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The Final Testament of the Holy Bible
James Frey isn't like other writers. He's been called a liar. A cheat. A con man. He's been called a saviour. A revolutionary. A genius. He's been sued by readers. Dropped by publishers because of his controversies. Berated by TV talk-show hosts and condemned by the media. He's been exiled from America, and driven into hiding. He's also a bestselling phenomenon. Published in 38 languages, and beloved by readers around the world. What scares people about Frey is that he plays with truth; that fine line between fact and fiction.
Now he has written his greatest work, his most revolutionary, his most controversial. The Final Testament of the Holy Bible. What would you do if you discovered the Messiah were alive today? Living in New York. Sleeping with men. Impregnating young women. Euthanizing the dying, and healing the sick. Defying the government, and condemning the holy. What would you do if you met him? And he changed your life. Would you believe? Would you?The Final Testament of the Holy Bible.
It will change you. Hurt you. Scare you. Make you think differently. Live differently. Enrage you. Offend you. Open your eyes to the world in which we live. We've waited 2,000 years for the Messiah to arrive. We've waited 2,000 years for this book to be written. He was here. The Final Testament of the Holy Bible is the story of his life.
Now he has written his greatest work, his most revolutionary, his most controversial. The Final Testament of the Holy Bible. What would you do if you discovered the Messiah were alive today? Living in New York. Sleeping with men. Impregnating young women. Euthanizing the dying, and healing the sick. Defying the government, and condemning the holy. What would you do if you met him? And he changed your life. Would you believe? Would you?The Final Testament of the Holy Bible.
It will change you. Hurt you. Scare you. Make you think differently. Live differently. Enrage you. Offend you. Open your eyes to the world in which we live. We've waited 2,000 years for the Messiah to arrive. We've waited 2,000 years for this book to be written. He was here. The Final Testament of the Holy Bible is the story of his life.
398 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
James Frey
161 books2,987 followersJames Christopher Frey is an American writer and businessman. His first two books, A Million Little Pieces (2003) and My Friend Leonard (2005), were bestsellers marketed as memoirs. Large parts of the stories were later found to be exaggerated or fabricated, sparking a media controversy. His 2008 novel Bright Shiny Morning was also a bestseller.
Frey is the founder and CEO of Full Fathom Five. A transmedia production company, FFF is responsible for the young adult adventure/science fiction series The Lorien Legacies of seven books written by Frey and others, under the collective pen name Pittacus Lore. Frey's first book of the series, I Am Number Four (2010), was made into a feature film by DreamWorks Pictures. He is also the CEO of NYXL, an esports organization based in New York.
Frey is the founder and CEO of Full Fathom Five. A transmedia production company, FFF is responsible for the young adult adventure/science fiction series The Lorien Legacies of seven books written by Frey and others, under the collective pen name Pittacus Lore. Frey's first book of the series, I Am Number Four (2010), was made into a feature film by DreamWorks Pictures. He is also the CEO of NYXL, an esports organization based in New York.
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December 21, 2023
A VOLTE RITORNANO
La storia di Ben Jones, il cui vero nome era Ben Zion, è raccontata in prima persona da una serie di testimoni.
Alcuni si ripetono (ritornano): due volte parla Esther, la sorella di Ben, e tre volte Mariaangeles, vicina di casa, amica, amante del protagonista.
Ma, senza le ripetizioni, l’addizione porta al numero di tredici, che è la somma di dodici, come gli apostoli, e uno, che è la prostituta di colore nella quale è facile riconoscere la voce di una moderna Maria Maddalena.
Peccato che io abbia un’idiosincrasia congenita con le ortodossie religiose.
E anche con quelle poco ortodosse.
È proprio ogni religione, e fede, e dio, che mi fa storcere.
Allora perché mi sono imbarcato nella lettura di questo libro che è esplicito sin dal titolo?
Perché avevo voglia di “assaggiare” James Frey, e questo titolo è presente nel catalogo della mia biblioteca di zona: il che mi consente di prenderlo in prestito senza attese, restituirlo eventualmente dopo quarantacinque giorni invece del canonico mese, e aggiungerlo ad altri titoli, fino a un massimo di otto, invece dei soli quattro prestiti inter-bibliotecari che sono consentiti contemporaneamente.
Ma non ero pronto a una scrittura che mira basso tutte le volte, qualsiasi sia la voce e la testimonianza.
Ho poi letto da qualche parte che Frey usa ripetere ad alta voce quello che scrive, quasi a volerlo masticare, finché non suona esattamente come il parlato della strada, dei bar e ristoranti, del giornalaio d’angolo. È un procedimento che alla lunga secondo me mostra i suoi limiti.
E non ero pronto a una così vistosa mancanza di tonalità: è come se la scrittura di Frey, e la sua intenzione di partenza, fossero quelle di far sparire completamente tutta la gamma di sfumature intermedie, per concentrarsi solo sul bianco e/o nero.
Stancante. Stridente. Asfissiante.
E non ero pronto a una figura di messia (a volte ritornano) così terra terra, tra il buono di spirito e il povero di mente, tra il gentile e il debole. Il messia che ci hanno raccontato, quello chiamato Gesù, era figura di ben maggior caratura, sia morale che intellettuale.
Ben Jones, il cui vero nome era Ben Zion Avrohom, sembra un hippie fuori tempo massimo, un figlio dei fiori con quarant’anni di ritardo. E le cose che gli accadono da un certo punto del racconto in poi sembrano piuttosto ovvie e scontate.
E, quindi, no, non è stato un buon incontro. Men che meno bello.
La storia di Ben Jones, il cui vero nome era Ben Zion, è raccontata in prima persona da una serie di testimoni.
Alcuni si ripetono (ritornano): due volte parla Esther, la sorella di Ben, e tre volte Mariaangeles, vicina di casa, amica, amante del protagonista.
Ma, senza le ripetizioni, l’addizione porta al numero di tredici, che è la somma di dodici, come gli apostoli, e uno, che è la prostituta di colore nella quale è facile riconoscere la voce di una moderna Maria Maddalena.
Peccato che io abbia un’idiosincrasia congenita con le ortodossie religiose.
E anche con quelle poco ortodosse.
È proprio ogni religione, e fede, e dio, che mi fa storcere.
Allora perché mi sono imbarcato nella lettura di questo libro che è esplicito sin dal titolo?
Perché avevo voglia di “assaggiare” James Frey, e questo titolo è presente nel catalogo della mia biblioteca di zona: il che mi consente di prenderlo in prestito senza attese, restituirlo eventualmente dopo quarantacinque giorni invece del canonico mese, e aggiungerlo ad altri titoli, fino a un massimo di otto, invece dei soli quattro prestiti inter-bibliotecari che sono consentiti contemporaneamente.
Ma non ero pronto a una scrittura che mira basso tutte le volte, qualsiasi sia la voce e la testimonianza.
Ho poi letto da qualche parte che Frey usa ripetere ad alta voce quello che scrive, quasi a volerlo masticare, finché non suona esattamente come il parlato della strada, dei bar e ristoranti, del giornalaio d’angolo. È un procedimento che alla lunga secondo me mostra i suoi limiti.
E non ero pronto a una così vistosa mancanza di tonalità: è come se la scrittura di Frey, e la sua intenzione di partenza, fossero quelle di far sparire completamente tutta la gamma di sfumature intermedie, per concentrarsi solo sul bianco e/o nero.
Stancante. Stridente. Asfissiante.
E non ero pronto a una figura di messia (a volte ritornano) così terra terra, tra il buono di spirito e il povero di mente, tra il gentile e il debole. Il messia che ci hanno raccontato, quello chiamato Gesù, era figura di ben maggior caratura, sia morale che intellettuale.
Ben Jones, il cui vero nome era Ben Zion Avrohom, sembra un hippie fuori tempo massimo, un figlio dei fiori con quarant’anni di ritardo. E le cose che gli accadono da un certo punto del racconto in poi sembrano piuttosto ovvie e scontate.
E, quindi, no, non è stato un buon incontro. Men che meno bello.
April 26, 2011
Eh. I was hoping to proclaim this Frey’s best work. It sure starts off that way, and I think that says a lot coming from me ‘cause I sort of think he's a li’l punk. Definitely an interesting read, though, and the writing style is pure Frey (you either love him or hate him). He certainly tries to shock and awe, and even though I agree almost wholeheartedly with Frey’s views in this novel (the one area where I don’t is that I’m sort of pro-monogamy), and the idea of getting institutions like the Catholic Church all fired up absolutely intrigues me, I felt like it was altogether too preachy without actually delivering anything substantial—the plot kind of crashes and burns at the end. Definitely anticlimactic, and definitely not for everybody. In conclusion? I guess the Son of God is just way too horny, even for me.
August 17, 2016
I never really got the ranting angry bitter Goodreads reviews until now. Seriously, this is a terrible book. I'm not offended by the content or the characterization because I'm a grown up and can understand the concept of fiction. But holy shit you've got to be kidding me James Frey. You've got to be kidding me.
