This book fooled me (in a good way). Having not previously read anything by Christopher Moore, my expectations were entirely set by the title, the blurb, and the recommendation of a friend. I thought for sure that it would be nothing but throw-away zingers on the order of Monty Python or Douglas Adams (or even Harvard Lampoon), that any historical and religious reality would be right out the window, and that any resemblance to the life of the Biblical Jesus Christ would be entirely coincidental. I was (mostly) wrong on all counts.

There are plenty of zingers. But usually not in the set 'em up and knock 'em down one-liner style of Python or Lampoon. The humor here is usually more subtle, between the lines. I'm sure (as evidenced by other reviewers) that one can enjoy the stories and jokes at face value. But readers that can bring a deeper understanding of history and culture will catch and enjoy oh so many more twisted references to both ancient and modern culture.

Don't get me wrong. This is not a history book. The author confesses as much in a much appreciated Afterward. This is a story. But the author did do his research and tries to keep things real, even as he's stretching the truth and warping time to make things funny. It's also not a religious book. Nope, it's pretty profane. And also vulgar. The former is probably necessary for the humor. You don't get laughs without breaking a few rules and knocking down some icons. The latter is just for style.

To say this is an irreverent portrayal of the life of Christ would be an understatement. But the undocumented years of the life of Jesus of Nazareth (or Joshua bar Joseph, as portrayed here) give the author a vast playground in which to play. Looking back over two thousand years, who can say what the boy was really like? The teen? Probably not the contemporary kid portrayed here. But just as unlikely is the sanitized, homogenized version that many Christians and popular culture have in their head.

To those who say that this goes too far in skewering cherished doctrine, as well as those who don't think it goes far enough in knocking down religious mythology, I say, in the words of Foghorn Leghorn, "It's a joke. I say, It's a joke, son." This is a funny story loosely based on the life of the Messiah, the Son of God. But it is a story. And it is funny. And if you choose to believe the Jesus would have never had a friend named Biff nor an almost girlfriend named Maggie, that's your choice. But I found it fun to make believe for a few for hours that they did exist and that they did enrich the life of that young man. ( )

I gave it 66 pages, and it just didn't work for me. Moving on.

Kind of long and hard to read. Some of it is pretty funny. ( )

Loved it. ( )

I'm a little late with this one thanks to Fordlandia which took me forever to read. It is definitely "funny" so hate not to post it here - - though it fits "friendship" just as well if not better.

This book came pretty close to getting four stars, but just didn't quite make it for me. It might have if I was more familiar with the New Testament of the Bible . . .but I'm Jewish, and my knowledge is cursory, so I'm not sure I actually was getting all the wit that there was to get.

For me, this book truly reminded me of the literary equivalent of Monty Python . . .lots of one liners, and many of them are funny. It wasn't laugh out loud funny for me, but I could see how if it was on television, that it would have been.

Basically Moore cleverly tells the story of Jesus' (Joshua's) life (before the part we know well from the Bible) through the eyes of his best friend, Biff, (the inventor of sarcasm). Biff is not really a guy you'd picture being the best friend of Jesus, but he definitely grows on you as his loyalty becomes very evident as the story develops. The story itself is a tale of adventure as Jesus tries to find himself and figure out how to best do whatever it is his father (God) wants him to do. For the first third of the book, I totally found this engaging. But as the book went on, it became less so. The characters are not terribly well developed beyond Joshua and Biff, so the interactions are a bit less engaging. The bad guys are well, bad, and you certainly want to see Joshua and Biff prevail in every situation.

Moore does some very clever things in here . . .you learn about some of the mysteries of the Bible (Shroud of Turin) and the humor is non-stop. It's also very irreverent. That didn't bother me one bit, but it might bother others.

All in all, it's not the kind of book I would normally gravitate to, but I can see how others would absolutely love it. If you are looking for something light, witty, and clever, I'd say give it a shot. But be prepared to be snickering and laughing and not necessarily to be emotionally moved . . . ( )