The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Witnesses to The Crucifixion: Stories of Redemption and the Healing Power of Jesus

Aditi Sapate

I would not have chosen to read this book based on the title, cover and genre, as I thought this book would be more suited to people of particular faiths. The official OnlineBookClub review informed me that this is not the case, as the book is equally enjoyable to people of all faiths. While reading the sample, it was interesting that the author thought about personifying the objects present during the crucification as witnesses. However, a fictional book in this genre, is not particularly interesting to me. I will not continue reading the book. The sample did not contain any grammatical errors.

First Ten review added on April 12, 2020, at 3:26 am by Aditi Sapate.

Jennifer Donovan Smith

Based on the cover and title, this is not a book I would have chosen because I am not religious. The official Online Book Club review was positive. It stated that even non-Christians would enjoy the book, but I was skeptical.

The first ten pages were surprisingly interesting. I appreciated that the book is written from the point of view of various objects present at the crucifixion and how being in Jesus’s presence changed them. I did find quite a few errors in the first ten pages. Most were issues with misplaced commas. Additionally, the word “socalled” should be hyphenated (Loc. 77), and the word “spit” should be written in the past tense as “spat” (Loc. 81). Because I am not religious, I will not finish this book, though I admit that I enjoyed the sample much more than I thought I would.

First Ten review added on April 12, 2020, at 3:06 am by Jennifer Donovan Smith.

Drakka Reader

As a religious person myself, I planned on reading the book already as its subject relates to me. After reading the first ten pages, my opinion of the book did not change, as the personified objects came across in a very unique manner and hooked me on the story. The story is one I know, however, it is presented in another way even from the beginning. If there was anything that could be improved, I would have preferred the individual chapters to be longer, but I can understand extending something can do more harm than good.

I will be reading this book as it is very well edited and is unique in a way other books of this kind cannot hold up to.

First Ten review added on April 11, 2020, at 9:14 pm by Drakka Reader.

SurroundedByBooks

I like the book cover. It’s relevant to the book, and it stands out. The blurb summarizes the book well, but it does not appeal to me. I like the use of the items of crucifixion as a viewpoint to the event itself, but I don’t enjoy books with religious content. Although the official review gave the book a 4/4 rating, it’s not enough to persuade me that this book is for me because it confirmed the religious nature of the book. The start of the book is good. It’s written and edited well. I won’t be continuing with this book because I’m not interested in reading about a crucifixion.

First Ten review added on April 11, 2020, at 5:48 pm by SurroundedByBooks.

Maria Esposito

I knew I would be interested in this book before reading its first ten pages. I am a Christian, and I enjoy expanding my knowledge about religion through books. The blurb interests me, because talking about Jesus from the perspective of the objects that were used to crucify him is something I have never encountered. The book has positive customer ratings, but no reviews. However, this did not diminish my interest in the book. Reading the first ten pages did not make me change my mind. The author begins the story by narrating the moment when Jesus was crowned with a crown of thorns. What is really particular about this book is that the event is narrated through the perspective of the crown of thorns. This unusual point of view was my favorite part of the book, because it gave the events a vibrancy that I have never encountered. There was nothing I disliked about this book. I did not detect any errors, so I assume that the book has been professionally edited. I came across one official review from the Online Book Club community.

First Ten review added on April 11, 2020, at 5:42 pm by Maria Esposito.

Jsovermyer

The cover art is good but would be better with some color added. The title, Witnesses to the Crucifixion, tells exactly what the book is about. This Christian book about the crucifixion of Jesus is told from the viewpoint of the inanimate objects present such as the nails, the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. This book is inspirational to Christian believers. The first chapter is told from the viewpoint of a thorn on the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus. The thorn was sad to be hurting Jesus, but said that the blood changed him to be soft and warm. The story was sweet, but I could tell it was from a sermon. It was "preachy". The second story of the robe was very similar. The official reviewer rated this book highly. I found several errors in my reading. The first is at location 77. The word "socalled" should be spelled "so-called." I don't like to read religious books and so I will not be finishing this one.

First Ten review added on April 11, 2020, at 10:52 am by Jsovermyer.

Sanju Lali

It was quite evident from the cover and the title that this book is about the crucifixion, in the light of that, I was very much keen in reading the official review before deciding whether or not to buy it because I love to read more about God. The official review was great enough to let me know that this book is thought-provoking and personifies the crown of thorns and the nails that were the witnesses during the crucifixion. The official review piqued my interest to read the sample of the book. After reading the first ten pages, I found that this book was professionally edited as I did not notice any grammatical or typing errors. The thing l liked the most in this book is the sentence"He poured out His blood of suffering in order to warm a worthless thorn.", which is heart touching. The sentence shows the author's exemplary art of personification of non-living objects and making them look alive. I have no suggestion for the author because this is a lovely book. However, I still suggest the author personify the ground on which the drops of blood had dripped and blessed it. After looking at all these aspects, I decided to purchase and read this book today.

