles, and His own self-discovery, as well as to imagine His loving responses to people and situations around Him. These books have really enhanced my appreciation and understanding of the bible and our Christian traditions, by allowing me to experience Jesus "first-hand".
I also love your insights into the loving and holy characters of Mary, and St. Joseph, important figures for whom there is also little biblical information. I feel a greater devotion than ever to them as a result of your books. When faced with the question, what would Jesus do? (or Mary or Joseph), I only have to imagine them as they are in your books.
Also, as a history channel buff, I love how you've addressed many
modern-day questions, like did Jesus have brothers, (especially the one called James)? Your explanation is totally plausible, yet remains faithful to the teachings of the church. I absolutely love Jesus' confrontation with Satan in "Road to Cana", as well as your vivid descriptions of the daily lives and rituals of the Jewish communities of the times. You've really brought the story to life.
I could go on and on, but words just aren't sufficient. Please tell
me you will be writing more "Christ the Lord" books! I am hoping you will carry the stories right on through the lives of the apostles and the early Christian Church (especially St. Paul, a very interesting character). Have you considered writing more about Mary?
Thank you again Anne, for writing these books! I have been actively sharing these books with family and friends, and I am anxiously awaiting your next installments!
Carla Belanger
Colchester, CT
Posted 6/30/09
I am an English lady who works in a library...a Christian. I tend to
avoid the 'horror' section at work, but obviously know the most
prolific writers from putting the books on the shelves. So I was
intrigued when someone I associated with 'horror' (as it is classified over here), produced a book about Christ. I read it. I was hooked. I looked you up on the net & was intrigued to hear your story & that you were writing books for God now.
I eagerly anticipate the next Christ the Lord book. As a librarian I
have an unwritten policy not to buy books as they are readily
available to borrow, but that policy has gone out of the window as far as your books are concerned!
Write on....and thank you
every blessing
Emma Bunday
Posted 6/30/09
I just finished both books and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed
them. I think it is much easier for us, 2000 years removed,
understand Jesus' human nature. You presented it very realistically. Your presentation of His gradual realization of who He was was magnificent.
I also like your idea that his family and neighbors knew about his
miraculous conception and birth. It's an idea that makes great sense, but one we probably never think about. I was curious to know why you suggested that the apostle John and Jesus were distant cousins? Are there sources that indicate that possibility?
I found myself moved emotionally when reading those sections of
revelation in the book. It was as if I were receiving the revelation
personally. I also found your telling of the temptation in the desert phenomenal. Your portrayal of the devil as a slick liar is dead on.
Thank you and God Bless,
Alexander Avallon Jr.
Posted 6/15/09
Dear Anne,
I'm a Catholic Homeschooling-Mother-of-Five, and I have a large pile
of dishes in the sink I should be washing, and an even larger pile of
laundry I ought to be folding. But I have felt for a long time now,
more than a year, that I should write to you, and so I decided to let
the chores stand (not very hard for me to do, unfortunately) and
write. I'm not entirely sure why I feel this overwhleming urge to
write to you today, and I don't even know whether you will ever
actually read this letter, but I'm writing anyway.
First of all, I would like to make clear that I never read any of your
vampire books and yet, I have been aware of your work for about twenty
years. One of my best friends during my teenage years, which were
spent in Spain where I was born, was a great fan of yours, and she
tried a few times to get me to read your books, but because I knew of
her special love for tacky, mushy romance novels, I assumed your books
were too, so I never bothered. (I hope you don't think I'm being rude,
I made it a point of never reading anything my friend recommended!)
Nevertheless, for some reason, I always remebered your name, which is
odd, because I can't remember half the names of the authors of books I
actually read! So, about two years ago, when I saw your name and
picture in the "Arlington Catholic Herald," I recognized you
immediately as "that vampire lady Francesca liked so much." I read
the article, and decided that anyone as brave as you, deserved to have
her new books be bought, and so I purchased and devoured in a matter
of two days "Christ The Lord: Out Of Egypt" (I know what you're
thinking, I didn't do the dishes or the laundry either on the first
night after I bought the book.)
I was a bit skeptical at first: I have never seen a movie or play
portrail of Jesus I liked. They are usually too something: too
ethereal, too earthy, too divine. too serious or so cutesie you know
there's no way Jesus was like that, too weak or too majestic... But
your version of the child Jesus was so beautiful that as a mother, I
nearly cried many times. I loved your inclusion of the little myths
about Jesus' childhood in the story, and I don't think any human will
ever be able to describe the dual nature of Christ in more convincing
terms than you have. Brava!
But there were other aspects of the book that were even more
meaningful to me, and that is your portail of Our Lord's family life,
from the structure of his home to his massive extended family. You
see, I was born at the very end of the life of traditional Spain. As
a child, I would visit my grandmother in one of the last remaining
traditional Andalusian homes: her "corral de vecinos." The words
literally mean a patio of neighbors, which is just what it was. The
"corral" was basically a large patio enclosed on all sides by rooms in
which many families lived in one or two rooms, mostly relatives. In
the patio, protected from the outside world by big wooden doors,
children played, mothers washed the laundry in huge tubs, and
communal, family life flourished. In fact, our life was very much
like the family life you describe, except Catholic rather than Jewish.
Sadly, this traditional life died along with Franco when modernism
and especially socialism swept through Spain, and even though
democracy is definitely a good thing, Spain is no longer what it was
in my childhood, and I do miss it.
One of the issues I think you handled so well, and that touched that
spark of recognition in me, was the question of Jesus' brothers and
sisters. For a traditional Spaniard, this is no question at all since
my father, grandmother and the rest of their generation consider first
cousins to be practically equal to sibblings. In fact, in Spanish,
the word for first cousin is "primo hermano" which literally means
"cousin brother" and your second cousin is your "primo," cousin. I
clearly remember my father yelling across the street to a man I had
never seen before who was certainly not my uncle Paco "hermanoooooo",
and me saying "Dad, that is not uncle Paco." And my Dad answering
"it's my cousin-brother. Same thing." But since moving to the US, I
have found out that the question of Jesus' brothers and sisters is a
very big deal indeed to many people, and so I was so glad to see you
deal with it in a way that was so kind and convincing.
Another deeply touching theme in "Out of Egypt" was the sense of
community you wove into little Nazareth. I grew up in Sevilla, a
fairly large city, but like many Spaniards, we spent months in the
summer "en el campo", in the country. For us, the country was the
town of Osuna, a town built on a hill with a gigantic church on top,
and with Roman coins and relics popping out of every crack in the
ground. You should have seen my Virginian husband's excitement when
he found a Roman coin just lying at the foot of an olive tree!
The church, and the plaza in front of it, was the center of life, much
as the synagogue was in your Nazareth. Everyone went to Mass on
Sunday (except my parents who were dedicated hippies), and I went on
my own, but that was absolutely fine, and no one ever asked me where
my parents were. No one ever sent anyone a wedding invitation either,
because people knew when a wedding was going on, and everyone just
showed up and partied. My aunt's wedding lasted for three days, and
my little 18 month old sister got drunk from eating the sweet fruit at
the bottom of empty sangria glasses. We played our own music and
danced our own dances, and many of the songs were filled with the
apocryphal stories of Jesus and the Virgin Mary that delighted me in
your novel.
There were so many details in "Out of Egypt" that rang so true to me
based on my Mediterranean childhood, that I couldn't wait for "Road to
Canna." I must say, I love it too, and the idea of Jesus being
tempted by a very fancy version of himself was either a stroke of
genious or evidence of great humility for aren't most of our greatest
temptations a wish to fulfill the image of ourselves we think we
deserve?
For quite a while, I have been eagerly waiting for you to write the
third book in the 'Christ The Lord" series, and I don't know if you
plan to write it, but I hope you will. In the meantime, I just
finished reading "Called out of Darkness," and your description of
New Orleans and your thoroughly Catholic childhood environment,
reminded me so much of Spain as a child, I could hardly stand it. I
have always known I missed my homeland, but I had no idea how much I
actually longed for it. First Communion, Holy Week, Christmas, Corpus
Christi, May Crosses, every street named after a saint, and the sound
of the cathedral bells mixed with the smell of incense and the scent
of the orange blossoms are to me an intrical part of my faith
experience, as much as JPII or Scott Hahn. That sense that we all
knew what was right and wrong and what we ought to be doing to live
the Christian faith, even if we all knew we failed all the time, was
very consoling. True, there was unkindness and inflexibility, but
more often there was kindness and love, at least attempts at love.
The older I get, the more obvious it becomes to me that that clear
compass is so much more preferable to the confusion of today. Being a
little restrained is much better than being completely lost at sea
like so many of my friends are today. And that makes me worry for the
world my children will inherit.
Concern about the world brings me back to gratitude for your books
because the more people encounter Yeshua, the better, and your
insightful books will probably bring Him to many who may not have been
reached otherwise.
Sincerely.
Mei-Li Garcia Beane
"Christianity has never been tried and found wanting, it has been
found difficult and left untried"
G. K. Chesterton
Posted 5/28/09
Dear Anne,
In "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt," the way you portrayed young Jesus'
reaction to Herod's murders of hundreds of babies broke my heart and
yet mended it at the same time. Your simple, down-to-earth
description of Jesus' growing awareness of who He was, and the
challenges Joseph and Mary faced in nurturing the Son of God, felt so
authentic and truly possible. Like Mother Teresa, who fancied herself
God's little pencil, you are now a precious co-Operator with Jesus,
allowing Him to finally harness your gifts so that He can extend His
love in a very special way with your readers.
Thank you for never giving up during the arduous journey that brought
you to your daughtership with God today. Thank you for dedicating the
rest of your life to bringing the light of Christ to people through
your writing. Thank you for enabling God Almighty to touch and
enliven my soul through your book.
Anne, I think you discovered (as your little Jesus showed with His
happiness in the midst of great turbulence and suffering), that joy is
perhaps the most genuine and sweet fruit of faith. In "Out of Egypt,"
your constant return to the exquisite joy inescapable in a close
relationship with our Creator, gave me the sense that God would be
nodding approvingly and saying to you "That's my girl! You got it!"
So I wish you joy in your journey ahead, no matter the suffering or
sacrifice. Alleluia, Anne; you are a new vessel carrying Christ's
life within you, nurturing Him as Mary did, helping Him to grow within
and yet beyond your human limits, and enabling Him to reach others
with His message of hope and life.
May the Holy Spirit continue to move and grow and have His being within you...
Lisa
Posted 5/9/09
Anne,
The two Christ the Lord books, Out of Egypt and Road to Cannamade me feel like I was there. Thank you for writing them, I have read them both several times. More than any prior book or movie on the life of Jesus and the Holy Family, they have created a feeling of understanding and witness.
Imagination is a way of deepening your faith and understanding in Jesus. The books allowed me to so fully capture his life in my soul, that I more fully comprehend the amazing gift God gave us and the humanity of Jesus. The insights into his humanity are so important because they become lessons for us in how we relate to God through our own imperfections.
You are welcome to publish my comments without my company name. I live in Wilmette, IL am a Catholic father of 4. Any chance your books will be made into a movie?
Thanks, Tom Conway
Posted 5/9/09
Dear Anne Rice,
I just wanted to thank you for your two books on our Lord. They have drawn me closer to Him and brought me a fresh understanding of his humanity, his love and compassion,of how his life could have been. I so appreciate the scholarship behind your work.
I've been listening to various interviews in which you have participated and I'm so grateful to you for sharing your knowledge and experiences so openly and sincerely. God has certainly used your work to bless my life. I eagerly await the third in the series. Am I right in thinking there might even be a fourth?
I recently heard the song "Alpha and Omega" by the Gaither Vocal Band and it's so beautiful. If you're not familiar with the song, you can listen to it at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBPaa9ycuUw
Blessings,
Jen
Posted 5/9/09
Dearest Anne,
It has been 19 years since I first read Interview With The Vampire. At that point, at age 16, I became drawn to your writing without realizing why. Even now I'll pickup your books every couple of years, devouring every single one - in a ridiculously short period of time - and will finish the last longing for more. Please, never stop writing.
I've often described the characters in your earlier works as old friends. When I curl up with them, allowing myself to be spirited away, I am left with a sense of having made a deep connection. I've never really understood it fully. Until now. Tonight. At around 3:00a.m. or so EST on a Thursday as I pour out these words in what I know will not be eloquent but I hope to be at least coherent.
It isn't that vampires and witches draw me in and of themselves; no, but the characters you've created. These incredibly human, identifiable characters and their struggles with good vs. evil and a very poignant religious journey have called out to me over these years. I always come back to my worn and loved books with their dog-eared pages. Why is it that your words have touched me in a way that has shaken my very foundation? How have you, above any other writer, captured my very heart? Who am I to be so affected my the metaphors in your dark novels?
Who am I?
This year, having missed my "old friends" I picked up the books and began the love affair all over again. But this time was different. This time I am reading the Vampire Chronicles and Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt at the same time. I quickly found that it is my distance from God that has connected me to the dark novels. And it is my distance from God that is pulling me to Christ The Lord, Out Of Egypt and Christ The Lord, Road To Cana. My heart aches. My soul aches. I am starved for my God, to reconcile with Him, to receive His grace.
I was raised in a protestant home, Methodist to be exact, and turned away from my faith far earlier than I realized. Always the "artsy" one in a less than artsy family, I, while my childhood could not have been more nurturing, felt a disconnect because I appreciated beauty where others did not. For instance, where can you find more examples symbolism, architecture and statuary in one place than in old cemeteries and churches? Here in the southern United States the month of October is special. The air changes to that crispness that reminds you of tart apples, the sky is the deepest blue, with many days when a cloud cannot be seen. As the leaves change color they release this fresh and distinct smell that I find intoxicating. A pretty day here in October can send me positively reeling. Hearing Sarah Brightman sing Pie Jesu and Ave Maria reduce me to tears without fail. How did I miss God in all of this?
In your memoir you spoke of sensuality; of the need for art and beauty and familiar smells. It resounded with me. And as I write this I wonder, Do I hunger for the Catholic faith? Because I am so affected by these things, is this what I have been missing? I've taken Holy Communion standing in a large community church from what looked to be a disposable coffee creamer. You know; peel the cellophane and take the cracker, peel again and drink the juice. The body of Christ, yes, the blood of Christ, yes, but I didn't feel it in my gut. It didn't speak to my soul they way it did as a child when I knelt at the Communion rail, receiving the body and the blood and feeling the pastor's hand touch my head and hearing the blessing. I would have a very real sensation of a loving hand on my head each Sunday during worship and I felt, and still do, that it was the hand of God. But when did I close my heart to this? I don't remember. It has been too long. I miss it so.
In Memnoch The Devil, Dora is anguished and tells Lestat that yes, we do hate God and to go with Memnoch and ask God what he wants of us. This called up feelings I thought I had pushed away after the loss of each of three pregnancies. When Memnoch describes his argument with God for allowing human beings to suffer, and thus not be outside of nature, I recalled my feelings of abandonment by God, of separation from others, when my twins were born 12 weeks early with multiple health concerns including brain injuries. I sat beside their little heated enclosed beds for hours each day, for over two months in the neonatal intensive care unit; utterly powerless and unable to hold them without permission, and for short periods of time so their tiny bodies could use all of their energy to thrive. By the way, the kids are aged three now and are perfectly healthy with no physical or developmental issues. How did I miss God in that?
I watched you on You Tube for the first time tonight, discussing your memoir and other works. You, in so many beautiful words, described what my soul has been trying to tell my mind for quite some time. I won't repeat your words; you know what you said, but I will say that when your read from The Vampire Armand the passage describing what he felt and saw as he tried to destroy himself in the sun, I wept also. When you described your childhood memories of your mother's influence on your relationship with God at an early age, her encouraging you to pick flowers on the way to church to leave as an offering, the sounds, the smell of the candle wax, the beautiful statues and windows........I grieved for what my children are missing. Not only have I turned my back on God, I have robbed my children of knowing Him in that intimate way with all of their senses. Now, right now I make the choice to reconnect with our Lord. To surrender all.
