Blood of a Stone
by Jeanne Lyet Gassman
Tuscany Press, 2015
Reviewed by Laura, age 13
I received a review copy of this
historical fiction (sword and sandals era) but found it too hard to get into. It seemed to me that a younger reader would probably
be the best reviewer, so I passed it on to thirteen-year-old Laura,
an avid reader, for her impressions.
Some background, first:
The story follows the path of
Demetrios, the rejected son of a brutal father who had sold him into
slavery—a condition he escapes through violence and, he believes,
the power of a stone idol he begins to serve. Finding a partner in
the Jew Elazer, Demetrios becomes something of an entrepreneur—and
a slave owner himself. Then business matters make him aware of the
Rabbi Jesus...
Now it's Laura's turn. This review is an edited transcript of a phone interview:
It was a good book; I liked it.
It took me about a week to read it, but I had another book to read
for English. It was very interesting, “catching”: it had a good
hook to it. The storyline was pretty good, too, but there were two or
three times where I found myself getting lost. I had to reread part
of it to figure out what was happening.
The ending could have been more
satisfying.
There are some things I wish had been
done differently. I wish Demetrios and his father had a better
relationship. And I wish that Jesus had brought Rufus back from the
dead. That felt like a lost opportunity. If it had happened, that
probably would have changed how the story continued. But as it was,
that part of the story got a bit too heavy for me.
My favorite parts were when Demetrios
refused to beat his slave. And how Jesus healed the girl. She was my
favorite character. I liked the way she stood up to her father in the
first couple of chapters. She was a strong person.
Even though the book was set in ancient
times, I was able to follow along. I also learned some new things
about history.
I would recommend this book for ages 13
and up.
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