Daughter of Jerusalem

Biblical Fiction

by Joan Wolf

In Daughter of Jerusalem, readers will quickly identify with Mary Magdalene - a woman of deep faith who used her wealth and influence to serve Jesus.
This fictionalized story of Mary Magdalene is, in the truest sense of the word, an inspirational novel for modern people who are looking to renew in themselves the message of Christ. It's the greatest story ever lived, told by one of the most famous women who ever lived, and it's a page-turner. Joan Wolf's years of success as a novelist enable her to combine storytelling and a faith plot in this beautifully written biblical fiction.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Biblical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Religion, Historical

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Joan Wolf is a USA TODAY bestselling American writer, whose acclaimed Regency romances have earned her national recognition as a master of the genre. Her many historical and contemporary romances, some of which have been chosen as Literary Guild selections, have been highly praised by reviewers and authors alike.

Joan was born in 1951 and she grew up in the Bronx, New York. A former English teacher, she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Mercy College and Master in English and Comparative Literature at Hunter College. An avid rider and horse owner, Joan lives in Connecticut with her husband Joe and two grown children, Jay and Pam.

Reviews

[Mary Chrapliwy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the reasons I've never seen the movie The Passion of the Christ is that I knew it would reduce me to tears that would be more than a little difficult to recover from. I never expected that this book would have the power to do the same.

Joan Wolf, a veteran historical writer with many titles under her belt, clearly did meticulous research on the region where Mary of Magdala lived. There have been more than a few versions of Mary through history. Wolf gives us the one that characterizes Mary of Magdala as a wealthy woman who assists the Master, but also follows him. Fortunately, there is more to this story than the religious aspect, Wolf delves deep into her character's personality and development over the course of the story. She also develops setting so well that you can feel dessert sands and the Roman finery of Sepphoris.

This is a well researched historical that is both beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. A truly beautiful tale.

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you can get over all of the many historical inaccuracy's of this book, then you will enjoy it. I would have given this book 4-5 stars if the author had been more true to the history put forth in the bible. First of all, it is highly unlikely that Mary Magdalene was the sister of Lazarus and Martha, as she is portrayed in this book. I'm uncertain as to why the author thought it necessary to make them one and the same woman as the majority of Christian scholars fid them to be two different Mary's. Other than that I found the first two parts of this book to be really very enjoyable. The third part begins when Mary is introduced to Jesus. The part that I though I would enjoy the most was actually the section I enjoyed the least. It all felt rushed. Now, I understand that this is a book about Mary, not Jesus, but in my opinion if you're going to include in your book a main character like Jesus you better make sure to do it right and include ACCURATE information. It seems unnecessary to me to try to improve the story by changing many of the events as they are depicted in the bible, and I think I would have enjoyed the last section of the book much more.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley from Worthy Publishing.

If there is such thing as hard sci fi, then I want to coin the term hard historical fiction. This is not hard historical fiction. This is a light and modern look at Mary Magdalene. I never fully felt transported to first century Israel but I did feel like I could relate to Mary and it gave me a real sense of how unbelievable Jesus's ministry must have been. As inspirational fiction, it hits its mark. As historically accurate historical fiction, I think those who enjoy Margaret George will be disappointed but those who like Philippa Gregory will be delighted.

[Darla Cornelison · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you can get past the fact that this book does not follow any kind of biblical history that you have ever heard of and just read it at face value, it is pretty good. Writing is good and as far as the story itself goes it is pretty good. But for this to be categorized if it is as Christian fiction, it is not. The facts of the bible and this book do not match AT ALL. So if are wanting historical fiction based on bible fact this book is not for you. If you want a book with some familiar biblical names, its ok. But please don't take this book as fact!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many stories telling of the life (fictional, of course) of Mary Magdalene. Some portrayed her as a harlot, others as a woefully unfortunate woman. This book, by Joan Wolf, portrays her in the best possible light. As a woman. A woman who is a victim of her circumstances. A young woman sold into an unhappy marriage, who finds love with another. This is a highly likable Mary. A woman I felt for, a woman I would be happy to call a friend. We laugh with Mary, cry with her, and mourn with her.

