Christ the Lord by Anne Rice

I have been a long time fan of Anne Rice's vampire series. I find her characters and writing to be beautiful and at the same time heart wrenchingly tragic. In her new book, Christ the Lord, she tells the story of Jesus as a young child travelling with his family out of Egypt. It was absolutely wonderful. I found that this book brought the figure of Jesus to me in a real way as no other story has before with the exception of Mel Gibson's Passion.
If you are a fan of Anne Rice's work this book will not disappoint. Her extensive research, that she brings to all of her work is as evident in this novel as it ever was in any in the past. I for one appreciate that aspect of her work. To bring me an ancient world, so that I can really imagine how people lived their everyday lives is truly a gift.
Well, I am really babbling here. Read this book, it is in a word, beautiful.