Although I loved all the books in this series, this one was my favorite. About 2/3rds of the book is set prior to Jesus' public ministry, which was fascinating to read about. Mary is portrayed as a woman who loves God and is devoted to him. Her faith and trust are evident as she is "unafraid" of the scandal it could cause by being pregnant prior to marriage with Joseph. Hardships of traveling to Bethlehem nine months pregnant and giving birth in a cave are well covered. The book also demonstrates Joseph and Mary's faith they had at following God's will, such as getting up and leaving their home and business for Egypt in the middle of the night. The author did an excellent job portraying Jesus' life as a young boy. One who is without sin. It was interesting how the author contrasted the differences between Jesus and his younger siblings. Jesus lived to please and do the will of his heavenly Father while his siblings lived to please and bring attention to themselves. You can't help but falling in love with this young Jesus. Can you imagine raising a child who never sins ?!? Joseph is portrayed as a Godly husband and father, who spends much time going over scripture and teaching young Jesus. It seems so accurate that God would have chosen a Godly man to be Jesus' earthly father while growing up. Jesus' public ministry was condensed, much focused on the crucifixion and resurrection. The assumed thoughts, feelings and confusion Mary experienced during the crucifixion and joy at the realization of the implications of the resurrection was very well done. The purpose of Jesus' death and resurrection are explained very well. Without exception Mary is portrayed as a godly woman. One who was greatly blessed to be honored with the privilege of birthing and raising the Christ. She is also portrayed as very human, a sinner in need of a savior. The bible tells us to worship and trust in Jesus Christ alone. He is our Savior and through Him is the only way we can gain access to the Father and to heaven. The bible instructs us pray "in Jesus' name" when making our requests known to God. Francine Rivers accurately portrays this truth in her book.
"Unafraid" was an enjoyable, thought-provoking historical novella about Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. It sticks to the facts given in Scripture and then fills in the information not given in the Bible accounts with the author's ideas about what Mary and Joseph were like and so on. Readers might not agree with how she chose to 'fill in' the story or the personalities she gave Mary, Joseph, etc., but it's one possibility.The pacing was good, and the characters were complex and interesting. It's obvious that Francine Rivers did a lot of historical research in order to get the historical details right, and the details brought the events alive in my imagination.However, some of the minor historical details (which may not have been known or been easy to discover when she wrote this) weren't correct, like she has Mary unable to study the Torah with the boys when, in the first century, she actually would have been allowed. She also used a non-standard (which may confuse some readers) but well-researched view (apparently based on "The Star of Bethlehem" by Ernest L. Martin, Ph.D.) of when Jesus was born and how old he was in relation to the coming of the wise men, their going to Egypt, etc.There were also a couple continuity errors in some minor, non-critical details, like Mary sleeping on straw one moment and on hay in the next.At the end of the book, the author included a nice six-part Bible study on the life of Mary. The story obviously had strong Christian content, but I wouldn't call it preachy except for a statement obviously aimed at Catholics at the very end. Actually, there were several things about how Mary was portrayed that were Bible-based but which Catholics might not approved of.There was no bad language and no explicit sex. Overall, I'd recommend this novella as well-written, clean reading.
What do You think about Unafraid: Mary (2001)?
I didn't like this book as much as the previous 4. She lost me at the beginning when she had 2 mary's in the same family... I mean really, 2 sisters both named Mary. The whole book was far too protestant for me.I would have only given it one star except it did do something good for me... i'm now more convinced that Mary did not have any other children after Jesus. My faith teaches that Mary was ever Virgin which I accepted in faith, but now my head is in full agreement with my heart. I thought the way Anne Rice depicted the Holy Family in her Christ the Lord books rang more true. How could a mother help but compare her earthly children to a divine one... I do not believe God would put Mary in such a situation where that sin would be a constant threat.I didn't care for the depiction of Mary in general either.
—Elizabeth
I was disappointed by this book and thought it could have been so much more. I have not read the other books in this series, although I did read Redeeming Love by the same author, and thought it was much better.I thought this telling of the story of Jesus' mother, Mary, lacked imagination. The story contained in scripture raises so many questions that a novelist could explore about Mary and her feelings. This book seemed to hit only one note over and over: Mary's impatience about when Jesus' true status as the Messiah would be revealed. She unquestionably adored her husband and was continuously impressed with Jesus and disappointed with her other, imperfect children.There was so much room to explore Mary's development from an eager teenager who quickly accepted her role as mother of the savior, to her experiences as a virgin bride who had already born a child, to her life as a mature adult and follower of her son. In this retelling, however, it seemed that Mary did not seem to change or transform in any way except that she better understood how Jesus would come to "rule" and save the chosen people. Joseph was unfailingly wonderful as a father to Jesus, a child not his own, also. He practically rivaled Jesus' perfection. There are many examples, but bottom line, the Mary in this book (and her family members) did not come alive for me or think and behave as I would expect real human beings to think and behave.In the end, perhaps the personal nature of the way each of us experiences the Bible prevented this retelling from resonating with me, because the author's interpretation was so different from the way I have tended to fill in the gaps in the Biblical story.
—Colleen
The Lineage of Grace series consists of 5 books, all fictional accounts of biblical women in the genealogy of Christ. Rivers does a good job portraying each of the famous characters and giving their point of view in the unique situations. Most people are familiar with at least some of these stories, but reading a personal account shines a different light on the well-trod ground. The five books are listed below with the title and the woman they feature. Unveiled – TamarUnashamed - Rahab Unshaken - RuthUnspoken - BathshebaUnafraid - Mary My favorite two of the series are Unveiled and Unshaken. I’ve always loved Ruth’s story and I knew very little about Tamar’s story. My lease favorite was Unspoken, which tells the story of David and Bathsheba. It was hard to connect to the characters' selfish motives.One aspect I really like about the books is the fact that River prints the complete Biblical passage at the end. That allows the reader to see what she took from scripture and what she fictionalized. There’s also a devotional with relevant questions at the end of each book. I think they would be perfect for a small women’s Bible study or something similar, because the questions could spark good discussion.
—Melissa