I thank God for you, for your gift of expressing what is precisely in my soul, for being the catalyst to bring me out of darkness. Now, please excuse me as a give the kids a kiss as they sleep.
With warmest thanks,
AWN
Greenville, SC
Posted 5/9/09
Hi Anne!!! My name is Maria Teresa, i am 19 years old and i am from Argentina. I started reading your books at the age of 16 and i fell in love with them, not only for the vampires, but because of the beauty of your words, the hughe amount of details that you put into every single chapter, that made me feel that i could see them, that i was there, that you where so intelligent and also sensitive, to put all that feelings into every sentence and that inspired me even more to follow my biggest passion wich is writing.
In december, 2008 i read for the first time one of your Christian books about our Lord Jesus, and it really surprised my, you take his life and make it so aproachable for people that may not believe in him, and i think that that can touch a lot of hearts. That's why i get upset when people ask you if you will write again about vampires and witches in the future, they cannot pretend that you will go on trough all your life writing the same kind of things, you are making something completely different now, but beautiful and flawles like everything else you wrote! Because you are an amazing vampire writer, but most of all you are an AMAZING writer!! so people should take you for who you are or leave you!
I need to say that i am so proud of you and your return to the Catolic Church, i can see that you have a lot of peace in your heart now and you are trying to take us, our readers to follow thesame path you did and thats something that i admire of you as a person. I hae been catholic for all my life, but from 16 to 18 i had a crisis of faith, i thought that there was no reason to believe in Jesus and that church was lying to all of us. I felt so lost and alone, and your books, your characters, your writing, your vampires and witches and their thinking, held my hand and kept me company. In september 2008 i have reborn again in my faith, i found the neverendig love of god,i melt in christ and surrendered my life to him in a more concient way. Few months lather i found your video in youtbe explaining that you where back into the arms of love and now you where writing for him only, and i cant stert explaining how happy that made me feel, i cried while i heard your words, cryied of happines, whitout knowing it i have prayed a lot for you, because i didnt know that you where back on the church and i was worried about you because i care about you, i care about the person behind the wonderful writer, so seeing yo so peacefull and lovely was like a gift from heaven to me, it really was.
I dont love, your ampire books, i dont love your witch books, i dont love your christian books, I LOVE YOUR BOOKS!!! AND I LOVE YOU!! wich means that i will follow anything you write because i respect you so much.
You have a big big place in my heart, and it will allways be like that. Thank you so much for giving birth to so many awsome books.
God Bless You and your family.
I love you so much!!
Maria.
Posted 5/9/09
Dear Mrs. Rice,
You made me fall in love with Jesus again.
Love,
Ismene Morency
Posted 5/9/09
Dear Mrs. Rice,
I was a huge fan of your earlier books especially your Vampire Chronicles. However, when I re-dedicated my life to God I must admit, I gave all of your books away. You see, your writing creates characters and environments that have the ability to get into my head and stay there and I felt your earlier subjects were now a bit too dark too occupy my thoughts, (which I was trying very hard to keep focused on the things of God).
When I read that you had returned to your Catholic faith and had written Christ the Lord:Out of Egypt I was very excited and immediately ordered a copy. The book did not disappoint. The writing was beautiful and sensitive, the characters were intriguing and completely believable. But The Road to Cana blew me away! I found I couldn't put the book down. I read it as soon as I woke up and late into the night. I read it while I ate, soaked in the tub, cooked. I read it while I walked and carried it around so that at any spare moment the day afforded me I could pull it out and again walk with the Lord. And I did walk with Him. Your book presented Christ in a way I had never seen. Yeshua was real. He was very much God and yet very much a man. His humanity in this book touched me in ways I would need to be a gifted writer like yourself to explain. I found myself smiling, laughing, at times holding my breath, and often, without success, holding back tears. I revisted the Gospels, and searched for the voice I had become familiar with through your writing, in the pages of my Bible. And I found Him there, as I had found Him in your book--not only through the elequence of words but where He has always been... in my heart.
In addition to the books I find your testimony of faith and return to God also inspiring. To give back to God the talents he has blessed us with is a goal all believers should pusue. Myself, my husband and a small dedicated team are in the final stages of launching a website called kindomrepresent.com (due to launch in September 2009) which will focus on Christian culture and community. For the book review feature of the site, I would love to write a review of Christ the Lord:The Road to Cana knowing that it will inspire others as it has inspired me, to seek the Lord in deeper ways. Thank you for writing these books. Thank you for sharing your faith and the gift that God has blessed you with to glorify Him. I pray that your faith and inspiration will continue to grow withour bounds.
Sincerely,
Saundra Ayala
Posted 5/9/09
Anne,
I am excited about the October release of "Angel Time". Like I said in my last e-mail, I have been a fan of your writing since Louis came public with the story of his life many years ago. I began reading your books as a teenager. The small light that you used to explore the darkest parts of human nature was one of the most powerful influences of my young life. My own return to Christianity changed my life and my choices in many ways. I am now the mother or a teenager, who has developed an interest in the supernatural because of the return of vampires as central figures in pop culture. I have been nudging her toward your Vampire books, in anticipation of "Angel Time." I believe that you will do for Angels what you did for Vampires. You will serve to strengthen the faith of many people who may be faltering, and you may very well draw some of your own fans out of darkness. I am certain you will explore the good in human nature with the same insight and sensitivity that you used in exploring the nature of evil. I pray God's blessing on the release of "Angel Time" and I pray that it reaches people in the way that you hope it will.
God's Blessing
Karen Kilburn
Posted 5/9/09
Hello, my friend in Christ, Anne...
I am so happy that you are sharing your witness to the world in the way you are doing. I have always loved your work -its lyricism, the beauty of its honesty- and your recent books have been certainly no less. I am always a first day buyer of the latest Anne work and look forward to "the Kingdom of Heaven" immensely - and am surprised (in all the right ways) to hear of the "Songs of the Seraphim" series coming out. My gosh...
I know folks have clamored for the Lestat redeemed story, but only you can know if that is your mission at this time or any time. I support wholeheartedly the path you are taking (which doesn't mean I love the vampire chronicles any less for what they were to all of us as well). It is a little like asking the Beatles to reunite in my opinion. Even had they done so, it would have been largely nostalgic and not because they felt compelled to fulfill their musical mission in that particular way. They all seemed to take different, equally valid or moreso paths later. Had they felt compelled to do so musically - then only they could make that decision and I deeply respect that. In theirs and in your case.
In my life, I am a little Sunday School teacher who has by fortune been given the great gift of traveling to Africa and meeting the children there. When I returned from my first trip, I formed an NGO called Brick by Brick for Tanzania!, Inc. to build preschools there. We have completed two schools there (check out our website www.brickbybrickfortanzania.org to read of our mission and to see some of our slides.
As such, we hold annual fundraising concerts in rural Wisconsin (last year we raised $7500 with Susan Cowsill performing). This year we have four-time Golden Globe nominee David Carradine performing with his band. Held on August 20th in Kewaskum Wisconsin, we hope to raise enough money to build the King'ori School and to get us on the way for a school in the rugged hills of Ngarenanyuki.
In conjunction with the concert, we are holding a silent auction this year. We'll be featuring a listing of signed items donated from various of our celebrity friends and colleagues (Survivor winners Ethan and Jenna, Green Bay Packer Greg Jennings, Carradine, Cowsill, some of the Disney animators I interviewed for my 2001 biography "The Hand Behind the Mouse", etc...)
We'd of course love if it was possible to obtain an Anne Rice item or two to auction off. I know those would be huge hits with our crowd and personally important to me. If that is possible, please let me know. We'd love it.
Thanks again for being you, Anne. You are someone who makes a difference with every word you write. May God bless and keep you always.
Salamu;
John Kenworthy
Posted 5/9/09
I have very much enjoyed your recent books and must say I enjoyed your earlier works. I too went back to church in 1997 after a long absence of 20 yrs. Keep up the good work and I hope you continue with your books on Jesus.
Tom Wondolkowswki
Superior, WI
Posted 5/9/09
Dear Anne,
I just really wanted to write you and thank you for the wonderful Christ the Lord books. I was in my local library and came across it. Now I have read your other books when I was younger and really enjoyed the way you write. I have been through a lot in my twenties. The most life changing was when I lost my twin girls Gabriella and Carly during labor. I thought I would die from grief. After a depression involving deep alcoholism, I realized that God had sent those girls to me as a gift, so I would change my life. I realized that for my whole short life thus far I had ignored him and lived my life wrong. Slowly I am becoming the woman I was meant to be. I am now a very happy(& tired!) wife and the mother of three beautiful boys. I very much appreciated your books because they really speak to me and I find myself researching things about Jesus and others and I am really learning a lot. As soon as we can afford them I will purchase these books so I can reread them and I know my husband wants to read them too. Sorry for all this rambling but I just really wanted to thank you for sharing the beautiful talent that God gave you with the world. Take care, Amy Posey
Posted 5/9/09
Dear Anne,
I've just finished your 2nd 'Christ the Lord' book "The road to Cana" I thought it a masterpiece of imagination, and really loved it . I'm so looking forward to the new books you are writing.
Although I have found your previous books of the Vampires etc., truly magnificent, I'm glad you have decided to follow this new path. So far I have found them very uplifting, in the context of my own Catholic faith; I'm sure it is this very faith that has enabled me to appreciate your fascinating and clever stories of the "Dark World"!
Keep up the good work dear Anne- I'm sure I must be your no.1 Fan, God Bless
Geoff Bedward.
Posted 5/9/09
Dear Anne,
I wanted to tell you a little about myself. I am a soon to be 40 woman, married with no children. My goal in early life was to be a writer, graduating with a BA in Journalism/Communications. Obviously, that did not turn out as expected. I have had many hard times in my life and because of those things, I turned away from my faith. I didn't turn away from God, per say, as I always prayed at night, but it wasn't a close relationship, merely a habit. I have been a fan of yours since my sophomore year in college when "The Queen of the Damned" was assigned as a reading assignment. I loved it, and from there on, I have read everything you have written, including those of your other pen name. When I saw your newest books about Christ, I have to honest, I was scared of them. I am not sure why it scared me, but the thought of getting back into that scared me. I, about two weeks ago, went to the library and saw your books, and checked out Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt. I must tell you, being a fan, a HUGE fan, you being my favorite author ever, made me feel more than the other books did. I am not saying that your other books were lacking in any way, its just this book made me cry, feel and wonder about things I hadn't wondered about in many many years. I finished the book in 2 days and went right away to get the second book. Again, my mind raced and my heart grew with emotions. I cannot tell you how I felt. I then checked out the audio version of "Called out of Darkness", I was riveted. Anne, I have told people I would never have about your books, books about Christ, when I never spoke of it before. I am scared to go to church again, alone, but I am trying and I want to. Thank you for the books, as they have made a difference in my life. You have been in my life since 1992 I believe, and I will never be able to thank you for the countless hours of enjoyment I have had with your novels. I cannot wait to read more.
I would love nothing more than to hear from you, it would be a dream, but I also understand so many others have the exact same dream.
Thank you again for your talent, You have changed my life.
Lisa Woynowski
Posted 5/9/09
Dear Anne,
I'm a 37 year old mother now, and I have been enjoying your books for years. Now, it is my 67 year old mother who is having the good fortune of discovering your words through your new series of Christ the Lord books. It's a pleasure to watch her anticipate the next book in the series as I did so many times with your earlier works.
Thanks for all you've given to your fans, old and new!
Marcie Vargas
Posted 4/27/09
I just wanted to thank you for your two books on our Lord. They have drawn me closer to Him and brought me a fresh understanding of his humanity, his love and compassion,of how his life could have been. I so appreciate the scholarship behind your work.
I've been listening to various interviews in which you have participated and I'm so grateful to you for sharing your knowledge and experiences so openly and sincerely. God has certainly used your work to bless my life. I eagerly await the third in the series. Am I right in thinking there might even be a fourth?
I recently heard the song "Alpha and Omega" by the Gaither Vocal Band and it's so beautiful. If you're not familiar with the song, you can listen to it at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBPaa9ycuUw
Blessings,
Jen
Posted 12/5/08
Dear Mrs Rice,
I am a deployed Solider in Iraq about to come home to my duty station in Germany. I just wanted to thank you for all of your novels. I started reading your novels over a decade ago and have gotten much enjoyment from them. As much as I love all of your work I would also like to thank you for your novels on Christ. You are a wonderful writer and I appreciate all your work. It gets me through many long nights.
Thank you again
Sincerely
Grace E. Foster
SSG, USA
Posted 11/4/08
I think I have been waiting all my life for Out of Egypt and The Road to Canaan. I have read the translations and the theological
explanations along with the denominational slant, but never have I read (perhaps with the single exception of The Last Temptation of Christ) an account of Christ's life that actually portrayed him in his humanity. I have delighted in exploring the reference material in your bibliography and have expanded my library substantially for future enlightenment.
In reading your earlier works, I was always amazed at how you could build a character piece by piece and immerse him in such detailed and beautiful settings. You found beauty in the darkness I never knew existed before. Then you opened my eyes to absolute beauty in a man I thought I knew and understood, but really never saw as clearly as through your mind and heart.
As much as I have read and as good a researcher as I consider myself to be, I never fully realized the land of the Jews was in constant warfare, and turmoil. I have come to realize that Jesus walked in a time when one was only a heartbeat away from a zealot's arrow or Roman sword, or a stone thrown in religious fervor. I never fully conceived of the possibility that Christ feared as a child, or struggled with his destiny. I was enthralled with your account of His encounter with Satan. I had never before felt the strength and power on both sides of the confrontation and it was truly an inspiration.
It was also great fun discovering the little cultural details like the
"mikvah" and its importance in their daily lives; the life in the home of the extended family and their devotion and care of the child Jesus. You transported me to His time to stand as He as a small child and look through his eyes in awe of the Temple in Jerusalem. That alone was worth the price of the book.
When I first began Out of Egypt I was somewhat annoyed that you were using "first person" in His dialogue. However, the more I read and became deeper immersed in the narrative, I became aware of the feeling of "walking the walk," and "talking the talk," and it created a closeness with Christ I had never had before. You will always have a special place in my heart for letting me share your journey and shedding a lot of light in my own personal darkness.
These words are yours to use to your advantage in any way you deem necessary.
May you continue to be blessed by the Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
William Aker
Bluefield, WV
Posted 10/16/08
Dear Ms. Rice,
I have been a fan for many years. I think the Mayfair Witch trilogy
(which I am one book into) is very powerful. I am also a Presbyterian
minister so my reading choices sometimes invite comment (as I am
rarely without a book in hand).
Some years ago, you were on a radio interview on NPR when a minister
called in. He had one of your novels on his bookshelf and it became
an entry point for a conversation with a young person who came to him
in his role as a pastor. The discussion turned into a theological
discussion of the nature of evil and I remember that you and the
pastor took away something powerful from the dialogue.
I told myself that at some point you would find your journey back to
the faith in our Lord.
But I posted to my blog this morning about Christ the Lord and then
did some background on your website which let to this email.
(www.jesusannoyinghenchman.blogspot.com . . . sorry for the shameless
plug)
A colleague of mine referred it to me-he'd used it as a reading
requirement for his church confirmation class-and I trust his opinion.
It is wonderful. I am barely a third of the way into it, but I wanted
to tell you that I think you have captured the chaos and the wonder
and the fear and the insanity of first century Palestine. My
background is in archaeology and I had the privilege of going to the
Holy Land, and I think you have nailed it. Of course, I may finish
the book and end up hating the ending and write again about that, but
I do not think so.