First Ten review added on April 11, 2020, at 2:46 am by Sanju Lali.

J_odoyo

Witnesses to The Crucifixion by Ricky Carstensen with James E. Doucette is one of the books you will not want to put down. Having sampled the first ten pages of this wonderful book, I’ve realized that this book not only narrates the painful death of our Savior (Jesus Christ) but also stirs your heart to rethink the significance of Christ’s death and the healing that came along with it. I got hooked from the first page while reading the touching testimonies of the first witnesses (the crown of thorns and the robe). I liked the brief description of the book as well as the book’s cover page, which could easily attract my attention. I think the title was relevant and could easily attract the attention of most Christian readers.

The book seems to be professionally edited, and I could not find anything to dislike about it. It also had a positive OnlineBookClub review, which gave an insight into what the book was all about. Although the author’s description could point out what the book entails (and could make it easy to accurately guess), a professional review was still inevitable. As for me, before buying any book (and this could not be an exception), I have to read multiple sincere reviews to ensure that I don’t waste my money. I always prefer editorial reviews to customer’s review, because most of the customers don’t even finish reading books but still write reviews. Having read the sample and the OnlineBookClub review, I’m going to finish reading this book.

First Ten review added on April 11, 2020, at 1:47 am by J_odoyo.

Verna Coy

Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program, I would have looked at it because the title and cover are thought-provoking. For this reason, I intend to read the whole book, I received a free copy through the Online Book Club, thanks! Reading the first ten pages confirmed my initial ideas about the book. It does describe the crucifixion of Christ but in the eyes of inanimate objects such as the crown of thorns, or the robe worn by Christ at that time. Based on what I read, the book seems to be professionally edited. I saw no errors in what I read. What I liked most about what I read was how the author communicated the love of Christ through the dialogue of witnesses. I know that people who like Christian-based novels will enjoy this work. As far as improvement, I could see no need for any in what I read. I did read the Official Online Book Club review and found it informative. It didn’t affect my views of the book.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 11:30 pm by Verna Coy.

Odette Chace

I like the book cover as it brings to mind the crucifixion but is not graphic. I am also interested in the premise of the book. The book has 3 5 star ratings on Amazon and no reviews, which doesn't mean much to me. The official Online Book Club review was glowing, and would inspire me to sample this book even if I were not part of this program.
I noticed at Location 5 there were a couple instances left of "[Fill in]" to be completed.
"John 19:1-5, NKJ[V]" (Location 11)
"It was hard for me to see, since I had ended up on the bottom of the crown, pointing down, but I did[,] however[,] glimpse a large crowd gathered there." (Location 50)
I really enjoyed the portion I read. In my head, I could hear the voice of my former pastor reading this to me. Aside from a few grammatical errors, there was nothing I disliked. I will finish reading this at a later date.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 8:28 pm by Odette Chace.

Mbrooks2518

This isn't the type of book I normally read, but I was intrigued by the personification of the objects used in the crucifixion, so I would have read the sample even without The First Ten. I liked the writing style. The authors did a wonderful job of personifying the crown of thorns, which made me interested in reading about the other objects, so I am going to finish the book. I did not find any editing errors, and nothing needs to be improved. The official review had no affect on my opinion.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 8:25 pm by Mbrooks2518.

Kaylee Elmer

Witnesses to The Crucifixion is not a book I would normally read, because I don't really like to read about religion. The first ten pages were interesting, though, due to the unique points of view in the book. The first part of the book was written from the point of view of the crown of thorns on Jesus' head when he was crucified. It's an intriguing way to tell the story. I did find an error in the book; the title of the book was randomly in the middle of the page. I think this may have had to do with it being an e-book, though. The review I read of the book said it was professionally edited. The review also gave it very high praise so I think people who enjoy reading about religion would like this book. I, however, won't be reading the rest of this book just based on the subject matter.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 7:21 pm by Kaylee Elmer.

Jeremie Mondejar

The title already caught my attention. While sampling, I am amazed at the unique depiction of emotions of the thorns, robes, nails, tomb and stone. I will not going to pass this book. I found something especial in the novel. The writing style highlighted the central idea of the story, which is an eye-opener for Christians. I did not notice any typos in the portion I read. The book looks written well and is perfect for today's reflection. The OBC review makes me excited to read the rest of the book. I cannot give anything for improvements.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 6:58 pm by Jeremie Mondejar.

