Margaret George is well-known for her chunkster epics in historical fiction, each focusing on the life tale of one historical figure. Thus far she’s told the stories of the lives of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Kleopatra VII, and Helen of Troy. I’ve only read her works on Henry VIII and Helen of Troy thus far, and thought they were very good and well worth reading. So on the strength of George’s previous books and her skill as an historical fiction author, I decided to read Mary Called Magdalene. I knew the subject matter would be about Mary Magdalene, not a topic I had much interest in, however on the strength of George as the author I hoped she would be able to place the story in historical context and tell a compelling, interesting story that would come to life on the pages.Having read it, I didn’t hate Mary Called Magdalene, but I didn’t love it either. It’s another one of those books that just didn’t engage me – for a whole variety of reasons, which shifted as the book progressed. The book is divided into three eras of Mary’s life: her life before she met an adult Jesus, her life as Jesus’ disciple, and her life as an apostle after Jesus’ death. In the first of the three sections I was really drawn in at the beginning. George begins in Mary’s early years, fleshing out a believable background for her, giving her a chance to grow and become established as a personality before she meets Jesus, filling out the setting with wonderful historical detail and creating an immersive experience that felt authentic to the times and explained the times and Mary’s position in it. This had me really turning the pages for the first one hundred pages. Unfortunately, this section begins to go on and on and on, starting to drag over the 282 pages that it takes up. I felt like it went on too long and a hundred or so pages should have been enough to tell us all we need to know before the main story kicks in, when Mary meets Jesus.Just under the next five hundred pages are spent on Mary’s time as a disciple of Jesus. Having checked the stats, that sounds like a lot, and it’s obvious that this section really is the heart of the novel. But it feels so short. Mary and some others wander back to their homes so everyone can announce their intention of joining Jesus, then meet up again, the disciples and Jesus all wander about the remote countryside for a while, occasionally preaching and answering questions from crowds, and then suddenly bam, it feels like Jesus’ mission has barely begun when he decides to go to Jerusalem, and then it felt like a tumbling rush of preaching in the temple, Judas’ betrayal, the crucifixion, and it’s all over. Phew. What gives? I felt like Jesus’s mission had only just begun, and I know some of the anecdotes in the Bible were left out. Some of these left out anecdotes are later mentioned in the novel when Mary, as an apostle, notes certain stories like turning water into wine and calls them parlour tricks and claims they never happened. Okay. But other anecdotes are left out by Mary and not mentioned later. And then some episodes are included that seem like they would fall under Mary’s disdainful definition of a parlour trick, such as the multiplication of the bread and fish. My point is this doesn’t feel consistent and I don’t understand why some episodes are left in and some are left out, there doesn’t seem to be a particular pattern or reasoning at work.In addition, the character of Jesus didn't feel how I would expect - he didn't come across as compelling, or enlightened, or kind. He starts off obviously very knowledgeable and intelligent, and seems kind of mysterious and like he knows more than everyone else. This drew me, and the disciples in the story, in initially. But the initial impression never dissipates or evolves into something more. This character never becomes compelling, he seems nice enough at times but he never seems especially kind, and he seems more quick witted and always with an answer ready on his tongue, prepared beforehand, rather than enlightened as such. I expected to be bowled over by the wisdom of this character, to experience real moments in the book of awe and revelation alongside the disciple characters. But that never happened. And sometimes he seemed strangely out-of-character, such as momentarily spiteful over a petty issue that really should be beneath his dignity, and not very peaceable or love-your-enemy at all. Even the character of Mary is astonished that he should disregard his own teachings and react with such anger and fury. So, for me the core of the story kind of lacked heart. The inconsistency of the miracles mentioned above was confusing, but even more importantly I think the crucial part of any retelling of Jesus is capturing the story of a compelling personage and his radical ideas - more so than the miracles - and George failed to capture that character. There doesn't seem to be much point in a retelling