This book was a great way to kick-off the Advent and Christmas season despite reading it before Halloween. I found myself thinking back on it often in December and discussing favorite sections with those around me. Mitchell offers a new spin on the Nativity story most of us know well by focusing on seven key players - one per chapter. I especially enjoyed the stories of the donkey and ox because he continued to use first person to bring them to life. I would have liked a little more analysis and study after each chapter, but can also appreciate the simplicity of the book as is. I also enjoyed listening to the author narrate his own story as it is easier to see when and what he would most emphasize.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ALC in return for a fair and honest review.

A book that takes the reader behind the scenes of all of the participants in the first Christmas in a manger in Bethlehem - even to the donkey that carried this couple to their destination. Each chapter focuses on one piece of this historic moment.

While I enjoyed some chapters more than others, it was fun to read during the holiday season and to take an in depth look into those people who were a part of this moment in time. I don't know what I was doing while reading the chapter on the wise men, but for me it felt out of place and I felt as though it went a little off and didn't quite fit in with the rest. I of course loved the chapters that centered around Mary and Joseph and gave the "origin" story of how they ended up there and their thoughts about the situation they found themselves in.

I listened to this one on audio and it was a great companion while I was doing those things as I got my house and myself ready for the holidays. I always appreciate when the author reads it as I feel as though they add color to their story that no one else can.

I really liked this "behind the scenes" portrait of the birth of Jesus. The author describes the thoughts that Mary and Joseph must have been having, given the time, the culture, the religion, etc. He also gave voice to the shepherds, the animals, and the others that were there at the time of Christ's birth. I thought he did a really good job.

I received an e-ARC of this book by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

The First Christmas
Stephen Mitchell
“There is little focus on the baby…their focus would be on what the child was about to bring to the world and the world he is about the bring into existence”. The description of the manger will shock many but it is very realistic. There would be dung with flies. It would be dirty, after all it was a shelter for animals. If you doubt this visit a farm and ask to see where the livestock are fed and housed. Our Savior was born in a stable and stables are not clean.
We see the birth of Jesus through different eyes. The oxen share his insight. “…we have been blessed with the capacity for calm deliberations. If you spend many hours a day chewing things over not just reflecting on events of your day but breaking them down into their constituent parts and truly digesting them there is not much in life that can disturb you…We are as mature a species as any I have encountered. Humans can be cruel, sheep flighty…”
The Shepherds would be startled and afraid when the angel appeared to them. “Why did he come to us…?” Imagine the Shepherds going door to door looking for a baby lying in a trough. Finally, they knocked on the door of the inn. The shepherds glanced at the baby, but their focus was on Mary and Joseph. “The birth of the Messiah gladdens the heart of the humble, the simple minded and the illiterate.”
Author Stephen Mitchell shares a vivid picture of Christmas with his readers. We have put our spin on Christmas over the years and perhaps missing out on the true message because of that. Mary and Joseph would never recognize the story as we tell it now. Mitchell takes us back in time to the first Christmas and removes those things we have added. He tells the story through the eyes of the participants: the Inn Keeper, Joseph, Mary, the Shepherds, the Wise Men, the Oxen and the Donkey. “Wisdom is like soap. You use it to wash the grime. Then you wash off the soap.”
This book stirred my heart and encouraged me to ponder my vision of Christmas. The author has attempted to make this story acceptable for everyone, in doing so he has missed the real “Reason For The Season.” Christmas is about the Messiah, God incarnate. Christ came that we may have ever lasting life. The way to the Father is through the Son.

I enjoyed this book, some chapters more than others. This is the story of The First Christmas as viewed through the eyes of some of those who were there including The Inn Keeper, an ox, Mary's donkey, the shepherds and the wisemen. Stephen Mitchell took scripture as well as what was known about the customs and history of the time and told the story we know so well from scripture. This is not the picture we westerners have imagined over the years with an angelic Mary holding baby Jesus with halos shining, but an exhausted Mary leaning up against the wall of a stable, a scared couple who could be stoned or killed at any moment for pre-marital sex or infidelity, and two animals who lovingly looked on and observed the miracle of human birth (I loved the comment about the ox wondering why nobody licked the afterbirth off the baby). This is a story of a Miracle, strength, acceptance, belief and love that is the central tenet of Christianity, a relatively short story in the gospels fleshed out in an interesting way that enable me to see, feel and experience the story in new ways. Scripture is included and although there are questions, it is still the story that I know and love. I did a read/listen with this book. The author also narrated the book which allowed him to use his voice to provide emphasis where he wanted, but I found it slow and rather mundane. In this case, I definitely enjoyed reading this one more than listening. If you are looking for a different take on the First Christmas, I recommend you pick this one up.

5 wise stars
I have heard and read the story of the first Christmas hundreds of times. I had a few doubts about trying another version. I’m so glad I did! Sticking close to biblical texts and Jewish history of the time, Mitchell brings fresh perspectives to a familiar story.