We travel with Mary throughout her life, through her many 'adventures' and her eventual meeting with Jesus of Nazareth. We see how she become a disciple of Jesus and how meeting him changes her life.

The places mentioned come to life in this book, the descriptions are so real. Having never been to Jerusalem, I was able to picture it in my mind with Ms. Wolf's descriptions.

What a fantastic book. One of the best biographies of Mary of Magdala I've ever read. I must admit, I am fascinated by this woman. I see her as a heroine. A woman who overcomes all obstacles and becomes a favorite student of Jesus. I strongly encourage anyone interested in the life of Mary to read this book.

[Maryellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an easy to read novel that purports to tell the story of Mary Magdelane. It is well written, engrossing and captures the time and history of the events it describes. The author takes some creative license in placing Mary in events that she probably did not participate in...at least not all of them None the less, for those interested in Christian books, this books gives one a real flavor for the politics of that time period, including the position of women in society. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it as a read as long as one remembers that it's still fiction.

[Lori Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just ok for me... really enjoyed the first two sections and thought that the part pertaining to Mary's relationship with Jesus would interest me more!!! However that part of the story just fell completely flat for me!!! I did like how it was told in more of a historical way rather than religious... gave me a much better understanding of the conflicts of the time and why Jesus was seen as such a threat both religiously and politically!!! Quick read if you just want a learn something more about Mary!!!

[Jenny Farmer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Theologically unsound.

I was so excited to read this book and initially I was not disappointed. However, the theology was so off it ruined the story for me and I had to quit reading. Jesus was never an Essene nor were his brothers actually his cousins. I was saddened that the author chose to add her own ideas rather than staying true to the scriptures.

[🌒JFosbookboss🌒 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid story!

I like Joan Wolf's style of story telling. I wavered on rating it's probably 3.8-3.9... just not quite a four for me, because half the book was a 5..but the very last of Part 3.. I felt the story was bit dull, little creativity w/interaction with Jesus.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

First let me just say, wow. I can't even gather my thoughts in a coherent manner to write the beautiful review I want to give this book. I'd first just like to say thank you so much to Worthy Publishing and Joan Wolf for providing me with a free copy of this book to read and for allowing me the honor of participating in the Daughter of Jerusalem blog tour. I'm not trying to suck up (lol), but this book has truly been such a blessing in my life. When I was first asked to participate in the blog tour- this is my first one- I thought "wow, this will really be awkward if I don't like the book!". Thankfully, that wasn't a problem at all. Not only did I like the book, but I LOVED the book.

Daughter of Jerusalem is the story of Mary Magdalene, who is probably one the top five most famous women from the Bible. I'm thinking maybe Eve and the other Mary are the top two. So anyways, the book begins during Mary's childhood as she is being brought to live in the home of her Aunt Leah, who resides with Lord Benjamin- a wealthy man in the city of Magdala. At the home of Lord Benjamin, Mary and Lord Benjamin's son, Daniel, fall in love. They eventually earn the blessings of Lord Benjamin to marry. However, Lord Benjamin is a ssssssss-snake and has other plans for Mary. Thanks to her beauty he can receive a large bride price for her and that's what he does. She is forced to marry a man who she doesn't know, nor is in love with. From there, she enters into an affair which her new husband agrees to for business reasons. Mary is definitely ashamed of herself and doesn't know how her sins could ever be forgiven. Which brings us to Jesus.

Let me just stop there to say, the book was GREAT before Jesus arrives on the scene. But, when Jesus arrives it's like this beautiful moment and I just couldn't put the book down from there. I mean, OH MY GOODNESS. It was awesome. Words don't even describe how much I loved this part of the book. Literally, I don't even know how to describe it in fancy-blog-review-ways. It's just like, hearing a first person account- even if it was fictionalized- of Jesus as he walked on the earth and among regular people, like you and I... it was such a gift. Reading Mary's experiences and life as a follower of the true Messiah was an inspiring and truly uplifting experience for me.

I don't know how historically or Biblically accurate the book is. I am far from a Biblical scholar, but I know Mary is often portrayed and said to be a prostitute. In this book she is not, she is a woman who has sinned- yes- but not a hooker. I really loved that. I think it's safe to assume that because of the time the Bible was written in, like Eve before her, Mary M. probably got a bad rap just because she was a woman. But, again I'm not scholar in this area.