of the Jesus story without that heart.After the core of the book, which covers Mary’s life as a disciple, we reach the final section of the book, Mary’s life as an apostle after Jesus. Astoundingly, this section of the novel covers less than one hundred pages, and Mary skims over events in a series of letters to her daughter. I was left thinking, “is that it”? I would imagine that the early years of the church following Jesus would be some of the most crucial years of all. This was a time after all when this small group was still on shaky ground. Its establishment and growth during this time were crucial events that affected much of the succeeding two thousand years, and there was a strong element of risk that it would fade away and not survive as an established religion. Mary Magdalene’s role and involvement in this early church would have been key, and fascinating. But it’s skimmed over and summarised. I would have thought that this part of Mary’s life would have dual importance alongside her time with Jesus, or at the very least, the unnecessary time spent on the beginning of the story should have been transferred into this part of the tale. The beginning of Mary Called Magdalene really should only have been about 100 pages, whilst the final section of Mary’s life should have been given the full 282 pages. In this section, Mary even refers briefly to some huge events that occur – but in passing only, and the novel really would have been the better for it had these events been given more page space.I haven’t really talked about the writing in the novel because it’s unnecessary, and not an issue. It’s as good and solidly consistent as Margaret George’s other novels. George writes well, though somehow she always misses out on writing of true genius by a hair’s breadth – the writing not imaginative enough, the characters not human enough, the plot just missing that extra something. That said, George is probably my favourite author not inside my inner circle of sheer unadulterated literary perfection – she always writes well, produces decent plots and interesting subject matter, with good attention to historical detail and long enough epics to really get into the subject. Mary Called Magdalene is below the standards of her other works however – usually solid 8 out of 10, or at least a 7 – for other reasons. There are odd pacing issues which make sections of the book feel completely out of sync with their actual length, and which shift the focus onto the wrong parts of the story, to the book’s detriment I feel. The characterisation of Jesus is as good as George’s other characterisations in her other novels, I would say, but it’s so crucial here with such an incredibly famous figure and for me she doesn’t get it right. At the end of the day I think this one is well-written but the story isn’t well told.6 out of 10.
Thanks to a recent interest in religious studies and in the people of the Torah/Bible, I thought it might be fun to read some historical fiction about Mary Magdalene. It turned out to be as much fun as I imagine Jesus' 40 days in the desert were. Margaret George really knows her ancient Judaic history, I'll give her that. The book is filled with historical tidbits and goodies, and since many of those goodies happened to be descriptions of food (for which I am a sucker), I was a very happy camper for at least the first half of it. Mary wasn't a very engaging character and the dialogue was so-so, but I was entertained enough with learning about how fancy fish sauce is made and the hum-drum daily rituals of ancient life and what a Nazirite vow was. And then Part I ended. Part I ends a short while after Mary has been exorcised by Jesus of seven pagan demons, who have been possessing her for a very long time. Naturally, she feels the call to join Jesus, and follows him back to Galilee and then wherever he ends up wandering. Day after day. Night after night. For the whole of Part II. For roughly 300 pages. Of really small print. Actually, it's more like 350, because I just counted. Now of course, important things happen in this 350-page span. Mary's got some family issues to deal with, and she and all the disciples go out on their own to preach, and Jesus talks to his family about his monumental decision. So there are legitimate plot points to read about. Except when there aren't. Because while it's cool to see Jesus preach and all, this book recountsEverySingleDay.There are almost no time skips. NONE. The group walks for a while until Jesus feels like stopping, and then Jesus preaches, and sometimes they get a new follower but sometimes not, and then they walk some more, and then they camp, and then they eat, and then Mary reflects on why she's following Jesus at all. Mary thinks the same thoughts every few pages. And of course she does: nothing new is happening. Jesus continues to spout unclear and mysterious wisdom, when questioned answers with more confusing parables and