Being Magdalene

I Am Not Esther #3

by Fleur Beale

The gripping sequel to the award-winning and bestselling YA novels I Am Not Esther and I am Rebecca.

Being Magdalene revisits the Pilgrim family and its closed religious community, The Children of the Faith.

Four years have passed since Rebecca ran away. The community simmers with tension and rumours of an approaching split, and life has become terrifying for Rebecca's remaining siblings as Elder Stephen seizes any chance to take revenge on them. Twelve-year-old Magdalene lives in fear that her strong-willed little sister, Zillah, will be his next target.

The girls have run out of people who can protect them. To Zillah their path is clear but Magdalene is torn. How can she cause more hurt and shame for her parents? But, equally, how can she face a life with no freedom to be herself?

And another question scares her most of all. Without the elders' suffocating rules that tell her how to live, who would Magdalene be?

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Religion, Family, Cult Classics, Mental Health

316 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2015

About the author

Fleur Beale is the author of many award-winning books for children and young adults, best known for her novel I am not Esther which has been published worldwide.

Beale was one of six children of a dairy farmer Cedric Corney and of a teacher and author Estelle Corney (née Cook). She was born in Inglewood, Taranaki, New Zealand, on the farm where her father was born. Beale grew up in the town before attending Victoria University, Wellington and Christchurch Teachers' Training College, where she met her husband. Since 1985 she has taught at Melville High School in Hamilton, Waikato and in Wellington. Beale's first stories were written for the children's radio programme Grandpa's Place. Her first book was a small reader and picture book for young children and she started to write for teenagers in 1993. Her stories often involve troubled adolescents engaged in outdoor activities.

Beale was a finalist in the Aim Children's Book Awards (junior fiction) and her 1998 novel I am not Esther was shortlisted for the senior fiction section of the 1999 New Zealand Post Children's Awards. In 1999 she was awarded the Children's Writing Fellowship at Dunedin College of Education and quit teaching to write full time. Her 2001 novel Ambushed was a finalist for the Junior Fiction section of the 2002 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards. Her 2004 account of how an indigenous girl discovers how her education can save her tribal lands (My Story A New Song in the Land. The Writings of Atapo, Pahia, c.1840) received a Notable Book award in 2005 as did Walking Lightly.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars


This is a brilliant yet terrifying series. The idea of cults still existing today is mind-blowing. These kinds of stories are ones that a person just doesn't get use to. The dictatorship of it all goes so far back in history, including people such as Hitler. You would think humans now would have learned from that kind of power but no. I really hope that one day cults such as this, have been ended.

I really appreciated how in this final story, the author spent more of the story based on what happened once certain characters left the cult. For once we dive deeper into the mental health of such individuals and how healing begins. You can't help but be heartbroken and enlightening at the same time.

Highly recommend this series and the family we follow through all 3 books.

[Ella Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.8 stars. I didn't think this was as good as the others in the series, but it concluded nicely.

[♫✯Em loves Hollenstein✯♫❤the summertime and butterflies all belong to your creation❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOW DO I WORDS RIGHT NOW

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread review: I love the other two books in this series too, but this one... It just breaks my heart.

Original review: I have no words. That was just amazing.

[stuck_in_a_booksuzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a pretty good ending.

[Karen Aitkenhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great conclusion . I really enjoyed the three books

[Jaymee McHugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book
Really liked it but it was a bit to slow for me
So happy really good ending
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Adele Broadbent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third in the story of the Pilgrim Family, Being Magdalene tells the story of 12 yr old Magdalene Pilgrim and how her world is falling apart around her. Desperate to protect her younger sister Zillah from any backlash for her strong-willed behavior, Magdalene is suffering herself. Her older brothers Abraham and Luke are balking against The Rule and Magdalene isn't sure what to believe. Their leader Elder Stephen is attacking the Pilgrim family every chance he gets, since their 16 yr old sister Rebecca ran away from their impending wedding.
But Abraham, Luke and little Zillah are much surer than Magdalene about how they want their lives to be, and they find a way to break away.
Zillah thrives away from The Rule, but Magdalene is still torn between her duty to her parents, and the regime of The Rule, and it takes much longer for her to find out who the real Magdalene is.

A fabulous ending to this wonderful series. Very believable in the fact that nothing was clear cut and tidy and straight forward. There was much hurt, duty, sadness, confusion and anger, between the different relationships within the family dynamics.

Fantastic Kiwi Fiction.

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES YES YES YES!

I really loved this whole series. Such a beautifully sad story. The ending was so satisfying. It’s nice to read a book with a New Zealand setting, too. Character development from book 1-3 was incredible. Definitely recommend.

Amazing first read for 2022 :)

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning final book, probably the best of the three. The book takes its time to come to a satisfying, well-earned but realistic conclusion.

This one is visceral exploration of the very real trauma that the sensitive five year old left behind in the first two books would have undergone. I really appreciated how, though written in first person, Magdalene almost never described her own physical symptoms, learning about them instead from the dialogue of others. Just one example of how powerfully written the series is.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book read by Fleur Beale but won't be my last. What an engaging, emotional story. This felt really real and kind of factual, because of what we know of Gloriavale. And yet its a universal story. Both sad and joyful.

[Amelia Lake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so sad for her in much of this book and in the end I was happy for all of them.

[Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this third book was unnecessary and didn’t add that much value to the story. The last like 10 pages wrapped up the story but yeah! Still an easy read though.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn’t the most well written book, however the message and themes really hit home for me. Religion gets in the way of common sense.