Whether accurate or not, this book is truly beautiful and I must say that I just love that it's told in a first person narrative. I didn't know if I'd like this book because I've only had so-so experiences with Biblical Fiction in the past, but thanks to this book I'll be hungrily devouring more from this author and genre. This book gets 5 out of 5 stars!

I was provided with a free copy of this book courtesy of Worthy Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Worthy Publishing free in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.


Book Description:

She was a widow, a businesswoman, an adulteress.
In her lifetime, she knew murder, prejudice, and faith. She transformed from a Jewish girl longing for family to one of the closest friends of Jesus of Nazareth -- the Son of God.

HER NAME WAS MARY MAGDALENE.

In this fictionalized story of one of the Bible's most compelling women, New York Times best-selling author Joan Wolf beautifully recreates the history, romance, and tradition of Mary's world. Daughter of Jerusalem follows Mary's life from her first love through her loveless marriage, to the moment she heard of a miracle worker in her own town -- and ultimately to the moment she saw Him risen from the dead.

As this inspiring chronicle reminds us, Mary was the first to witness history's greatest moment. She was a woman who sought forgiveness for her sins, and a follower of God who yearned for a deeper faith. She was Jesus' beloved disciple. Read Mary Magdalene's story and find yourself in this remarkable woman's journey to discover the Kingdom of God.


My Thoughts:

Daughter of Jerusalem is the first book by Joan Wolf that I have had the opportunity to read. Daughter of Jerusalem is a fictional story of Mary Magdalene's life from childhood until Jesus' death. Joan Wolf writes a wonderful story of Mary Magdalene and her life. From her childhood, Mary's life was a rough one. She was sent to live with her deceased Mother's sister and her family because of conflict with her stepmother. Mary had to leave her step siblings Martha and Lazarus. Mary falls in love and is set to wed one of the men in her home until her Uncle decides to marry her off to a rich Jewish Man because of money. Mary moves to live with him in Sepphoris, a place more Roman than Jewish. Mary finds herself becoming Roman and very popular in the Roman circles. She becomes educated and finds herself in making decisions against her beliefs. When tragedy strikes, Mary finds herself heading back home to Bethany, to her step siblings. From there Mary finds her calling.

I really enjoyed this book. The story of Mary,Martha and Lazarus in the Bible have always been my favorite. Joan Wolf writes this beautiful story that gives Mary this life that takes many twists and turns. I found myself unable to put this book down once I started it. I found myself filled with much emotion as I read this story. The story Joan Wolf tells truly had me spellbound. As I read this story I felt like I was right there watching everything unfold including Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection. As I read the story from the point of his arrest it reminded me of The Stations of The Cross. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Fiction! You will not be disappointed. I have found a new author for my Must Read List! I give this book 5 Stars

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted at http://eatreadexplore.wordpress.com

Even though I am not a religious person myself, I am very much interested in the various world religions and their origins. I also adore reading historical books, so I was definitely looking forward to reading this book. And I have to say I really enjoyed it. It may be surprising to hear that this isn’t an overly religious book, in spite of the fact that the main character is Mary Magdalene, and a large part of the book is focused on Jesus and everything he brought about. The way I see it, this is more a book describing the life of a young girl whose life took a few unexpected turns, and who happened to come into contact with an exceptional man. Throughout history, Mary has often been depicted rather negatively, which isn’t the case in this book. She’s described as being a kind, caring, and more than anything a very intelligent woman who was ahead of her time, and dared to think for herself and hold an opinion contrary to the masses. The fact that this book has a first person narrative, Mary’s, helps I think to establish her as a free thinking individual, and it makes her likeable. We see the world through her eyes, and it is very refreshing to see a few iconic events of this world through the eyes of a woman, rather than from a man’s perspective which is customary.