I have read thoroughly researched historical novels before where the
research has almost overcome the story being told. You have a gift of
allowing the story and the ambience of time and place to breath
through each other and feed each other in a way that just draws me in.
Thank you for that gift.
I deeply appreciated the essay on your website where you sought to
contextualize your "pre-conversion" work. Please do not underestimate
the power of the Spirit I have found working through them. I wonder
if those were works that needed to be written to prepare the path for
what is coming now.
Please also accept my belated condolences for the losses you have
suffered in your family. My own family is the dearest possession I
have in this life. May God bless you as you continue to give such
wonderful literary gifts.
This may sound strange from a stranger across the country, but if I
can ever be of service to you, it would be my delight.
In the service of our Lord, I am
Yours Truly,
Rev. Peter Hofstra
Posted 10/10/08
Thank you for your books on our Christ. As a "good Baptist boy", I
have studied, read and prayed much about Christ. I am proud of my
personal relationship with Him and highly recommend these books to
others, Christian and non-Christian alike.
As an avid reader of your earlier works, I was a little suspicious
when "Out of Egypt" came out. But my love of Christ and love of your
writing style helped me overcome my suspicions. And I am thankful I
did.
What do I love most about your writings of Christ? I have always felt
that if Christ were indeed God and human, the human in him would have
needed to choose to do His father's work. Many people have looked at
that almost as heresy. Their view is that Christ would always do what
He had to do. But if He had no choice, where is the love for all of
us? To me, Christ had to choose His path, not just once during His
temptation but often, especially in his younger life. And your
writings seem to confirm that you feel the same. In seeing Him choose
His path, I see His love for you, me and all of us. Thank you for
giving me this vision.
- Rob Ellis
Posted 10/7/08
Dear Mrs. Rice,
Just a very quick note to express my best wishes and heartfelt congratulations on taking such a bold step of breaking apart from your former works and confidently with your commitment to Christian literature. A big fan of your early works and admittedly a bit skeptical of your new books, I was not quite sure that I would be as devoted to the "new" Anne Rice as I was to the "old" one. However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading my copy of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and wanted to express my pleasure with the book as well as with my admiration of you personally. It takes a strong person to make such a change and you not only did it, but did it with style and grace.
All the best,
Tiffane Spencer
Posted 10/1/08
You are truly an inspiration. I was raised with a christian upbringing, yet found myself questioning my faith, the existence of God, and anything pertaining to organized religion after several soul shattering events in my life (I do not wish to discuss these). I had read and loved your earlier works, and a dear friend of mine bought the novel Out of Egypt for my birthday. I waited for three months to read this book--at the time i am sorry to admit that i had no real desire to read this type of novel. Then, my curiosity got the better of me. Why were you choosing the life of Christ as your subject? What had changed since your last novel? For some reason i was drawn to your personal notes in the book. Now in hindsight i realize that this was divine intervention. When you talked about how everyone in their
own time will find their way to God i realized that this was my time to come back to him. He had never abandoned me--He was right there along with me urging me to read your words--another soul who had gone through the fire and come out on the other side. I want to truly thank you for your words and the novels you are writing now. I respect you for bearing your soul in the author's notes and for your drive and determination. I also credit you to guiding me towards my own spiritual renewal. May god bless you and your newfound purpose, and i look forward to your future works.
With love,
Crystal M. Vickers
Posted 7/3/08
Dear Anne:
I am a Catholic priest, ordained twenty-five years.
Over the last two weeks, I read Christ the Lord Out of Egypt, and enjoyed it very much. I expect it will enrich my spirituality. But far more moving to me is your Afterword. It vigorously stirred my heart, energized my mind, made me exult.
It gave me chills when you wrote of the great mystery of the persistence of the Jews. Are you aware Walker Percy (or is it one of his novels' protagonists?) talks about this?
And it gave me great satisfaction to read your assessment of the assumptions and spirit of some of the skeptical Scripture scholars. Ever since seminary, I've thought they have glaring gaps in their arguments. (And, who would approach any other relationship with a "hermeneutic of suspicion"? Sounds to me like a sure-fire way to kill a friendship, a marriage . . . or a faith.)
I am so grateful that you have re-embraced your Catholic Faith. I pray that it brings you continued meaning, consolation, joy and sanctity; and, finally, eternal glorious life.
Last Saturday evening, the Vigil of Saints Peter and Paul, I offered Mass for you.
Thank you.
With my prayers,
Fr. Tony Thurston
Posted 7/3/08
Dear Ms. Rice,
Knowing how many e-mails you must get, there's no need to answer this one personally. Just wanted to let you know that I just finished Christ the Lord - Out of Egypt and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our rector recommended it, so am delighted to know that the 2nd book is now out.
Thanks for writing a very insightful human side to Jesus Christ, making Him come alive on the pages and in our hearts.
Sincerely,
Sabra Parish
Posted 7/1/08
Dear Mrs. Rice,
First, may I say "Thank you?" Your books have been a vivid and exciting part of my life since I picked up a paperback copy of "Interview with the Vampire" in 1976, when I was a very young girl. The potent spirituality, the ever-present sense of the numinous, which has always informed the gorgeous voluptuousness of your prose has always quickened my heart, and (like many others, of course) I have felt a kinship with your spirit. I LOVED "Memnoch the Devil."
In 1985, I was baptized into the Anglican faith. A believing Christian since I first heard the story of the Incarnation as a child, I was the daughter of a man who believed in letting his children make their own decisions as to religion when they reached maturity (he was present, and proud, at my baptism). Awareness of God has been with me since before I knew the word for Who I was experiencing.
Of all your published books, only "Christ the Lord, the Road to Cana," is still an awaited pleasure. How beautifully you brought Him forth in the pages of "Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt!" I know of no other writer who could have shown His Divine humanity with such delicacy and love.
Over the last several years, obedience to God's direct commands has been difficult andcostly, and He has seen fit to remove the comfort of His immediate presence from my consciousness. A recent, and staggering, blow, has convinced me that a great action is required on my part, and I believe that action to be a full surrender to the Church which has been working the longest at the problem of being Christian in a fallen world. New Orleans is my home, and I wonder if perhaps you would, in charity, recommend a priest with whom I might speak?
This has been long, and I thank you for your patience. Just knowing you will read it means more to me than I can say.
Thank you for everything, and please accept my love and prayers.
Yours in Christ,
Ellen Evans
As a devout Methodist of 70 years I have read and loved the King James version of the Holy Bible and accepted it for what it is: a map for the thinking individual to pattern a life by that will result in lasting friendships, a calm life uncluttered with conflicts and a spirit that awaits the rejoining of the Lord in his Kingdom with joy. Your book is wonderful. It builds on the Bible as I know it to make Jesus a boy in and of his world, yet confused by things he knew but didn't know. A marvelous read and I thank you. Now I will begin The Road to Cana.
-- Margaret Lester
Posted 5/23/08
Dear Anne,
I just finished reading "Christ the Lord - Out of Egypt" last night. I am very happy that you have made your email address available because I want so much to tell you how much I loved this book! It was recommended to me by a co-worker who raved about the series. He had just finished reading "The Road to Cana". He was so excited about the stories and his enthusiasm was contagious. So, I had to find them. I went immediately to amazon.com and ordered the first one. I was so excited when it came in the mail on Wednesday. I put aside my Saturday to read it.
It couldn't have been a better day for it. The weather was lovely here in Hillsboro, Missouri and there was a warm morning breeze. I took my morning coffee out on the deck and started reading and didn't stop until I had finished it last night. It has been a long time since I have read a book that makes me take a deep breath and feel satisfied when I close the back cover. It was so beautiful. Thank you so much for your wonderful interpretation of that time in the life of Jesus. And thank you, too, for the heart you put into the story. I appreciated your meticulous attention to the history and detail of the time but even more, you aroused my spirit with the wonderful way you reminded me of the humanity of my Saviour. I adored it and I can't wait to start "The Road to Cana". I went to the bookstore to get it today. It makes me smile just thinking about what I'll be doing next weekend! Thank you for making the decision to write this series. I found myself feeling closer to God while I lost myself in your words.
I used to read so much when I was younger. In the past few years I have only made time to read to my children and now to my grandchildren. I forgot how much joy it gave me to lose myself in a book. I thank you for making me realize again how much I love to read and also for the inspiration to pick up other writings about the life of Jesus and the Gospels.
With respect and gratitude,
Loreen Grable
Posted 5/13/08
Dear Anne,
As I walked past my copy of Out of Egypt this morning, the Byzantine like portrait of Christ caught my attention. The beautiful cover is quite complimentary to my living room table and it was a present from a dear cousin. In 2005, the timely gift reflected my curiosities, and I was already an avid fan.
Surprisingly, I have never gotten past the first few chapters. This of course is no reflection on your talents, for you are one of the most prolific and talented writers I have read. Your attention to historical environment assures the reader is mentally submerged in the world in which your characters live. Your attention to detail allows the reader’s senses to be become highly invested in the story. Clearly you have a divine gift. So I think the reason I hadn’t been able to complete Out of Egypt, was that I felt like it required a commitment to religion, with which I have struggled immensely.
At the time I was viewing the world as my then church (and my children’s school) would have me view it. There were two distinct camps, the churched and un-churched. Although I longed to please the Lord, we found it very difficult to live amongst the churched. Not only was that world superficial and hypocritical, but it did not have room for my son with special needs.
When I first received your book, I realized that you had gone through a transformation. Your earlier works (my favorite being Servant of the Bones) allowed me to briefly escape and wander through ancient landscapes, so I was disappointed that you were leaving them. I thought, “Anne Rice has left us for the churched”, those with whom I found little acceptance or compassion. Your transition also made me fearful that the books and subjects which had fascinated me since early childhood were going to condemn me.
Years of awful experiences with religious people left my then 10 year old son with severe anxiety over church and school. I grew extremely bitter and we finally walked away from all organized religion. At this point, your book was in danger of becoming nothing more than a table decoration nad my faith was shattered.
Thankfully, we found great healing through homeschooling. Our social groups became made up of people from all walks of life, who were much more tolerant of special needs and differences. As our defensive walls were lowered, I was able to begin seeking the Lord individually. I began to study more academically how Christ lived and what He asked of us. It was life altering, and I felt as though I had finally come to see the lessons of His life as man. It was so simple, yet so intensely profound; walk in love. Our basic human necessity of love was all of the comfort and nourishment we needed. Although things didn’t change, we changed. I was ashamed, yet grateful, to realize that He had not once left my side. How patient He was to wait for me. We finally learned that God was available to all, and church acceptance was irrelevant.
So when your book caught my attention this morning, curiosity drove me to visit your website. I saw it immediately, your Essay on Earlier Works. I felt a sense of apprehension, but decided to read it….and was stunned. Be it your poetic talents or many hours of contemplation, I was touched by what I read. Not only was your journey well presented, but I felt that you had a clear understanding of your readers and that you had not left us behind. On the contrary, you have invited us to explore along with you as you seek to know the Lord in a most pure form.
After reading through some of your website, I could see that your faith was profound. It was purely introspective, and you look only to be closer to the Lord. It was evident that you had invested a great deal of thought in your faith. I could also appreciate your quandary over some who criticize your earlier works. I think you can rest assured that more of this comes from the unfortunate Christian (and I am a Christian) practice of displacing attention from the “self” (Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your owneye?) I found relief in recognizing that many who are overly pious have strong insecurities, and cope with them by pointing out perceived flaws in others. I try to bear in mind that it was the disciples who were critical, and Jesus who would walk among all. It took me years to accept that man is man and God is God. I finally learned that the church does not represent Him, but rather is meant to glorify Him.
Your essay conveyed a deep understanding and respect for your earlier readers and the human condition…..of my condition. So much so that I felt driven to write to you (this is not typical of me). I am still unable to be part of a “religious” group, but my faith is strong. Sitting beside me is your book Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt. I now feel quite comfortable reading it. I look forward to your vivid imagery, and the evidence of your always extensive research. I am excited to finally follow you down this path. Thank you for sharing your beautiful gift and entertaining my email.
Michelle Nelson
Posted 2/1/08
Dear Anne,
I have read a few of your Vampire Chronicle novels in the past and always enjoyed them. When Christ the Lord first came out, I thought it was so intriguing, and it was something that I've often thought about -- what was the child Jesus really like? Who was he? What really happened?
But, I'm not really one for "Christian" books. This book sat untouched on my bookshelf until a few days ago when I was cleaning and decided I would much rather crack open a book than continue in my dusting. I have to tell you that it amazed me, right from the first page.
In your story, Jesus accurately had two sides, part human part God... part boy, part wonder. I held my breath as I read Christ the Lord, anticipating those moments when he would glimpse and discover his power and his nature. It was like having God right there in my hands.
The Gospels that I've been taught are always in perspective -- from the voices and the minds of people other than Jesus. I've always wanted the story to be told from Jesus himself, his voice, his thoughts, his emotions. Being familiar with your work and your utter devotion to (or obsession with!) research, I couldn't have been happier knowing that the story of Jesus I've always wanted to read was written by Anne Rice.
Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt changed my life. That sounds terribly cliche, but it moved me and inspired my faith and made me feel so close to that person -- the Son of God -- who always seemed just a little out of reach.
Thank you for this gift. As soon as I finished, I ran to your Web site to find out if sequels were coming. And again, you're fulfilling my wishes! I will be among the first to buy Christ the Lord, The Road to Cana, in spring.
You have my full, express permission to use what I've written here as you wish. I'd be glad to have a part in encouraging others to read this magnificent story. It is a treasure to me.
Sincerely,
Lindsay D. Schultz
Posted 12/28/07
dear anne,
i hope i can be so familiar as to use your first name, after reading all of your books, i feel like i know a part of you.
i started my journey through your books with "interview with the vampire" and was instantly caught by your creative style and incredible attention to detail, especially the historic detail. of all your books, i think "the mummy" was my favorite. i wish you had had the chance to write a sequel. but from the mayfair family to the myriad of the vampire world, i have always been enchanted and delighted. as for my last words on your "old writings", i recently reread "blackwood farm" and last of all, "blood canticle". after following "lestat" through disaster and failure over and over again, i was thrilled that, in the end, lestat finally discovered the true meaning of love, as witnessed by his turning rowan away from "the dark gift"... perhaps i interpreted it wrong, but that's how i saw it. i have always seen those books to be less about supernatural figures than larger than life human beings struggling with all that we humans face in life.
i had been putting it off for a long time, because i was so afraid that your writing style would change drastically, but a few days before christmas, this year, i began reading "christ the lord: out of egypt". let me say that i have not really celebrated christmas since my mother died of breast cancer five years ago. but this year, i spent christmas with my partner's family, who i've grown to love and care for dearly. i was not sure that i could handle this season. but as i dove into your newest book, i found a strange sense of peace about life. as i read the story of the young Jesus, i again found myself wrapped up in a story. a story that you wrote in a way that surrounded me with the dust and dirt of a trek from egypt to nazareth. to the daily workings of the women making bread and weaving cloth, the carpentry of Jesus' foster father, the simple daily rituals of the people of that time. my undergraduate studies were in christian theology, and i certainly have a good working knowledge through archeology, study of the greek and hebrew scriptures, and other writings of the first century to paint a good picture in my mind of what it would have been like when Jesus was a child. but never have i had it so richly put that i thought i was there! even with my great imagination, i could not have created that world as you did.
at this time of celebrating Christ's birth, i can think of no more beautiful way to bring this wondrous event to life than reading your story. the intimacy of hearing the words that the Jesus would have said, the questions and difficulty of discovering who he was. the pure, innocent humanity that you portrayed... well, i was simply spellbound, to say the least. what a wonderful gift you gave to me this christmas! your words have truly touched my heart and helped me to better understand what our Lord went through. my spirit has truly been enriched and blessed by this book!
i appreciate your time and look forward to reading more! i do hope you intend to continue the story! you do it better than any writer i have ever read (and i've read a lot, lol).
