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Title: Historical details good, but plot needs some work.
Review: Actually I'd give this book 2 1/2 stars. The settings and everyday details of life in Joseph of Arimathea's world are so descriptive I felt like I was really there. But the author uses coincidence too much as a plot device. She also introduces details that seem unbelievable. Example: Ella tells others that at age 8 (or so) she "didn't know about God"--what? A child raised in a Jewish household two millenia ago didn't know about God? Also, NONE of the Phoenicians Joseph sailed with for years as a young man EVER find out that he has befriended the Celts, for which the (implied) punishment would have been Joseph's death. I also tired of reading about Joseph's sexual (mis)adventures--a lot of that seemed added in for titillation. Read this book for its fascinating historical backdrop, not the storyline.
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