Customer Reviews

The Poet Prince: A Novel (Magdalene Line)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There is something so compelling about Ms. McGowan's story-telling, with her creative, deft, insightful mash-up of the old and new. Old ways of thinking about religion and women and art and power, and exciting new ways to see it all, thanks to her original connections between these things. An historical storyline and a contemporary one. Modern adventurers and ancient teachers. And all of it lovingly bound in a time-traveling plot that kept me turning the pages well past midnight.

The last thing McGowan does is merely pass along received wisdom. And I love that aspect of her work more than anything. To formulate fresh insights about anything, to make never before made connections between people and events and creativity and spirituality, is the most original and valuable thing a writer can do. And McGowan does it in a truly fascinating and unique way.

An added bonus: this book is interactive, sending you on your own quest for knowledge! Googling the art and locations McGowan writes about adds a bonus layer of richness to her work, and is a lot of fun too!

Let me just say, I like Kathleen McGowan. I enjoyed her first 2 books. They aren't high literature, and the characters are one dimensional, but they are interesting reads that move fairly quickly. I was moved by those books, and continued to think about them, long after I finished them. The subject matter is interesting and it kept me captivated the whole time.

Since I enjoyed her other books, and this book also includes the renaissance, the history of the Medici's, Italy, and all of that (which are fascinations of mine)I thought this book would be right up my alley. I started and stopped reading it several times, until I heard Kathleen on the radio, talking so passionately about it, that I thought I'd give it another chance.

Sadly, the writing in this book doesn't flow. Kathleen was trying so hard to give us all the facts we need to support her story, but instead of helping, it just jogged me right out of the magic of her story and into a dry guide book. I assume she was so worried about trying to catch readers up-to-speed from The Book of Love, that the writing just came off as random facts, even though it is a novel.

I hope this isn't her last book, as I do like her, but I hope that it is NOTHING like this book. As I said, recently, I happened to hear Kathleen on the radio and she's so interesting, and very passionate about what she does. Her excitement is contagious. She talked about writing another book regarding her own experiences of what she really encountered along the way with her research, and the mystical events she experienced within the process. I think THAT book would flow a lot better, because she wouldn't be trying to prove anything...just tell her story...and, a riveting story it is. I'll be looking forward to that one.

This is the third in the Magdalene Line series that began with THE EXPECTED ONE and continued with THE BOOK OF LOVE. This series has such a strong overall story arc that attempting to read it in anything other than the intended order would leave the reader at a total loss. The series is one of the many 'Jesus and Mary Magdalene were a couple' that have appeared in the post 'Davinci Code' era.

THE POET PRINCE begins a few months after the events of THE BOOK OF LOVE. All the star crossed present day lovers of the previous novels have resolved their differences and are happily engaged in working for the Order. Maureen Paschal (the Expected One) and Berenger (the Poet Prince) are looking forward to traveling to Tuscany to further their studies with Destino, the greatest teacher of their Order. Everything is going perfectly now until problems that had begun nearly two thousand years earlier arose. The narrative jumps from ancient Rome, to the Renaissance era Medici family and to the present day multiple times.

This series definitely falls into the 'guilty pleasures' category. The premise, even for this subgenre of thriller is a bit stretched. The characters, particularly those in the present day are one dimensional cardboard figures. The bad guys' motives are a bit murky and the good guys are a bit dim not to see what is coming. This series was originally presented as a trilogy but if this is the final book the story seems incomplete. Still, if and only if, you have read the earlier books take this one along to the beach to while away a few hours.

The redeeming part of this book is the historical fiction on the Medici Family and their portrayal.
The characters in the modern part seem disconnected and don't have depth. Their stories have soap opera themes prevailing. This was not as good as either of the other two in the series in my opinion.

