Customer Reviews

According to Mary Magdalene

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

reading books is a great way of spending the train rides to and from work. With this book the rides were to short however. The story of Mary of Magdala, remembering her encounter and life with Jesus is refreshing and inspiring. The birth of Christianity and the life of Jesus is portrayed in a new way, through the eyes of a troubled woman and intermingled with her problems in society and her life. My view of Jesus was very much refreshed, and his teachings retaught in the view of a woman apostle. Highly recommended!

Mariannes books always have at least one powerful,wise woman as a frontfigure. In "Maria Magdalena" it happens to be Jesus girlfriend. Not a whore and not a saint. A woman. It's a fantastic story about how it might have been. She writes like it's a fairytale. In the end you love Jesus and you love Maria Magdalena.

I highly recommend According to Mary Magdalene, especially if you're in the mood to question traditional Christian thought, but you aren't yet ready to digest something like Why Christianity Must Change or Die by Bishop Spong.

AtMM has a simple message that I think most present-day Christians seem to forget altogether: we are here to love and accept one another, not to make rules and laws and judge one another.

I liked reading about Mary Magdalene so much so that I'm anxious to read non-fiction works about her (as non-fiction as Christian mythology can be, that is). I also remembered that one of my favorite books, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, features her in statue form.

I read this book a few months ago; my mother sent it to me from Sweden, as she always does with Marianne Fredriksson's new books. This book gives a new perspective to Christianity; told by a heroine who loves and trusts no matter what. It also uncovers the dangers of relaying on words, rather than feellings. In reading Mary Magdalene it is easy to beleive that men of the church have hid the greater meaning in Jesus' teachings from us. In the book Jesus' words all make sence and yet fit badly with what we are tought from the bible. Marianne Fredriksson's books have a mystical and magical sence of revealing an alternative truth; she will never thrust it upon you, but will give you another (or several) new ways of viewing life and love. This is not her best book, but that does not say a lot!!! Try Simon's family and Hanna's daughters as well. If you read in Swedish you must read 'Den som vandrar om natten....'which is also set in biblical time and absolutely wonderful.

According to Mary Magdalene is an enchanting journey into another time and an interesting look at the lives of Jesus's followers. Mary Magdalene so beautifully represents the ability to love and enjoy the sexual fullness of being in a human body. She excellently portrays how we as humans so often paint our reality onto all that we see. How Paul and the apostles just had to fit Jesus into that which they already believed, their religious beliefs. How much easier it is to want to control than to follow Jesus's message of unconditional love. This was a delightful read giving food for thought and personal introspection.

The book is an excellent example of historical fiction, challenging us to view an age old story in a new way. None of us were present back then, so all interpretations are somehow flawed. To find the truth, one has to think about the historical context and how the message fits with the other messages given in the New Testament. The book does not pretend to be an autobiography, but rather a challenge to the traditional interpretation of Mary's life with Christ. Well written and worth a read.

Yes, read this book. It has an interesting point of view if your mind is open. Learn new possibilities. I also recommend Agori (Defenders of the Holy Grail) and of course, Starbird for more books on MM!

This book has some fantastic ideas to consider in thinking about the life of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, but is frankly not very well written. It didn't fare well in the translation from Swedish, and the descriptions are often juvenile and bare while the emotions are simplistically expressed and awkward.

According To Mary Magdalene is feminist take on Jesus' life and teachings through the eyes of Mary Magdalene, a prostitute who is romantically and emotionally involved with him. It draws its ideas strongly from what little text remains of The Gospel Of Mary, a non-canonical gospel dating back to first century that has been called false and heretical by some Christian churches, but generally accepted as an equally historic record of early evangelist writings. This book is not afraid of contradicting many of the current staples of the Christian churches, including the virgin birth and the idea that Jesus' death was a human sacrifice for our sins. The book, through its focus character Mary Magdalene, has much reverence for Jesus, but views him as human rather than divine. The book also outright dismisses much of what is said by Jesus' other followers like Simon Peter and Paul as they try to fit the message of Jesus into their pre-formed ideas; It uses a verse from the Gospel Of Mary saying that Jesus did not want anyone to write down laws in his name as a running theme throughout the novel, along with his message of unconditional love, that the kingdom of God is within.

The novel was interesting brain-food, especially in combination with reading the (very short, highly recommended!) Gospel Of Mary, but According To Mary Magdalene was not written well enough to be a keeper.

I like her other books, but this one was ridiculous. I know there was supposed to be a message behind it, about feminism and Christianity, which could be true. But the rest of it, where is that coming from? It's just like some bargain basement historical romance.

A dear friend loaned this book to me, asking that I read it and see what I thought. It was an okay read, but at times I found myself confused in the plot, wondering if Mary was having flashbacks or what. Of course, we all know Mary Magdalene was a special woman in the life of Jesus. This is a work of fiction and I feel the writer just decided to write a fiction story based on perhaps her own personal beliefs, or should I say perhaps the way she wanted to believe it may have happened. This is the first book I've read by this particular author and because I had a hard time staying with the plot, I doubt I read anything else she's written. I feek that fiction writers should stick to fiction and not waver into areas where perhaps they shouldn't go.