A re-telling of the birth of Jesus from the viewpoints of Mary and Joseph.I picked up this audiobook thinking, 'Oh, this'll get me in the Christmas spirit.' But, I was dismayed to discover I turned into the Grinch instead.I did not connect with this at all.I didn't like the characters. I didn't like the dialogue.I found myself rolling my eyes when Joseph was talking about traditional gender roles. I realize Elizabeth Berg was beating us over the head with it because she was depicting Joseph was

Elizabeth Berg's "The Handmaid and the Carpenter" is a difficult book to review. It is, as some big-name reviewers have pointed out, poetic and reflective. It means well. Nevetheless, this novelization of the Holy Family in its early years also suffers from careless theology. In brief, the carpenter gets his just desserts, but the handmaid -- somewhat surprisingly -- does not. Joseph is here portrayed as a model of traditional rectitude. Mary, while not promiscuous, is rather shockingly forward

The author definitely took great liberty with the scriptural account of the birth of Jesus.I found the portrayal of Joseph very disappointing. Jesus needed a strong,faithful and humble stepfather to take the responsibility of caring for God's Son seriously. This is utterly discounted by the narrator, who focused on her idea that Joseph took on the responsibility for what he believed to be Mary's bastard conceived through an illicit affair with a Roman soldier. He is portrayed as faithless, altho...

Meh... It was okay. It is the author's interpretation of the love story between Mary and Joseph. So, not about Jesus hardly at all, which is fine for the story. Somethings were portrayed in a way that didn't jive with me. I wouldn't recommend it.Also, it was read by the author. I don't think a lot of authors should read their books. Her specially. I felt like it took SO LONG because she read.... everything... so.... slooooowly...... It felt like she was trying to put feeling into it but it just

Elizabeth Berg's reimagining of how the biblical story in the New Testament of Mary's virginal birthing of Jesus, her probably complicated relationship (before and after) with Joseph, and all the community response to same is contained in this short book. I enjoyed it, as it is a story I ponder over often. Could it have gone that way? Was history just twisting again? Is revelation correcting history? inventing it? Fiction or fact (is anything fiction or fact?!)?Perfect for the season, yet vague

A beautiful rendition of the story of Mary and Joseph. Berg writes so beautifully. She ran me through the gamut of emotions. A fresh interpretation of events from Joseph’s perspective. I love everything I’ve read from this author.

Audiobook. Elizabeth Berg’s take on the nativity fills in some of the blanks in the lives of Mary and Joseph. It explores questions such as: Who was Mary apart from angels, wise men and the baby Jesus? How did Joseph react to his wife’s pregnancy? What were their hopes and dreams as a couple and how did they live in their community? This was an interesting exercise, but Berg’s characters speak a stilted combination Bible-talk and modern speech. Her Mary is a petulant teenager who wants her freed...

Elizabeth Berg's "The Handmaid and the Carpenter: A Novel" is a richly detailed saga of an historic time and a Biblical couple; it is a tale that she has imbued with her special skill of immediacy and an everyday voice, and as a result, we can visualize this young couple as they struggle with the effects of a miraculous conception on their relationship and their lives.We follow them in their journey to Bethlehem and the events that unfold there, just as we come to see the other small and large m...

Told alternatively from Mary and Joseph's points of view, this is a tender interpretation of Christ's birth and the impact it has on Mary and Joseph (perhaps). Berg sometimes took great liberty with the characters, and other times got the culture of the times just right. This novel seems to create a fair bit of angst for people, but it is critical to remember that this is not the true story -- that is found in Scripture. As a novel, this was overly sappy at times, but always touching and thought...

I thought this was just a beautiful little book. At its core, it is a love story; the story of an ordinary young couple who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, whose love carries them through hardships, doubts and their own imperfections. It makes Mary and Joseph highly accessible and human without detracting from the wonder and miracle of the Christmas story. This is not a retelling of events, but a fleshing out of the events as presented in the Bible. As such, one's faith might aff...

An innovative and creative look at the birth of the Savior by focusing on the relationship between Mary and Joseph. I really appreciated thinking about the birth of Jesus from the perspective of a young couple who were floored with the news that they would be the earthly parents of the Savior. While this is no "The Red Tent," it still made me think about this precious story in a whole new way, and it brought me to tears several times.

I enjoyed this short, creative retelling of the story of Mary & Joseph. I’ve often wondered how hard it must have been for Joseph to believe that Mary was truly a virgin and Jesus was God’s son. I appreciated the way Joseph’s doubts were portrayed in this book because it’s easy to forget he and Mary were real people who might have struggled to believe even as we do today.

Heartwarming, imaginative and beautifully written. A perfect read for the Christmas season.