First off, let's address the thing about all of Frey's work. His writing sucks. His prose is atrocious. You know that rule that all beginning writers learn "show don't tell." And then you kind of figure out that okay I am allowed to "tell" a little bit. Frey's writing is all summary. It's all "tell" and no show. For writing about a Messiah who espouses the message that all that matters is right now and that the present is very important, the text and the narrative itself are absolutely flat. There's no immersion, I never felt like I was in the moment of the story. It was all summary. And it's not just this book. I've read chunks of Bright Shiny Morning. It's the same thing. It's all summary. Totally detached from any authentic immersion in the story. The only reason his first two books are any better is because they're about him.
Second, all the characters are flat. They're boring. They're all huge caricatures of inflated stereotypes. Apparently every religious person thinks that God is a wish granting factory that you need to wish and pray for extra hard in order to get it right. Also apparently the goal of organized religion is condemning people to hell and siezing power. It's lazy, flat writing. Frey doesn't want any of the antagonists to Ben Zion to have any depth or anything beyond "I always use to believe but now I don't because Ben touched me/had sex with me." Of course the stripper is ethnic and of course both black men are preoccupied with their resentment and anger towards the oppressive government.
Third, it's a troll book. The only reason this book was made was because Frey was like, let's see I can whine about religion a lot (remember he's the brave man that so heroically defeated addiction without completing the 12 step program in A Million Little Pieces) and I can just make my Jesus character as controversial as I want. So naturally a philandering bisexual non afterlife believing Messiah is the perfect troll. Thank Krishna I got this book at the library and didn't have to pay for it.
Please stop reading James Frey. Go read Lamb by Christopher Moore. Go read The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by Jose Sarmago.
I'm sorry to be such a bummer. I really hate reading these ranty, pithy types of reviews. If you follow mine I won't be such a bitch from now on. Okay? Cool.
First off, let's address the thing about all of Frey's work. His writing sucks. His prose is atrocious. You know that rule that all beginning writers learn "show don't tell." And then you kind of figure out that okay I am allowed to "tell" a little bit. Frey's writing is all summary. It's all "tell" and no show. For writing about a Messiah who espouses the message that all that matters is right now and that the present is very important, the text and the narrative itself are absolutely flat. There's no immersion, I never felt like I was in the moment of the story. It was all summary. And it's not just this book. I've read chunks of Bright Shiny Morning. It's the same thing. It's all summary. Totally detached from any authentic immersion in the story. The only reason his first two books are any better is because they're about him.
Second, all the characters are flat. They're boring. They're all huge caricatures of inflated stereotypes. Apparently every religious person thinks that God is a wish granting factory that you need to wish and pray for extra hard in order to get it right. Also apparently the goal of organized religion is condemning people to hell and siezing power. It's lazy, flat writing. Frey doesn't want any of the antagonists to Ben Zion to have any depth or anything beyond "I always use to believe but now I don't because Ben touched me/had sex with me." Of course the stripper is ethnic and of course both black men are preoccupied with their resentment and anger towards the oppressive government.
Third, it's a troll book. The only reason this book was made was because Frey was like, let's see I can whine about religion a lot (remember he's the brave man that so heroically defeated addiction without completing the 12 step program in A Million Little Pieces) and I can just make my Jesus character as controversial as I want. So naturally a philandering bisexual non afterlife believing Messiah is the perfect troll. Thank Krishna I got this book at the library and didn't have to pay for it.
Please stop reading James Frey. Go read Lamb by Christopher Moore. Go read The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by Jose Sarmago.
I'm sorry to be such a bummer. I really hate reading these ranty, pithy types of reviews. If you follow mine I won't be such a bitch from now on. Okay? Cool.
May 9, 2011
I bought this book from Amazon, after reading a short synopsis of it in the back pages of Grazia magazine.
I'm halfway through and I refuse to finish it.
I know how the story ends and oddly enough, this book moves me more than the actual bible. It makes me sad. It makes me think about life. And most of all, it makes me question religion. Most of the things Ben says are true- and because they're so true, it hit me so hard.
I loved the character of Mariangeles, a modern day version of Mary Magdalene- her story made me cry with joy, and sadness and the utter realness of her situation.
I still refuse to finish it. Maybe when I'm a little older than seventeen and I can grasp the ending maturely. Right about now I'll read it and be a blubbering mess.
This book is beautiful. It's real. And it's true.
And sometimes, I can't help but think if Ben Zion is real, and if he is, would I follow him into the tunnels under new york city, would I let him heal me? Would I shun him?
I hope not, for I would be the one to sorely lose it all.
Well done, James Frey. Well done.
I'm halfway through and I refuse to finish it.
I know how the story ends and oddly enough, this book moves me more than the actual bible. It makes me sad. It makes me think about life. And most of all, it makes me question religion. Most of the things Ben says are true- and because they're so true, it hit me so hard.
I loved the character of Mariangeles, a modern day version of Mary Magdalene- her story made me cry with joy, and sadness and the utter realness of her situation.
I still refuse to finish it. Maybe when I'm a little older than seventeen and I can grasp the ending maturely. Right about now I'll read it and be a blubbering mess.
This book is beautiful. It's real. And it's true.
And sometimes, I can't help but think if Ben Zion is real, and if he is, would I follow him into the tunnels under new york city, would I let him heal me? Would I shun him?
I hope not, for I would be the one to sorely lose it all.
Well done, James Frey. Well done.
May 15, 2011
I'm not a religious man by any means.
Growing up, my parents never involved me with any part of their religion. I was the kind of kid that had to attend church on Christmas and possibly Easter. Actually, organized religion sort of frightens me and I'm not really quite sure why. I think it has something to do with the religious fanatics that populate our world. Perhaps it's the fact that some wars are started or heavily involved due to religious beliefs; that or it's used as a motivational factor. I've often felt that the world would be a better place if we could all just do away with it altogether. I'm not saying that people who have religious beliefs are idiots - I just haven't really been exposed to the good side of it. So, you can appreciate why I was a little weary when I heard that this was to be the subject of Frey's next project. However, I remained hopeful.
When I read Frey's first foray into straight up fiction with 2008's Bright Shiny Morning, I was less than impressed with the results. I don't know what exactly rubbed me the wrong way - maybe my expectations were impossibly high after how much I loved his two-part autobiography; or maybe it just wasn't that great. Either way, even though I was anticipating his 4th release, I was approaching it with some sense of doubt.
Ben is a lonely alcoholic living in a small apartment in the Bronx. Even though his overly religious family and religious advisers had him pegged for greatness given the circumstances of his birth, Ben rejected it and remained confused the majority of his life. However, after a workplace accident nearly ends his life, Ben comes out a changed man. He suffers from extensive seizures in which during the instances, he believes he communicates with God. As the novel progresses, Ben becomes more and more influential in the lives he enters; almost establishing a cult or sorts. Told through the people he encounters, The Final Testament of the Holy Bible asks the question: "How would Christ be received if he graced us with His presence 2011 years later?" Evidently, fairly well.
I loved this book more than anything I've read this year so far. It firmly established my faith with Frey - that, if anything, Bright Shiny Morning was just a one-off, mediocre offering. His prose, while similar in all of his 4 releases (short sentences, no quotation marks, heavy on emotion), is one of my favorites to read. No one that I've read (at least not as of yet) can convey emotion so well when needed. Whether its through acts of love or hate, he makes me feel something for each character - each and every time.
As far as the religious material goes, I never feel like Frey had to club me over the head with it. He's said in interviews that he doesn't really know what his stance is on the whole idea of organized religion but you have to think he's writing this material from a familiar place; it feels far too passionate not to be.
Growing up, my parents never involved me with any part of their religion. I was the kind of kid that had to attend church on Christmas and possibly Easter. Actually, organized religion sort of frightens me and I'm not really quite sure why. I think it has something to do with the religious fanatics that populate our world. Perhaps it's the fact that some wars are started or heavily involved due to religious beliefs; that or it's used as a motivational factor. I've often felt that the world would be a better place if we could all just do away with it altogether. I'm not saying that people who have religious beliefs are idiots - I just haven't really been exposed to the good side of it. So, you can appreciate why I was a little weary when I heard that this was to be the subject of Frey's next project. However, I remained hopeful.
When I read Frey's first foray into straight up fiction with 2008's Bright Shiny Morning, I was less than impressed with the results. I don't know what exactly rubbed me the wrong way - maybe my expectations were impossibly high after how much I loved his two-part autobiography; or maybe it just wasn't that great. Either way, even though I was anticipating his 4th release, I was approaching it with some sense of doubt.
Ben is a lonely alcoholic living in a small apartment in the Bronx. Even though his overly religious family and religious advisers had him pegged for greatness given the circumstances of his birth, Ben rejected it and remained confused the majority of his life. However, after a workplace accident nearly ends his life, Ben comes out a changed man. He suffers from extensive seizures in which during the instances, he believes he communicates with God. As the novel progresses, Ben becomes more and more influential in the lives he enters; almost establishing a cult or sorts. Told through the people he encounters, The Final Testament of the Holy Bible asks the question: "How would Christ be received if he graced us with His presence 2011 years later?" Evidently, fairly well.
I loved this book more than anything I've read this year so far. It firmly established my faith with Frey - that, if anything, Bright Shiny Morning was just a one-off, mediocre offering. His prose, while similar in all of his 4 releases (short sentences, no quotation marks, heavy on emotion), is one of my favorites to read. No one that I've read (at least not as of yet) can convey emotion so well when needed. Whether its through acts of love or hate, he makes me feel something for each character - each and every time.