Ms.Rice,
As both a fan of what you refer to as "Dark fiction" and a Pastor, I was intrigued when I heard several years ago that you had written a book about the early life of Christ. It took me those several years to get around to reading it but I just finished it this week and felt compelled to share some thoughts with you about the book.
My thoughts are simply this: the book was beautiful, stirring, and very spiritually satisfying. Most of all, I was blown away by your personal notes at the conclusion (softcover). My heart was overwhelmed as you shared your journey from childhood to fame to surrender. I suspect you were not prepared and could not have guessed at the complications in your life in response to your committment to write only for God. Whether or not our theology (yours and mine) would line up i ever placed side by side, I cannot say. But this I can say with a clear conscience: I fully believe that you set out to write a book that would capture the heart and essence of Jesus as He grew up and tried to understand who and what He was and was to be. It was well researched, well written, and effortlssly believable. I enjoyed every second of it and look forward to the next novel.
Thank you for your surrender and your willingness to do something for the glory of God. I encourage you not to take so personally the criticism that comes your way over your past works or the theological (and religious) implications of this work. Continue to seek after God and continue to honestl and earnestly attempt to lead others to Him. There will be struggles and frustraions now, but also blessings unimaginable!
Thank you again for your efforts.
Sincerely,
Justin Ford, Pastor
Posted 6/12/07
Ms. Rice,
I just read this book for the second time and am starting it over again. I need to.
We are contemporaries and have a shared history as young Catholics with a thirst to know more. I somehow stayed in the fold but had many years of dryness and an inability to make the connection to the real Jesus. Somewhere in the 1970's I had a jolt that started me reading the bible. I started with Genesis and read through to Revelations with wonder. It has been a wonderful journey resulting in what the southerners call "a personal relationship with God". I was born in NJ, moved to Ct and 24 years ago settled outside Nashville. The words "righteous" and "saved" were strange to me and I had a hard time learning their true meaning. But, I grew and learned and read the bible and discussed with these precious southern Christians.
Now, your book. You made Him real to me. You showed me a person I could love and desire to know more about. I don't want to stop feeling this way so I have to read and re-read. My prayer life has exploded, my heart thirsts for more and I thank you. I know this is a work of fiction. But, somehow, the Jesus of the bible is now a real person I can picture. You brought me to a higher plain. I don't understand why, but, I thank you so much.
Glory to God. He has blessed you and given you a wondrous gift. I have so many of your books-in fact a few years ago you signed 3 of them here in Nashville. I loved your creativity and detail about the world surrounding your characters. But, this book goes higher and higher for me. It helps me know the boy Jesus and the beautiful man that he became.
Thank you and don't stop. Keep searching and writing and teaching. God is with you. He is Wonderful.
A Fan,
Pat Darrell
Murfreesboro, TN
Posted 4/3/07
I would like to thank you for writing this book. It has given me a chance to see Jesus as someone different (more human) than what people tried to get me to swallow when I was young. When my wife got the book I said I wouldn't read it mostly because I tend to shy away from things of this nature. But I picked it up to read before she did because I needed something to read. Well I just want to say thank you for this look at his life, and I do look forward to getting the next one when it comes out in paper back. I'm sorry for only buying books in paper back but as you know some times things change and for my wife and myself it has, and for the better I might add, but money is tight because of it. And Sweetie if you want to use any part of this E-Mail for any reason, you feel free to go right ahead.
Dakota Lynn
Posted 3/28/07
WOW!!!!! I just finished your novel and I am breathless. I loved your earlier novels, but this one is wonderful. How soon will you be publishing the next one? I won't be waiting for the paperback for it. I'll buy it the day of release.
But, as much as I liked the novel, the author's note touched me personally. I too returned to the church after being away for years. Your journey reminded me of my own, and I wanted to write and welcome you back.
Please, don't let critics tell you what to write. You follow your heart and the voice of the Holy Spirit, and continue to give us books that show not only your unique style but are of worthwhile substance.
Thank you again. Your book and author's note touched my heart and made my day.
And, yes, not that I'm worth quoting, but feel free if you feel the need.
Much love from a long time fan,
Jeni Jackson
Indianapolis, IN
Posted 3/18/07
Dear Mrs. Rice,
Thank you for being so open and inviting your readers to communicate with you; I am sure the avalanche of words has been as daunting as it has been inspiring. I wanted to thank you, again, for your kindness and to extend my gratitude further by letting you know how moved I am by your ardent concern for the validity and reliability of our gospel record. By giving your link to your book reviews on Amazon.com on your website, you have opened up to me a magnificent archive of support and scholarship for some of the toughest questions facing the church today; I want to be like a sponge and just soak in all the wonderful works that have inspired you in your own journey and have made the story of Christ come to such breathtaking beauty in your latest book.
As I read your comments on books like "Fabricating Jesus" I was very glad to know that you are as strongly opposed to the cultural inundation of anti-gospel movies and books such as "The Da Vinci Code" and "The Gospel of Judas" as I am. Isn't it terrible how easily one can sell the truth without a moment's hesitation? Especially in light of such terrific documentation and wealth of academic knowledge as you have spoken about and highlighted in the afterword of "Out of Egypt: Christ The Lord". I think you have single-handedly managed, by your research, to provide to the 'popular reader' one of the best and most accessible lists of christian apologetic sources in the history of the world! May those who truly seek truth be directed to that as an excellent starting point to unraveling the insidious and defamatory themes running to and fro in our age. I don't think the impact of your book will be truly appreciated for some time, but its impact is already being felt (I believe) worldwide and I'm almost relieved that the reading public has such a voice of sanity in the wilderness of commercial bookshelves around the country; as true as a candle shines brightest where it's darkest, may some light fall on the darkened areas of the seeking, wise, and understanding minds that are attracted to that blessed afterword!!!
With best regards from a truly enlightened soul,
Jonnathan M.
P.S. As you requested on the site, you have my complete permission to reprint or post this email if you so desire, truly! I also wanted to, as a sidebar, thank you for your encouragement in my own writing journey...I can't believe I'm 12,000 words into an actual story that, until now, only lived in my head...crazy! You were right, just step out in faith and write...even if it's only beautiful to me and no one else, the sense of joy and satisfaction it brings is such a marvel...I can see why you stay on this writing path despite the soul-wrenching decisions and agonizing over every letter! As a newbie, I truly applaud your for your hard work and dedication over the years. Kudos, lol, and God Bless.
Posted 3/2/07
Dear Mrs. Rice,
I'll never forget it. It was 1992 or 1993 and I picked up my first Anne Rice book when I was 13. It was my stepmothers copy of "The Witching Hour". I'll never forget how I sat in my fathers library until wee hours of the morning finishing the chapters. I'd tell myself "...ok one more chapter, one more chapter..." until I'd spent half the night up reading that book. It was all I could think about in school. I couldnt wait to get home to finish reading about what what happened w/Rowan and Michael and Mona. Something awakened in me after I finished that book....I wanted more.
I've read I think all of your books except the latest. I mean TaltosÊis absolutely brillient.ÊI dont think I've ever felt as embraced by an author until you.ÊWith each novel you seem to not only make good fiction, but history. Your writing has such passion and confidence and a flow so serious I cant help but to believe you believe what you're writing. Its like you've actually had these experiences and lived to tell about them.ÊI really believe reading your work has opened my mind.
I dont want to ramble, but I just want to thank you. You've changed my life in a way I really cant even explain. But I do know it began with "The Witching Hour".
Sincerely,
Cynethia Taylor
Posted 3/2/07
Some years back when I was deployed, I had a lot of time on my hands with nothing much to do. I went to the Base Exchange and randomly purchased some of the books they had there. I ended up buying "The Art of Happiness" as well as your book, "The Vampire Armand". Understand I had no real reason to buy either; they were both entirely bought by chance. When I initially started reading your book, I didn't really care for it. The vampires seemed to be just a little bit too gay. I spoke to one of my friends about it who was an art student, and she made the comment that it did seem like it was actually the ambiguously gay vampire chronicles. We laughed about it, but I figured since I paid for the book I might as well finish it.
Somewhere along the line though I began to understand it was more about appreciating beauty than anything else, and somewhere along the line I really started to enjoy it. Since then I have read all the novels I can find, though only in hardcover. I consider paperbacks to be a waste, and that anything worth being read should be made so that it lasts. Every month or so I go to the thrift stores and old book stores to locate copies of your older books, though I am especially happy when I find first editions. Since I move around a bit I am sure I have more than a few duplicates of your books, though I don't mind in the least.
I guess what I am trying to show is how much your books turned my initial impression on its head. It surprises many people when they look at my bookshelf and see your books next to W.E.B. Griffin, and other military themed books. I thought you might be amused to find you have a varied audience. Anyhow, thank you for your books, I enjoy them very much.
Brian O'Neil
Posted 2/27/07
Ms. Rice:
I gotta admit, I really never found much interest in your books before, because some of them seemed kinda "out there", and not applicable to my life.
I picked up "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" by accident when I was looking around in the bookstore with a gift card I got as a Christmas gift. I looked at it with MANY doubts (this is the "Vampire" author...hmmm...) Then, I read the reveiws for the book, and what it was supposed to be about, and a little about WHY you decided to write it--so, I decided to give your portrayal of jesus as a boy a try.
BOY, am I glad I did! This was a really sensitive, beautiful attempt to get to know our Lord better. It really matched the Scriptural acounts that I have seen about what the world and the Temple would have been like at that time. I can see the research you put in because of how DETAILED the account is. And, reading your journey through and out of unbelief back into faith was truly inspiring. I really needed to hear the message about having peace with leaving people and things that happen in His hands--I have a lot of things I have really been struggling to understand, and it is OKAY to wonder about them. It is also okay to trust the He knows what is happening, and what is best for me, my family and my friends. I can just keep casting my cares on Him.
Thanks for all your time, effort and skill. I really admired what you said about the need to use modern methods to communicate the message of Christ and His love. I loved what Mel Gibson did in "The Passion of the Christ", and I am seeing "Christian" authors being sold more in the mainstream, both books, and movie adaptations (Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti are writing in the thriller genre and making movies based on their wild and wonderful stories that reveal spiritual truths). Why can't a "more mainstream" author offer books that show the love of God through her hard work and dedication to her craft? I am waiting for more books like this anxiously!
Feel free to use my comments if you like. I thought you might appreciate the modern music efforts of artist Todd Agnew in a song titled "My Jesus". It gave me that similar feeling of hope and wonder at how MUCH Jesus was both God AND Man at the same time as your book, and I think you and Mr. Agnew might very well see "My Jesus" in the same sort of way. And you both want desperately to love Him more every day.
Thanks again, and MANY blessing upon your newly consecrated work!
Carissa D. Huffman
Posted 2/27/07
Dear Ms Rice - thank you for your newest book. I must admit, I have never read another of your novels. I say this sheepishly, as I know what a reknown and accomplished author you are, and I am an avid reader. For some reason I was never drawn to read of Lestat and know of him only peripherally.
Recently I was on an annual retreat with a group from my church (Onesquethaw Reformed in Feura Bush NY... a tiny stone building with about 50 active members). We were in the Adirondacks and I had not brought anything for my bedtime reading. Stopping at the local 'general store' on the way to the retreat center I looked to see what they had in store... and there I found Christ the Lord. As my favorite genre is what I have come to refer to as 'biblical historical fiction' (if that's the correct terminology??), the paperback caught my eye.
I hated finishing the book... I just wanted it to go on and on!! Thank you for bringing the young Jesus to life. Thank you for the extensive research and the factual, historical perspective and instruction provided through the work. You have done an honor to Christ our Lord... and to His followers.
your work is sincerely appreciated by this believer!
Deb Relyea
Posted 2/20/07
Your message about emails encourages my desire to write. I read Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt over this weekend. I couldn't put it down. I'm a semi-retired (68 yr. old) teacher of the classics, now teaching New Testament Literature at a secular university, and fairly well versed in first-century history, literature, and culture. When I next teach NT in the fall, I will urge my students to read Christ the Lord. I can't think of a better way to help them imagine Jesus' early years: his family, his life in Egypt and in Nazareth, learning the Torah from his rabbis, experiencing Passover in Jerusalem. You convey all of these aspects very convincingly. Including the power of the Temple and its place in Jewish life. And I love your portrait of this Child, puzzled by strange powers, struggling to understand his past, the past that his parents are not yet ready to share with him. I love the strength and courage of Joseph, whom you really make a father to this child, and the mother (the Blessed Mother I have come to love too) living out the life God called her to with all of its complexities. And James, the elder brother who comes to love his younger sibling. It all hangs together so well. I was most touched by Jesus' terrible anguish on learning of the slaughter of the innocents who died in his place. You convey it so well, and you have shown me how to understand that Jesus' intense suffering began well before the Cross.
I teach three of the gospels, Mark, Luke and John, as story, as drama. I want my students to appreciate the literary genius of these writers, to enter into each of their stories of Christ and themselves engage the characters. It mostly works. My mostly conservative Protestant students come to see Jesus as they have never before. They tell me so in a final essay in the course. So many say that they never realized how truly human Jesus was; for so many he was God walking around in a body. So many of them are raised on an atonment theology; in the course they begin to understand the Incarnation. They tell me that this experience enriches their faith. I'm not surprised.
I want to say how deeply touched I was by your sharing your own faith journey in the Afterward. I too spent a long hiatus, from the Anglican Christianity of my youth. It was around the age of 50 when, after some time in therapy, one evening when the little, abused and anguished child within me asked God why, spoke truly and honestly to God for the first time in years, I received an answer--not an explanation, for God said to me, "Bob, there is no explanation"--but a profound compassion that embraced and held me and brought me to a moment of utter peace that will stay in my heart forever. I realized then that God had always been with me, always looking out for me. And when two years later I was finally able to grieve the loss of two people I loved, as well as that child's loss of love and innocence, I was able to come to a depth of love and intimacy I had held myself back from for most of my life. I fell in love, and Maria married this 58 year old bachelor who was feeling like he was 20 again. We'll celebrate our tenth anniversary in Scotland this summer.
When I returned to faith and began to read the gospels again, I found in Jesus that same compassion I experienced when God answered my plea. Now I contemplate the mystery of Christ while still seeking to understand better Jesus the man. Teaching the gospels again and again has helped so much with this. I also can say the Creed again (once again an Episcopalian, having come home) because I understand the Creed as a symbol of the mystery that I seek to live more deeply into. The Eucharist is now my community drama, our gospel of the presence of Christ. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for these blessings, but I'll bet you understand.
Thank you for these gifts you have given me and others: the gift of your story, and the gift of your story of Jesus. I look forward to the next novel. Share any of this you wish with your readers.
Grace and peace.
Bob
Robert J. Schneider
Posted 2/15/07
Dear Miss Rice,
Actually that's Mrs Rice, isn't it? Sorry about that. Thank you for your reply. I'm fascinated by your view of God! The things that you said have made me realise a that in all this time I've been going on about Godless universes and things, I've missed a very obvious point which undermines my whole rationale: I've been angry with Him ever since I was ten years old and grieving for my dead loved one. That implies I think he exists, doesn't it? I mean, you can't be angry with someone or something that doesn't exist, right?
I take your point that He didn't say, "I come to bring you organized religion". This is fair enough, no one in their right mind would inflict organized religion on a species apparently possessed of such a wide streak of madness as humanity. And we ARE mad, aren't we? I agree that we do indeed live in a complex world of infinite beauty. I used to be in a band, and we once hired a couple of minibuses to drive down to Northumberland for a gig, a couple of hundred miles or so. We got one of those classic days that's all blue skies and golden sunshine and ends in a sunset so magnificent that you can't even speak for the glory of it. I swore that day I would never take nature for granted again.