To what degree the story of her early life is accurate I couldn’t say, since I don’t know that much about Mary Magdalene and I had never read a book before that was specifically focused on her life’s story. But to me that didn’t really matter to be honest, because I found it a very interesting read and I know, like with any work of fiction that is based on real people and actual events, that you always need to take what’s been written with a grain of salt. The overall story will have many realistic elements, but many of the details will be either hearsay, or completely made up by the author to fill in the gaps and make the story coherent and interesting. And that’s okay, because it’s a work of fiction and not a text book. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with historical fiction containing some inaccuracies because there are a lot of things we simply don’t know, especially when the events described happened centuries ago, and there are things that just don’t work well and need to be altered or left out in order to make a story readable and coherent. Like I already said, it’s a work of fiction, and as long as that is made clear I see no problem with the author deviating from the facts.

I am torn between giving this 3.5 or 4 stars, but I’m leaning more towards giving the book 4 stars because it was a well written, obviously well researched and detailed story, and I enjoyed reading it very much.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

As far as Inspirational FICTION goes, this book was pretty enjoyable, but NOT biblically accurate. I've read a goodly amount of books about Mary Magdalene, (also the bible accounts), and this book takes A LOT of creative license with the bible accounts.

The author combined Mary Magdalene with another Mary - the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Why the author chose to do this I'm not sure. Mary Magdalene is an interesting enough character by herself. By the act of writing the character this way, it contradicts the blurb from the book:

"She was a widow, a businesswoman, an adulteress.
In her lifetime, she knew murder, prejudice, and faith. She transformed from a Jewish girl LONGING FOR FAMILY to one of the closest friends of Jesus of Nazareth -- the Son of God."
Longing for family? Yet this character is the sister of Martha and Lazarus? She obviously had family then.
I know, I know, creative license. It's ok. It's a decent fictional story, but definitely not a good accounting of the real Mary Magdalene.

Another issue I had with this novel was the fact that the characters seemed shallow, and hard to relate to. With Mary, I think it was because the author tried to mix 2 characters rather than stick with the original Mary Magdalene who had plenty of traits to carry the story by herself. It was hard to become immersed in this accounting - it felt a bit more like a tour rather than seeing things through the eyes of Mary. For example, one of the main highlights of the book was when Mary was introduced to Jesus. Instead of seeming to be a highlight however, it was rushed... possibly because it occurred in the last third of the book, and the author was ready to wrap things up.

Even though inaccurate according to the biblical account, I did appreciate this book. It sent me back to the parts of the bible to read about Mary again, and it did carry the themes of redemption and forgiveness.



*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and publisher for purposes of a fair review. (Thank you Worthy Publishing for the opportunity to read this book). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joan Wolf tells a uniquely fresh account of the life of the woman known today in Christian texts as Mary Magdalene.

In the beginning of the story, a young Mary of Magdala is sent from her father's home because of conflicts with her stepmother. Leaving behind her younger sister, Martha, and her brother Lazarus, Mary finds herself living with her Aunt Leah. Her new Jewish home is filled with many members of Leah's family by marriage but, Mary struggles to make friends with the other young girls of the family. Instead Mary begins a friendship with a son of the house, Daniel. Mary and Daniel soon find themselves experiencing young love but Mary fears their separation as Daniel prepares to leave for scribe school in Jerusalem.

When Mary catches the eye of Daniel's recently widowed brother, Samuel, Daniel and Mary know that they must discuss with Daniel's father the love they share. The two find themselves betrothed to one another and think everything has worked out for them. Through a cruel twist of fate, Mary is forced to marry a rich Jewish merchant.

Mary is miserable in her marriage but soon finds herself a friend in the Roman widow, Julia. Mary soon finds herself in very large social circles that her husband sees as business opportunities. It isn't too long before Mary finds herself the object of one Roman soldier's affection. At first, Mary tries to obey Jewish law and remember her marital obligations. However, she is horrified when her husband reveals that he actually wants her to commit adultery. Labelled a whore by her people, Mary is no longer accepted in Jewish society or at the synagogue.

After her husband's untimely death and the loss of her first born child, Mary makes the decision to rejoin Martha and Lazarus. In beginning this new chapter of her life, Mary hopes that she can start life anew. However, nothing can prepare Mary for the next chapter of her life when she meets Jesus of Nazareth.