As far as the religious material goes, I never feel like Frey had to club me over the head with it. He's said in interviews that he doesn't really know what his stance is on the whole idea of organized religion but you have to think he's writing this material from a familiar place; it feels far too passionate not to be.
August 27, 2023
Tres estrellas entrecomilladas, pues lo he leído a trancas y barrancas y encima después de enamorarme de sus dos novelas Katerina y En mil pedazos, ambas geniales, y esperar, por tanto, algo más de esta.
Resumen resumido del libro: el Mesías ha llegado a Nueva York y revoluciona la vida de quienes va encontrando a su paso. Cada capítulo tiene un narrador diferente (aunque estén conectados) y la escritura es ligera e informal, aunque esta vez me ha parecido un poco forzada.
Es una novela diferente, este autor es especial, valiente y cultísimo (que no plasta), pero no he conectado con la historia. Otra vez será.
Resumen resumido del libro: el Mesías ha llegado a Nueva York y revoluciona la vida de quienes va encontrando a su paso. Cada capítulo tiene un narrador diferente (aunque estén conectados) y la escritura es ligera e informal, aunque esta vez me ha parecido un poco forzada.
Es una novela diferente, este autor es especial, valiente y cultísimo (que no plasta), pero no he conectado con la historia. Otra vez será.
January 18, 2012
Two words:
1. Blasphemous
2. Brilliant
First of all, the writing style in this book is SO James Frey. If I hadn’t known who the author was, I would have figured it out in a page or two.
I also loved the marketing/packaging. In a bible box, with silver edged pages, and all Ben's words in red. All that was missing (and I was surprised it was) was the attached ribbon book mark.
Being a relentless Christian, this book was a like a car wreck. It made me totally sick, but I couldn’t put it down. It didn’t shake my faith at all, as I compare the controversy to Harry Potter (This is fiction people!), but it really could blow someone’s mind if they are searching for the truth or new in their faith. I could see how the book could be dangerous.
Frey is so interesting to me. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!
1. Blasphemous
2. Brilliant
First of all, the writing style in this book is SO James Frey. If I hadn’t known who the author was, I would have figured it out in a page or two.
I also loved the marketing/packaging. In a bible box, with silver edged pages, and all Ben's words in red. All that was missing (and I was surprised it was) was the attached ribbon book mark.
Being a relentless Christian, this book was a like a car wreck. It made me totally sick, but I couldn’t put it down. It didn’t shake my faith at all, as I compare the controversy to Harry Potter (This is fiction people!), but it really could blow someone’s mind if they are searching for the truth or new in their faith. I could see how the book could be dangerous.
Frey is so interesting to me. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!
November 19, 2012
A man called Ben Zion working on a construction site gets brained by a massive piece of plate glass dropped by a crane but somehow doesn't die. Following his recovery he begins performing miracles, told in the book by his "disciples" - could he be the second coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, returned?
But this Messiah doesn't act like the Messiah in the Bible. He "loves" everyone sure, but does so sexually, literally instigating orgies and having sex with men and women. And while Ben Zion can quote Biblical verse, he doesn't reinforce the Christians' beliefs in a male God who watches and cares what his creations are doing below, and whether or not they follow the words of his Bible.
Blasphemy! is the knee-jerk reaction this setup is designed to provoke, at least amongst Christians, and written by who else but James Frey, notoriously told off by Oprah for lying about parts of his memoir "A Million Little Pieces". I think this book will definitely receive a lot more attention in the US where Christianity is far more prevalent than in Europe with the novel goading its readers with intentionally sacrilegious ideas.
Don't get me wrong, if I had to label myself it would be a secular humanist, and I certainly didn't object to Frey's messiah carrying on the way he did. But I do care about reading a good book and I felt that this was rather a weak effort. The story seemed to slow considerably in the second act and falter in the third before ending in the inevitable way.
I think this novel becomes tedious because Frey uses Ben Zion as a soap box rather than write him as a real character. There are lengthy passages on the wrongs of Christianity, arguments which most people are already aware of, but they became rather repetitive, as were the constant messages of love, love, love, and more love. I believe this is a totally worthwhile message, that love is the best thing about life, and that we should seek love and make no judgments on whether it's a man or a woman that we choose, but as part of a novel it was more than a bit dull to read again and again.
All of the narrators become followers and believers of Ben Zion and eventually begin parroting his message of love, so to read the same thing over and over for 150 pages is a bit much. And between Ben Zion leaving the subways until his eventual end, there isn't a whole lot that happens. Ben "loves" everyone, Christianity is mocked (they are an easy target, especially the Catholics - deservedly so), and... that was it?
I expected a bit more than a whole lotta humping. Granted there are some nice moments that are a wink to the reader at some of the Bible stories, like when Ben sits down to supper with his family for the first time in 16 years; he stands and picks up a plate of fish and begins to put them onto everyone's plates - "What are you doing Ben?" "Feeding you. Bread roll?".
"The Final Testament of the Holy Bible" was well written, enjoyable at times, well presented (the text is laid out like in the Bible, with chapters named after the characters, most of whom mirror the disciples' names), and some set pieces were certainly memorable. But as a fan of his last book, the excellent and frankly underrated "Bright Shiny Morning", I felt that this book was a bit flat. It felt like Frey was looking to antagonise the Christians and wasn't really interested in much else. But I think Frey is capable of better novels than this and I look forward to reading his next effort, hopefully realising that poking fun of Christians, fashionable as it is these days, isn't enough to sustain a novel. Not a terrible book by any means but not Frey's best and a bit disappointing in its repetitiveness.
But this Messiah doesn't act like the Messiah in the Bible. He "loves" everyone sure, but does so sexually, literally instigating orgies and having sex with men and women. And while Ben Zion can quote Biblical verse, he doesn't reinforce the Christians' beliefs in a male God who watches and cares what his creations are doing below, and whether or not they follow the words of his Bible.
Blasphemy! is the knee-jerk reaction this setup is designed to provoke, at least amongst Christians, and written by who else but James Frey, notoriously told off by Oprah for lying about parts of his memoir "A Million Little Pieces". I think this book will definitely receive a lot more attention in the US where Christianity is far more prevalent than in Europe with the novel goading its readers with intentionally sacrilegious ideas.
Don't get me wrong, if I had to label myself it would be a secular humanist, and I certainly didn't object to Frey's messiah carrying on the way he did. But I do care about reading a good book and I felt that this was rather a weak effort. The story seemed to slow considerably in the second act and falter in the third before ending in the inevitable way.
I think this novel becomes tedious because Frey uses Ben Zion as a soap box rather than write him as a real character. There are lengthy passages on the wrongs of Christianity, arguments which most people are already aware of, but they became rather repetitive, as were the constant messages of love, love, love, and more love. I believe this is a totally worthwhile message, that love is the best thing about life, and that we should seek love and make no judgments on whether it's a man or a woman that we choose, but as part of a novel it was more than a bit dull to read again and again.
All of the narrators become followers and believers of Ben Zion and eventually begin parroting his message of love, so to read the same thing over and over for 150 pages is a bit much. And between Ben Zion leaving the subways until his eventual end, there isn't a whole lot that happens. Ben "loves" everyone, Christianity is mocked (they are an easy target, especially the Catholics - deservedly so), and... that was it?
I expected a bit more than a whole lotta humping. Granted there are some nice moments that are a wink to the reader at some of the Bible stories, like when Ben sits down to supper with his family for the first time in 16 years; he stands and picks up a plate of fish and begins to put them onto everyone's plates - "What are you doing Ben?" "Feeding you. Bread roll?".
"The Final Testament of the Holy Bible" was well written, enjoyable at times, well presented (the text is laid out like in the Bible, with chapters named after the characters, most of whom mirror the disciples' names), and some set pieces were certainly memorable. But as a fan of his last book, the excellent and frankly underrated "Bright Shiny Morning", I felt that this book was a bit flat. It felt like Frey was looking to antagonise the Christians and wasn't really interested in much else. But I think Frey is capable of better novels than this and I look forward to reading his next effort, hopefully realising that poking fun of Christians, fashionable as it is these days, isn't enough to sustain a novel. Not a terrible book by any means but not Frey's best and a bit disappointing in its repetitiveness.
April 28, 2011
After months of hype (from both critics and Frey), "The Final Testament of the Holy Bible" finally landed in the US on Good Friday. As many readers and critics have said, the idea of Jesus Christ returning in the modern era is not exactly a fresh concept--but, then again, neither was a memoir of drug addiction, and Frey certainly knocked that one out of the park.
Let's set aside everything you know about Frey for a moment. "The Final Testament" is a much kinder and gentler book than you might expect (and hardly as blasphemous as critics predicted). In fact, the most shocking thing might be that Frey (a white male) writes from the POV of a diverse cast of characters (in terms of gender, race, and religion). He tells the story in the first-person from several different vantage points, a logical choice given the subject matter. Although some of the characters' stories end up being more interesting than others, their voices are all captivating and never feel inauthentic. The prose moves rather quickly. Fans of Chuck Palahniuk (who wrote his own Messiah book, "Survivor") and Denis Johnson ("Jesus' Son") will likely enjoy "The Final Testament."