I felt close to something, not exactly a presence or even an entity, more like an underlying energy, or pattern, or something. Perhaps to you this looks like a no-brainer, just another one of the flock gone astray. But I recognised that refusal to take beauty for granted in your work. Beauty should NEVER be taken for granted; there's so much of it, and yet not enough somehow. You're right, the message to love everyone even your enemies is no joke, I've never thought it was. Isn't love what it's all about in the end? But Mrs Rice, I don't understand what this Good News is anymore. Why so much beauty side by side with so much ugliness? I don't believe we wouldn't know good without evil; of course we would. My cats know the difference between good and bad...but that's because I taught them, isn't it? Hmmm.
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that you've made me realise I've been backing away from all these things because the questions they raise make me uncomfrortable with the rationalisations I've come up with for the way things are. "Strong emotion recalled in a time of calm", right? So thank you.
I'm going to get hold of Christ the Lord now and devour it. I forgot to say you can use any of this stuff on the website or wherever, if you want to. You've made me feel part of a living universe again, not just some machine. We are surrounded by magic and mystery, aren't we? Thank you for reminding me.
I love the fact that you don't take beauty for granted, if more people did that this world would be a paradise indeed.
Peace and love, Justin
Posted 1/30/07
Mrs. Rice,
I just wanted to express my undying gratitude for everything that you've written. Your written words have kept me company during the saddest times in my life. Your books have kept me sane throughout my short years. I own your collective works, every published book you've ever written, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. You brought me back to the Lord, to God. I wasn't raised with religion. My parents, neither one agreed upon their beliefs, and therefore, I was lost at a very young age. I was confused about God and about Christ. As I grew older, I grew farther from my faith. It wasn't until at age 13, when I began reading Memnoch the Devil, that my perspective on God and this crazy world I lived in, began to change. You planted within me the first seed of faith I'd ever remembered with that one book. And as I continued to be one of your most devoted fans, reading every book of yours that I could, I began to see that you loved God. And as I noticed this, I grew sadder and sadder that I could not have that same love as you did. I wondered why I couldn't just have faith, and believe with my heart. I had so many questions, unanswered, that continue to be unanswered. And when I heard that you stopped writing about my favorite character ever, I was very sad and slightly angered, though I knew that you had your reasons. I had to discover a way to make myself happy without Lestat. I have wanted to go to church since then, to try and find out what you had already found out. That I don't need to have the answers, that I have to trust in God to have the answers for me, because I'm just a human, with all my downfalls, and cannot fully encompass all that the Lord God knows. I put off going to church, and put it off. And then I decided to buy your latest book, Christ the Lord Out of Egypt, because my pride called for me owning every single one of your published books. I cannot even begin to tell you my gratitude for this book. I thought that I would be dissapointed, because my beloved Lestat was not present in it, but boy, was I wrong. You have given me what I was desperately searching for-- Faith. Now I look out at the world and see it with a whole new light. It is as if the weight of the world is now off my shoulders, like the Lord Himself has taken that burden off my shoulders and restored it to where it should be.. On His. I was never meant to carry that burden, but I took it upon myself for the longest time. And now that I have turned it back over to Him, I have never felt more alive. I understand now. And I can never tell you how much I am grateful. Words just can't express it. My heart is overflowing with love, and understanding.. And most of all... Faith. I could never have imagined this feeling, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You mean so very much to so many people. Thank you for bringing me back to my rightful place... Believing in Him.
With much love and gratitude,
Amanda Lindsey Walker, age 21
Posted 1/30/07
Dear Anne Rice,
Thank you for writting Christ The Lord Out Of Egypt. I was raised in a non-denominational Christian church, some of my friends have decided that it was a cult, and I am no longer a member. I grew up with a strong belief in God The Father and had alot of faith in God.
In 1976 when I was 19 I got married to a Catholic and after having my first son in 1980 faithfully attended Mass with my family, because personally I do not believe in families not attending church together. In 1995 when my husband left me the prayers and hymns that were said sustained me through my lowest times and in 1996 I became Catholic. For awhile I attended Mass on the weekends that my sons were with me, then I allowed life to get in the way and I seemed to have lost my way. I think that your book has opened the door of light to me. Thank you.
I was glad to read on your website that you are continuing to research and write about our Lord.
Thank you,
May God's light shine upon you and keep you,
Theresa Diane Miller
Posted 1/16/07
I don't fully understand my faith in Christianity. I am always searching for something to perfectly enlighten myself to the mysteries surrounding Christ and the things I feel I must believe in. As you would probably expect, nothing I find ever accomplishes. I also find myself interested in material that I think will criticize or try to disprove Christ. I have been aware of your vampire books for awhile now, and while browsing our public library, came across your section. When I found Christ The Lord, my instant reaction was almost a boiling rage because of my own assumptions that you are not a Christian and only write about evil things. My curiosity forced me to attempt your novel, which I thought for sure would be a blasphemous admonition. As I read the first few pages, I felt my predictions were true and I almost put your book down to take back the next morning. Something made me continue and now I must praise you and God for your wonderful work.
I enjoyed your work and am glad to have an imaginative creation of Jesus' childhood in my library. I appreciate your research into the historical fact you presented. You painted a glorious picture for me and some insight into understanding Jesus more, even though your representation is fiction. I was so worried about you being wrong about this and now rejoice in how much I feel you could be right.
Most importantly, I rejoice in you returning to Christ. I was touched by your synopsis of your "Christian" journey in the Author's Note.
Thank you for your story. I feel compelled to read some more of your work, although hesitant because of the material and my own conservative beliefs. I will try your previous material with an open mind.
Respectfully Yours,
Jason C. Saneholtz
Posted 1/2/07
Dear Mrs Rice,
I had not previously read any of your books but was well aware of your reputation as an author. A friend recently recommended that I read your novel, Christ the Lord. As soon as I saw the cover something was triggered in my heart and I knew I had to read your book. I literally could not put the book down and read it in two sittings (separated only by sleep). I just wanted to let you know how much it has impacted and touched me. It just made Jesus even more real to me. I have been raised in a wonderful Christian home and have always had a very real and intimate relationship with the Lord but I never felt like I understood Jesus personally as a separate entity, as a man on earth. Your book has just opened up new avenues to me with regards to Jesus Christ! I felt like I was falling in love with Him in a new way as I read the pages of your book. I feel enlightened and refreshed! It has renewed my love for Him, as my Saviour and Lord!
Your book led me to the scriptures in particular Isaiah 53:3-6
"He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
It just reminded me how we as believers are called to share in His sufferings and how He really knows and understands our own grief and sorrows in this life! It just made me feel so close to Him and I then felt led to get on knees and recommit my all to Him, to follow Him with my all and to live for Him. I don't think I have ever read a novel and been so effected by it and in particular by the last 2 pages as I have with your novel. When Jesus had the realisation as to why He was sent to earth. That He was sent "...to be alive. To breathe and sweat and thirst and sometimes cry..." That whole last paragraph touched me in a profound way. It is almost difficult to put into words! It just inspired me to live and learn anew, to rediscover why I am here on this earth and how I can best serve Him. I literally read the last 2 pages over and over as the tears rolled down my face. It was truly a significant moment in my life! And for that I thank you. I thanks you for being a vessel through which He can touch so many lives!
I was so touched by your end notes. Your transparency and honesty was so refreshing and touching. I am so blessed that God brought you back to Himself! Your research and study of the Word and others resources has also inspired me to start studying the Word and other materials myself to get a deeper understanding and knowledge. I can't wait for the next novels in the series! I pray that He continues to bless you in all you do for you have been such a blessing to me and I know to many others!
God bless you,
Peter Young
Posted 12/12/06
Dear Ms. Rice,
I loved Christ the Lord and am anxiously awaiting the next book. I had never read your other books but my daughter had and she made us go by your old home in New Orleans. I bought another copy and gave it to my minister, a learned student of the Bible who has read it in Greek and Hebrew. My minister was enraged by Browns book but he loved yours. You have made me more of a believer and I am indebted to you.
With best regards,
David S. Froelich
Orlando, Florida
Posted 12/8/06
I remember reading your Vampire Chronicles as fast as I could get my hands on them back in high school and college. These books were certainly not approved by my Southern Baptist upbringing, but they allowed me to rebel a bit, and certainly be entertained much. Four years ago I converted to Catholicism, after marrying a wonderful Catholic man. With a full time job as a nurse, and another full time job raising three kids, I rarely get to read a whole book, but I picked up Christ the Lord at Walmart while waiting for an oil change. I was reluctant at first. Was this a book that would belittle that which I held sacred? I was drawn by your name, and when I flipped the book over and saw it was endorsed by several Catholic journals, I began to feel more at ease. I think, now, that the Lord called my eyes to this book. What an incredible journey you have begun! I was hoping that since I bought it in paperback at Walmart, perhaps this was old and there were more in the series that I could get!! No such luck as of yet, but I can't wait! God is using you in such a mighty way. Even though you've never heard of me, I think of you as an old companion, and I'm so thrilled for your renewed walk with Our Lord. I love to read fiction, to live in someone else's life for a moment, and as of late, I try to read things that are uplifting, but many of the "Christian" fiction books I have found are no different from the Harlequin romances without all the steamy bedroom scenes (yawn!!). I will pray for you as you continue this awesome work God has sparked in you. I am again that teenager who can't wait to get my hands on your next work. My best friend from college and I reunited about a year ago, and as we compared notes from the last 12 years, our lives had both transformed from party girls to responsible grown up moms, following very similar paths along the way. We knew our friendship must have been "meant to be" as it had grown and matured along with us. This is how I'm feeling right now about your books... They have changed right along with me, along such a similar path! In a "burning bush" moment, I know that God will speak to me through you, and I can't wait to hear what He has to reveal through your gift. God bless you!!
Tiffany Horsley
Coffeyville, KS
Posted 12/1/06
Dear Anne,
When I saw the title of your book and then your name, I couldn't put the two together in my mind, but I bought it out of curiosity.
I had always associated your books with the supernatural as it relates to the 'dark side'; vampires, witches and the like.
I am SO glad that I bought the book! I have terrible habit of reading the first few chapters in a book and then flipping to the back to see how it ends, when I did this with Christ the Lord, I read your notes about your journey back to a relationship with Jesus Christ and I wept.
I am so happy for you, I look at your picture in the back and compare it to the pictures in the Vampire Chronicles and you simply glow!
I am not Catholic, I am a Pentecostal/Charismatic believer, but I believe that the Spirit of the Lord is drawing all of us to know Him, and to let the definitions be put aside. I am just so glad that you are at peace in Him who has truly kept us all in the palm of his hands.
May God richly bless you as you continue your journey with him.
God bless,
Shannon Aubill
Posted 12/1/06
Dear Ms. Rice,
Your latest book is quite interesting. I was especially touched by your account of finding faith again. In the last half of the 80's, I had a similar experience, though I don't consider that I entirely left the faith. I had grown up in the church and committed myself to follow Christ personally at an early age and had few questions about it. A greater experience with the world and its challenge for me to know more about the background and basis of my beliefs eventually slammed me into many dilemmas. I began to doubt. I intensified my investigations, reading many histories about Biblical times, including those of Josephus, Tacitus, Herodotus, and Diodorus Siculus, as well as many of the writings of post-apostolic age church leaders. I read through twenty-three books and dissertations on bronze-age Mesopotamia, alone. I studied the Higher Critics of the nineteenth century and the textual critics of recent times. I've investigated the structure and vocabulary of Hebrew and Greek and the origins of the books of the Bible.
I lived for several years with paralyzing doubts that seemed to grow day by day. Answers seemed to pull further away than when I started. Finally, the Lord took matters into His hands (as if they weren't already in His hands). In my bedroom one morning after getting up, a question plunged into my head as if from another realm. It stopped me cold. "Well, what are you going to do? Are you going to leave?" I suddenly realized that leaving was never really an option that was on the table. The idea of leaving the faith seemed as absurd as leaving myself. How could I do that? What I am is what Christ has made of me through the faith that I have had. My answer was, "No. How could I do that?" All the doubts suddenly shrank in importance and Christ became personally real and prominent again.
Most of the questions have been answered in time; though a few remain, I am confident they can wait their turn. I've learned to question now without doubting. I've even learned that the Lord likes questions because He has all the answers. We just have to wait for His timing. Jesus can be heard in the Gospel of John saying, "I have much to say to you but you cannot bear it now."
I was impressed by how you used your intellect in discovering the veracity of the scriptures. Your observation about the destruction of Israel by the Romans being a confirmation of the early date of the gospels was astute. I have learned through my struggles that the scriptures as penned by the apostles and prophets are absolutely reliable. No non-Biblical ancient texts even approach the Bible in the amount of ancient copies available or the amount of independent verification.
As a part of my investigations, I even managed to produce a merged version of the four gospels. I discovered in the course of that effort that the four accounts agree with one another to an astonishingly high degree. I could find only 17 phrases and words that contradicted. These consisted of minor details, such as the color of a robe, the name of a region, the number of persons involved in an incident, and minor chronological points such as whether six days or eight days had elapsed between two events. Not one single point of doctrine or teaching is affected by any of these, nor is the outcome or significance of any event affected. The largest disagreement I could find, which really isn't a true conflict when thoroughly understood, is a difference in chronology for a segment of events during the Galilean ministry between that given by Matthew and that shared by Mark and Luke. That segment is introduced in the gospel accounts without any statements of chronology. It is clear that, for that particular segment of events, the authors had little concern for its placement in the text. The content was the important thing, which is entirely in agreement among the three authors. I discovered that Jesus cast out the money-changers from the temple three times, which is what you would expect, knowing that flies need to be shooed away more than once. The gospel writers each included only one description of it in their works according to the conservative economy of writing in those days. The uniqueness of each gospel only adds to their veracity as independent observations of the same events.
There can be little doubt that the rest of the New Testament has been guarded by the Holy Spirit. We can trust all the letters of Peter, Paul, James, and John. No point of principle can be found in disagreement among these writers. All the main-stream translations of today differ very little from one another, except in style. The Bible is its own interpreter. We should not trust in the wisdom or notions of men unless they agree absolutely with the scriptures. We should trust in only one Man completely and take to heart His Word by His servants, the apostles.
Let me encourage you to continue your investigations into the scriptures with the same intellectual acumen with which you began and not stop with just discovering Christ the Man, but continue with discovering Christ the principle. It is not enough to believe He is the Son of God, that He became flesh, that He died and rose again from the dead. We must know why He did and how it relates to our daily lives and take it to heart. The apostles go into that at length in their letters. Perhaps the most eloquent statement of Christianity can be found in Paul's letter to the Ephesian church: "For by grace (undeserved favor) you are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10)
God bless you! It is always a joy to discover new sisters and brothers in Christ!
Charles
Posted 12/1/06
Anne,
I have read on occasion your books throughout the years and have very much enjoyed them. I must admit to you that I have never visited your website and knew nothing of your background or life, until you laid it out for the world in your most recent book, Christ the Lord. I was so very pleased to hear of your coming back to the Lord. This is such a personal and yet inspirational thing for you to have shared and I want you to know that it is appreciated. Do not be discouraged, please. I loved reading your thoughts on Christ as a child and I look forward to your pursuit of this story as Christ grows, as I do hope you continue with this story line. The dissent you might receive at times from readers I am sure is difficult to take, but know that by simply writing and in turn discussing Christ’s life with the world, you will touch more hearts than are ever darkened. Thank you again. I look forward to your next book. I hope very soon!!??.
Take care, and God Bless You.
I am so glad to welcome you back home to Christ!
David S. Shively
Posted 12/1/06
Anne,
Upon completing “Christ the Lord” last night, I felt compelled to write and say thank you. I can’t remember enjoying a book this much, ever. You have deepened my love for Him and my awareness of Him. I was very impressed with your attention to detail and very pleased to learn about your passion for accuracy, as well.
