Customer Reviews

The Parchment : A Novel

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The Parchment is a first novel by noted legal scholar and law dean, Gerald T. McLaughlin, and was written during the long and lingering battle with breast cancer fought by his beloved late wife, largely before The DaVinci Code burst onto the scene. It was not published until December 2004, and it surpasses The DaVinci Code on virtually all literary levels.

The book tells a gripping tale, one that is rooted in human nature, world history, and even geopolitics, not in riddles. Its characters are finely drawn, believable, and hold your interest, even though they span centuries and cultures - no (un)willing suspension of disbelief is required. The plot works complicated analogies, as well as illuminating parallels, through diverse institutions, which include the Knights Templar, the Mafia, the Vatican, the Italian Government, the Presidency, the French aristocracy, and Arab-Israeli intrigue in the Middle East. Through it all, the author's deep and abiding affection and respect for the Church, which, as one character puts it, survives, is palpable and endearing.

The action begins when two scholars working in the Vatican Library come upon a parchment showing first-century census records indicating that Jesus of Nazareth was married to Mary of Magdalene and that they had two children, David and Tamar. The parchment is carbon-dated and validated, after being surreptitiously removed from the library. We are then taken on a magical journey that goes back to first-century Palestine, covers the Crusades, and gives us a glimpse of machinations at the Vatican - even a papal consistory.

Throughout it all, the author's imagination is remarkable, even for (especially for!) a New Yorker trained in classics at Fordham.

Also, I would never have thought that a lawyer would have been able to spin such a compelling yarn having basically nothing to do with the stuff of lawyering, (like courtrooms, investigations, juries and the like), as well as nothing to do with law school (like the law professor entrancing his adoring students and so forth), but this novel really takes us back to a distant world, as well as across the ocean to another land, and it is well worth the trip.

'The Parchment' creates all the suspense and powerful motivation to read it to its conclusion, as did 'The Davinci Code'. The novel is more than just a new mystery, but is also factual even though the author has taken literary license with some of the facts. Much can be learned by this writing, as well as entertained, that will leave you with questions about where the truth really is.

I highly recommend to all.

I read the Parchment from cover to cover not wanting to put it down. The book is fantastic. It takes historical novels to heights which few authors can reach.

...and not in the sense of fantasy. This book is the real deal, a thinking person's da Vinci Code (though the analogy doesn't do "The Parchment" justice). Page turner, engrossing, intelligent, etc., all the usual shibboleths apply. This is simply a terrific piece of work.

A page turner. Following an ancient parchment as it resurfaces in the last days of a present pope, threatening to upset a papal election. The parchment is picked up during the fall of the Jewish temple (62 ce), and we follow it re-emerging through the middle ages, the crusades, and the present Israeli - Palestinean crisis. Great action sequences. Subtle papal intrigue. Romance and adventure. I couldn't put it down.

This book is a true page turner for anyone interested in historical fiction. This story is plausible and believable, and the author is very skillful in the way he skips back and forth in time to tell the tale.

It is also far more enjoyable (and believable) than the De Vinci Code, probably the best-known work to deal with similar subject matter (and in my opinion the most over-rated book in recent memory).

Unlike most other works of this kind, McLaughlin's story works without straining credulity, while still being challenging and interesting. It's simply a shame that this work has not received more exposure.

What is even more stunning is that the Parchment appears to be McLaughlin's first work of fiction (I understand that he is a legal scholar of some note and has previously published academic papers). It's been a couple of years since this book has come out, and I sincerely hope that Mr. McLaughlin is working on another historical fiction novel for us, his fans.

Excellent writing about papal transition, consipracy, political suspense and church history. From the Knights Templar to the current Mideast tensions McLaughlin ties it all together. Because of the recent papal transition, it is a must read and a great deal of fun.

I read this book in just two sittings, it took that strong a hold on me. The author's imagination went far beyond the research he must have done to ground the story historically, so that suspense and excitement prevailed on every page. And the final twist to the mystery is masterful. I would recommend The Parchment to anyone who enjoys a well-told tale that comes out of history but is solidly contemporary, uncannily right out of the news.

The Parchment does what all good reads do - it moves quickly, it engages the mind, and it's hard to put down. But more than that, it's relevant. From the current illnesses of the Pope, the tensions in Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, and throughout the Middle East, and the still-lingering heritage perspective of the Crusades make this book helpful for understanding why we are where we are in Iraq and elsewhere.

The Parchment is a fascinating page-turner and given the current Pope's condition, could turn out to be a timely story, as well.