My thoughts: I was hooked into the story and really interested at the course Wolf decided to take with carving out a story for Mary Magdalene. Readers may or may not like the blending of the " Marys" or the ending storyline of her life but Wolf does stay true to the scriptural text when dealing with Jesus's portion.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I do not read a lot of biblical fiction, but reading this book made me want to swallow up all the biblical fiction I could find. It was a wonderful read that made the biblical story of Mary Magdalene come to life. While all these events did not necessarily happen to the biblical Mary, this was a great fictional tale of the story of Mary.
The story opens when Mary is just 10 years old. After having problems at her own home, she is sent to live with her Aunt Leah at the home of Lord Benjamin. Mary must soon find her place in a household of 32 people. While she doesn’t make friends with the girls very quickly, Mary quickly becomes friends with Daniel. Just when they think their lives are going to go in a happy direction, things change.
When Mary is sold into a loveless marriage, she is terribly disappointed with her life. Feeling as if God has abandoned her, she finds love with another. Eventually, after a series of unfortunate events, she returns to Capernaum. There she meets Jesus and we see her learning to trust in him and rely on his strength and forgiveness.
I loved seeing the relationship between Jesus and Mary come to life. You can see that Mary greatly admired him and when she finally found a way to forgive herself, she was willing to work hard to follow Jesus and do what she could to help his ministry.
I enjoyed this book very much but as a warning to other readers, make sure you realize that this is a fictional account of Mary. It may have some of the facts straight, but a lot of this is fiction. If you want to know the real story of Mary, the Bible is where you’ll get the most accurate facts.

I received a free ecopy of this book from Worthy Publishing through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Magdalene is a controversial figure and many historical fiction portrayals of her have not done her justice as a strong female character. I really appreciated the treatment of her here, especially since she's not a prostitute. Coming from an insignificant family, Mary is forced to abandon her true love for an arranged marriage to a wealthy merchant. Submerged in the decadent lifestyle of Roman influence, she abandons her religion embraces a life of sin (according to Judaism). Heartbreak after heartbreak leaves her aimless and unsure of herself until Jesus of Nazareth comes into her life.

The entire Jesus episode is only the final third of the book, but I felt the other aspects of Mary's life were as significant as her time with Christ. The path of her life, the decisions she made, the betrayals she witnessed, all led her back to God through Jesus and his ministry. What I most appreciated about this novel was that it wasn't overtly preachy or Christian. It was a woman's encounter with the divine. Mary's strength and understanding singled her out from all of the other disciples and I really enjoyed this portrayal of her. I adored her as a character despite her flaws.

I thought the writing was straightforward and well-paced. There were aspects that could have been drawn out, like Jesus suffering on the cross, but the author kept the plot moving with just enough emotion to have an impact. This novel was very approachable and you don't have to be familiar with the Bible to appreciate Mary's story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the Goodreads First Reads program.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy through the Goodreads' First reads program, compliments of Worth Publishing, in exchange for an unbiased review.

Jesus' closest earthly friend. The one who understood him better than anyone alive - was a woman whose sins marked her with a scarlet letter. DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM is the historical fiction account of Mary of Magdala. The cover is entrancing and bright; the story within enchanting. I finished this book in just a few days (usually takes me a couple weeks with my schedule).

Although a work of fiction, Joan Wolf's writing stays true to the cultural times of Mary Magdalene. We follow her from youth through adulthood - from joys of love to pain of loss. I believe this is a fairly accurate portrayal of a woman out of her time. Written with excellent prose and understanding, this book is one of those gems I will tell all my friends to read.

More than halfway through the book we are introduced to Jesus of Nazareth. I enjoyed how the author stayed true to scripture when describing his interactions with people. His message was love, and it is enduring. This book reminds me of that - love and forgiveness. I will definitely be reading more of Wolf's work! Happy reading.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this novel through a Goodreads giveaway.

