''Mary, called Magdalene'' is a 2002 historical novel by

Margaret George Margaret George (born 1943) is an American historical novelist specializing in epic fictional biographies. She is known for her meticulous research and the large scale of her books. She is the author of the bestselling novels ''The Autobiogra ...

about the Mary Magdalene.

Plot summary

As a woman in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

, Mary Magdalene's story is not recounted as fully as that of some of the males associated with Jesus. The novel presents a new view of Mary Magdalene – a female apostle who was the first of Jesus' followers.

Background and development

Author

, known for writing historical novels on such famous figures as

Mary Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Sco ...

and Cleopatra, decided to turn to the gospels for inspiration. She noted that they "provide me with something unique to build on. You inherit an existing curiosity about the characters, especially the more iconic ones, but very little detail. With what you might call the 'celebrities' like Mary Magdalene, you just have this outline of her life and the drama in it, even if it is shadowy, tantalisingly brief and potentially misleading."

Reception

''Mary, called Magdalene'' was released in 2002 by Viking. Some journalists have observed the increasing interest in Mary Magdalene, and have cited the popularity of George's novel as evidence of this trend. ''Mary, called Magdalene'' became a best-seller in 2002, followed by ''

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Lang ...

'' in 2003. Books on Tape and Chivers Sound Library adapted the novel into sound recordings. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' thought that the pacing of ''Mary, called Magdalene'' started out slow and then grew better once the titular character became possessed by demons, but called the final act of the book "safe, though readable." Maureen Dowd of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' called the novel's premise – that Mary was a "good girl" rather than someone who tempts Jesus to evil – "intriguing." Dowd noted George's "rigorous research" but felt that she "goes a bit overboard with her feminist fable, turning Mary into the

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Steinem was a c ...

of Galilee." The reviewer concluded that "despite the demonic possession and all her dazzling adventures, this Mary never seems vivid or beguiling."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mary, Called Magdalene 2002 American novels American historical novels Mary Magdalene Novels based on the Bible