Mary and Joseph ask themselves and God many questions as they prepare for a one-of-a-kind event. Their doubts turn into brave acceptance. I particularly enjoyed the perspectives of the ox and donkey. They added a gentle touch of humor and charm to the story.

The author, Stephen Mitchell, does an outstanding job of narrating the story. His voice is clear and mellifluous. His calm tone adds to the magic of The First Christmas. I listened to the audiobook, but I believe either print or audio would make a great gift.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A combination of Matthew and Luke accounts through the eyes of an ox, donkey, Shepherd well told. There was a narration of the author's explanation or facts between scenes giving it the flow of a Christmas play or drama. Not what I expected, but it was still enjoyable even if it slowed the pace a bit. The narrator did a good job. I was given this audiobook for review by NetGalley and the publisher, but I was not required to give a good review. This was my honest opinion.

A truly wonderful perspective and fresh way to share the Nativity story. Knowing this is fictional helps not to take what the author suggests what each character is thinking for reality. I really enjoyed listening how the author writes each characters thoughts in the situation they are in. One does wonder what they were thinking while extraordinary things were happening in their life. I recommend this to people who know the story already as this one is like a companion to the one in the Bible.

Many authors have taken the Biblical account of the Messiah's birth and dramatized the story with details to give it a more colorful or intimate feel. I wasn't sure what to expect from Stephen Mitchell's version. From the description, it almost sounded as if it should be nonfiction, but with chapters told from the point of view of the ox and donkey, then it is at least some blend of fiction and nonfiction.

A few years ago in a small group study we did an exercise of reading the same passage a few times to see what new details might stand out because each person reading it emphasized different words or might have a different translation. I remember us doing the Christmas story and I had never thought about how Mary and Joseph were traveling alone even though his whole family would have had to travel to Bethlehem as part of the census. Also, why did they wait until so late in her pregnancy? So I thought perhaps Mitchell would be doing something similar with story.

And indeed there were sections where he pointed out things that I haven't thought about before. For instance, in his chapter in Maryam's POV he mentions that she might have heard the stories of the Roman god Jupiter who impregnated human women. How would that affected her reaction to the Angel's announcement that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would be with child?

Between the "story" there are sections the author calls Interludes where he muses more on the details. Sometimes they were interested and at other times it was difficult to distinguish between the interlude and the story. This was particularly true of Wise Men chapter. I often found they made the story drag. I would have liked if some of his research sources would have been shared (again this would have been particularly useful in the Wise Men chapter).

I listened to the audiobook read by Stephen Mitchell himself. He did a fine job and it did make it feel more like a lecture. But there is a lot of information shared and you will want to think about the information, especially as a Christain, to determine if it is a valid interpretation. I usually multi-task while listening to an audiobook, but I found that difficult to do with this book as I really needed to focus on what Mitchell was saying.

As I said I would have liked to have seen some of his sources, as I wasn't totally sure how accurate his interpretation was. This point was highlighted during the Wise Men chapter. He has the Magi seeing into the future when they look upon the Christ child. They see His crucifixion but Mitchell got the details wrong. Obviously, he stopped reading Matthew and Luke after the Christmas story as if he had read a few more pages he would have read of the crucifixion. He would have known that the soldier did not kill Christ by piercing his side. He was already dead (that is why His legs were not broken like the two thieves). Also, He was placed in a borrowed tomb and not in a mass grave.

Although I did finish the book, I lost all interest in it after these erroneous details. I had to wonder what else was he wrong about. As it wasn't truly a dramatized version of the story either, it wasn't entertaining as fiction either.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday, Nov. 11 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/11/the-first-christmas-story-of-new.html

If there is a discussion of Advent and the birth of Jesus, I will read it. Or listen to it. The pacing in this audiobook was perfect, and the insights interesting. I definitely recommend this.

I received a complimentary audio copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given. The narrator, in this case is the author, did a great job of capturing the essence of the story. He was best able to provide emotion and fluctuation as he knew exactly what he was trying to express. It was an added bonus to hear the story from his perspective. I enjoyed the various characters he selected for this story and then all the historical background and potential thought processes of the characters (can I really say that about an ox and a donkey, haha). The historical background and culture was heavily explained in context and the miraculous was not belittled or explained away. I appreciated the tenderness, the vulnerability as well as the humor. An excellent shorter story to help prepare your mind and heart for the Christmas season.

Very interesting retelling of the Christmas story! Some parts of this I really liked and helped me to see new perspectives that I never would have thought about. Seemed to be well researched with background information I didn’t know. But that was part of the problem for me. The “interlude” between chapters though it had good intentions broke up the flow too much. It felt like I was switching back and forth between historical fiction and dry nonfiction. The parts told from each character point of view we’re amazing and I wish the author had found a way to include more of the things he had to say in interludes into the actual story. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to review this pre-release audiobook.

