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Ben Hur
by Lew Wallace
I expected to love Lew Wallace's Ben Hur, because I really like the movie. This is one of the rare instances, though, in which I find the movie is better than the book.
The novel is rather slow paced. Thoguh it normally doesn't bother me when a novel slows down for the sake of historical detail, in Ben Hur, the pace sometimes becomes absolutely laborious. These details, however, are extremely well researched, so the novel is useful for helping the reader enter the mileu in which Jesus lived.
Perhaps my problem with the novel is the result of setting expectations too high after having enjoyed the movie so much. Ultimately, though, that was enough to make Ben Hur a surprising letdown for me.
reviewed by Shelly Bryant ©2015
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