Woman Redeemed [Paperback]

Christine Blake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2007

Celebrate the women who followed Jesus!

Why would a Jewish woman in the first century C.E. follow a renegade teacher to an uncertain future? What would possess her to finance such a movement? And where would she, a single woman, get the money to do so?

All good questions, and yet, this is really all we know about the woman called Mary of Magdala...

Visit: http://womanredeemednovel.com

Editorial Reviews

Review

It was during Christine Blake's pursuit of her Master's degree in Cross-cultural Teaching at National University that a book idea began to emerge. Now, in her historical novel, Woman Redeemed, she transports us to the rich and colorful region created and dominated 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. As a child, Mary believes she's vastly different from her sister, her mother, and the other women in the fishing village of Magdala. She's curious, with "too much spirit to satisfy [herself] among the required duties of [her] sex." She gravitates to the marketplace like her father, and idolizes Cleopatra for her power and allure. Three significant meetings occur in her childhood that will change the course of her life: One on a stop in Nazareth during a return trip from market, when she is given a wooden box by an elderly carpenter. Another, during Passover in Jerusalem, where she meets the mother of Jesus telling stories to a gathering of children, and finally, during this same time she meets Jesus, who is around the age of her brother. Christine Blake, through Mary Magdalene, tells the story of every woman's self-doubt, temptations, pain, and startling experiences against a backdrop of political ambition, splendid architecture, industry, and traditions. She brings together the intersecting lives of the Jews and Romans, fishermen and prophets, women in community and women rebels. She plants us for a while in lands and seas whose names have changed but whose struggles continue. She revives the Bible stories of our youth and stays historically accurate to both Roman and Jewish records. 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.

Barbara Sharp Milbourn is a writer and editor in Nashville. -- Writers in the Sky

From the Author

Woman Redeemed is a great springboard for discussion, and I love to meet with and talk with women in all walks of life.I look forward to the blessing of meeting you in person!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Outskirts Press (October 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1432715836
• ISBN-13: 978-1432715830
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,400,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful Novel - even for the non-religious, December 13, 2007

By 

Ronnie "Ronnie" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Woman Redeemed (Paperback)

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!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Approach to a Familiar Story, December 15, 2007

By 

Kristin Watkins (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Woman Redeemed (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Redemption story on a grand scale, February 13, 2008

By 

Barbara Milbourn "writer and editor" (Nashville) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Woman Redeemed (Paperback)

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.