Perfect Audiobook for Thinking Adults at Christmas

An Audiobook Review:
This is a delightful, decidedly different retelling of the Nativity story. The author has brought together elements from each Gospel and blended them into one story. The book is unusual on two levels. It is told from several perspectives, including single humans like Mary, Joseph, and the innkeeper as well as groups (the shepherds and the wise men). But the most intriguing viewpoint characters are the ox and the donkey! Not only was the book a story, though; the author included what he called “interludes” between the viewpoint characters or animals that shed a more universal light on what the author saw as the character's struggles or insights. For instance, Joseph’s interlude section is about jealousy, disbelief, and ultimately acceptance and joy. These interludes are written in such a way that this book is not just relevant to Christians but to any open-minded seeker on a spiritual path. While I enjoyed the interludes immensely, they certainly did break the flow of the story. Would it have been better to separate the two disparate ideas? I'm not sure. All in all, though, I thought this was an intriguing look at the Nativity story with an exploration of universal themes that certainly got me thinking.

The author himself narrated the story. I liked his soft voice and the emphasis he put on certain words, phrases, and concepts. You could clearly tell that his version of the Nativity story and his ponderings on it were profoundly meaningful for him. An excellent book for the upcoming Christmas holidays.

Rounding up to 4 stars. There are seven chapters highlighting characters from the Nativity scene: the innkeeper, the ox, the shepherds, Maryam, Yosef, the Wise men, and the donkey. My most favorite were the ox and the donkey. Mitchell did such a delightful job bringing them to life. I also greatly enjoyed the many Psalms he wove into the stories of the mother and father. The many references to scripture are juxtaposed against instances when the biblical record is disregarded as in the case where the shepherds delayed in the fields overnight. (See Luke 2:16). Also, the Wise Men (that chapter went on way too long) totally skip stopping in Jerusalem as recorded in Matthew 2. Still, this book was instrumental in making me ponder the Christmas story in new ways. "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! "2 Corinthians 9:15

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a early review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting way of doing this. This is the Christmas story but it’s written like a novel and I know it was different.

The audiobook is good.
I really glad I got an arc for this book. Because I can think of a couple people who get this word for Christmas present

Which especially with the supply chain issues coming out is that something will it be I’ll need to be thinking about ahead of time this year


yeah. It’s good it’s fun it’s interesting and different I like it

This is such a sweet, in-depth, telling of the Christmas story from multiple points of view. The author digs deep into the thoughts and emotions that Mary and Joseph would have faced and does a good job of showing their humanity.

The story is also told from the perspective of the inn keeper's ox, Mary's donkey, the shepherds, and the wise men. I especially loved the donkey's story. He brings in other biblical references of donkeys including the story of Balaam beating his donkey when he would not pass through the angel.

The stories do vary somewhat from the Biblical nativity, which may turn off some readers. The changes were minor and didn't really add anything to this story, so I'm not sure why the author made those choices, but they did not take away from the main focus of the story for me.

I would still recommend this book but would caution readers to be flexible and don't expect it to replace the gospel.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a sweet little story about the Nativity, told from the perspectives of the different characters involved: the innkeeper, Mary, the ox, Joseph, the shepherds, the wisemen, and the donkey. It brought the story to life in a new way. The author wrote this for Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike.

Mitchell uses resources from philosophers, theologians, rabbis and other scholarly resources and religious texts to help us understand the story while keeping it readable to the general audience. He also uses the Hebrew language to enhance the story, especially when proclaming the Psalms or in praying which is beautiful. The use of Hebrew scripture and tradition help the reader to view the Nativity story from a Jewish perspective.

The only perspective I had an issue with was that of the wisemen. Mitchell didn't paint them as astrologists from Persia, as scholarly work suggests that the wisemen were, but as Jewish men living in India who were learning to become wise and eventually learned to see visions of the future. I've never heard this idea before, and since the author seemed to use scholarly resources for the rest of the book, I didn't understand why he strayed from that in the chapter on the wisemen. If someone has resources on this idea of Jewish men coming from India, please point me to that direction - I'd be interested in reading this perspective.

Overall, this was a wonderful read, perfect for the Advent and Christmas seasons!

I have the audio and the physical copy of this. I could not get through the audio unfortunately. The narration is very difficult to listen to. It almost sounds like it is robotic. I did move to the physical copy of the book, and I would rate the book a 3 stars. The story is interesting, and I enjoy the characters. I give the audio 2 stars.

I'm indebted to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this audiobook.

I LOVED this book. I wanted to read it because of the author, Stephen Mitchell, who is a world-renowned translater of spiritual writings from all over the world. He is also a poet and writer and an extremely thoughtful talented being--in my opinion.

The First Christmas tells the story of the Annunciation, Joseph's response, and the morning of Mary giving birth.
It is a psychological masterpiece. Mitchell, convincingly, enters the mind of his many characters and creates a world that we can identify with. Everyone knows that this episode in world history changed the course of history but, to be a fly on the wall of real live beings (as well as a wonderful donkey), is truly something not to be missed.

I highly recommend this book to everyone.