Only Begotten Daughter

by James Morrow

Other authorsStephen Martiniere (Cover artist)

Hardcover, 2007-06

Status

Available

Call number

PS3563.O876

Genres

Publication

SFBC Fantasy (2007). SFBC Science Fiction edition. 296 pages. $10.99.

Description

Rejoice! A new messiah has come, and her name is Julie. Born to Murray Katz, the solitary (and celibate) keeper of an abandoned lighthouse on the Jersey shore, our protagonist arrives on Earth boasting supernatural abilities evocative of her divine half-brother, Jesus. As a child, she revels in her talent for walking on water, resurrecting dead crabs, and treating fireflies as luminous alphabet blocks. But after she reaches adolescence, her life becomes as challenging and ambiguous as any mortal's. Not only is Julie Katz obliged to deal with a silver-tongued devil and self-righteous neo-Christian zealots, she must also figure out what sort of mission her mother-the female Supreme Being-has in mind for her. At once outrageous and affirming, this Nebula Award finalist is a magnificent work of contemporary satire that holds a mirror up to human nature, astutely reflecting our species' failings, foibles, and often misguided affections.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha

Only Begotten Daughter is an enormously clever religious satire, much more incisive than Morrow's routinely lauded Towing Jehovah. But I'll probably never re-read it, because the story is just too goddamned sad.

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LibraryThing member greeniezona

A lot of interesting ideas. The second immaculate conception occurs when a fertilized egg is discovered in a lonely Jewish man's sperm donation. The egg is placed in an experimental artificial womb, from which eventually is born Julie Katz, Jesus's half-sister. This book amused me more in college,

now it's so far from where I am theologically it doesn't seem to hold together under its own weight. But I still get some sinister amusement at the idea of Jesus in hell, giving water to the sufferers, amazed to hear at what people are currently doing in his name.

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LibraryThing member TheAmpersand

A funny, insightful, and, at times, painfully sad religious fantasy centering on Julie Katz, daughter of God and half-brother of Jesus, and her patchwork family. The tone's much closer to Douglas Adams than Dostoevsky: Morrow's a genuinely funny writer, and his humor sparkles on every page. But

there's a lot of sadness here, too: major characters start getting killed off in the book's first twenty pages and the bloodletting never really stops. "Only Begotten Daughter" might be called an attempt to bring popular conceptions of Jesus in line with modern biblical scholarship: it's obvious that Morrow's done his reading, and is thoroughly acquainted both with the Bible and the latest historical interpretations of Jesus of Nazareth. But this is a book where the Devil is a fully fleshed-out (pardon the pun) character while God mostly stays on the sidelines. What's the daughter of God to make of a world where God doesn't answer her phone calls but where evil is so obviously present? It's a question that Julie and her family wrestle with throughout the book, and while the conclusion that Morrow comes to is elegant, after a fashion, it's unlikely to please actual believers. If the title wasn't enough, this is one that readers who are annoyed by religiously-oriented humor should probably stay away from.

There's also the curious fact that "Only Begotten Daughter" is set in the decaying, tacky tourist wonderland that is Atlantic City, New Jersey. This really grounds the book and gives it a lot of welcome local color, which runs from the city's pier and casinos to South Jersey's natural beauty. After a few surprising turns, Morrow uses the setting as a vehicle with which to comment on the problem of religious fundamentalism, or, to put it in a larger context, the space between Gospel and church. The book becomes bloodier -- and sadder -- when Morrow follows this plotline, but it's still a useful meditation on humanity's misuse of faith. What might be more engaging from a reader's perspective, is how likable and engaging the cast of characters that Morrow's assembled here is: from a lesbian novelty store owner to a lonely, bibliomaniac Jewish bachelor, to a lovelorn science nerd to Julie herself, who comes off remarkably human and vulnerable considering that she's God's only begotten, well, you know. Recommended for those who like their theological musings with a light, comedic touch.

As a postscript, I'm going to have to take issue with the cover that e-book publisher/packager Open Road has decided to give their edition of "Only Begotten Daughter." While their juxtaposition of a lipstick tube and a cross might be clever, it's pretty obvious that Julie Katz isn't the kind of woman who gives a lot of thought to makeup. It's yet more evidence that cover designers should be forced to read the books that they design covers for.

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LibraryThing member libraryofus

(Amy) What happens when a sperm bank suddenly notices a mysterious embryo floating in one of the donations? Among other things, Jesus suddenly acquires a 2000-year-younger sister.

LibraryThing member narikui

Excellent book! A pointed satire of christianity and religous fundamentalism in general. The ending is lovely :)
However, I felt that I missed a lot, not being conversant in christian stories..

LibraryThing member the_awesome_opossum

Julie Katz is the half-sister of Jesus, born to a single Jewish lighthousekeeper and God in an ectogenesis machine at the sperm bank. But unlike Christ or any other biblical hero, Julie is given no further instruction as to the reason for her birth. She struggles to find the meaning of God, and of

her own personal divinity

The main antagonists of the novel, a group of religious fundamentalists who are called the Revelationists, draw a pointed parallel both between the Pharisees and between contemporary fundamentalism. While Julie is drawn to feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, the Revelationists are intent on burning sinners as an example to others. Only Begotten Daughter offers both a satirical and thoughtful novel about the purpose and responsibility of religion in society

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LibraryThing member crazybatcow

Well. I didn't like it. I read Biff and almost enjoyed that (it was just a bit too "funny") but this one was just... kinda... blah.

I didn't care. I didn't want to continue reading and when I realized I was skimming over pages at a time I put it down and won't bother finishing it. The writing is a

bit too "tongue-in-cheek" and tries to hard to be witty or avante-garde...

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LibraryThing member AuraNefertari

A good premise, with some clever writing. The first hundred pages or so were pretty good, but I was disappointed after that. Not planning on reading it again.

LibraryThing member AltheaAnn

A satire on religion - Jesus' sister is born to a bachelor Jew in New Jersey...
Winner of the World Fantasy Award & recipient of a rave NY Times review (reasons I bought it)- but I have to admit I really wasn't very into this one.... just not my thing, I think.

LibraryThing member Razinha

I had a rare case of reader's block and this was the book that broke it. I've tried to read it a few times in the past after reading Towing Jehovah, but never got past the first part. Delightfully irreverent, comical, and sadly tragic in human commentary, Morrow weaves an interesting twist to a

common tale. And he also writes one of the best lines I've ever read, a quote I've used for 20 years: “Science does have all the answers,” said Howard, withdrawing. “The problem is that we don’t have all the science.”

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