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A review by taxideadaisy
Mary, Called Magdalene by Margaret George
4.0
Mary, Called Magdalene is a well researched and thoughtfully written piece of historical fiction. Margaret George did her homework, and brought to life a woman who grew up in the fish-processing town of Magdala, with a family and family business depicted so well you can almost taste the fish sauce (her family's specialty). Mary's encounters with idols and demons are richly drawn; her thoughts and feelings about her husband and family seemed authentically voiced.
If you are looking for another book in the “Jesus and Mary Magdalene have a love child” vein, you will be disappointed.
I am not a Bible and ancient lives scholar, so I don't know whether it's believed that Mary Magdalene did indeed live a long life, but the premise seems fair. Going with that premise, we have in Mary, Called Magdalene, a large canvas filled with several areas of her life – from her time growing up, her struggles with demonic possession, various (completely normal) problems with her family, her longing for her estranged daughter, and of course her time with Jesus and then the years after his death and resurrection.
The story is told through Mary's eyes, and it is a work of fiction, based on much research (and you can find further reading and other notes at the back of the book). Whether or not you believe in demonic possession, or the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you may enjoy this book as a story of one woman's life in the beautiful ancient world.
PS: I very much like the fonts (Aldus and Kallos Book) used in my copy. They catche the eye at first with beauty, but do not distract as one reads.
If you are looking for another book in the “Jesus and Mary Magdalene have a love child” vein, you will be disappointed.
I am not a Bible and ancient lives scholar, so I don't know whether it's believed that Mary Magdalene did indeed live a long life, but the premise seems fair. Going with that premise, we have in Mary, Called Magdalene, a large canvas filled with several areas of her life – from her time growing up, her struggles with demonic possession, various (completely normal) problems with her family, her longing for her estranged daughter, and of course her time with Jesus and then the years after his death and resurrection.
The story is told through Mary's eyes, and it is a work of fiction, based on much research (and you can find further reading and other notes at the back of the book). Whether or not you believe in demonic possession, or the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you may enjoy this book as a story of one woman's life in the beautiful ancient world.
PS: I very much like the fonts (Aldus and Kallos Book) used in my copy. They catche the eye at first with beauty, but do not distract as one reads.