A side note on the Gagosian Gallery limited edition: What a beautiful package. The press really nailed the look-and-feel of a King James Bible, from the embossed cover to the silver-flecked edges. If you read the ebook and enjoy it, I highly recommend springing for the limited edition print version.
Let's set aside everything you know about Frey for a moment. "The Final Testament" is a much kinder and gentler book than you might expect (and hardly as blasphemous as critics predicted). In fact, the most shocking thing might be that Frey (a white male) writes from the POV of a diverse cast of characters (in terms of gender, race, and religion). He tells the story in the first-person from several different vantage points, a logical choice given the subject matter. Although some of the characters' stories end up being more interesting than others, their voices are all captivating and never feel inauthentic. The prose moves rather quickly. Fans of Chuck Palahniuk (who wrote his own Messiah book, "Survivor") and Denis Johnson ("Jesus' Son") will likely enjoy "The Final Testament."
A side note on the Gagosian Gallery limited edition: What a beautiful package. The press really nailed the look-and-feel of a King James Bible, from the embossed cover to the silver-flecked edges. If you read the ebook and enjoy it, I highly recommend springing for the limited edition print version.
February 3, 2019
Náboženství je největší zlo, Bůh tak, jak ho vnímá většina světa, neexistuje, Bible je snůška sci-fi z doby kamenné a duše je blbost. Nebe ani peklo není, jediné, co je na světě důležité, je přítomný život a všeobjímající láska člověka k člověku. Milování. A já to s Benem Zionem, dle některých novým "Mesiášem", a všemi, kteří se s ním potkali a které změnil, prožívala a bavila se až do konce. A nemohlo to dopadnout jinak, než dopadlo.
Tahle kniha tu má spoustu rozporuplných hodnocení a v Česku je skoro neznámá (narozdíl od Freyových "drogových" románů). Ano, Frey je velmi doslovný (někdy je to fakt trochu otravné), ale má to svůj důvod - takový už asi je dokumentární postup, při kterém sbírá výpovědi "očitých svědků" a perfektně tak balancuje na hranici reality a fikce. Ano, Frey se očividně předvádí a pro někoho může být dost šokující (ale já nejsem "poslušná křesťanská holčička", takže "ahoj, Bene"). Ale nejpodstatnější je, že Frey sděluje hodně nosných myšlenek a věrohodnou reflexi mnohých církví, stejně jako současné (nejen) americké společnosti, která se díky svému přístupu k životu a k sobě navzájem řítí do záhuby. Byť pro mnohé asi v nepřijatelném hávu.
Tahle kniha tu má spoustu rozporuplných hodnocení a v Česku je skoro neznámá (narozdíl od Freyových "drogových" románů). Ano, Frey je velmi doslovný (někdy je to fakt trochu otravné), ale má to svůj důvod - takový už asi je dokumentární postup, při kterém sbírá výpovědi "očitých svědků" a perfektně tak balancuje na hranici reality a fikce. Ano, Frey se očividně předvádí a pro někoho může být dost šokující (ale já nejsem "poslušná křesťanská holčička", takže "ahoj, Bene"). Ale nejpodstatnější je, že Frey sděluje hodně nosných myšlenek a věrohodnou reflexi mnohých církví, stejně jako současné (nejen) americké společnosti, která se díky svému přístupu k životu a k sobě navzájem řítí do záhuby. Byť pro mnohé asi v nepřijatelném hávu.
April 25, 2011
Regardless of what you think of Frey, there is no denying the man's talent. I happen to think he's one of our finest writers and the Final Testament is like a summation of Frey's journey: bold, courageous, provocative,obscene, funny, heart-felt, outrageous, shocking, thoughtful, crazy, amazing, head-shaking, but most of all, unforgettable. The dude is fearless and if you're open enough, it's a journey well worth taking. A major work that will piss off many but fulfill many more.
May 3, 2011
I didn’t know anything about A Million Little Pieces before I read it. I didn’t know it had been marketed as a memoir rather than fiction so I totally missed the whole hype and scandal because I never thought it was anything other than fiction…fiction that I fell in love with it instantly. There’s something about his streamofconsciousness style that I just can’t get enough of, so simple, fierce yet beautiful in some way. When Bright Shiny Morning came out I was really disappointed so I didn’t know what to expect from Final Testament until I read somewhere that Frey is becoming the most hated writer in America. HA! Really?
Don’t get me wrong, I understand why this book is bound to create controversy, a guy who many perceive to be Jesus reborn, the Messiah, insisting that he’s just a man, that religion does nothing but spurn hate (have to agree with this one I’m afraid…to a point) and will end the world, who sleeps with almost everyone he encounters, including men…shock horror! But seriously, leave the man alone. He’s a writer. It’s fiction. Get over it. Oh, and it’s also pretty awesome.
It’s a bit ridiculous and it repeats itself a tad (love is all that matters, we got it), but I felt the same way reading this as I did AMLP…it’s hard to put into words, but James Frey is just a legend. FACT.
‘I had spent my life worshipping death, fearing it, obsessing over it, and living my life according to what a book says will happen when it comes…I came to understand that it’s no way to live, and that living is all we have and all we will ever have, and that is not to be wasted. That love is life. That life isn’t worth living without love. And that the Catholic Church, filled with celibate men who have no experience with it, has no right telling other people how to love or who to love or what kind of love is right or wrong.’ True Dat.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand why this book is bound to create controversy, a guy who many perceive to be Jesus reborn, the Messiah, insisting that he’s just a man, that religion does nothing but spurn hate (have to agree with this one I’m afraid…to a point) and will end the world, who sleeps with almost everyone he encounters, including men…shock horror! But seriously, leave the man alone. He’s a writer. It’s fiction. Get over it. Oh, and it’s also pretty awesome.
It’s a bit ridiculous and it repeats itself a tad (love is all that matters, we got it), but I felt the same way reading this as I did AMLP…it’s hard to put into words, but James Frey is just a legend. FACT.
‘I had spent my life worshipping death, fearing it, obsessing over it, and living my life according to what a book says will happen when it comes…I came to understand that it’s no way to live, and that living is all we have and all we will ever have, and that is not to be wasted. That love is life. That life isn’t worth living without love. And that the Catholic Church, filled with celibate men who have no experience with it, has no right telling other people how to love or who to love or what kind of love is right or wrong.’ True Dat.
August 12, 2011
What a difficult book to rate!
The first 100 pages were brilliant and I couldn't put it down. I was totally sucked in from the beginning and couldn't wait to find out what happened. I loved having the story unfold through the eyes of the different characters. I found it interesting how we never once got to hear the story from the protagonist's point of view. Although it would have been nice to see things through Ben's eyes I felt that this kept the story a bit more intriguing.
By the middle of the book Frey started losing steam. His stance on religion and politics took over and the message became monotonous to the point where I felt like he was trying to brainwash me. Saying the same thing over and over in different ways is not subtle and definitely annoying. Sometimes it felt like Frey was talking instead of the character Ben. Another thing I wasn't cool with was all the orgies. I'm not a prude or anything, but seriously I really don't think the path to God is through free love and orgies. I could be wrong, but I'm willing to remain in the dark on that one.
People who are religious may find this book offensive since it basically dismisses everything in the bible and claims that organized religion is destroying the world. Frey still believes that God exists, just not the way the bible says. I think ultimately a person believes what they believe and aren't going to change their mind because of one book. I certainly didn't. With an open mind it is definitely worth the read.
The first 100 pages were brilliant and I couldn't put it down. I was totally sucked in from the beginning and couldn't wait to find out what happened. I loved having the story unfold through the eyes of the different characters. I found it interesting how we never once got to hear the story from the protagonist's point of view. Although it would have been nice to see things through Ben's eyes I felt that this kept the story a bit more intriguing.
By the middle of the book Frey started losing steam. His stance on religion and politics took over and the message became monotonous to the point where I felt like he was trying to brainwash me. Saying the same thing over and over in different ways is not subtle and definitely annoying. Sometimes it felt like Frey was talking instead of the character Ben. Another thing I wasn't cool with was all the orgies. I'm not a prude or anything, but seriously I really don't think the path to God is through free love and orgies. I could be wrong, but I'm willing to remain in the dark on that one.
People who are religious may find this book offensive since it basically dismisses everything in the bible and claims that organized religion is destroying the world. Frey still believes that God exists, just not the way the bible says. I think ultimately a person believes what they believe and aren't going to change their mind because of one book. I certainly didn't. With an open mind it is definitely worth the read.
May 29, 2011
This book was written to be controversial and it certainly was. Basically, the book was about a man named Ben Zion Avrohom being born in the 20th century and he is Jesus Christ reborn. The story is written in different chapters each told from the viewpoint of a friend or family member of Ben, much like the New Testament. Even though Ben is the Messiah, he is not like anything people have been preaching about or expecting for 2000 years. He does drugs, he sleeps around with both men and women, he himself does not believe in religion or that God is actually a person, but more of a feeling. His main message, and the message in the Bible that I personally feel is most commonly looked over, is that everyone should love everyone equally regardless of who they are, what they do, or where they come from and that love IS god. That, and not the other things in the Bible that I think are completely antiquated and hypocritical, is a message I could totally get behind.