Scripture quotes, and then despite this everyone agrees that there's just something awesome and attractive about this guy. Mary remembers how she was once possessed and now isn't, misses her daughter and wishes her family weren't jerks, and, of course, grapples with the romantic feelings she's feeling for Jesus. And you know what? I don't even buy it. I don't believe Mary when she says she loves Jesus. Everything she says and feels by this point is so dry or so over-the-top that I just can't buy it. The repetition and the monotony and the endless journey do no characters any favors. Mary was already a bland and uninspiring protagonist, but reading her thoughts over and over and over and knowing her feelings over and over and over renders her almost unbearable. In fact, this book made JESUS boring. That's right, Jesus, most mysterious man ever, founder of one of the biggest religions in the world, the SON OF GOD, bored me to tears. It took six pages to get from Pontius Pilate's sentence to the crucifixion. SIX PAGES. It's like everything--every conversation, every gesture, every feeling, every thought--has to happen two or three times to make sure we're understanding that it happens. Now Part III, which is only about the last fourth of the book, is interesting. Part III begins after the death and resurrection of Jesus, with Mary and her fellow disciples struggling to make Christianity a thing. Which is a pretty neat story. Or it would be, if it wasn't all reduced to a letter. Yes. For the whole book we get description after description and musing after musing and inconsequential repetition after inconsequential repetition, and when we finally get to some exciting new stuff, it's reduced to the form of a letter. The letter isn't bad, really. But it feels like a slap in the face by this point, to finally get some action and some character interaction that doesn't revolve around loving Jesus and to need it told in the form of a letter rather than integrated into the whole of the book. I only finished this book because by the time I realized how truly terrible it was, it was too late. I had advanced so far into the book, to not trudge through the rest would have felt a defeat. But every time I picked it up I broke just a little inside, knowing that it would be only ceaseless ceaseless monotony awaiting me. If you want a book that retells a historical/Biblical story in a cool and interesting way with characters who are intriguing and meaningful, this book really isn't for you.
What do You think about Mary, Called Magdalene (2003)?
I really enjoyed this book - I had it on my bookshelf at home for several years, lonely and untouched. It was on the "to read" list and somehow never made it higher. I had just finished Red Tent and needed something for the train ride - the library was closed - I found this on my shelf. It starts a bit slow, following Mary as a child, and then gets pretty gripping as she becomes possessed by multiple demons. Once she becomes a disciple, I was impressed at how well the author brought the reader into Gospel stories with vigor. I will say that it is not "Christian" fiction per se - Margaret George writes historical fiction and I don't know if you would find this a Christian bookstore or not. It's definitely NOT "Left Behind" kind of stuff! So I guess what I'm saying is she does not seem to be writing this story with evangelization in mind, and I think that probably helps her tell the story in a way that will appeal to Christians and non-Christians alike.
—Sara
Loved it. As usual, Margaret George both educates and entertains. I always found reading the actual Bible to be difficult...hard to relate to, hard to even make connections about what was being described and how it happened. Even though this is a fictionalized account, George tells a compelling story that gives the factual portions more significance and meaning (for me, at least) and helped make the New Testament stories more accessible. I found the story SO compelling, that I even got the Bible out to read the Gospels to compare the accounts there to the story George told. A real humanizing of the Disciples and of Jesus...George's account helped me see how it might be possible for a group of people to follow a stranger like Jesus...the charisma, the lovingness. Now if only Margaret George could give me fictionalized accounts of the ENTIRE Bible!
—Karen
I really enjoyed this one. It is the retelling of the life of Mary Magdalene. It starts when she is a younger girl and goes throughout her life. Margaret George did a good job of painting the backdrop of what the world was at that time and how Marys life possibly had been. While there were some things in the book I did not think were absolutely correct/ prob did not happen that way, I cant say it took away from my liking of the book overall. Since so little was written about Mary, poetic lic. has to be involved for a great portion. Overall loved the book.
—Wen