While reading your work, I found myself completely immersed in another world. I wept over Jesus’ loving relationship with his Mother at several points in the story. (I’m sure that this is partly due to the deep connection between myself and my youngest son.) You made Jesus’ humanity and vulnerability as a human so very real. It is a constant wonder to me that He would subject himself to our weakness and frailties as He did. I eagerly await more writings on the subject, as I understand you are working on them currently.
You are a gifted writer. Thank you for sharing your gift with us. Congratulations on your return to faith. How lovely to have a thinking person giving us quality materials to read that glorify the God we serve.
May His hand guide and protect you in all you endeavor.
His by Grace,
Denise Earnest
Posted 12/1/06
Hi Anne,
I just finished reading your book and love it. I will recommend it to all.
I hope you will continue to write more about Jesus and his life. I love to read but find it hard to find good Christian novels. Your book is excellent.
Thank you,
Missy Johnson
Sunset, TX
Posted 12/1/06
First and foremost, THANK YOU for this wonderfully amazing insight into our Lord as a child, your work has touched me deeply. I myself have had a very hard time coming to terms with organized religion. I am a spiritual person, believing in God and his parentage of the universe, I just haven't been able to deal with the innumerable amount of hate and discrimination that is taught in many religions. Free will is a precarious gift and it seems that as a whole humanity has used that gift poorly.
As much as the story "Christ The Lord" moved me, your Author's note, and addition to the paperback novel moved me even more so. I am comforted that God and Christ have found a voice in this generation. Using the gift of your talent as a gift back to God is a beautiful acknowledgment of his grace and beauty.
I look forward to the future installments of Christâs life. I canât express enough how much it means that there is someone with talent and dependability taking on this task. You are truly blessed with Godâs grace. As his servant you will bring much joy, comfort, understanding to his children. Your work will fuel the fires of imagination, education, and dedication the world over.
With my most sincerest personal regards,
Scott H Frank
Valdez, Alaska
Posted 11/10/06
Dear Anne:I just wanted to tell you how much your book, "Christ the Lord" meant to me. I grew up in a very fundamentalist church and whenever I would ask questions about the childhood of Jesus, the adults around me would respond the same way: "The Bible does not talk about it so apparently nothing of importance happened during that time." As a child, I found that attitude condescending and insulting. Of course it was a critical time.....his childhood was the time when he became who he was as a human being. As a mother of 3, the verse that says, "...and Mary treasured all these things in her heart" makes me just almost cry. What mother has not done that?
....I often wondered what his youth was like....what did he look like? Did he play games? Did he fight with his parents? Did he get in trouble? Did the girls like him? And what did he actually know about who he was? Was he born with the understanding of his divinity, or did it come to him at his baptism, when he was touched by the Dove (the spirit?) . Did other kids make fun of him because of the whispers about his being a bastard? And did Mary and Joseph go on to have a normal life as husband and wife?
Your book went into what his life might have been like....I really felt a spiritual touching of my heart during the week I was reading the book..."Ah," I thought, "...so you were real...you were like us. You hurt, you cried, you wondered...you doubted....you felt fear in the face of evil....you NEEDED TO BE LOVED...."
All the ideas of Christ as some kind of young Superman, who could zap the bad guy if he wanted, who was sure of his mission and his own identity....it was garbage. That is not who our Lord was....that is never what he was called to be. He was like us...searching, unsure, yet full of hope and faith in a God who would save him, despite his questions.
Sometime I wonder if one of the reasons Christ came to us was so God, through him, could feel human as one of us, as we do. In Christ, he could feel a mother's loving hand...he could run through a field with a group of kids, and feel the sun on his face and the wind at his back...as Christ he could feel the stirring in his heart when he looked into the eyes of a beautiful woman....he could literally put his hand on the sick, the dying, and by his very touch...his physical touch...feel their pain and their need, and heal them. He could weep for Lazarus and know what the human heart feels when loses a loved one, and understand the fear death causes as it reminds us of our own physical mortality...experiencing all that as man had to be different than how he experienced all those things as God. I feel like God needed to be the Christ as much as we needed him to come to us....Christ was the meeting point between us, the point of our coming together and "seeing" each other for the first time, really....If we understand Christ, we understand the Father who sent him.
And I must also comment on how your book dealt with the question of Mary's perpetual virginity...as a protestant (now I am a Lutheran) I always dismissed that as not very realistic. Would a Jewish man really put aside sexual relations with his young wife for the rest of their married life? I doubted it. But the way your story approached it made it make sense...he saw her as "Holy"...how could he go to her after what had happened? It had got me thinking. And I have a whole different feeling about Mary now....
That is probably more than you wanted to hear! Anyway, thanks for the great book. Please write the next one....his life with the apostles and those who followed him would be a great read.
Peace!
Lisa
Posted 11/10/06
Your faith has been a constant presence in your writings, making them even more beautiful to me, a Christian. Lestat's journey with Christ was absolutely haunting. I read everything you do, and, while some may not be my favorites, I find that I enjoy each encounter and take something away with me.
I don't think writers truly understand the importance they play in readers' lives, and IÊjust wanted to thank you for the many hours of reading pleasure you have given me. My world, along with others I'm sure, would be less interesting without you.
Much peace, love, and blessings!!
Amy
Posted 11/10/06
Anne,
There is no need to respond to this. Know that I am praying for you and your work. It is enough for me to just be able to tell you this. It has been a year since I've read Out of Egypt and have thought so much about it many times. I just want to thank you for your work and service to our Lord. I had read a couple of your books years ago and frankly had to stop reading you because of the foreign spirit I felt when reading them. But the spirit of light was so thoroughly shown in Out of Egypt that I could see as I read it that something indeed must have changed in you. I openly wept with joy when I read your testimony at the end (17 pages straight from your heart - I think it was 17 pages, I'm not sure since I quickly gave my copy away and then purchased another to give away so others could share in its joy). I am reminded of Paul saying "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts". (2 Cor 3:3)
In our church service this morning my mind drifted to a scene in your book of our "young" Lord - I believe he was lying on the grass - hearing the faint "hum" of all creation - created by him and sustained through him. Oh the glorious thought!
I continue to pray for your project. I'm a 53 year old, husband, father, and a forgiven child of our God. I work in a factory that produces charcoal briquettes. My wife Kathy and I share a quilt pattern of hers (story of the Woman at the Well) as a missionary outreach to Venezuela. Be of good cheer Anne. Our work is not borne out of weakness but in use of our talents in service to the living God and father of our savior Jesus Christ.
This email may be shared if it glorifies our Lord and furthers his work. In his great name I write most sincerely to you tonight. Be of good cheer.
Clint Myrick, Eugene, OR
Posted 10/30/06
Dear Mrs. Rice,
I recently read your novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed it. I applaud your courage in writing it, given your previous novels and fan base. I confess that this was the first of your books that I have read because your vampire novels didn't really appeal to me. I was impressed by the way you were able to weave different elements of Old Testament stories and gospel narrative in a way that created a believeable "prequel" to the synoptic gospels. I especially appreciated reading your author's note at the conclusion of the novel and finding out more about your spiritual journey.
I am glad that you are able to use your creative gifts to help people reflect on Our Lord.
Thanks again,
Jonathan Peske
Redlands, CA
Posted 10/18/06
Dear Ms. Rice,
Let me join the many who are grateful for your talent. I recently re-read 'Lestat' and 'Pandora'. I was struck by how their agonized questions matched my own. Curious about your re-conversion, I looked you up on line and find I have so much to thank you for. I am a lifelong christian, (Episcopalian) who like your vampires has often felt a nihilistic despair - perhaps the thought of our age is correct; there is no God and hence no meaning. Yet I have never been able to stop loving the idea of a personal God as manifested in Jesus. He is the only God I want, the only one I can worship. When I read about your new book and your sources (I'm a big fan of Luke Timothy Johnson, by the way) I felt such relief and HOPE. There is an answer to Lestat's fear of death and meaninglessness, which is my own fear - and you have found it. Your fresh witness restores my faith and hope, and the love for humanity your vampires evinced makes me ashamed; for I have so often felt we are just too stupid a species to survive, unworthy of this priceless planet. I now feel inspired to delight in my fellow humans; more able to love and forgive them - because of your vampires! How much more, then, do I look forward to reading all of your new series. Theology can only do so much; it is through the imagination of the poets that we can glimpse the beauty of God, why we love Him, why we need to. I trust to your formidable storytelling gift to make the Lord of my life live in my imagination.
Yours in Christ,
Deborah Keeting-Hansen
Sequim, WA
Posted 10/18/06
Dearest Anne,
I have been on so many wonderful and exotic journeys with you since the summer of 1989 when I as an extremely bored 17 year old who walked to my local library in search for something to read about Egypt. It was by chance that someone had mistakenly placed your book “The Mummy” in the non-fiction section for Egyptian Art and I was so intrigued by what I read on the back cover I checked it out. I had always loved to read but I had been somewhat put off of reading by having changed schools in the seventh grade due to being so stressed with the lack of books (and culture in general) in the school library and no local library in the town we moved to. It was only when my family returned to my hometown after I graduated high school that I felt the excitement of wanting to read again. Never did I know when I checked out your book that day that you would create a deep and unbreakable love of your literature in me but that you would also ignite a fire within me for literature in general that had never been as strong before. Later that summer I was in a book store when I happened across another book that’s title peeked my interest and it was “Interview with The Vampire” it wasn’t until I had purchased it and completely read the book that I realized it was written by the same author as “The Mummy”. From that day forward I purchased any book with your name on it and I have never been disappointed regardless of the subject. My first year in college was so much the better for having read your books. My English Literature instructor and I became fast friends because she was so thrilled with the volume of books I had read over the summer from my high school graduation and when asked if I had always read so many books I excitedly told her not before having read your work. I actually majored in fine art so I have not only enjoyed your books but also the covers on them over the years –Taltos was one of my favorites.
The style in which you write speaks directly to my heart and soul so goes without saying that when my husband went out of his way to pre-order me a signed copy of your book “Christ The Lord” for my birthday last November I was so overjoyed that I cried. Knowing what I had heard of your return to your faith in God was gift enough for me but the book, especially a signed copy, is a priceless treasure for me. Knowing you have such a devout attention to detail and historical accuracy made me bounce with joy at the prospect of reading it. Only recently was I finally able to devote quality time to reading it but without a doubt it was one of the most inspiring and uplifting books I have ever read. Since I was a small child I have always wondered what thoughts must have occurred to Christ as a child and it was so wonderful to see your impression of it. It has been a wonderful inspiration and has been the results of many great conversations with my husband on the subject. I am eager to learn if my former pastor and cherished friend has read you book because I find it highly unlikely he would derive anything but joy from it as he is loves literature but he also has your love of historical accuracy and attention to detail.
May God continue to bless you in all that you do and if it be His and your will I would love to read another book written by you following up where “Christ The Lord” left off. Thank you for all you have given me in my life.
With love,
Latasha R. Moore
Posted 9/15/06
Anne Rice's novels are often said to be "dark" or "ungodly." I personally take offense to these statements, because I'm so enamored with her novels. No other writer--in my opinion--captures the human spirit, and their search for meaning in life, and for God.
Throughout Anne Rice's career, she has been challenging people's ideas and beliefs. Yet, through it all, she has taught each and everyone of her devout readers, that there does happen to be God, everywhere we look.
From her first novel, Interview With The Vampire, she introduced us to many "immortals." Yet they, like us, have wondered through their existence looking for God, and the meaning of it all.
It's been said that Anne Rice returned to the church in the late 90's. But to me, her faith was always there. She might not have realized it at the time, but it was, is, and I think, will always be there. She is an extraordinary writer, and I don't think anyone else would dare to write about Jesus Christ in the first-person. Yet, she did it! And she did it with style, and with grace.
I personally am not a "Christian." But, perhaps with Anne Rice's series on Jesus Christ, she will no doubt convert me, and many more of her readers. We have followed her through every incarnation she has had as a writer, and we will NEVER waiver from her. She is truly our teacher, in many many ways. And, she will continue to teach and inspire each and every one of us.
So, the next time you hear someone speak of her novels as "ungodly," set the record straight. Because, Anne Rice‚s novels are full of beauty, love, faith, and of course God.
David Brown
Posted 9/6/06
I have read all of your books, even the early ones not published in your own name. I also read your son's books.
I thoroughly enjoyed "Christ the Lord". I read your books with great anticipation as I start them. The thing I love most is the good/evil and how thin the lines seem and how often it goes into very gray areas.
I once was checking out one of your books in the library. The librarian asked how can you read those creepy books? I took the time to explain to her that I always felt I had had a lesson in human morality and the search for divinity when I read your books.
To end. I love you writings. They have given me much pleasure. I lost my home in Hurricane Katrina and I sat in the fema trailer and revisited all my old friends in your books. Thank you.
Catherine Garriga
Posted 8/18/06
Dear Anne,
Thank you for your work over the years. Your latest book Christ the Lord has stirred something in me that really I still challenge as I write this. My own faith in God and Jesus Christ...but that's another story for me to work on.
In saying that, my favorite section in the book is the chapter with the roman soldiers and Old Sarah providing them with food and drink. When she blesses the men that could have persecuted her family, and their acceptance of her blessing, it felt euphoric. I could picture in my mind the power of her blessing in amongst the tension of the moment. Yep, pretty damn good.
Being an ancient history buff, I've always enjoyed your novels, especially those that relate mainly to beginnings e.g Queen of the Damned, Memnoch the Devil. So, just a quick thank you for your work and looking forward to your next book.
From a fan in Auckland, New Zealand.
cheers
Albert
Posted 8/10/06
Dear Anne,
I just finished your new book "Christ The Lord." I absolutely loved this book. I have never read any of your other work. I am terrified of vampires and cannot read scary or gothic novels. I was very surprised to hear that you wrote a book about Jesus Christ. I was anxious to read it after hearing that you returned to your faith. I was not disappointed. The reader can really feel your heart and faith in this novel. It is a very honest deeply moving piece of work. As a Christian reading about Christ as a child is very humbling. Many thanks for writing this book. I cannot wait to see the movie. I am also anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. God Bless you as you continue to seek Him and write about His life. Please realize that you are also blessing people that would never go to church or read the Bible but may pick up this book and meet Christ in a new way.
Also thanks for the very honest "Author's Note" at the end of this book. I was very curious to hear how this book came to be. You have my permission to post this note on your website. I would love to see it there.
All the best to you.
Sincerely,
Allison Wilkins
Proud mother of three
Upstate New York
Posted 8/10/06
Dear Anne, Thank you for this wonderful novel. It made me think of things that were only "holy pictures" in my mind before. It put reality into my quest. I have been trying to put it all together in my mind, trying to make sense of everything. This wonderful novel gave life and personality to the Holy Family, especially Joseph. I look forward with joy to the following books in this series.. Thank you again.
Posted 8/10/06
August 6--Transfiguration of the Lord
Dear Anne,
Thank you so much for your book ... Christ the Lord ... it will be a Christian Classic ... I am a chaplain at Mercy Hosptial in Scranton, PA ... We have a book club at our hospital and we are presently going through your book for reflection and discussion and then prayer ... so I wanted to write to let you know how deeply I appreciate the time and effort you put into this book about Jesus.
I want to wish you all the best in all that you do and I am proud you are a Catholic writer who isn't afraid to be a disciple of Jesus and a herald of good news.
Stay well and abundant blessings,
Fr. Joe Sica
Posted 8/10/06
Dear Mrs. Rice:
While I am not a legitimate scripture scholar or historian, I found your book fantastic, not only in its historical perspective, but most importantly in its theological speculation. As the Scriptures do not give us information on this time in the life of Jesus, I believe that your placement of things in their historical and social relevance have gone a long way in giving us something to think about. I know that you have fulfilled one of the tenants that I learned many years ago as a seminary student when the question arose as to how; in what manner that Jesus understood he was God. Given that we Catholics hold to the belief that he is both God and Man; not one more than the other, the best we can say is the Jesus knew he was God in so far as it was humanly possible for him to understand. With that thought in mind your work is right on target.