This book would have recieved 5 stars, however it got really repetitive and I felt like I kept reading some of the same sentences over and over again, but just said by different people. It also took me awhile to get through and was not in any way a light read, so if you're looking for something to take to the beach or to read in a day, this is not it. If you are at all offended by anyone taking a stab at Christianity, I would also shy away from this book.
One last thing, I don't give a shit what anyone says, James Frey knows how to write a book. I've read a lot of reviews of this book that mention his other work(mostly Million Little Pieces) and you can't even compare the two. So, if you are going into this one expecting something like that, OR if you are shying away from reading his other books because of the controversy with Oprah, that's about the dumbest thing in the world. I'm at the point where I'll read anything this guy puts out.
This book would have recieved 5 stars, however it got really repetitive and I felt like I kept reading some of the same sentences over and over again, but just said by different people. It also took me awhile to get through and was not in any way a light read, so if you're looking for something to take to the beach or to read in a day, this is not it. If you are at all offended by anyone taking a stab at Christianity, I would also shy away from this book.
One last thing, I don't give a shit what anyone says, James Frey knows how to write a book. I've read a lot of reviews of this book that mention his other work(mostly Million Little Pieces) and you can't even compare the two. So, if you are going into this one expecting something like that, OR if you are shying away from reading his other books because of the controversy with Oprah, that's about the dumbest thing in the world. I'm at the point where I'll read anything this guy puts out.
January 13, 2012
I wanted to read this book for 2 reasons. 1, James Frey, wonderful author. No matter what Oprah says, he is gifted and writes amazing books. 2, questions religion, which more people need to do.
This book had me from the beginning. I read it in 3 days and would stay up most of the night reading. It was that good. What I liked about it was the main character, Ben Zion. He is the an unexpected Messiah, who doesn't preach brimstone and fire. He talks about LOVE. That is the main focus of the book; LOVE. Love is the same no matter who it is between, a man and woman, a woman and woman, or a man and a man. It's love.
The book entwines peoples lives with Ben Zion and how he forms into the propheted messiah. He has a terrible accident that no one would have survived. He not only survives, but changes, becomes. His family change, his mom and his sister are held captive by his brother and forced to leave their Jewish faith and become Christian.
There is a slew of people that Ben Zion meets and his message to all of them is LOVE. Just love everyone the way you would want to be loved. The bible was written by man in the old days, those rules no longer apply. Things change but LOVE remains the same. Government, corrupt people and sinners at the ones who oppress in the name of religion. They don't want a man to love a man, God doesn't care. It's LOVE.
This book had me from the beginning. I read it in 3 days and would stay up most of the night reading. It was that good. What I liked about it was the main character, Ben Zion. He is the an unexpected Messiah, who doesn't preach brimstone and fire. He talks about LOVE. That is the main focus of the book; LOVE. Love is the same no matter who it is between, a man and woman, a woman and woman, or a man and a man. It's love.
The book entwines peoples lives with Ben Zion and how he forms into the propheted messiah. He has a terrible accident that no one would have survived. He not only survives, but changes, becomes. His family change, his mom and his sister are held captive by his brother and forced to leave their Jewish faith and become Christian.
There is a slew of people that Ben Zion meets and his message to all of them is LOVE. Just love everyone the way you would want to be loved. The bible was written by man in the old days, those rules no longer apply. Things change but LOVE remains the same. Government, corrupt people and sinners at the ones who oppress in the name of religion. They don't want a man to love a man, God doesn't care. It's LOVE.
May 3, 2011
Frey is a great storyteller, and this book is no exception.
September 3, 2011
James Frey does not cite it, but it is clear after reading The Final Testament Of The Holy Bible that he must be using John Lennon’s “All You Need Is Love” and “Imagine” (sprinkled with XTC’s “Dear God”) as his primary theology for his latest book. I only wish John Lennon had written this gospel – at least it would have had humour. Instead, despite all the crazy sex and the repeated organized religion smackdowns, the book is boring. Maybe this is why it didn’t register on the radar of even my most fundamentalist of Christian friends: the idea that people just need to have free love and abandon their adherence to any system is not so controversial as it is banal.
I tried to read it, as they say, with an open mind, and for the first 100 pages I could more or less stay with the story. The writing felt a bit awkward at times, since each chapter is written from a different character’s perspective. Some of the voices were believable, but others just didn’t seem to ring true. Nevertheless, it’s still admirable (or arrogant?) enough for an author to attempt to write outside of his comfort zone.
In the first quarter of the book, we find out that a seemingly average guy named Ben (but little do they know that he is born of a virgin!) who miraculously recovered from a horrible catastrophe is having seizure-induced visions that allow him to communicate with God. He brings this knowledge to a variety of people, and whenever he speaks, the text is red. As the novel continues, the pages progressively are filled with the red letters of Ben, and suddenly we find ourselves in the gospel according to James Frey.
At this point, the book became an endurance test for me. How much pontificating could I take before I needed to put the book down for good? I am happy to say that I have made it through, and now I can purge myself of all my negative reactions in the next few paragraphs.
I will try to present Frey’s gospel in as concise a way as possible. He begins by having Ben explain what he learns from the ongoing seizures:
“The first things allow me to understand God as God has been written, and portrayed, and worshipped. As people believe in God. The others allow me to understand how close we are to understanding the real God, the God that doesn’t need to be worshipped, that does not exist as we do, that does not judge us, that does not offer us anything more than we have.” (277)
This culminates in Ben’s sermon on the farmer’s field:
“Look up. Beyond what you see, beyond what lies behind what lies behind. What stretches out forever. That’s God. All of it is God. An infinite God that we can’t understand. That does not care about our little lives. That is beyond caring about anything, anywhere in this infinite universe. Look up and see God. Look up. Look up.” (321)
This seems to bring up a fundamental flaw in Frey’s novel: if God doesn’t care about people – why does he speak to Ben? Did they accidentally cross wires? If all those monotheistic religions are ridiculous, how come Ben appears to be the messiah foretold in the Jewish scriptures? Did the “man-made” religion just happen to get it right? Did the God who doesn’t care about people’s little lives care enough to communicate through this silly man-made religion? I think Frey doesn’t care. Much of this novel just seems to be designed to offend what he understands to be the religious right (this is how the “controversial” book was marketed). Here are some fine examples:
“Look around you. This world is not that world. Those books were written for that world. Those books are dead. They should be taken out of every church on earth and recycled, so they may at least do some good in this world. The oldest and most beautiful copies are historical curiosities and should be put in museums.” (202)
“God doesn’t know you exist, and doesn’t care about you.” (258)
“Revelations is a stone age science fiction story.” (258)
“I’ve been going to churches, synagogues, and mosques, trying to understand why people believe, despite the fact that what is said in these places is ridiculous.” (259)
“Love and laughter and fucking make one’s life better. Worship is just the passing of time.”(259)
The final quotation above captures much of what the new messiah is about. We don’t get as much worship as we do get loving, laughing, and lots and lots of copulating. Sex seems to be the main thrust (no pun intended) of this new gospel’s message in the second half of the book:
“True love isn’t about anything other than how it makes you feel. And if it makes you feel good, keep doing it, regardless of how other people may think of it or feel.” (308)
The crippling notions of fidelity and duty are tossed aside and we have this new gem that somehow, we’ve all heard before. Monogamy is for the prudes! Celibacy is for judgmental nuts! We’re all animals!
It’s surprisingly boring. The messiah gets it on with as many people as he can, and they start to get it on with each other. Their minds are free and they are full of joy. And the reader finds himself skimming the pages, trying to find something to catch his interest.
Maybe this is Frey’s unpardonable sin. His Final Testament Of The Holy Bible is boring. At least Revelation knew how to go out in a flourish. That one has a great judgment, a final war, and a newly created heaven and earth. It just missing the overt sex, I guess. But if I’m looking for a Christ-type who’s into loving, laughing, and copulating, I’ll go with R.P. McMurphy from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Frey seems to be channeling that novel in the last few chapters of the book (I won’t spoil it for you, although I’d love to spare you the time). Comparing those books seems to be as great as a crime as the blasphemy that Frey is trying so hard to create in this unfortunate novel.
I tried to read it, as they say, with an open mind, and for the first 100 pages I could more or less stay with the story. The writing felt a bit awkward at times, since each chapter is written from a different character’s perspective. Some of the voices were believable, but others just didn’t seem to ring true. Nevertheless, it’s still admirable (or arrogant?) enough for an author to attempt to write outside of his comfort zone.
In the first quarter of the book, we find out that a seemingly average guy named Ben (but little do they know that he is born of a virgin!) who miraculously recovered from a horrible catastrophe is having seizure-induced visions that allow him to communicate with God. He brings this knowledge to a variety of people, and whenever he speaks, the text is red. As the novel continues, the pages progressively are filled with the red letters of Ben, and suddenly we find ourselves in the gospel according to James Frey.
At this point, the book became an endurance test for me. How much pontificating could I take before I needed to put the book down for good? I am happy to say that I have made it through, and now I can purge myself of all my negative reactions in the next few paragraphs.
