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Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

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Christopher Moore's 'Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal' is a clever and engaging avenue into a story about Jesus Christ's early life. The novel humorously fills in the blanks of Christ's childhood through the eyes of his best friend Biff, incorporating elements of Taoism, Buddhism, Kung Fu, and yoga into the narrative. The book offers a lighthearted and irreverent take on the missing years of Christ's life, blending humor with thought-provoking insights and a unique perspective on religious history.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, with Biff as the humorous friend, Jesus as a relatable figure, and Maggie as a strong presence.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is humorous, engaging, and satirical, combining irreverence with insightful commentary.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around the life of Jesus from childhood to his ministry, filled with humor and adventure as seen through the eyes of his best friend Biff.

Setting:

The setting blends historical context of ancient Palestine with fantastical elements and modern-day humor.

Pacing:

The pacing is dynamic, moving quickly through comedic moments but slowing down in sections focusing on philosophical teaching.
The first time I saw the man who would save the world he was sitting near the central well in Nazareth with a lizard hanging out of his mouth. Just the tail end and the hind legs were visible on the o...

Notes:

The book fills in the missing 30 years of Jesus's life, which are not covered in the Bible.
It is narrated by Biff, Jesus's childhood best friend.
The title humorously suggests a lighthearted view of religious themes.
Moore uses humor to address serious topics without being disrespectful.
The story imagines Jesus learning about various religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism, during his travels.
It features absurd scenarios, like Jesus knowing kung fu, and funny inventions by Biff, such as sarcasm and cappuccino.
The book includes a comedic take on well-known biblical events, making them relatable.
It contrasts Jesus's earnestness with Biff's sarcasm and humor.
The narrative explores themes of friendship, love, and self-discovery.
Moore's writing style mixes wit, humor, and heartfelt moments throughout the story.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book includes elements of irreverent humor, mild profanity, and sexual situations that may be sensitive for some readers.

Has Romance?

There are romantic feelings between characters, particularly involving Biff's crush on women and the dynamics with Mary Magdalene.

From The Publisher:

Everyone knows about the immaculate conception and the crucifixion. But what happened to Jesus between the manger and the Sermon on the Mount? In this hilarious and bold novel, the acclaimed Christopher Moore shares the greatest story never told: the life of Christ as seen by his boyhood pal, Biff.

Just what was Jesus doing during the many years that have gone unrecorded in the Bible? Biff was there at his side, and now after two thousand years, he shares those good, bad, ugly, and miraculous times. Screamingly funny, audaciously fresh, Lamb rivals the best of Tom Robbins and Carl Hiaasen, and is sure to please this gifted writer's fans and win him legions more.

Ratings (87)

Incredible (34)
Loved It (29)
Liked It (10)
It Was OK (9)
Did Not Like (4)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (158):

Read It (86)
Want To Read (37)
Did Not Finish (5)
Not Interested (30)

8 comment(s)

Loved It
1 month

This books may be disturbing to people who hold the gospel as absolute factual truth, but its honestly a sweet story with a lot of heart. And like all Christopher Moore books, it is hysterical.

 
Did Not Like
1 month

Not funny

 
Did Not Like
1 month

I was uncomfortable with the way that the narration discusses women

 
It Was OK
2 months

i liked it!

read it after a recommendation from a friend, after i told him

"pride and prejudice is the most perfect novel ever written"

this is what he came back with

obviously it is not the same kind of novel

but i enjoyed the balance between humor and real consideration of what it means to be a christian, what it means that jesus was human and had to deal with growing up and being a person in addition to all the pressure of being the son of god

i like biff, he is always looking out for joshua

but you know who didn't die of grief during the passion biff?

mary and mary magdalene

the women who are not really taken that seriously in this book

they dealt with it

 
Incredible
3 months

I'm not religious, but I do like reading

about religion. I don't think this would offend anybody; it's not {gasp} blasphemous. Jesus doesn't do anything in this book I couldn't see him doing canonically. All the irreverent acts come from Biff. He is a bit of a horn-dog so there's some sex and debauchery. But if you've read the Bible, then that's nothing new.

I thought the book was hilarious. It was my first dive into Moore, then I read "Fluke" by him. I liked both. Since then, I've read a couple more and they've lost a little steam. But thus far I think this is his best.

 
Hated It
3 months

This book is actually a very humorous one, Moore is always good at that. I read it almost 50% and left after that when i started to feel it a bit draggy.

The story is narrated by Jesus's friend and is about Jesus. How Jesus was born and how he lived, how he became a Messiah. Moore has well described the story with childhood mischief and mistakes, where several parts made me laugh out loud at the absurdity of people.

A good book if you can hold religious stupidity :)

 
Incredible
6 months

This book makes me laugh so hard. I’ve read it four times. Even have a tattoo named Biff. Everyone should read it.

 
Incredible
7 months

The author's humor is fairly childish but I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed seeing the more human side of Jesus H. Christ.

 
 
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