Mary, Called Magdalene

By: Margaret George

Narrated by: Kate Reading

The New York Times-bestselling author of Elizabeth I brilliantly reimagines the story of the most mysterious woman in the Bible

Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those? Biblical references to her are tantalizingly brief, but we do know that she was the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared—and the one commissioned to tell others the good news, earning her the ancient honorific, "Apostle to the Apostles." Today, Mary continues to spark controversy, curiosity, and veneration. In a vivid re-creation of Mary Magdalene's life story, Margaret George convincingly captures this renowned woman's voice as she moves from girlhood to womanhood, becomes part of the circle of disciples, and comes to grips with the divine. Grounded in biblical scholarship and secular research, this fascinating historical novel is also, ultimately, "the diary of a soul."

Critic reviews

Praise for Mary, Called Magdalene

“The premise of Ms. George’s novel is intriguing...With rigorous research, [she] paints the landscape and rituals of Judea.”—The New York Times

“[An] expansive, thoughtful novel.”—San Francisco Chronicle

More Praise for the Novels of Margaret George

“An evocative portrait.”—The New York Times

“If only history lessons had been like this.”—Cosmopolitan

“Delicious.”—People

“A scintillating historical novel.”—The Chicago Tribune

“Engaging and intelligent fiction.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Readers looking to be transported to another place and time will find their magic carpet here.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Extensively researched with the highest integrity, and deeply engaging, it sets a new benchmark for the genre.”—New York Times bestselling author Alison Weir

“An impressive feat of research and imagination.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon

Rich and Moving

Lovely narration and compelling story, thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring and insightful. I'm so glad I found the book at Goodwill. I was guided to it.

Riveting storytelling

It transported me. Highly recommend it as someone that has always been interested in this period

Compelling and personal insight into the experience of being a 1st-century disciple of Jesus

This book is a well-written historical/biblical fiction that portrays what the life of a disciple of Jesus and a 1st-century woman living in Palestine might have been like. It is steeped in quality research and is a great learning tool, both about the historical context of the New Testament and about biblical narratives themselves. Because the Bible was a product of its time, two truths affect our modern reception: it does not set out to explain its own time and place that is foreign to us, and it often gives minimal details about people who were less socially significant at the time (i.e. in particular here, women.) This book does a fine job fleshing out those two gaps for modern readers, bringing the biblical narrative to life. As the author explains expertly in the afterword, she has crafted this novel from biblical references, historical research, and creative imagination where needed (primarily, as Margaret George mentions, about the personal details of Mary Magdalene’s life and childhood).
As a Christian seminarian and budding biblical scholar, I am wary of attempts to harmonize the four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) into one story of Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Each gospel writer had different perspectives, audiences, and focuses in the way they chose to tell the story of Jesus, so I find it confessionally important to maintain their distinctions and even hold in tension some of their contradictions. This novel’s genre allows for some harmonization, but in my nerdy and picky preferences I would’ve liked it to follow one gospel writer’s narrative arc. However, as George writes in the afterword, she is limited by the fact that Mary Magdalene is only referenced 5 times in the New Testament.
I listened to this book on 1.5 (and sometimes 1.75) speed. I’m a fast auditory processor, so that may be why that worked for me.

Well worth the 30 hours!

My best friend had always included this book in her "my favorite books" list, but I shied away from the print version because of its length. I decided to finally give it a chance with the audio version, and I'm so glad I did. Fabulous story and narration too! I highly recommend it!

Heartfelt

Never before have I been so sad to come to the end of a book. After 30 hours of listening, I wanted more, listen more, learn more. This book opened my eyes to the women of the Bible. How their lives might have been. Kate Reading put you in the right mood for every event in this Audible book. Thank you. Mary,
Called Magdalene is outstanding. The research and stories from the Bible were so true. Mary came to life. But what I will remember the most, will be the fact that this book just tells how Jesus made no difference between man or woman. He saw them equal and loves them dearly. It has again inspired me to realise that even I can be perfect in His eyes. We have now formed a Women Bible-study group to research the women of the Bible. Thank you Margaret for giving us this gift.