I will try to present Frey’s gospel in as concise a way as possible. He begins by having Ben explain what he learns from the ongoing seizures:
“The first things allow me to understand God as God has been written, and portrayed, and worshipped. As people believe in God. The others allow me to understand how close we are to understanding the real God, the God that doesn’t need to be worshipped, that does not exist as we do, that does not judge us, that does not offer us anything more than we have.” (277)
This culminates in Ben’s sermon on the farmer’s field:
“Look up. Beyond what you see, beyond what lies behind what lies behind. What stretches out forever. That’s God. All of it is God. An infinite God that we can’t understand. That does not care about our little lives. That is beyond caring about anything, anywhere in this infinite universe. Look up and see God. Look up. Look up.” (321)
This seems to bring up a fundamental flaw in Frey’s novel: if God doesn’t care about people – why does he speak to Ben? Did they accidentally cross wires? If all those monotheistic religions are ridiculous, how come Ben appears to be the messiah foretold in the Jewish scriptures? Did the “man-made” religion just happen to get it right? Did the God who doesn’t care about people’s little lives care enough to communicate through this silly man-made religion? I think Frey doesn’t care. Much of this novel just seems to be designed to offend what he understands to be the religious right (this is how the “controversial” book was marketed). Here are some fine examples:
“Look around you. This world is not that world. Those books were written for that world. Those books are dead. They should be taken out of every church on earth and recycled, so they may at least do some good in this world. The oldest and most beautiful copies are historical curiosities and should be put in museums.” (202)
“God doesn’t know you exist, and doesn’t care about you.” (258)
“Revelations is a stone age science fiction story.” (258)
“I’ve been going to churches, synagogues, and mosques, trying to understand why people believe, despite the fact that what is said in these places is ridiculous.” (259)
“Love and laughter and fucking make one’s life better. Worship is just the passing of time.”(259)
The final quotation above captures much of what the new messiah is about. We don’t get as much worship as we do get loving, laughing, and lots and lots of copulating. Sex seems to be the main thrust (no pun intended) of this new gospel’s message in the second half of the book:
“True love isn’t about anything other than how it makes you feel. And if it makes you feel good, keep doing it, regardless of how other people may think of it or feel.” (308)
The crippling notions of fidelity and duty are tossed aside and we have this new gem that somehow, we’ve all heard before. Monogamy is for the prudes! Celibacy is for judgmental nuts! We’re all animals!
It’s surprisingly boring. The messiah gets it on with as many people as he can, and they start to get it on with each other. Their minds are free and they are full of joy. And the reader finds himself skimming the pages, trying to find something to catch his interest.
Maybe this is Frey’s unpardonable sin. His Final Testament Of The Holy Bible is boring. At least Revelation knew how to go out in a flourish. That one has a great judgment, a final war, and a newly created heaven and earth. It just missing the overt sex, I guess. But if I’m looking for a Christ-type who’s into loving, laughing, and copulating, I’ll go with R.P. McMurphy from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Frey seems to be channeling that novel in the last few chapters of the book (I won’t spoil it for you, although I’d love to spare you the time). Comparing those books seems to be as great as a crime as the blasphemy that Frey is trying so hard to create in this unfortunate novel.
September 25, 2011
This is the most hippy book I have read; more hippy than a beat has ever written, with the clear message that “love and laughter and fucking make one’s life better” (pag 259)
Hearing that James Frey has been sued by his readers, I couldn’t wait to read “The Final Testament of the Holy Bible”. But I had to wait three months until the only copy from the Danish Public Library became available. And, of course, I had great expectations, which only partially were fulfilled. The subject is challenging: what would it actually be like if the Messiah arrived, or if Christ returned? The concept is original: a story of Messiah, as that of Jesus Christ from the Old and New Testament. The idea is quite simple: the only religion that should be on earth is LOVE. No matter it is spiritual or physical. Most physical, since the orgasm is “the closest thing any human on earth would ever know about the Heaven “ (pag. 232).
And Messiah, as he came now, is given by the perspective of his family (mother and sister), of acquaintances, friends and followers. And the story is interesting until page 216, after which everything starts to repeat, over and over again. The message of love (love between man and woman, between man and man, between woman and woman, between man/woman and many others) becomes a cliché, a redundancy and a reduction. It becomes really boring to hear the same idea all over again in different circumstances, but almost within the same words: the religion is a shit and the humanity is going to destroy itself in the name of greed and religion.
The characters are sketches, but I believe that Frey did not purposely want to develop them further. He simple counted on the archetypes of their name: Ruth, Jeremiah, Matthew, John, Luke, Mark, Judith, Peter. But not Esther, who, in my opinion, is the most confusing character (she is old enough to sign her mother hospital papers, but “too young” to leave his older brother and live her life!).
I liked the first half and I became bored of the second. It was not only the repetition that annoyed me, but mostly the reductivism of thought that only “love and fucking” can save the world. This book is definitely challenging, but is far away of being a revolutionary book, as the back cover promised us.
Hearing that James Frey has been sued by his readers, I couldn’t wait to read “The Final Testament of the Holy Bible”. But I had to wait three months until the only copy from the Danish Public Library became available. And, of course, I had great expectations, which only partially were fulfilled. The subject is challenging: what would it actually be like if the Messiah arrived, or if Christ returned? The concept is original: a story of Messiah, as that of Jesus Christ from the Old and New Testament. The idea is quite simple: the only religion that should be on earth is LOVE. No matter it is spiritual or physical. Most physical, since the orgasm is “the closest thing any human on earth would ever know about the Heaven “ (pag. 232).
And Messiah, as he came now, is given by the perspective of his family (mother and sister), of acquaintances, friends and followers. And the story is interesting until page 216, after which everything starts to repeat, over and over again. The message of love (love between man and woman, between man and man, between woman and woman, between man/woman and many others) becomes a cliché, a redundancy and a reduction. It becomes really boring to hear the same idea all over again in different circumstances, but almost within the same words: the religion is a shit and the humanity is going to destroy itself in the name of greed and religion.
The characters are sketches, but I believe that Frey did not purposely want to develop them further. He simple counted on the archetypes of their name: Ruth, Jeremiah, Matthew, John, Luke, Mark, Judith, Peter. But not Esther, who, in my opinion, is the most confusing character (she is old enough to sign her mother hospital papers, but “too young” to leave his older brother and live her life!).
I liked the first half and I became bored of the second. It was not only the repetition that annoyed me, but mostly the reductivism of thought that only “love and fucking” can save the world. This book is definitely challenging, but is far away of being a revolutionary book, as the back cover promised us.
August 15, 2016
I picked up this book both because I liked "A Million Little Pieces" and because I wanted to challenge myself. Not in a literary sense, because Frey is a writer who doesn't really hassle himself over creating elaborate or complex sentences--he pretty much spells everything out for you and doesn't often use punctuation other than RAMPANT PERIODS (not the first time I've said that phrase, heh). Periods everywhere (again, heh). But I knew this book would challenge me in that the subject matter would be difficult to read for my mormon-bred brain. The premise of this book is essentially blasphemous, probably, since it's about a modern messiah who preaches vehemently against religion. I read it to open my mind to the possibility that a messiah could ever be that way. I was disappointed with the execution of the story and writing, but the idea is fascinating and made my brain happy, exploring corners of the subject I had never considered before.
That being said, the OBVIOUS political motives of the book annoyed me, which doesn't necessarily mean that I disagree with them. But I would have liked them to be more nuanced. I like figuring out what you're trying to say myself, Mr. Frey.
Anyways. Read it if you wanna, and if you're open to things that are meant to be offensive and jarring.
"That was what mattered. That we were all human beings and we were loving other human beings. And that's God. Not some silly man with a beard wearing a robe, sitting in a gold chair in the clouds. Not some angry man who knows everything and says what is right and wrong. Not some old man in Italy talking nonsense, or some crazy man in the American South judging everyone. Not some man in Pakistan who thinks he has the right to kill, or some man in Israel who thinks he has the right to oppress. God is not a person or a man or even a being of any kind. God is loving other human beings. God is treating everyone you meet as if you love them. God is forgetting we're all different and loving each other as if we're all the same. God is what you feel when there's love in your heart. It's an awesome feeling. And it's the real God. The only real God."
That being said, the OBVIOUS political motives of the book annoyed me, which doesn't necessarily mean that I disagree with them. But I would have liked them to be more nuanced. I like figuring out what you're trying to say myself, Mr. Frey.
Anyways. Read it if you wanna, and if you're open to things that are meant to be offensive and jarring.
"That was what mattered. That we were all human beings and we were loving other human beings. And that's God. Not some silly man with a beard wearing a robe, sitting in a gold chair in the clouds. Not some angry man who knows everything and says what is right and wrong. Not some old man in Italy talking nonsense, or some crazy man in the American South judging everyone. Not some man in Pakistan who thinks he has the right to kill, or some man in Israel who thinks he has the right to oppress. God is not a person or a man or even a being of any kind. God is loving other human beings. God is treating everyone you meet as if you love them. God is forgetting we're all different and loving each other as if we're all the same. God is what you feel when there's love in your heart. It's an awesome feeling. And it's the real God. The only real God."
May 22, 2011
I'm disappointed.
I should first explain that I am a Frey fan-girl. I read A Million Little Pieces when I was a teenager and I've been hooked on his work ever since. I thought Bright Shiny Morning was amazing despite what a lot of the critics were saying, some of the characters in that novel are unforgettable. So when The Final Testament came out I ran to the bookshops and hugged and cradled my hardback copy.
