Title: Mary of Nazareth
Author: Marek Halter
Publisher: Crown Publishers
Year: 2008
303 pages
Have you ever wondered about the people in the bible? About their history? What were they like before they appear in the bible? What made them the people they are? I know I have, especially when it comes to the years of Jesus' life leading up to his ministry in his 30s.
In Mary of Nazareth, Marek Halter takes on the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Mary is one of the most important people in Christian history and yet she barely has any footprint in the bible. Halter's novel gives us a captivating story of the history behind this young Jewish woman.
Working together with Barabbas, Miriam works to save her father from crucifixion and then take on Herod and the Romans. The only person who takes seriously her calls for political reform is Joseph of Arimethea, who offers her a place in Magdala where she can learn from well-read women.
What I love about this novel is the twist of putting the power into women's hands. Miriam, Mary, along with Ruth, Elizabeth, and Mary Magdelene, are portrayed as strong and powerful women who work to change the outlook of the Jewish people. It was fun to read well-known bible stories in an almost completely opposite way to how they are written in the bible.
Overall, Mary was a really fun read that provides a bit of imaginative filler to well-known bible stories.
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