It is my hope that since there is plenty of time frame in the life of Jesus till we get to his public ministry covered by the Gospels that we will be seeing at least one if perhaps not two more volumes from you on this subject.
This is the first of your novels that I have read, though I have seen the movie version of “Interview.” I have strongly encouraged my congregation to read this work as I am seriously considering forming a discussion group around this topic and using your work as a reference.
Blessings and peace,
Fr. Gary P. Gummersheimer
Saint Andrew Catholic Church
Murphysboro, IL
Posted 7/27/06
Dear Ms. Rice,
I wanted to write you a note and tell you how incredibly moved I was by your novel Christ the Lord. I must confess that I never read any of your previous works and the only work of yours I was familiar with was the film "Interview with the Vampire," which I saw in the theatre when I was about 12 years old. I just happened to see Christ the Lord on display at a local bookstore and felt like I should read it.
Even though I have always felt that I have a close friendship with the Lord, I have often researched what life must have been like for him when he was growing up to help me understand him better. Christ the Lord has given me a glimpse into what his life must have been like in first century Jerusalem and Nazareth. Thanks to your novel, I feel like I know my friend a little more than I did before, and I thank you for that. I was also thrilled to read about aspects of Jesus' life that I never thought of before, like his relationship with James. It was an incredible experience to read this novel.
May God bless you and give you the strength, health, and courage to continue on your mission to write about our Lord. I am anxiously awaiting your next installment and will look forward to the planned film of Christ the Lord.
In Christ,
Anthony
Posted 7/27/06
Dear Anne Rice,
I've just finishing reading Christ The Lord Out of Egypt and I thought I should dash off a note to convey my gratitude. Your book marks a milestone in my faith journey. You've given me a sense of the Holy Family that I could not otherwise have entertained and I God bless you for it. If fiction is a lie in search of the truth, you have conveyed the Beautiful.
I've long been a fan of your writing and prize my autographed copy of Violin. Your sumptuous literary style and entrancing story lines have always engaged and entertained me, but Christ the Lord Out of Egypt is a transcendent experience. Thanks for taking me places I could not have gone without you.
Sincerely,
Albert Guzzo
Posted 7/27/06
Anne
I had never read any of your novels until "Christ Our Lord" appeared. Not for lack of trying though. I was very intrigued by your work and its genre, and did see some film adaptations. But whenever I tried to read them, an odd sensation would come upon me. It was dark and predatory and no matter how intriguing the story, I could never finish a single one. I hope you don't mind me saying these things. It is not a criticism of your work.
But on the journey you took me with "Christ Our Lord" I felt a strong sense of renewal, renewal that could only come through the heart of the author, and it poured itself onto the manuscript of your work. Yes, you have achieved a great feat in this novel. But it is this renewal, projected onto the reader, that makes its atmosphere and content outstanding.
All the best
Esther
Posted 7/14/06
Dear Anne,
I have been a big fan of yours for many years now, first as just a reader of vampire books and now as a reader and a manager of a bookstore. I have to confess when I heard that you were writing about Jesus I was a little worried. I love your books but I was afraid of what you would have to write about my Lord. I am a Christian and I wanted to be able to continue to enjoy the books that you write. I was so happy J after reading your latest book at what a wonderful job you did to show Jesus as a real human child and as our Lord!! Thank you. I have since been able to recommend your book to many of my Christian customers who were also a little worried and they have been very pleased with your book. I look forward to reading your next book in this series.
Lynne Washburn
Posted 7/14/06
Mrs. Rice,
I just finished "Christ the Lord". My wife had borrowed it from a neighbor who (ironically), is an Atheist from California. As someone who in the past had read "Lestat" and "Interview", I was puzzled that it was the same Anne Rice who now authored a book on Christ. I guessed correctly that you had returned to the Church. I apologize for not being an avid follower and offer my belated condolences for the loss of your husband.
Like you, I left all organized religion at a young age. To be honest, the message never resonated with me and the Lutheran services which I attended were long and agonizing. As an avid reader of history, I could never quite get the concept of a "just and true" God who allowed the horrible atrocities on the masses (especially the truly young and innocent) to happen century after century. In College at the University of Dayton, I debated Christianity with my religion professors, taking delight in choosing the side of Schopenhauer in his essay "on the Christian System" in his mockery of Martin Luther and his theory of "predestination and grace". Surely someone as intelligent as Schopenhauer could unmask the truth.
But now I move in the other direction. At 46, it is a book like yours that is helping me discover that I may be wrong. Although I've never doubted that Christ walked the Earth, I find that maybe, just maybe, he might have been the savior he claimed to be. Your line in the Authors Notes about, "the fact of the resurrection sending the Apostles out with the force necessary to cerate Christianity", really says it all. Here we are, 2000 years later, and he's as alive now as he's ever been. What incredible staying power!
I loved the book, what a creative and interesting idea. Your depiction of the adolescent Christ in the first person really brought him to life. His journey of self discovery was brilliant, it was exactly how someone could imagine Christ at that age; thoughtful, insightful, kind, loving, vulnerable, curious, strong, in fact, a leader before he was ten.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and good luck in your future writing.
Rick Wooliver
Cincinnati, Ohio
Posted 7/7/06
I have just finished reading your new book and feel compelled to let you know how much it moved me. To be honest, I picked-it up with some skepticism. Even though I have not read any of your previous works, I had the idea that you dealt in "negative" subjects that were not of interest to me. However, I saw your novel in a local super market book rack and was intrigued. How would you treat a subject so dear to me -- my Lord, Jesus. I think I wanted to believe that you were as in love with Him as I have grown to be. I was right!
Anne...I think you nailed so much in your book. If He was "a man in all things but sin", then He, like the rest of us, had to go through the same agonizing process that we all do in finding out how He fits into the tapestry of life and, more importantly, how He fits into the mysterious plans of our Creator. Your sensitive, touching, and biblically accurate portrait tells this story as it probably was.
I, too, am a Catholic Christian whose history is much like yours. I, too, am vitally interested in knowing more about him. Thanks for giving me a lot to chew on.
By the way, I'm a regular viewer of the EWTN television show, "Journey Home". It's hosted by Marcus Grodi and in an hour long interview format, lets converts and/or Catholics who have come back to the faith tell their stories. I can't help but think that your story is remarkable and would be something that could benefit the many sincere, questioning viewers who faithfully watch this show (people of all faiths and persuasions but sharing a "searching" heart). I know I'd love to see you on the program. Here's a link to his website. <http://www.chnetwork.org/ewtn.htm>http://www.chnetwork.org/ewtn.htm
Please keep up the good work. I look forward to reading future works. You've got a wonderful, sensitive heart and are extremely honest.
Name Withheld On Request
Posted 7/7/06
Dear Ms. Rice:
I've read Christ The Lord and would like to express my gratitude to you for letting the Lord move you to write this amazingÊnovel. Reading it was like one continuous prayer.
I especially liked how you had Jesus taking note ofÊthe little flowers in the field in Nazareth when he would lay on the grass. I was wondering if that detail wasÊin homage to St. Therese of Lisieux, the "LittleÊFlower" herself?
I've beenÊrecommending this novel to everybody I know. Last week the pastor of my church held Christ the Lord in his hand during his homily and praised it. He said that it helped him grow closer to Jesus and told everyone that this novelÊwas their "assigned reading" for Advent.
I've not read your other novels, but was deeply moved by your conversion story and made a point of reading this one as soon as it came out. Please let me know when the next installment in this series will be available to the public.
Thank you again. May the Lord bless you and your familyÊthis Advent season.
In Christ,
Lisa
Posted 7/7/06
Dear Ms. Rice
I just finished reading Christ the Lord and felt compelled to write you a letter. I don't normally write fan letters, but I was so moved by your book I wanted to share my feelings with you. I was raised Catholic and have continued that faith into my adult life, but that faith seemed until now to be at arm's lengh. I don't think I have ever really considered what it must have been like as a young Jesus Christ. The human face you put on Christ in your story, for the first time, opened my eyes to what the life of the young Christ and his family must have been like. Your book just seemed to make it more personal and has strengthened my faith. Thank you.
Name Withheld on Request
Posted 7/7/06
Hello Anne:
I just wanted to drop you a line to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. I was looking for good Easter reading and had heard from some friends that your book was well-written and posed a very realistic perspective of what the early years of Jesus and his family might have been like (since the Bible is fairly quiet about that part of his life). I thought the way you integrated some information from the apocryphal writings into your research was very well done. All in all, I believe you have produced a wonderful gift for people of faith as well as for people of no faith who may be curious about Jesus and the world in which he lived. Thank you for that!
I have also read Interview with the Vampire and subsequent titles on that matter. They were enthralling and, in many ways, posed spiritually profound questions about the meaning of life and death.
Finally, I just wanted to offer you a prayer and blessing on your renewed faith. It means much to me that your journey has brought you to the place where you find solace and meaning.
Blessings.
Fr. Perry Kavookjian
Fresno, CALIFORNIA
Posted 6/22/06
Reading "Christ the Lord" has really brought me back to my faith. Sometimes I forget that I'm reading fiction and not the true writigs of Christ. After a fallout with my parish priest I quit going to mass. For a time I quit being spiritual all together. My poor children had almost no knowledge of why we celebrate Christmas or Easter. After reading "Christ the Lord", I started reading the Bible to them. My 8 yr old is now praying every night and wanting to go to bible school. Thank you for inspiring me. I hope there is more to come.
Melissa
Posted 6/22/06
Thank you for this brilliant work! I thoroughly enjoyed it and realize how much research and study you must have done to accomplish it. That much is evident from the afterward and references in the back, which was just as interesting as the book itself. (I have just started reading NT Wright myself). I was particularly impressed with how you handled the deity and humanity of Christ which I thought was very brave, gentle and clever. I’m sure many that read it don’t know the battle the early church fathers fought over Christology. I can imagine that you may get some pretty opinionated Christian feedback about the book – I think some Christians are afraid of the humanity of Christ – which is the beautiful grace of the whole matter, right? So I just wanted to say thank you for your hard work and let you know how much I enjoyed the book!
Interestingly, my first love of leisure reading started when I was in college and a friend gave me a copy of Interview with the Vampire. Of course, I was immediately hooked and read the next few in your series. Thus began my love of reading so I should thank you for that as well!
I read widely from the NYTimes fiction and business lists as well as from the Christian world as well (not as much from fiction here though). I am anxious to see your next work!
Thank you and may God continue to bless your life and your writing!
Toni R. Richmond
Posted 6/22/06
Dear Mrs. Rice,
I just finished reading "Christ the Lord" and felt compelled to let you know how much I enjoyed the book. I picked it up at the library and noticed it was written by you. I hadn't read one of your books for a number of years, just because I hadn't been drawn to your subject matter, so I must confess that I had a preconceived notion of what this book would contain. Nonetheless I checked it out. From the first page I realized that this book was different from your other earlier writings. I kept reading on, expecting some kind of a different plot or twist to happen that would justify my earlier notion of where you might be taking the reader in this book. I was completely wrong. I have always thought that learning more about Jesus' Jewish roots and what it meant/means to be Jewish would be helpful to better understand the Bible scripture and give historical content to the happenings of that time.
I have always thought one of the most difficult mysteries of the Catholic faith has been the concept of God as man, not that it happened, but why did it happen? But the last chapter of your book in which the boy Jesus ponders not the "why" of this happening, but discerns the profitability of what God can learn from this shared experience, it has certainly given me an perceptive to reflect on ....especially during this Lenten season.
I also enjoyed, and probably many can identify with, the way the family secrets were hidden from Jesus. I think that children tend to overdramatics (although in Jesus' case the secrets were very spectacular!). Whether serious or not, I think that every family harbors some elements of secrets, which children know are lurking somewhere in the background and long to find out.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed your book and will definitely recommend it to others. I also appreciated your heartfelt Author's Notes. Being Catholic myself, I can understand the issues you had with our faith. I grew up in a slightly later period of the Church (post-Vatican II), but experienced some of the same questioning and doubt. It wasn't until I became a mother that I think I became more open to the teachings of the Catholic Church. It think I was also able to separate the message from the messenger.....a phrase I repeat numerous times to my children!
Have a reflectful Lent and joyous Easter!
T. Chamley
Posted 6/13/06
Anne
I have just finished reading the book and it was wonderful. I being a Christian have often thought about what Christ's life was like as a child. There are so many things missing from the scriptures about his life. You have captured him beautifully in your book. I loved his innocence, his meekness. I feel that even as a child there was something special about him and that's the way you wrote him. I could sympathize with his fears and his confusion.
I feel that reading this book has made me closer to him. I can think of him as more like me now. I feel that my personal relationship with him has been strengthened. Thank you for that.
Terri Owens, Alabama
Posted 5/28/06
Dear Ms Rice,
I would like to offer my admiration and appreciation for your novel Christ the Lord. I am an Orthodox Christian, a church musician, and a seminary grad. I have always been disappointed by both Christian fiction and fiction surrounding biblical figures- they either seem too sentimental or to determined to tear apart the things I hold dear.
I approached your book as I have approached many others: with a lot of skepticism. I kept waiting for you to "mess up"- after all, this is the Lord, these are the saints whom I love very well- but you never did. I have finally been treated to a work that marries faith, historical accuracy, and excellent writing. Many people pit historicity against faith, but I think you have demostrated that the two are not necessarily at odds.
I want to especially thank you for your portrayal of the family of Jesus- my thought was, "Finally. Here is someone who understands."
I wish you success with your future work, and pray for God's blessings for you.
In Christ,
Resa
Posted 5/8/06
Dear Mrs.. Rice,
I am only half-through Christ the Lord. Yesterday I read Chapter 12. Quite suddenly and without expecting it, I laughed out loud and a second later I sobbed. For half an hour I wept and laughed, wept and laughed thinking of the nobleness and bravery and precious, precious humanity of the men vying for the family-member to be crucified.
I realized only after I'd blown my nose, like 12 times, and ended my sobbing, how much unknown fear I've carried in my heart since 9-11.
You see, my beautiful husband became a Christian after searching out Christ for almost a decade from his worldview as former Muslim. And although he doesn't talk about it much, he has expressed some concern of retribution from militant followers of Islam. That, and the fact our daughter, Emma Grace, was born moments after the first jet flew into the Twin Towers on 9-11, had planted a little seed of fear, which I guess had been growing in my heart and was much bigger and thorny than I could perceive.
Somehow, seeing the scene in Chapter 12, through Jesus' eyes, knowing he was afraid of the soldiers, as I've been afraid and puzzled by people wanting to hurt my family and me for reasons rather foggy to me, and then seeing that humor and something deeper from which the humor emerged--the love of family--helped me identify how much fear I've been carrying since my daughter's birth--since 9-11.
I can't say, I'm completely free of fear about what may come, but I can say, I feel strength I didn't feel before reading Christ the Lord. And I can say, your remarkable work has drawn my heart that much closer to Jesus. How can one thank you for THAT? That, is everything--the cry of the human heart. Thank you.
My husband read Christ the Lord and recommended it to me. He suggested I read the Author's Note first. I did and at once, appreciated deeply the research you describe in it. In the past year, I've become acutely aware of my desire to have a working knowledge of apologetics and am grateful to draw upon your scholarly work to help me satisfy that need.
I am grateful you have chosen to use your talent (I can think of no acceptable accolade to express how great a writer, I think you are. This is your first work I've read and I'm simply amazed at your craft--it's like Mozart--it's like Picasso--your ability to communicate the sublime with the simplicity of a Master) to write about Christ. I am giving Christ the Lord as gifts and recommending it to others and talking about it all over the place.