My main issue with the book is its core message: the idea that religion causes division between people but love, on the other hand, can save us from our most hellish lives. Well that's nothing new, especially after Camping's rapture failed I think it's apparent that a lot of us believe in "love", a binding between people no matter what race/sexuality/status they are from. This isn't a revolutionary message as it says rather loudly on the back of Frey's book, this isn't anything new or "controversial", for a lot of people, for a lot of non-believers, this is already a fact. Maybe if I gave this book to that man in town who clutches his Bible whilst telling us we're all sinners, maybe he'd find this book shocking and controversial or what not, but to most Frey-readers it just isn't.
In the John Murray youtube video that promotes this book, the reporter places Frey's text next to other "controversial" texts like Rushdie's Satanic Verses and Darwin's The Origins Of Species....really? Frey, it's safe to say I'm your biggest fan (or was), I even dedicated my Undergrad dissertation to you, but you haven't exactly written The Origins of Species.
There are some really great bits in this novel, especially scenes regarding an apocalyptic gang that live in abandoned tunnels. However a lot of the character sketches are repetitive and lack that uniquely destructive but deeply human element that Frey's characters possessed in Bright Shiny Morning.
I'm really bummed about this one Frey. Screw you.
I should first explain that I am a Frey fan-girl. I read A Million Little Pieces when I was a teenager and I've been hooked on his work ever since. I thought Bright Shiny Morning was amazing despite what a lot of the critics were saying, some of the characters in that novel are unforgettable. So when The Final Testament came out I ran to the bookshops and hugged and cradled my hardback copy.
My main issue with the book is its core message: the idea that religion causes division between people but love, on the other hand, can save us from our most hellish lives. Well that's nothing new, especially after Camping's rapture failed I think it's apparent that a lot of us believe in "love", a binding between people no matter what race/sexuality/status they are from. This isn't a revolutionary message as it says rather loudly on the back of Frey's book, this isn't anything new or "controversial", for a lot of people, for a lot of non-believers, this is already a fact. Maybe if I gave this book to that man in town who clutches his Bible whilst telling us we're all sinners, maybe he'd find this book shocking and controversial or what not, but to most Frey-readers it just isn't.
In the John Murray youtube video that promotes this book, the reporter places Frey's text next to other "controversial" texts like Rushdie's Satanic Verses and Darwin's The Origins Of Species....really? Frey, it's safe to say I'm your biggest fan (or was), I even dedicated my Undergrad dissertation to you, but you haven't exactly written The Origins of Species.
There are some really great bits in this novel, especially scenes regarding an apocalyptic gang that live in abandoned tunnels. However a lot of the character sketches are repetitive and lack that uniquely destructive but deeply human element that Frey's characters possessed in Bright Shiny Morning.
I'm really bummed about this one Frey. Screw you.
January 5, 2012
Yes, this did begin just as I hoped it would . It was James Frey at his very best. I couldn't put it down and I couldn't stop thinking about what was going to eventuate. Frey is the only author I've ever read who has perfected the art of turning his reader into an addict. As a reader you are instantly addicted to the waves of shock, suspense and brutal honesty. The first third of this novel was exactly that - shocking, amazingly honest and downright addictive. And then, I became furious with Frey for pulling back and slowing things down. Situations became a little trickier to follow and characters who were newly introduced became a tiny bit predictable and far less captivating. I was seriously mad about not having the shock and suspense given to me to feed my Frey addiction.
Things became more interesting and captivating again towards the close of the story. Were the much talked about and disliked orgies unnecessary and were the declarations regarding religion and corruption self-indulgent? Perhaps. But after all, it's the authors perogative to present us with what HE feels is really necessary to present the experiences and feelings that his characters possess.
Frey's writing manner and what he is brave enough to publish really do frighten and shock me at times... And that's why I love his work more them anyone else's! This is a must read for any devotee.
Things became more interesting and captivating again towards the close of the story. Were the much talked about and disliked orgies unnecessary and were the declarations regarding religion and corruption self-indulgent? Perhaps. But after all, it's the authors perogative to present us with what HE feels is really necessary to present the experiences and feelings that his characters possess.
Frey's writing manner and what he is brave enough to publish really do frighten and shock me at times... And that's why I love his work more them anyone else's! This is a must read for any devotee.
June 4, 2012
I hate to agree with the masses, but most of the reviews are right on. The beginning of the book was awesome. Ghetto-drug-addict-hooker-baby-mama is totally transformed by the love of a free-wheeling hippie who makes her feel like she IS somebody. Loved it. But as the story progresses and each character relates his or her own version of a relationship with Ben, a pattern emerges, and then repetition ensues.
Okay, I get it. I get it. Religion bad. Love good. No heaven or hell. Just this life. And the point is made 50 times until it becomes melodrama. By the third quarter of the book I just wasn't having any of it. And that's coming from a lesbian atheist. So I can imagine what conventional people must be thinking.
Unlike some of the other reviewers, who thought the characters were somewhat uni-dimensional however, I think Frey's characters were intentionally created to represent typical modern-day mindsets: the Rabbinical scholar, the good ol' white boy, the gay boy brainwashed into substituting Jesus for his physical pleasures, etc. Pretty much anyone who picks up the book will find themselves in it.
And now for a little constructive criticism. Frey, if you're listening, here's what might have made the difference between a mixed review and a great review: tailor the message to the mindset. You can't convince everyone with your dick.
Okay, I get it. I get it. Religion bad. Love good. No heaven or hell. Just this life. And the point is made 50 times until it becomes melodrama. By the third quarter of the book I just wasn't having any of it. And that's coming from a lesbian atheist. So I can imagine what conventional people must be thinking.
Unlike some of the other reviewers, who thought the characters were somewhat uni-dimensional however, I think Frey's characters were intentionally created to represent typical modern-day mindsets: the Rabbinical scholar, the good ol' white boy, the gay boy brainwashed into substituting Jesus for his physical pleasures, etc. Pretty much anyone who picks up the book will find themselves in it.
And now for a little constructive criticism. Frey, if you're listening, here's what might have made the difference between a mixed review and a great review: tailor the message to the mindset. You can't convince everyone with your dick.
January 23, 2014
I am a self-profound Atheist, but when I was reading the bio on this book it reminded me of Frey's other book Bright Shiny Morning. Since I loved that book, I thought this would be an interesting choice because of it's relation to religion and the comparison in how the story was told from the view points of various characters. I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this book and the way that one character in the book was the sole purpose for how the other characters were linked. The story is written on the premises that this gentleman is the Messiah, and that he is to bring change and love to the world. Even though there is an intertwining of religions, it focuses on the fact that essentially all religions are based on the same philosophy of promoting change and love. When you are reading you feel like you get to know each character on a deeply personal level, and how the premise of the story relates to them directly and indirectly. A well written piece of literature that if you are curious about religion but do not believe in it, you may want to explore this avenue.
As much as OPRAH bashed Frey for A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard, he continues to prove her wrong by turning out fabulous writing that poses questions to topics that are of high priority. Kudos to Frey for continuing his love of writing.
As much as OPRAH bashed Frey for A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard, he continues to prove her wrong by turning out fabulous writing that poses questions to topics that are of high priority. Kudos to Frey for continuing his love of writing.
October 3, 2011
After reading Quo Vadis and its glowing fictional story centered on the beginning of Christianity, it seemed only appropriate to read James Frey's "The Final Testament Of The Holy Bible." In this, Frey's latest novel, the Messiah comes to one of the boroughs of NY, and it's as messy as you'd expect. The plot unfolds as a series of witness narratives, testaments as it were, although we sometimes refer to accounts like this as social histories in the style of a Studs Terkel, or even that of Max Brooks in World War Z. Frey's Messiah has a different take on many/most doctrines espoused by modern Christians, which shouldn't be surprising if you've read his "enhanced" memoir, A Thousand Little Pieces. He rejected AA and the other 12-step programs urged on him in the course of his alcohol/drug recovery because he wouldn't agree with the "higher power" components of those programs. Well in "The Final Testament," Frey shows us what any higher power he could believe in would be like. Fascinating book; extremely hard to put down; very well told; and quite a surprising plot. I liked it a LOT.
September 15, 2012
I know Frey in controversial. I don't care. He's a great storyteller. I've liked all his work and I think the first chapter of A Million Little Pages is one of the best first-person hooks ever. This book is pretty special. With the title he just courts controversy and the first edition I have looks like a bible: small format, tissue pages with silver edges, a (faux?) leather cover. So the actual edition sets the tone perfectly. The book itself is a really interesting story which effectively asks us what happens with the second coming. How do we know, do we believe, how can we explain the inexplicable? Do you have faith or are you a fool? And if the messiah comes to this environment, does the message have any hope of succeeding?
Whether you're a believer or not, in any faith, I think the book poses some excellent questions about the world we live in now. If you're a non-believer you have to suspend disbelief and go with the what-if scenario proposed. If you are a believer, you need to let go of the first impulse to be outraged. I think the big questions here are worthy of reflection for all of us.