I have found this book to be extremely interesting to read. The way the author portrays this important religious and historical figure really made me stop and think about who this person really was. Being raised Christian, I heard of Mary Magdalan and her being a follower of Jesus. Many stories portrayed this woman as a harlot and a prostitute and never delve into who this person really was. I began reading this novel knowing that the young Child would one day be the woman I knew her as from the Bible stories. I knew what would happen in the end. However, while reading this novel I became entranced by what is going to happen to this girl turned woman. While reading, I forgot about what I knew and went through the emotional ups and downs of the character. I forgot what to expect next and was quickly turning the pages to see what would happen next. The author has written a novel where the majority of individuals know the ending, but leaves the reader wanting to know what is going to happen next. And in my case having a small hope that Mary could save Jesus. Great read.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very interesting adaptation of Mary and I wouldn't mind having it amongst my collection of biblical adaptations, but it wasn't as good as I had hoped. It sadly would not be a top recommendation. My main problem with the text is not including the one certain fact the bible states about Mary Magdalene: "And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils..." (Luke 8:2) Unless Joan Wolf had Mary's "devils" be represented metaphorically instead of literally, it was not included in the text.

It was a very powerful story about the strength of faith and repentance. There are many parts of the book that I loved. However, there are so many conflicting opinions about the type of woman Mary of Magdalene was and I was shocked that Joan Wolf would combine so many different biblical people together to form Mary but not include the one fact that the bible states. It's hard for me to get over.

[Lollie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was definitely different, but it didn't command my attention like a good narrative should.
I found I was easily sidetracked and it took me three weeks to read.

While the story is very descriptive and the time comes to life as you read, there was nothing really compelling to keep me going. Unfortunately it's a story where you know what will happen, whether you're religious or not, and I wish there had been more in the way of unanticipated ventures. I could have stopped reading the book in the middle and still known how it all ended.
A very slow progressive read, and it's unfortunate that I didn't feel uplifted as I thought I should with the ending of the book.

[Wendy Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read many stories about Mary of Magdalene, but this is the first one that is contemporary in my opinion. Daughter of Jerusalem follows the live of Mary from her first marriage until she meets Jesus. The writing is keen and Wolf has a knack of painting vivid pictures with her words. Jerusalem just comes to life, creating an authentic background for Wolf's Magdalene.

Inspiring, emotional and complex, Daughter of Jerusalem is a compelling read. It makes me want to be a better person after reading about Mary and Jesus. Their faith is unwavering and their love for one another shines through as well. I loved this book and highly recommend it!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story and the depth of character given to Mary of Magdala. One of the reasons I enjoy Biblical fiction is, despite how accurate it is or isn't, it reminds me that even the people who may appear in one or two lines in the Bible, led entire lives before/after their appearance in scripture. The only negatives I give this one are some obvious omissions in the last section of the book, particularly in regards to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Overall, however, recommended.

[Melisende · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Mary of Magdala - daughter, wife, fallen woman and disciple.

Fuller review can be read at Melisende's Library

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars (for the 1,000,000th time, Goodreads come out with half stars)

I didn’t fully agree with how certain people were portrayed in the book, especially Jesus. I felt as though he was portrayed way too humanly. I know he took on human flesh, but he was still perfect. The author described him as having a short temper and getting angry quite often. I seriously don’t believe this is how Jesus was.

I know the Bible doesn’t share much deep information in each story, so this is called biblical fiction for a reason. I feel like the author took way more fictional liberties than she should have. If y u change too much in the Bible, then you can be changing the whole story and lesson. This happens in a lot of parts in this book. You have to be careful with biblical fiction because some authors take the fiction part too far. This is a perfect example.

Overall, I liked some aspects, especially at the beginning. Later, when Jesus came in the scene, it went from a 4 star book to a 1 star book, mainly because of the awful and untrue portrayal of Jesus. It made me quite mad and upset to see such a perfect and loving God portrayed as an angry and resentful human. Also, His follower’s reactions to His death was so far-fetched. Mary Magdalene was happy when he died... she said it was so He wouldn’t be suffering anymore. But, she was even hoping He would die when they took Him....

I’m just very confused on how this author thought this was an accurate portrayal. This kind of turned into a rant... oh well.

[Linda Branich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars rounded to four, not because of poor writing, but because some things are put forth in this book that I believe are not Scripturally correct. There is a lot of disagreement among scholars and pastors about these things. In this book, Mary Magdalene is portrayed as a woman who cheated on her husband. Scripture does not support that she was ever married or widowed. It also portrays her as the sister of Martha and Lazarus. I do not believe Scripture supports Mary of Bethany ( the sister of Lazarus and Martha) as one and the same as Mary Magdelene.

