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Mary, the mother of Jesus, speaks little in the Gospel, probably because of the patriarchial nature of early Christianity. We hear the voice of Mary only in Luke and John: at the Annunciation; Mary's visit with her cousin, Elizabeth; when 12-year-old Jesus is found in the temple; and at the wedding in Cana. This sparsity of her voice in the Gospels was the impetus for the author to write this novella.
Mary, nearing the end of her life, lives in Ephesus. She reflects on the period after Jesus begi ...more
Mary, nearing the end of her life, lives in Ephesus. She reflects on the period after Jesus begi ...more
I listened to the audio book and really lucked out -- it's read by Meryl Streep! The book presents the testament of Mary, the mother of Jesus, but in this re-telling she never accepts the now familiar Christian belief that Jesus was the son of God. She sees his followers as blind zealots who, after his death, want her to revise her story of what she saw. It's an interesting concept that is nicely presented. For me the most interesting part, not fully developed in the book, were the few hints thr
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Although the reviews are all over the board, I think this work is a masterwork and the performance by Meryl Streep in the audiobook stunning. I'm still reflecting on issues like the format as a testament.... it is very strong stuff though and presents such a startlingly different view of Mary, the disciples and Jesus that it takes much getting used to and it was still unsettling at the end. In some ways you need to find courage before listening to this in the same way you do if you are choosing
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In this slim novel, the mother of Jesus reckons with her rage and grief over the death of her son after she flees in fear for her own life. She remembers him as a sweet, dependent child and the passionate, arrogant man he became, proclaiming himself the Son of God, and sealing his death warrant. In Toíbín’s imagination, Mary is transformed from the passive, beatific incidental figure of the Bible to a very human mother confounded by her son’s demagoguery, but nevertheless supporting him during h
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The Testament of Mary is a thoughtful and entertaining account of one of the most famous deaths in the world. Mary isn’t exactly warm and fuzzy but I loved her no-nonsense approach to the hoopla that enveloped and influenced her son. Toíbín’s examination of the construction of narrative, and silencing of voices not fitting within that narrative is telling- food for thought when contemplating the stories which have served as the guiding principles in our own lives. Recommended.
Dec 25, 2012
Gaijinmama
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Katt Hansen
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Mary Anne
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martha
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