Whether you're a believer or not, in any faith, I think the book poses some excellent questions about the world we live in now. If you're a non-believer you have to suspend disbelief and go with the what-if scenario proposed. If you are a believer, you need to let go of the first impulse to be outraged. I think the big questions here are worthy of reflection for all of us.
June 7, 2011
I'm totally torn on how to review this book. Was it interesting? Oh yes, incredibly so. There were times I wanted to give it a 3 because, frankly, all the orgy stuff was just a little too extreme to me in the context of the book itself. I wanted to wait a few days before I reviewed it to think on it and it is my perception that Mr. Frey chose extreme as his theme throughout the book on purpose. To be the extreme opposite of the religious right. Mr. Frey hits on many huge points that are cracks in the armor of certain religious Christian hypocrisy when taken too far...the very reason people are fleeing the Christian church in record numbers today. The common theme is do as I say, not as I do. If we are judging people based on their choices and actions and saying it is in the name of the "Lord", then that is not the idea of Jesus that I have in my head. My idea of Jesus is a loving, patient, non-judgmental soul who will be with you no matter what - pretty much the "Ben" in this book (but minus the orgy stuff...lol).
May 21, 2011
All you need to know about this book to save to the time and energy to read something that tries SOOOO darned hard to be controversial and edgy:
Quote page 152: "Love and laughter and f@*king make one's life better. Worship is just the passing of time."
and surprise surprise-- the "Jesus" figure, Ben, is persecuted for spreading this new dogma. not offended at all b/c a lot of the concepts i agree with-- just so darned BORING to read versions of this same concept over and over again. i get it-- f@*king = good; religion = bad.
Quote page 152: "Love and laughter and f@*king make one's life better. Worship is just the passing of time."
and surprise surprise-- the "Jesus" figure, Ben, is persecuted for spreading this new dogma. not offended at all b/c a lot of the concepts i agree with-- just so darned BORING to read versions of this same concept over and over again. i get it-- f@*king = good; religion = bad.
March 13, 2017
Yeah. When the James Frey/Oprah thing happened, I felt bad for Frey. I thought he'd been made into a martyr by a media darling who'd finally overplayed her hand. Eventually I read Frey for myself. No, not A Million Little Pieces, but the later, entirely literary effort Bright Shiny Morning, and I liked it and I thought once again about the raw deal Frey got from Oprah. Then I heard that he'd written The Final Testament, and I thought, that's just perfect. Finally he would justify his real worth.
Turns out...Yeah. Turns out Frey kind of deserved the Oprah thing. Turns out, she knowingly or otherwise helped expose a publishing sin, that because frauds like Frey still exist, she really just handled it poorly, and no one really learned anything.
Because the thing is, Frey exploited gullible publishers who are only interested in a gullible public. He knew that he could get away with anything, have marginal talent, limited talent, and even survive a massive controversy, and still emerge with a viable literary career. Because all he did and wanted to do was make a name for himself.
If nothing else, Final Testament makes that perfectly clear. This is Frey telling an allegorical version of his own "awful" betrayal at the hands of Oprah, the media, and any readers who actually gave a shit about any of that. And, his horribly misguided attempt to update Jesus for the 21st century.
Because that's what this is, too. It's also Frey continuing to deny any need to admit his own shortcomings, any errors of judgment he may have made. Just a lot of self-justifying bullshit. He believes now, the people who abandoned his grand triumphant literary parade, they'll come back, because this is a story about a guy standing up for all the right things. Right?
Except he's just filling himself up with the same excuses that caused him to fall into the bad habits and experiences, however exaggerated, that he first made his name writing about.
To agree or be offended by his conclusions about religion, about Jesus, about life, is beside the point. This is the work of a hack who should never have been given the time of day, but was because he had something shocking to say. Today we call that being Donald Trump.
But of course we never learn. Of course we don't. We're able to convince ourselves of whatever nonsense we want to believe. Technically this book is against that. But it's also a book that's all about embracing it.
In another age, Frey is saying with this book, he would've been embraced for writing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Or Naked Lunch. But he's just not that good. Can we just accept that and move on already?
Turns out...Yeah. Turns out Frey kind of deserved the Oprah thing. Turns out, she knowingly or otherwise helped expose a publishing sin, that because frauds like Frey still exist, she really just handled it poorly, and no one really learned anything.
Because the thing is, Frey exploited gullible publishers who are only interested in a gullible public. He knew that he could get away with anything, have marginal talent, limited talent, and even survive a massive controversy, and still emerge with a viable literary career. Because all he did and wanted to do was make a name for himself.
If nothing else, Final Testament makes that perfectly clear. This is Frey telling an allegorical version of his own "awful" betrayal at the hands of Oprah, the media, and any readers who actually gave a shit about any of that. And, his horribly misguided attempt to update Jesus for the 21st century.
Because that's what this is, too. It's also Frey continuing to deny any need to admit his own shortcomings, any errors of judgment he may have made. Just a lot of self-justifying bullshit. He believes now, the people who abandoned his grand triumphant literary parade, they'll come back, because this is a story about a guy standing up for all the right things. Right?
Except he's just filling himself up with the same excuses that caused him to fall into the bad habits and experiences, however exaggerated, that he first made his name writing about.
To agree or be offended by his conclusions about religion, about Jesus, about life, is beside the point. This is the work of a hack who should never have been given the time of day, but was because he had something shocking to say. Today we call that being Donald Trump.
But of course we never learn. Of course we don't. We're able to convince ourselves of whatever nonsense we want to believe. Technically this book is against that. But it's also a book that's all about embracing it.
In another age, Frey is saying with this book, he would've been embraced for writing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Or Naked Lunch. But he's just not that good. Can we just accept that and move on already?
January 13, 2022
Ben Zion Avrohom literally looks like:
I want to first clarify that my opinion of this book has nothing to do with the religious content. I would say A Million Little Pieces by James Frey is one of my favorite books and The Final Testament of the Holy Bible could be one of the worst books I have ever read to date.
This book can be completely summarized by these words of the returned Jesus aka Ben:
Miracle sex, telling worshippers that the Bible is just outdated stories, and disappearing from situations is all that Ben does.
The book ends how it begins. No reckoning happens since humanity is doomed to destroy itself anyways. The returned Messiah, Ben, heals the misfits and the unfortunate of New York by having sex with them or by whispering in their ear that he loves them. This book draaaaaaaaags on since it is a collection of interviews of different witnesses to Ben's "miracles". The recollection of events of all the characters repeat the same thing - he is a prophet, he glows, he touched them and they never felt love like that before, they felt like electricity rush through them, and it felt like they have been healed.
This book would go in the trash to join Ben where he rummages for food, BUT the hardcover copy was FIFTY DOLLARS when it was released in 2011. Teenaged Sam who was a fan of Frey wasted her hard-earned money on this.
I want to first clarify that my opinion of this book has nothing to do with the religious content. I would say A Million Little Pieces by James Frey is one of my favorite books and The Final Testament of the Holy Bible could be one of the worst books I have ever read to date.
This book can be completely summarized by these words of the returned Jesus aka Ben:
"Love and laughter and fucking makes one's life better. Worship is just the passing of time."
Miracle sex, telling worshippers that the Bible is just outdated stories, and disappearing from situations is all that Ben does.
The book ends how it begins. No reckoning happens since humanity is doomed to destroy itself anyways. The returned Messiah, Ben, heals the misfits and the unfortunate of New York by having sex with them or by whispering in their ear that he loves them. This book draaaaaaaaags on since it is a collection of interviews of different witnesses to Ben's "miracles". The recollection of events of all the characters repeat the same thing - he is a prophet, he glows, he touched them and they never felt love like that before, they felt like electricity rush through them, and it felt like they have been healed.
This book would go in the trash to join Ben where he rummages for food, BUT the hardcover copy was FIFTY DOLLARS when it was released in 2011. Teenaged Sam who was a fan of Frey wasted her hard-earned money on this.
July 4, 2019
"God does not care what we say or who we fuck, or what we do with our bodies or who we love... God does not give a fuck," so says Fray's magnificent Messiah, Ben Zion.
Amen to that, brother!
The Final Testament of the Holy Bible follows Zion, the second coming of Jesus Christ, as he works his way through twenty first century New York, healing the sick, addicted and unloved, who have fallen through societies gaping cracks.
The Final Testament is a vivid and vitriolic salvo, which crashes into the ridiculous hypocrisies of organised religion, delivered with a healthy dose of venom and tangible fury.
It is also a fiendishly addictive read, which will keep you turning the pages at a furious rate.
Fray has a real talent for storytelling and while The Final Testament isn't quite up there with his greatest works (A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard), this is still a brilliantly absorbing read.
An utterly divine 4 stars out of 5.
Amen to that, brother!
The Final Testament of the Holy Bible follows Zion, the second coming of Jesus Christ, as he works his way through twenty first century New York, healing the sick, addicted and unloved, who have fallen through societies gaping cracks.
The Final Testament is a vivid and vitriolic salvo, which crashes into the ridiculous hypocrisies of organised religion, delivered with a healthy dose of venom and tangible fury.
It is also a fiendishly addictive read, which will keep you turning the pages at a furious rate.
Fray has a real talent for storytelling and while The Final Testament isn't quite up there with his greatest works (A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard), this is still a brilliantly absorbing read.
An utterly divine 4 stars out of 5.
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