What I liked most about how the author handled this story was the way he took what we already know and went deeper. What must it have been like, for example, for Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem? What was their likely route, given not only the geography, but also the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans, since the shortest route for Joseph and Mary would've been through Samaria? A nice read before Christmas, and a good book for a small group (as we did it). ( )

I've read a couple of Adam Hamilton's books now and I love the way he allows you to picture the world of Jesus as it was in Biblical times. He completely takes away the image that most of us have of a wooden stable, a middle aged Joseph, a mean innkeeper, and a wooden manger and replaces it with images of a cave attached to someone's house, a stone manger, and a 15-20 year old Joseph. It's a little disconcerting. Great insites and a different way of thinking about the birth of Christ. ( )