Customer Reviews

Woman Redeemed (1)

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

 

 

When I first bought this book I was a bit skeptical, but I was pleasantly surprised!
The story is just wonderful. Since I'm not religious at all I'm sure lots of the things that happen in Mary's life are from the bible but I'm not familiar with them so for me it was just a good story. I knew I liked it when it took me less than a week to read it.

After talking with some of my friends a bit about it (and yes I'm admitting my ignorance here) I didn't know that Mary is usually portrayed as a whore, this book doesn't have that take on her at all. She does do some not so lady like things and has a few sins along the way but nothing to give her that negative of an image.

My final thought on this book was while reading it and after reading it I felt very peaceful. It made me think about accepting some things in my life that I was grumpy about and look at things a bit differently. I'm guessing religious people may get this feeling each week when they go to Church but it was a new experience for me!

I will be curious to read reviews from more religious people than me.

I highly recommend it!!

Woman Redeemed is an inspirational novel that any woman will appreciate. While I was familiar with the stories of Mary Magdalen and of Jesus's teachings, this book offers a unique first-person view of what it was like to be a woman following Jesus. We can relate to Mary's struggles in marriage, family, career and spirituality, making this a very personal story. Christine Blake paints a fascinating picture of life as a woman in Jesus's time. I highly recommend this fast-paced, inspirational book.

Christine Blake transports us to the rich and colorful region created by the Romans in the first century, and introduces us to Mary Magdalene in first person.
We meet Mary in a small boat with her brother Lazarus and her sister Martha as her story cleverly unravels in a series of remembrances that occur as she looks upon the disappearing shore of her homeland.
Through Mary Magdalene, Christine Blake tells the story of every woman's self-doubt, temptations, pain, and startling experiences against a backdrop of political ambition, industry and tradition. She brings together the intersecting lives of the Jews and Romans, fishermen, merchants, prophets, women in community and women rebels.
While this book may look small on the outside, Christine Blake has no problem delivering a huge story of redemption on a grand historical and societal stage. Celebrate womanhood in Woman Redeemed.

I came across this book while searching for Catholic fiction to read. I thought about this book for several weeks before I finally bought it. I'm so glad I did decide to buy it because it was a very good book. The author made Mary Magdalene seem real, like someone you might know today. I couldn't put the book down. It was great!!!

Woman Redeemed is well-written and appears to be well-researched to give an interesting picture of what life might have been like for a woman living in Jesus' time. The description of the time period is excellent and most of Mary's story is smooth and believable. The narrative drags a little through some of the middle parts as Mary follows Jesus and several stories and parables are regurgitated from the bible. We read through the prodigal son in its entirety and the woman at the well and others. While these are fascinating, most Christians are intimately familiar with them and may be bored by the repetition in this setting. The ending is stronger though as we read about the last week of Jesus' life. Even though this is also well-known to Christians, it focuses more on Mary's reactions and makes it more relevant to her. A pleasant read overall for anyone interested in historical fiction.

Wonderful story of a common woman's journey through an extraordinary time. Blake's take on the life of Mary Magdalene is a wonderful snapshot into the life of this often misunderstood woman. It can be hard to remember that the book is indeed a work of fiction. I will be recommending to my bookclubs as it will lead to great discussion.