Pilate's Wife - Istri Pilatus
by Antoinette May, Ingrid Dwijani Nimpoeno (Translator)
Sejarah hanya mencatatnya sebagai istri Pontius Pilatus. Kini ia akan menceritakan kisahnya.
Penglihatan-penglihatannya.
Claudia tak pernah menginginkan mimpi-mimpi itu muncul. Namun ia tak dapat mengelak. Melalui talenta istimewanya itu ia dapat mengetahui banyak hal yang akan terjadi.
Ramalan mengenai kedatangan seseorang. Kemenangan yang kelak mempertemukannya dengan kekasihnya. Hingga kematian.
Melalui “penglihatannya”, Claudia melihat nasib orang-orang yang ia cintai. Sekeras apa pun ia berusaha mencegah, akhirnya ia harus menyerah pada takdir.
Satu per satu, orang yang muncul dalam penglihatannya pergi meninggalkannya. Akan tetapi, gambaran mengerikan tentang nasib seorang pria menghantui Claudia sejak lama. Tatapan pria itu penuh permohonan dan penderitaan. Mahkota duri menyayat alisnya.
Claudia tahu, kali ini ia tak boleh tinggal diam.
Ia harus mencoba menyelamatkan pria itu…
Gramedia Pustaka Utama 2011
Joseph: Wonderfully written and engrossing novel.
Pilate's wife narrates in the first person the story of Claudia, member of the Claudian family of newly imperial Rome. Claudia is gifted with "the sight". She can get glimpses and feelings about things that are going to occur. I must say that at times it is difficult to sympathize with Claudia, who commits many actions on a whim (which I won't get into here, lest I spoil it for future readers), not thinking things through to the end, always eager to please herself. At times, she can have no consideration for other people's desires, like Pilate when she first encounters him. And yet, I think this is what makes this book. We expect main characters, as presented in a story, to be the "good ones", making the right decisions as they get through their obstacles.
But what about a character who throughout the course of the story is forced to learn how to make the right decisions the hard way. Claudia is not the same person at the end of the book as she was in the beginning. Her life experiences teach her the virtues of temperance, forgiveness, and love.
I will spoil one part of you so don't continue reading if you don't want that. Her relation to the events surrounding Jesus' crucifixion is not presented until the very end so don't expect to read chapters about this. Nevertheless, this works because this gives Claudia the chance to be shown well as a main character, and not just like another person present at the most important event in Christian history.
Ellen: I enjoyed learning all that I did about life in the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus and for this I liked this book very much. I thought Pilate's wife was very self absorbed and shallow and had a hard time really liking her very much. This was disappointing as she seemed to have so much potential in the beginning. The middle of the book gets tedious for a bit it gets interesting again in the end when Jesus comes into the story. I would really wanted to give this book 3.5 stars but this is not an option.
Leslia: I enjoy a classic romance novel as much as the next reader (laughter), which is precisely why Pilate’s Wife was so shockingly disappointing. Maybe the let down stems from the fact that this novel is marketed as historical fiction. True there are historical events sprinkled here and there. It’s also true that the people depicted in this novel are historical figures. Certainly, the filler is a bunch of fiction…wait, so it is historical fiction! Then why am I left feeling yucky? I’ve actually thought about this question and come up with a few good reasons. First, there really is no stand out character. Claudia is not an appealing heroin even though the events surrounding her were dramatic. In fact, I was more interested in the fate of Claudia’s older sister Marcella. But she hadn’t married the future Governor of Judea, the man who would forever be linked to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (I’ll just have to get over it). Second, Pilate’s role is miniscule. There is still much about him that I don’t know. Finally, the steamiest most overwrought part of the book is Claudia’s relationship with Holtan the gladiator. Out of nowhere this book shifted from an historical fiction to a harlequin romance!
With all of that being said, don’t regret picking it up. The cover is beautiful (always a plus) and I’m glad, like with most books, that I read it. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve read by far but let's face it, as a follow up to the Prodigal Summer, it never really had a chance.
Kelly: An interesting book, but a few gratuitously placed political statements and sketchy musings about Christianity dropped my rating to a 3. Nothing annoys me more than authors who place political and/or religous jabs in the narrative that have no relevance to the story. If you are writing fiction, stay true to the story...if you need to voice your opinion - write a piece of non-fiction!
Ironically, though, the storyline that probably rubs most Christians the wrong way, did not bother me at all...rings true to me actually..
Karyl: It's not surprising that this is the author's first novel. The plot, as well as the writing, is quite trite. The story itself is somewhat slow-moving and is far too long. One would expect a book referencing Pilate to have mostly to do with the crucifixion of Jesus, but that seminal event takes place only at the very end, almost as an afterthought. I really didn't like the bit where Mary Magdalene becomes Jesus's wife, as there is no evidence that he was ever married. It's a shame; this book could have been a very interesting look at the Roman era at the time of Christ
Alice: I enjoyed this book...not the best I've ever read, but a good first novel. Claudia is a rebel. She is also clairvoyant, which tends to cause her more pain than pleasure. She faces many trials and tribulations after she marries Pontious Pilate, culminating with the crucifixtion of Jesus Christ. Some interesting ideas about Jesus' relationship with Mary (Miriam?) Magdelene....
I learned a lot about Roman life during Tiberius Ceasar's reign (things have not changed much...desperate housewives!) The book also made for lively discussion at one of my book clubs J
Jenn: I was hoping to really like Claudia (Pilate's wife) and her telling of this story. I enjoyed the fresh perspective on biblical events and the story of the roman empire from a woman's perspective which you don't often get. But I felt that Claudia was at best immature and self absorbed. She made it very hard for me to sympathize with her through out her story and struggles and I really wanted to. I felt that Pilate really loved her and she never really gave him the chance he gave her. I enjoyed all of the secondary characters, they were well developed, interesting, and showed the diversity that was in the empire at that time. May does a great job of capturing the culture, lifestyle and historical events in a way that exciting and realistic. Overall a very good book, especially if you like this time period and/or new perspectives on biblical events
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