History is interesting. No matter who you are, no matter what you're interests include. There is a history behind every hobby, every culture, and every religion. Even if you are not an intellect, there has got to be a part of you that wants to know the history behind what intrigues you, right? Right. Now think ART history. I'd say you'd have to be crazy not to be interested in this subject, but let's be serious. Art history is rather boring to someone who is not interested in art, or the history of art. As someone who slept through most of her Western Art History class in the early years of undergrad, I am here to tell you that The Poet Prince is an exciting read.
In the third installment of Kathleen McGowan's The Magdalence Line series, we are transported to the Renaissance era. We are also transported to the present day, seeing as McGowan jumps back and forth through time throughout the book, which is a style I've always enjoyed.

Our main characters are Maureen Paschal and her lover, Bérenger Sinclair. Yet they share the spotlight with our other set of main characters, Lorenzo di'Medici and his love, Colombina (remember it's a back and forth narrating style, I think you can figure out who is the present and who is the past). It's like Modern Day Poet Prince vs. Renaissance Poet Prince. You'll see it all come together.

Throughout the story, the present digs up information about the past - allowing the readers to dig right along. I don't know about you, but I like to dig.

Just like The Expected One and The Book of Love, Maureen has a magnificent way of drawing in her readers and transporting them to another time with a "different view" of what occurred in history. She continues to expand on how her characters Maureen and Sinclair destinies are intertwined while immersing her audience in Renaissance Italy and all the Medici family contributed to the art we see today in museums all over the world. If you loved The Expected One and The Book of Love, you will love The Poet Prince!

DO I love her first two books? YES. Do I love this latest book? YES!

Bravo Ms. McGowan, you did it again! This was a really delightful,emotional read for me because you made my favorite artists come alive in their own time. The paintings came alive too. The story weaving was exceptional and just when I thought I knew where you were leading, you took it to a different direction I did not anticipate. The ending and the chapter before the ending was unexpected and I loved being surprised. You are a magnificent storyteller keeping the oral traditions alive. Thank you.

I love this continuing series. Keep writing and I will keep buying and reading.

I really enjoy Kathleen McGowan's novels and was thrilled that she was releasing a new one so soon after her last one.

Whether or not you agree with the original premise of her first book - that the Magdalene and Jesus were married and had children - you will learn so much history and geography in general.

This novel follows the Medici line, and it was incredibly interesting to learn about the beginning of the Renaissance and this part of Italy. It absolutely comes to life in the way that McGowan writes about it.

I do feel as though the more that these stories continue, the present-day characters seem to appear less and less. That kind of bothers me, as they were more of the focus in the beginning.

Berenger lying to Maureen about a few things was disconcerting. It is obvious what the truth is before you reach the end, but you wish that the characters were smart enough to figure it out.

I do love that McGowan has done so much research and so much of what she writes is backed up by fact. You will find yourself digging through and looking up the artwork mentioned.

I'll try to be as fair as possible:

Good:
If you've read THE EXPECTED ONE and THE BOOK OF LOVE, by all means, read THE POET PRINCE. It was nice to continue in the path of The Way and read the historical fiction wrapped around it. More than any one character, you'll become engrossed in the life of Jesus and Mary Magdalene and the truth of the Church. Whether or not you believe the story, it is irrelevant. You become engrossed in the idea that there is a better way to love, a better way to live, a better and truer Church to be a part of.

Bad:
I don't recommend this book if you haven't read the other two. There is WAY too much to know about the main characters revealed in the first two books that would be lost on you in the third. Also, I found that while I enjoyed the backstory (I'm fascinated with historical fiction), I kept waiting for the story to bring me back to the main characters, but it didn't. The story wasn't about Maureen, Peter, and the crew: it was about the Medici's. Of a 400 page book, maybe 50 pages was given to the main characters - the rest was backstory.

All in all, I'd recommend the book, but only if you've read the other 2. I'll continue to read McGowan's stories in THE MAGDALENE LINE.

So I am not sure if anyone else had this problem. I was excited to get this book because I loved the expected one and the book of love. I was reading and got 3/4 of the way through it and the first half of the book was in there twice. So I missed a whole section of what happens in the book.:( i now am going to buy it again at a bookstore so I can make sure the whole story is there.