[Sarah Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read and finished the three book series, that started with 'I Am Not Esther'.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this series and loved following the different characters through their experience of leaving the faith.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my all-time favourite NZ Books is "I am Not Esther" by Fleur Beale which was the first book to take place in the cult Children of the Faith and featuring the Pilgrim Family. At the end of Book #1 the family had deemed Miriam , Daniel and Esther "dead". This left the twins Rebecca and Rachel, Abraham, Luke, Magdalene and Zillah in the family. The next book was I am Rebecca which was the story of Rebecca and Rachel - the twins who were getting ready to be married , it also showed the start of a new community as the Cult moved to Nelson and become more closed. Rebecca was forced to marry the church Elder Stephen and when she discovered that this wasn't her life dream , she too ran away and was considered "dead" whereas her twin sister Rachel stayed and married and eventually had two children. In Book #3 Being Magdalene , the Pilgrim family are being made as outcasts and treated differently especially since Rebecca's act of defiance against their leader. Magdalene and her sister Zillah are not enjoying life here one bit and they too feel that out in the world would suit them better, but they are young - how could they leave behind their families as their siblings have done. It seems that the Pilgrim family are causing such an uproar in the church community and soon they maybe the ones to cause a divide and eventually leave the faith all together for a better life out in the world. Is it time for the Pilgrim family to become a "true family" once again or will they stand divided as some of their family members still believe in the Rule ?
Find out in another amazing look at life in a cult through a teenager's eyes in Book #3 I am Not Esther series "Being Magdalene" . A book that I recommend should be on every teen's reading list this year.

[Jess Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A longer and, perhaps, slightly more nuanced and mature addition to the "Esther" series. Magdalene is more damaged than Kirby or Rebecca - although, like Rebecca, she has grown up in the Faith community, she doesn't quite have Rebecca's quiet good nature and belief in the rightness of the community. Magdalene has been scarred by her childhood (I still cringe thinking of the descriptions of five-year-old Magdalene quietly sobbing in prayer sessions from "I am Not Esther"!) and by the time we get to her story, the Children of Faith sect is crumbling.

Magdalene is driven by her love for her sister Zillah (and to a lesser extent her other siblings) and I loved this relationship and driving force. I also liked Magdalene's complex relationship with her parents - while in previous books her father has been the main "antagonist" and her mother strict but quietly supportive, in this book that's turned around and it's hopeful to see her father's growing turnaround and change of heart. It's not all plain sailing, and while the ending is realistically optimistic, I'd love to see a longer resolution for this family.

Magdalene's depression is handled well, and is definitely different to the defiant Kirby and resilient Rebecca. Her recovery and discovery of who she wants to be is a lovely ending for the book.

[Discoverylover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered there was a third book in this trilogy completely by accident. I was lighting a fire (in a fire place!) and noticed a review of the book on one of the bits of newspaper I was using. It doesn't seem like that long since 'I am Rebecca' came out to me, mostly because I only got around to reading it this year, so it was a welcome surprise to get another book in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought the changes in the family were well thought through, as well as Magdalene's character. The ending was absolutely perfect, with just enough hope to keep me going, but still believable for all the other characters.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, poor Magdalene. So traumatised.
Really interesting to see how the different 'groups' of the children react to their parents and their personal departures from the Faith.
Devoured in half a day, I did not want to put it down.
Now I want another story - maybe Hope Rising would be a good title? Following young Hope as her parents leave the faith too? Please?
Or, can we have something about Octavia? She was a great character.

2022 Re-Read: This one hit me like a punch in the guts. Magdalene was just such a broken character from the beginning.

[MissStan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great finish to this trilogy. I have thoroughly the entire series about the Pilgrims. This was another page turner for me. Great characters and a story that draws you into their world. Highly recommended - read the whole series!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved I am not Esther so continued on with Rebecca and now Magdalene. I expect this saga is over. It was good to find out more about the family and see some happy endings and meet some old friends.
This book would not stand on it's own though.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and it was a nice conclusion to the series. There was a few things I wish had happened such as all the exiled kids going to their father and telling them exactually what they thought. My mother and I have read the whole series now (with her stealing the book to read it in the evening and me stealing it back in the morning) and it sparked some interesting conversations and guesses to what is going to happen, most of mine were correct but she was right about one of the biggest issues that happened in the last half of the book. I Am Not Esther had a very rushed and quick ending while I am Rebecca had a more satisfactory ending with her adjusting to life on the outside, this third installment went into a more mental and emotional with Magdalene's depression on her departure of the faith and the struggle between freedom and duty.

[C.J. Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I taught I Am Not Esther for many years which tells the story of a young girl being suddenly transplanted into a completely strange way of life when she is sent to relations who are members of a religious cult. It raised many questions about resilience, rules, power and relationships.
In Being Magdelene, Beale revisits the same cult and charts the escape to the outside world of another member of the same family. While we care about this character, there is nothing particularly new in what we learn about the lifestyle or her difficulties removing herself from it. However, as part of a series, it shows the increasing awareness of the cult members and the reader hopes that, eventually, they will all either improve their lifestyle or escape from it.

[TJL · Rating 5 out of 5]

UGH, SUCH A BEAUTIFUL CONCLUSION.

I enjoyed almost every second of it, and I have to say, having Caleb end up being the one to soften and Naomi be the one to clench up and follow the rule to a T was entirely unexpected. I was rather pleased with that unexpected track.

And now it's over, and I'm sad.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much and it is a go to! It is such a nice read that really does mean lots. It gives you an interesting perspective into the lives of people who focus their live's around religion and I just love that interesting view! I really recommend it.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure if this is our last meeting with the Pilgrim family, but if so, it is a fitting send off. Great insight into the inside of a insular Christian community.

[Sand-Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first two books two years ago so it took me a bit to remember who anybody was. It's a good book

[Shanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt somewhat samey after its two predecessors, but was still a good story about family and faith, and I'm glad I read it.

[Te Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolutely beautiful. My favourite out of the 3. It made me laugh and definitely made me cry. Amazing.