Twylla

What a powerful book. It was a very inspired idea to use the props of the crucifixion as witnesses - the crown of thorns, the nails, the robe.

I would definitely sample the text on Amazon. I would definitely buy and read this book (had it not been provided so graciously to us free).

I read Witnesses to The Crucifixion and was very uplifted.

This book is professionally edited. I didn’t see any errors.
I love the cover. It is perfect. I have no suggestions on how to improve it.

The book has an Official OnlineBookClub review that is well written and represents the book well. It also has excellent reviews on Amazon. The Amazon reviews are very important to me when I am looking at a book.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 5:48 pm by Twylla.

Azeline Arcenal

If I had not read the first ten pages, I probably would not have chosen to read this book based on the cover or title because I usually don't read Christian novels. I am not going to read and buy the whole book because I'm not interested in the topic of the book. While it's unique to have 6 different perspectives of the crucifixion of Jesus based on the items around him like the Crown of Thorns, I am just not interested in what the different perspectives are. The book does seem professionally edited and I did not notice any typos/errors. What I liked about the book is it's a unique approach to the crucifixion of Jesus. I don't think there is anything that can be improved.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 4:39 pm by Azeline Arcenal.

Stephanie Runyon

Ordinarily, this book is something I would read, especially after reading the Onlinebookclub review. I am a devout Christian and the author's first-person narratives of inanimate objects involved in the crucifixion was done exceptionally well. I did not find any errors in what I have read and I intend to finish the rest of the book. What I like the most about this particular selection is viewing a tragic event from a different perspective with defined emotion.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 2:38 pm by Stephanie Runyon.

LeDiplomatique

I would have chosen Witnesses to The Crucifixion by Ricky Carstensen and James E. Doucette based on the title and cover illustration because they depict the greatest Christian story ever told. After reading the First Ten, I realized that it is the story of Jesus, not told from the common perspective of the human onlookers of the crucifixion. This one is told from the perspective of the non-living witnesses, that is, the thorns on Jesus crown, the nail that pierced His hand, the purple robe He was draped in, among others. I did not come across any errors and did not see anything to be improved because the story is awesome and excellently told. I most like that the story is told from perspectives I have never considered before. The book presents the crucifixion experience in a way that it leaves you wondering about your role in it. Each item finishes by addressing the reader as the reason why Jesus went to the cross. Jesus' love for the reader. This is a touching story that I would love to read over and over. I came across the official review of the book and I learnt that it is a suitable book for all age groups.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 1:24 pm by LeDiplomatique.

Diana Lowery

The title and the subject are very timely for the Easter season. The cover was not especially appealing, and I would not have chosen to read it. After reading the first ten pages, however, I was impressed with the novel idea of writing from the perspective of different objects such as the thorn, the robe, and the nail. The positive review encouraged me to think about using this next year in a Sunday School class. I related to the analogy of the person who looks old on the outside but is young on the inside. The review mentioned that the book was professionally edited, but I noticed a few possible errors such as the use of "me and the others" as a subject at location 45 and a confusing verb tense shift at location 88: past tense verbs "was" and "showed" followed by a present tense "exist." I am not going to read the rest of the book at this time, but I will keep it on my list for next Easter.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 1:02 pm by Diana Lowery.

Laura Lee

The story of Jesus' crucifixion has been told and retold countless times over the centuries. However, this is the most unique, one-of-a-kind approach to that age-old story I have ever encountered. It is exceptionally well-told and does what such retellings are intended to do: it grabs the heartstrings and twists.

What I liked best about the sample pages I read was how the author was able to slant the eye-witness testimony to reflect just who was speaking. It takes talent to convey a difference in testimony depending upon whether you are a thorn or a raggedy, wrinkled old robe pulled from the rag pile. The authors managed to do it so well, it was very effective.

There really wasn't anything I felt could use improvement in the dialogue itself. For a book of this kind, it is exceptional. The only thing I noticed that could use improvement is in editing. There was at least one misspelled word (socalled rather than so-called), and some formatting errors, where a subtitle would inexplicably show up in the middle of a sentence. There were some grammatical errors, but those were easily over-looked as simply colloquial speech. After all, a thorn is unlikely to have ever been to school!

Overall, this is a very well-written book with an impressively unique angle. I do disagree with the book review on one point: I do not think this is a book that will appeal to everyone. I believe the only ones who will appreciate it are Christians. I will not be reading it because this genre does not interest me. However, I have told some friends about it who I think would enjoy the topic. Had I not been part of this program, I would never have read the book simply because, again, this genre does not interest me. But that is nothing against the Amazon blurb, the review or the sample pages. They're all very well-done for those who are interested in this topic.

First Ten review added on April 10, 2020, at 11:45 am by Laura Lee.

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