![]() ![]() Anne, Mary’s mother, also comes alive for Lofts, worried about Mary and convinced her son in law is a fool for taking her on a donkey to Bethlehem. ![]() ![]() The way Mary and Joseph each receive the news of their holy son’s impending birth is beautifully written, as is the miracle of Elizabeth’s pregnancy and Mary’s visit to her cousin. The shepherd, a grieving father whose son fell in with Jewish rebels and ended up crucified. The innkeeper she imagines to be a former sailor. She imagines the wise men as an astronomer from Korea (Melchior), a Mongolian military leader (Gaspar) and a learned eunuch slave from Africa (Balthazar). Lofts imagines a backstory for the lesser known characters and fills out the lives of those you may be more familiar with. It’s the story of all the people converging on the nativity - Mary, Joseph, the three wise men, one of the shepherds, even the innkeeper. I have since learned that Lofts was known for the detail in her historical novels and that was one thing I enjoyed about How Far to Bethlehem. Last week, after finishing a book for Kirkus and turning in my final paper before the winter break, I decided it would make a good Advent read. Norah Lofts was not an author I knew of when I picked up How Far to Bethlehem at the Five Colleges Book Sale last spring. ![]()
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