This was a very interesting way to look at the birth of Christ through Mary and Joseph. Ms Berg did a good job of putting the story together but not sure I totally liked her portrayal of Joseph

I really really really wanted to like this book, but it made me gag. It's sort of a retelling of a fairy tale, with bits of The Shack thrown in, and plenty of imagination from the author, without, very sadly, any research (at least in the Orthodox tradition of the Nativity).The author tries to be "historically accurate" by putting the birth of Christ in 4 B.C., but on December 25, bam! (As opposed to His birth in the spring, when it is more likely that the shepherds would have their sheep out.)

The Handmaid and the Carpenter tells the story of the relationship between Joseph and Mary of Nazareth. While fictionalized, it is based on the Biblical account and historical records. Of all of the things written around the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, not much is said about how Joseph handled the situation. Think about it…the girl whom he is betrothed says she is pregnant by holy spirit. He had to have wrestled with doubt over her story, yet, he married her anyway. Imagine how his family mus...

I didn't like her characterizations of Mary or especially Joseph. I thought it was a cute love story and could see the value of humanizing them for some people but it wasn't my cup of tea. I will enjoy discussing it with book club, I think there is a lot to be pondered in the book because it brings to mind Christ's early years which we know so little about.I liked the look at the culture in Jesus' time, I just wasn't sure I believed her interpretation of it. I didn't particularly like the sexual...

This book was a hard read. I read this book over the course of two years. I started it, Christmas of 2011, I believe and returned to it Christmas 2012. The author does write with beautiful pros and I believe she is sincere in trying to capture the birth of Christ with historical accuracy as well as leaving room for the awe and wonder of greatest miracle there ever was, but for all that some how the read still just seems boring. Especially after the climax which was the birth of baby Jesus. Mary

I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of the fact that mary was just a child herself when she carried the son of god. The way that Berg wrote this story was refreshing to me. She didn't play it safe but she really gave a good dose of humanity to a story we all know so well. I don't think she disrespected the mother of christ but she didn't write about her like Mary was a diety she wrote about like she was a human being and a very young women which is what she was. I liked the vulnerability she gav...

Elizabeth Berg often surprises me. It is nearly always a pleasant surprise. This is a very quiet little story on the surface but the underlying background surmise4es raise wonderful questions to contemplate on an ages old story which far too many consider to have been written in stone. Certain to be controversial in many eyes then but a small and quietly provacative addition to thinking on the Biblical especially from a woman's viewpoint, I think.

While this was a sweet imagination of Mary and Joseph from their childhood meeting through the birth of Jesus, and perfect for the Christmas season, I was surprised at the hokie-ness and lack of sophistication of the writing style. The author has a much better reputation in her other books. She could certainly have honored our Lord's parents with a little more effort in literary maturity.

I loved this book, it was a touching story...

The writing is dull, flat, mediocre. I wanted to like it because I've enjoyed some of Berg's other books, but this is one wherein I scratch my head wondering how it ever got published.

I really enjoyed this fictionalized take on the traditional Christmas story. A story of love and trust on so many levels. I see myself reading this again and again at Christmas time.

Lovely rendition of the birth of Jesus. I listened to this book and it brought the bible story to life. Great story to read during this time of year!

A short and quick read. For the most part, a made up story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. The made up parts being the personalities, relationship and conversations between Mary and Joseph and then some.There were lights that went off at different times throughout the book while I was reading that didn't quite make sense to me due to the time period and the lack of rights for woman. For example, would a 14 year old Mary really be allowed to be curious and be allowed to get away with a...

An interesting and thoughtful retelling of the biblical story of the birth of Jesus. Berg cleverly evokes the feeling of what it is to be human within her characters of Mary and Joseph. The book clearly explores many of the unasked questions, such as: what if Joseph did not believe the immaculate conception of Jesus? How did the small town react to Mary's miracle? How was life in biblical times for a young carpenter and his wife? This story follows the initial meeting of Mary and Joseph, their m...

I had this book for a while and, wanting to read something Christmas-y, I decided to finally give it a go.I did not wind up actually reading it. I read the author's note and went 'hmmm'. Ms. Berg begins by saying that the Bible is poetry, and that is false. Parts of the Bible are poetry, not the entire book. A little study would have told her that. If you look at the entire Bible as being poetry, you can easily write it all off as a merely a nice story. Something that you can learn a few good le...

This is a wonderful work of Biblical fiction! Very thought-provoking, viewing the courtship of Joseph and Mary from their prospective. Such a beautiful, personal glimpse into their lives and the effect the conception/birth of Jesus had on them, as simple and humble villagers. Not much is written in the Bible about Joseph, so it was very insightful to consider his role. This book was beautifully written to give us an opportunity to see Mary & Joseph, not so much as Biblical people, but in their h...

It is always to challenge to write fresh version of a bible story. I decided to reread the four gospels ahead of time before I began reading, The Handmaid and the Carpenter. I am so glad I did. Elizabeth Berg did a wonderful job of making the story of the birth of Jesus, and the relationship between Mary and Joseph come alive, while staying very faithful to the true message of the story. It is written from the heart. This is a story of miracles, faith, and enduring love, in the daily lives of th...