"Daughter of Jerusalem" by Joan Wolf is a fictional novel based on the biblical stories of Mary (of Mary and Martha fame) and Mary Magdalene. In the novel, Wolf combines the two women into one and tells her story from childhood to the resurrection of Jesus. The first half of the novel is the story of Mary from the age of 10, to her forced marriage, and onto her reuniting with her sister Martha and brother Lazarus. Then in the second half it follows her to meeting Jesus and learning of his teachings.
If you have done much studying of the bible, this will be hard to swallow. It is more of an introduction, or story bible for grownups. It helps if you think to yourself "this is just a woman who lives in the Greater Jerusalem area during the Roman era." That aside, it is well written, and entertaining. I never really bought her as Mary Magdalene; I felt her more of the Mary/Martha Mary. The novel brings possible answers to the questions that are there in the bible concerning the women. I wouldn't recommend this to a die hard biblical scholar, but to a history buff, or to someone interested in the characters on a personal level. I received this book for free from www.netgalley.com.
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