However, I do give Joan Wolf, a new author to me, credit for her detailed descriptions of life and customs in these Biblical times during the life and ministry of Jesus, especially the contrasts in dress, housing, meals, hairstyles, and customs between the Jews and Romans, as well as the Jews who were not so observant of the Jewish ways, having one foot in each world.

This is a historical fiction work, and the fictional dialogue between characters rang true to me. The custom of forced, arranged marriages for monetary gain presented the dilemna that young girls were faced with very well. The chronology of the events recorded in the Bible were mostly accurate.

I think most readers would enjoy this book, and I did, too, but for the couple things I am in disagreement with.

[Boshra · Rating 4 out of 5]

أرملة ، سيدة أعمال ، وزانية. في حياتها ، عرفت القتل والخداع والإيمان. لقد تحولت من فتاة يهودية تتوق إلى ان يكون لها عائلة إلى ان تكون واحدة من أصدقاء يسوع الناصري - ابن الله. اسمها مريم المجدلية.
في هذه الرواية تعيد "جون وولف" صياعة قصة حياة واحدة من أكثر نساء الكتاب المقدس شهرة اﻻ وهي مريم المجدلية. تتتبع رواية "ابنة أورشليم" حياة مريم في زواجها الأول من رجل يسئ معاملتها، وحتى اللحظة التي سمعت فيها بصانع المعجزات في بلدتها - وفي النهاية إلى اللحظة التي رآته فيها قام من بين الأموات.

كما تذكر لنا هذه الرواية الملهمة ، ان مريم المجدلية كانت أول من شاهد أعظم لحظة في التاريخ - قيامة المسيح. كانت امرأة تسعى للحصول على مغفرة خطاياها ، وأتباع الله بقلبها الذي يتوق إلى إيمان أعمق. كانت تلميذة يسوع المحبوبة. اقرأ قصة مريم المجدلية اكتشف بنفسك رحلة هذه المرأة الرائعة لاكتشاف ملكوت الله.
ايضا يمكنك ان تجد مقالة رائعة بعنوان خواطر المجدلية، تجدها في هذا الرابط:
https://egboshra.blogspot.com/2012/10...

[Arnetta · Rating 1 out of 5]

In many ways, this book was well written. It had interesting characters, good storyline. For me - it had one serious flaw. If an author is going to write about a Biblical character - they should not completely rewrite the Bible in the process. As a Bible believing Christian I was appalled how the author changed facts - drastically changed facts - that undermine who Jesus was and the importance of Mary from Magdala. Countless little facts were changed that were annoying, but to me - the book deteriorated into true blasphemy. She turned Jesus into someone who needed to spend years with the Essenes to learn Scripture and then had him getting advice from this Mary. Felt like this author created a Jesus who needed help from everyone to do His mission... Not the Jesus I follow!

[FRED GARTNER · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story

This is the first book that I have read by this author, Joan Wolf. The Mary Magdalene shines in this book. I have read other books by different author's about the same subject, but this book really brought out a very human person that feels you could be very comfortable with. In fact, I am reading now her book "The Reluctant Queen". For those that are reading this review, I suggest you read the book. It is an great adventure for anyone.



, adventure for you

[Gregory Van Den Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I enjoy about reading historical fiction especially Biblical characters is they are portrayed as everyday human beings. This is especially true for this story. The characters which make up the gospels are real and not superhuman beings. The story is about Mary Magdeline. One never realizes from the gospel accounts what a courageous and full of life she was in real life. She should be a model of a faithful of Christ. While the disciples deserted Jesus in HIs time of need, she was always faithful.

[Patti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not my favorite at all. Too many inconsistencies and omissionswith the Bible. Jesus was an Essene??? Mary Magdalene was the sister to Martha and Lazarus? Where was the chaos at the crucifixion ..darkness, earthquake, raising of the dead? How about the demons that had possessed Mary? I would have liked to see the reasons and research from the author for these items like most of the other authors of Biblical historical fiction provide at the end of their books.