Rich and Moving

Lovely narration and compelling story, thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring and insightful. I'm so glad I found the book at Goodwill. I was guided to it.

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Compelling and personal insight into the experience of being a 1st-century disciple of Jesus

This book is a well-written historical/biblical fiction that portrays what the life of a disciple of Jesus and a 1st-century woman living in Palestine might have been like. It is steeped in quality research and is a great learning tool, both about the historical context of the New Testament and about biblical narratives themselves. Because the Bible was a product of its time, two truths affect our modern reception: it does not set out to explain its own time and place that is foreign to us, and it often gives minimal details about people who were less socially significant at the time (i.e. in particular here, women.) This book does a fine job fleshing out those two gaps for modern readers, bringing the biblical narrative to life. As the author explains expertly in the afterword, she has crafted this novel from biblical references, historical research, and creative imagination where needed (primarily, as Margaret George mentions, about the personal details of Mary Magdalene’s life and childhood).
As a Christian seminarian and budding biblical scholar, I am wary of attempts to harmonize the four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) into one story of Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Each gospel writer had different perspectives, audiences, and focuses in the way they chose to tell the story of Jesus, so I find it confessionally important to maintain their distinctions and even hold in tension some of their contradictions. This novel’s genre allows for some harmonization, but in my nerdy and picky preferences I would’ve liked it to follow one gospel writer’s narrative arc. However, as George writes in the afterword, she is limited by the fact that Mary Magdalene is only referenced 5 times in the New Testament.
I listened to this book on 1.5 (and sometimes 1.75) speed. I’m a fast auditory processor, so that may be why that worked for me.

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Well Done!

Would you listen to Mary, Called Magdalene again? Why?

Yes- there is so much real- geographical historical data and so many important messages that I know I must hear it again. "He who has ears, let them hear."

What did you like best about this story?

A bit of history, a bit of speculation but all in all- a wonderful journey!

Which character – as performed by Kate Reading – was your favorite?

Mary and then, unfortunately....Judas...!

Who was the most memorable character of Mary, Called Magdalene and why?

Jesus and Blessed Mother. I also loved meeting Jo-Anna and Susanna.

Any additional comments?

Mary Magdelene has been my Patron Saint for a very long time. This book helps bring to life part of her amazing, yet still somewhat mysterious life on earth and relationship as a true disciple of Christ.

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7 people found this helpful

Well worth the 30 hours!

My best friend had always included this book in her "my favorite books" list, but I shied away from the print version because of its length. I decided to finally give it a chance with the audio version, and I'm so glad I did. Fabulous story and narration too! I highly recommend it!

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3 people found this helpful

Heartfelt

Never before have I been so sad to come to the end of a book. After 30 hours of listening, I wanted more, listen more, learn more. This book opened my eyes to the women of the Bible. How their lives might have been. Kate Reading put you in the right mood for every event in this Audible book. Thank you. Mary,
Called Magdalene is outstanding. The research and stories from the Bible were so true. Mary came to life. But what I will remember the most, will be the fact that this book just tells how Jesus made no difference between man or woman. He saw them equal and loves them dearly. It has again inspired me to realise that even I can be perfect in His eyes. We have now formed a Women Bible-study group to research the women of the Bible. Thank you Margaret for giving us this gift.

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I wanted so much to like this book

Margaret George wrote two of my all time favorite books: The Autobiography of King Henry VIII and Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles so I was very excited when Mary, Called Magdalene popped up on my suggested reading list. The book starts off as very promising and very interesting. What I had trouble getting past was the terrible narration which I stuck out for more than half the book. At that point, I had begun to lose interest and finally gave up.

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11 people found this helpful

what I have come to expect from MGeorge

Would you listen to Mary, Called Magdalene again? Why?

Yes. It is what I have come to expect from MGeorges wonderful stories.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mary, Called Magdalene?

Her time in the desert was quite moving.

What does Kate Reading bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She was a good reader and I would listen to her AGIAN.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It moved me to hear the story presented in this way.

Any additional comments?

none

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2 people found this helpful

Great

I really believe the way the author constructed the story with such little accurate or well-known that is really hard. She did it really well. We're not sure any of the facts that we know on Mary Magdalene. But, I feel as if in her story she presumes the lot. Kate perform the story very nicely so, even though I really liked the book, and I would have given it a five star, I gave it four stars because of the presumption it had.

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Good story, but flawed

I actually contacted Margaret George about this book. I really enjoy her books. She is one of my favorite authors. However, I was disturbed because of some of what I consider to be, major flaws in this novel.

I will admit I am not the average reader. I am an academic, a scholarly researcher, with a Ph.D. Ms. George explained her decisions to write the things I had problems with. She told me she had written a novel and that was a novelist and an entertainer, not a scholar. The decisions were based on that and her need to please her target audience. I told her that I understood this completely.

Now, these are my problems:

The names of her main characters: Jesus and Mary were not called by these names in their lifetime. They were Jews. They would have been Joshua and Miriam.

The disciples and Jesus call themselves Christians. Christianity did not come into being until at least 100 years after the death of Jesus. They were all Jews who did not intend to start a new religion, but to reform Judiasm.

There were no synagogues. Formal worship was carried out in the Temple in Jerusalem by priests. Other worship was carried out in the home. Rabbis are teachers, not in any way equivalent to priests. Anyone can lead a service in Judiasm. Synagogues emerged after the destruction of the second temple of Solomon in 70 CE.

I did enjoy this book. I especially liked how Ms George explained "Mary"s" personality and her innate goodness. I thought that her description of how she became a disciple aand her prominence in the movement was excellent storytelling. The rejection the character experienced by her family was very realistic and common in extremely observant Jewish families, even today.

I have listened to this book, twice and plan on listening to it again. I have also purchased it in print format. I recommend it. It is a good book, however I did have some misgivings as a scholar and a Jew.

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19 people found this helpful

Margaret George must have a time machine!

This was an enthralling story. it brings to life one of history's true heroines. Kate Reading does a magnificent job with the narration. I can only highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

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2 people found this helpful