Gratefully,
Leslie Aziz
Posted 4/10/06
Dear Mrs. Rice,
I am so very pleased after reading your latest book, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. I am a 25 year old High School English teacher, currently finishing my first year in that occupation (and looking forward to many more to come). You have been a favorite of mine for many years now - so much so that I gladly wrote my senior paper about you and three of your literary works when I myself was in high school. Being a first year teacher, I have lost track of time to read for pleasure. My brother, aware of my interest in your writing, purchased your book for me as a birthday present. Although I try to encourage my students to read for pleasure, I myself typically spend their silent reading time trying to grade papers or get ahead (and NOT setting a very good example for them, I might add). When my brother gave me his gift, I decided that I would happily set aside my grading and allow myself the gratification of reading your novel.
This was a success on multiple levels.
First of all, your novel was, well, it was everything I did not even realize I had expected it to be. It was so entirely you, in the sense that your gift for detailed and compelling storytelling was utterly present. You presented an enduring and complex character that became almost tangible. I am not an overly religious person, although my desire to understand and become familiar with other cultures and religions has been a driving force in my educational career. Still, your presentation of Jesus was incredibly moving, as well as inspiring, which leads me to a second success that arose from this experience.
Little did I know that my enthusiasm and desire to continue reading your novel would inspire my students to read as well. While reading your book, I became a model for my students. These high school students, who can so often be too cool to want to read, saw me actively reading, physically responding to what I was reading, and becoming completely engrossed in what I was reading. They tracked my rapid progress through your novel. Apparently, these students wanted to have the same reaction to their books. Disciplinary problems and whispering disappeared. Simply by my reading in a visible spot in the room, it was as if we had transformed into a community for personal literary enjoyment. Students also became interested in what their fellow classmates, as well as I, were reading, and began openly discussing their reading selections. Being at a public school, I was hesitant at first to discuss the topic of my reading selection; however, because of the tone and composition of the novel, I did begin discussing it and its incredibly talented author with the class. I have had some very pleased student readers, and not had a single irate parent phone call.
In essence, I just wanted to thank you for reminding me how much I love to read, and how moving a great story can be. Your novel helped provide an important model for learning in my classroom, as well as letting my students get to know me a little better individually through some of my personal interests.
I look forward to reading more Mrs. Rice.
Sincerely,
Kelly Mills
Posted 4/6/06
Hi Anne,
I've never read any of your books. No offense. However, I bought a copy of Christ The Lord after sifting through it in the local Borders and am currently hooked. I am reading it at the same time I am reading the New Testament. I was "born again" in January and have been following Christ and learning about his life in earnest. Your book has made the experience even better than I imagined. As I go between reading your book and The Bible (of which I haven't read much in my 32 years), I feel an even closer connection to Jesus. And I'm only on chapter 5! Thank you for helping me in my quest to learn about Our Lord.
Sincerely,
David Mallon
Mechanicsburg, PA
Posted 3/28/06
Dear Anne,
I had not heard any of the publicity about "Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt",
nor read any reviews of it. The title on the spine of book in the new books
section of Orcas Island Public Library (Washington state) drew my attention
immediately when I walked in the door last week.
I don't know if I can put into words how deeply I was touched by the story
of Jesus as a child, coming into understanding of who he was and only
beginning to get a glimpse of what he was to become. Though I have never
given credence to the stories of miracles during his childhood years, your
presentation of the possibility was sensitive and very believable. Jesus'
longing to heal but needing to be tempered by obedience to his Father was
well expressed. And that last line..."Father, I am your child"...may we all
say to him those words!
My deep gratitude to you for the years of research preceding this book and the writing and publishing of it as well. It brims with LIGHT!
Sincerely,
Betty Jean Densmore
Posted 3/23/06
Anne,
First of all thanks for writing this book. I’ve read others of yours and I’ve found this particular book has touched me both spiritually and intellectually in a uniquely profound manner.
I spend a significant part of my life as a scholar as well (I definitively place you in this category as an historical scholar). I now write and teach about transcendent states and transpersonal awareness, some of which is specifically in relation to what would be commonly called “faith.” Specifically, this translates into a personal relationship with a personal G-d by whatever name one uses. For Christians of course this would mean Jesus Christ.
I am both fascinated and humbled by the quality of your research and the diligence which you go about generating it – BRAVO! My own dissertation was on the nature of transpersonal decision-making using non-ordinary forms of information, and especially the state of intentionality. This state would be one that mirrors the state you portray the young Jesus as holding when he’s in prayer with his Father.
What I want to convey is that I think you’ve done a remarkable job capturing and conveying the essence of the transcendental/transpersonal position in the dialogue you’ve written in your book between Jesus Bar Joseph and his Father in heaven. This alone makes reading each page of the book worthwhile from my point of view. The idea of prayer and the power of prayer as communication, i.e.: dialogue, is so often unexplored in favor of portraying it as a one-way act – you powerfully bring the process of prayer as dialogue to life without resorting to the more simplistic effect of Jesus hearing his Father’s voice.
I look forward to your next book and will write no more just now so as to allow you to get on that project!
Best regards,
Joseph Riggio, Ph.D.
New School University, NY, NY
Posted 3/23/06
Anne,
I have just finished a review of Christ the Lord on my blog. If you are interested you can read it at http://derekvreeland.blogspot.com/2006/03/christ-lord-out-of-egypt-2005-review.html
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the incredible work you did in producing this novel. As a pastor and Christian thinker, I understand the time, energy and effort that goes into thoughtful biblical and historical research. I am currently working on a doctoral dissertation on spirituality and leadership, so I have been busy researching as well. You have created a wonderful novel that his historically and biblically accurate and one that stretched me theologically. I loved the inner monologues. I loved Cleopas’ humor and Joseph’s quite strength.
I hope that this work does not do “violence” to your career. I believe that this new work will open you up to new readers like me. May God deeply bless your career and for every fan you lose may you gain ten more!
I will anxiously await the next book in this series.
You friend and new found fan,
Derek Vreeland
Pastor
Cornerstone Church
Americus, Georgia
Posted 3/21/06
Anne,
I have read just about every book you have written and they have all affected me in different ways. I fell in love with Lestat and Rowan each time I read a Vampire book, or one of the Mayfair witches books. Now comes Christ the Lord, a completely different twist on your usual writing, and once again I am in love. I have read it twice already, and will read it many more times. I was not raised in any religion, however I have always been deeply interested in theology. Every book you have written has always been accurate in historic detail, and it spurs me to learn more. I think it is the history of religion that interested me more than the devotion to Christ, but since reading Christ the Lord I feel a bit different. You made him so real to me, that now I read the Bible to learn more about Jesus. I don’t think I will be attending a church on a regular basis any time soon, but your dedication has made me determined to learn more about Christ and especially the role of women in Christ’s ministry.
I look forward to the next book, and comparing what you write to what is written in the Bible. I have not been disappointed yet. Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent and deep devotion to accurate detail.
Ginger Hulsey
Posted 3/21/06
Dear Ms. Rice,
I've been reading your books from the very beginning. I love your devotion to historic detail. Also, having lived in New Orleans as a teenager, I loved the way you could bring back the feel (even the smell) of New Orleans with your writing.
Having struggled with my own Christianity most of my life, I was inspired by your novel to re-examine my beliefs and to do some research of my own. Thank you for opening a door that I thought I had closed years ago.
Regards,
Sandee Davis
Posted 3/21/06
Dear Anne:
Like many others on your "letters from readers" section of your website, I was skeptical of the new book - how could anyone really write about the early life of Jesus in the first person? I had to overcome some of my early training (fundamental protestant; very strict on what is right and what is wrong . . .) but I soon found myself feeling a connection between the Jesus of your book and the One whom I've known most of my life through the scriptures.
I commend you for the courage it took to undertake this project; I was one of those who mourned the loss of my favorite vampire (Marius), my favorite Oncle Julien, and all of the other characters that made up these two great families of novels. Throughout my reading, however, I was particularly impressed with your knowledge of history and how that knowledge became the context to the stories.
You have opened my eyes to parts of our Lord's life that I might never have thought of - his meals, his relationships with the many members of his family, but most importantly, his thoughts as a child. I have long thought that the life-long search for God is humankind's most lofty aspiration; your work has added to that search for me and others - for this you can feel blessed.
God bless you!
Eric Snyder
Parsippany, NJ
Dear Anne,
I've taken my time in writing to you, and even though I read the book as soon as I had it in my hands, I wanted everything to sink in before I began expressing my views to you. Like everyone else who knows of your work through the vampire chronicles, I was worried that I would never be able to connect to your writing ever again. Considering that your books have had such a tremendous impact on my own decision to become a writer, I was scared that such a drastic change in subject matter would make me unable to fully appreciate any future books that you wrote. Still, when I first heard several years ago that you wished to one day write a book from the point of Jesus Christ, I was excited and intrigued to know how you would tackle any negativity that would no doubt be thrown your way. Not just from critics, but from the people who would be happy for you to write the vampires chronicles forever.
When I first held Christ the Lord in my hands, I wanted to love it, I wanted it to move and inspire me, and I'm more than happy to admit that it did. I thought that the way you wrote from the point of view of a child was amazing. The sensitivity and fragility that you gave to the character of Jesus was beautiful. The whole story seemed entirely believable, that Jesus was once a seemingly normal young boy, both confused and somewhat terrified by the powers that he held. Struggling to understand his place in the world, just like the rest of us. I admire the voice that you use throughout, and that the novel seems both humble and powerful at the same time.
I myself am not a religious person, and have followed the struggles that your characters have been through in previous books. Often finding myself comforted by the fact that asking questions concerning religion is something that most people will struggle with during their lives, that I am not the only one. Christ the Lord offered me strength and moved me in ways that I have rarely experienced. Giving Jesus such a human voice, making him more like us ultimately makes him easier to connect with. Your book doesn't lock things away; hide them behind the walls of churches where some people may feel intimidated, sometimes scared to go. It is a way of bringing Jesus directly to us. It allows us to feel him in a very personal way. I sometimes felt as though I was right there with him, that I was watching his spiritual development and that it was somehow making me less afraid of my own.
I can’t say that your book had led to me converting to Catholicism, but it has opened me up new ways of thinking, and comforted me when I’ve felt lost. I wanted you to know how tremendously brave I think you are. Many successful authors stick to the same themes again and again. I find it inspirational that you have had the strength to turn away from such a popular series, and say that you now want to dedicate your works to the Lord. At first I was saddened that I would no longer be able to read about Lestat and the other vampires. Yet I now know how vital it was for you to walk a different path. I will always have your previous books to read over and over again, but now I am looking forward to walking with you on this new journey.
Thank you for being the most inspirational and important author that I have ever read. I feel that I will always be a fan, and for that I’m grateful.
Vicki Goodwin
22, England.
Dear Anne,
I have just completed reading the author's note of Christ The Lord and am delighted to hearÊof your interest in the truth about Jesus. I share your passion. If I had the dedication I would go to seminary schoolÊand make a life of the study, but instead I am a Psychology Major at USF in Tampa, Florida. ÊI am 26 and am a nurse working with Alzheimers patients, whom I love. IÊadore your work, I've watched your storiesÊunfoldÊsince I was 15. I heard about your convertion just this year from my brother and I thought he was joking. Although I've always appreciated the religious and moral undertone in your books I was surprised when I saw Christ The Lord on the shelf in Barnes And Noble. I have to admit it made me nervous to think that I'd never hear about Mona or Lestat again. However, being a Christian myself(I converted back to my childhood religion a few years ago, unknowingly close after the time you ! ! did)! , ! I admire your courage and your new life, having gone throughÊa similar transition.ÊÊChrist The LordÊis beautiful. It casts Jesus in a fresh new light. What a blessing to give to your readers. I also appreciateÊthe inclusion of yourÊresearch methods in the appendix of your novel.
I won't take up anymore of your time. Thank you so much for your works, all of them, start to finish. I will continue to keep you in my prayers.
All my love and admiration,
Lisa Marie Bodiford
Dear Anne,
Thank you for all of your research and efforts to write Chirst the Lord. I began reading it only a few days ago, and just now finished. As I read, I felt I was walking with the boy Jesus and his family. It was a wonderful story and artfully told.
My husband is a deacon in the Catholic church. We trained for six years to be able to serve as a diaconte couple in our parish and community, so I have a special respect for what you shared in your author's notes. As converts, my husband and I have had some great learning experiences in our contiuing studies as Christian Catholics. I celebrate your desire to rediscover your faith, and I will keep you in my prayers.
As we led the Hour of Prayer Rosary Service on New Year's Eve, I couldn't help but return to images you created in your book. That night, while I served as the lector reading the various Mysteries throughout the evening of prayer, I felt the special blessing of being closer to knowing our Lord and mother Mary, because I had been given the opportunity to "live" with them as I read your book. I do so appreciate the time and energy you spent gathering your faith and knowledge to be able to share such a special story.
I am an elementary school teacher, and it seemed that you really did have a sense of the heart and mind of a young boy trying to discover the mystery of his being. As I return to teaching this week, I will be seeing the face of Christ in each of the children I spend my day with.
If you ever come to Ojai and can attend Mass, I would love to give you a hug of peace and a special blessing. May God keep you in his loving arms and continue to inspire your talents.
Yours,
Dawn Gorman
I have always been a fan of your work. Your latest book is no exception. Not only is it a new direction (although I believe that you having been dancing towards this for awhile) it is written in a new voice. I believe that you have written a more distinct personality than you ever had before. It is beautifully subtle. The story is interesting and well written. I loved it!
Thank you and congratulations!
Stanna Sparks
Dodge City, KS
Dear Mrs. Rice:
I want to thank you for your courage in writing Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. The novel is, quite evidently, a gift to the Christian community, and also to those not yet among us. Though I was nervous at the beginning by your use of the infancy apocrypha, you managed to incorporate these in a way that remains faithful to the Great Tradition of the Church.
The Jesus whom you sketch in your novel is neither sentimental nor simply a cipher--mistakes that would be understandable, and have often been made, given the real difficulty in coming to grips with the God-Man. You have, quite remarkably, suggested a Real Person, without hardening the lines of the portrait so that an eccentric personality takes shape that might supplant the Lord himself. Somehow you have also been able to people the world of the novel with real characters that do not detract from the main one --even Milton was unable to stop his Satan from upstaging Christ! I consider the narrative to have achieved in words something similar to the effect of an icon: through the story, we are invited beyond your handiwork to the One who is Real. Though the story lives in its own terms as you have written it, it points beyond its contours to the great meta-narrative, and to the Author of all stories.
Though I am not sure that I agree with every critical decision that you have made (was Jesus really versed in Greek? Did John his cousin really study with the Essenes? Is the Protoevangelion of James really to be taken with the rest of the Gospels? Do none of the gospels know of the events of 70?), I appreciate your very careful work. As I was reading, I was again and again pleased by the way in which you have so clearly written upon an informed foundation; I was even more impressed by the reverence and vitality that breathes in the descriptions, the dialogue and the first-person meditations of your main character. Yours is a work of truth and love, where theologoumena (opinions not essential to the faith) are presented humbly, and without rancour. I enjoyed the places whereyou pictured the complexity of first century Judaism(s). I enjoyed your depiction of rabbinic give-and-take when Jesus talks about divine carpentry with the old rabbi. I thought quite brilliant the manner in which, through Mary's meditation, you recast Matthew's understanding of Jesus as the True Israel. Here you gesture towards a stance whereby we need not consider typology as irreconcilable with historical event: the late Fr. Raymond Brown would approve of this as well, I think. I was not surprised, when I came to your final pages, to discover that you have read widely, and with a critical but faithful mind.
Lastly, I was moved to tears by your postscript, and will covenant to pray for you while you are on tour. I was a student of Bishop N. T. Wright while at McGill, and was of course very pleased by your kind words regarding him. Do remember him in your prayers, especially considering the great difficulty that has come upon the Anglican communion and his important influence there.
Your sister in Christ,
Edith
Edith M. Humphrey
William F. Orr Associate Professor of New Testament Studies
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary