Rating: 
Summary: Ehh....not impressed.
Review: This was my first time reading a book by Margaret George. I found the writing to be on roughly a seventh or eight grade level. What I'm looking for in a book like this is to be transported back in time, and it didn't even come close.
I would not recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Mary, Called Magdalene
Review: I have read all of George's books and I must say this book somewhat disturbed me. If you take this book as purely fictional, you should have no problem reading it. During the read, you have to constantly remind yourself that it is purely fictional based on the author's creative interpretation, imagination and some fact. I think Mary, Jesus' mother came across as "confused" or "weak"--totally unlike the Mary I have come to understand based on scriptures. If Mary, Mother of Jesus, knew he wasn't conceived as other humans were and as scriptures say, an angel brought her this news, why is she unsure of who Jesus is? The immaculate conception was underplayed yet other prophecies were mentioned such as riding into the city on a donkey to distinguish Jesus as the "Messiah". Mary of Magdalene does seem like this super-woman who you kinda get tired of. One thing I did like was the interpretation of Judas. He could possibly be as Margaret has portrayed him because it would answer a lot of questions. There is more I could say but it would take too much space; just keep in mind with this book that it's more fiction than fact.
Rating: 
Summary: My favorite so far
Review: I have all of Margaret George's books, and love them all, but this is my favorite so far. Mary, Called Magdalene is quite different than her past epic novels, especially since she is forced "create history" more than her previous works, but yet again it is obvious the history was thouroughly researched and excellantly written. I also love this book because someone finally got it right about Mary Magdalene. She was not a prostitite and the Bible never once mentions or suggests that she was! Thank you Margaret George for helping to right the mistake of an errant Pope. I can't wait for George to come out with another one of her masterpieces. How about one on Elizabeth I?
Rating: 
Summary: Dull, Plodding and Disappointing
Review: I love historical novels. I've read everything else Margaret George has written and loved every page, so when I saw _Mary, Called Magdalene_ on the shelf of the local bookstore I bought it without even opening the cover. Boy was that a mistake! This book is so awful, it's hard to believe it was written by the same author. The characters are flat and lifeless, the research is second-rate and the plot is un-moving--and as the book deals with one of the core stories of Western thought (the ministry and passion of Jesus), that's saying a lot. It's as if because the book deals with the topic of faith and religion, the writer's capacity for critical thought went on vacation. There is no real challenge to the story of the gospels as we know it, no new interpretation and no life. Almost every situation Mary meets from the time she becomes a disciple on comes directly--sometimes verbatim--from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The ones that don't are so boring that it's hard to care about them.
Other things bothered me about this book: the lack of cultural or historical context for the story, the huge emphasis on literal demon possession, which required way more suspension of disbelief than I was able to sustain and the superficial and inaccurate depiction of ancient Judaic religious thought, to name a few. Knowing what I know about these things, George's Jesus affected me not as an enlightened Master, but as a man driven off the deep end by an internal revelation he is unable to communicate, and his followers seemed mindless subscribers to a cult that promises them release from personal pain, much as modern cults do. This is an interesting interpretation, but I don't think it's the one George intended; therefore, I have to say her book didn't work.
Growing up in the home of a minister and Bible scholar, I spent my entire youth surrounded by books, both fiction and non-fiction, that treated Early Christianity and other Biblical subjects with passion and intellect, setting them in an historical context and making them important and real in human terms. _Mary, Called Magdalene_ is not one of them. From the reviews here it seems that a lot of people liked it, but I can't imagine why.
Rating:
Summary: The Harry Potter syndrome in literature
Review: Here is a book one might wish to read for two different kind of motives. One: you might be Christian and long to indulge in a "closer", and perhaps loving, look into the life and character of Jesus. Another: christian or not, you might just be curious and interested in things so varied as Historical themes; folklore; romance...I'm afraid this book falls short both ways.
I found this book just as respectable as any of Mrs. Anne Rice saga of the vampires books. That is, formally just average literature, whith a totally nil content. To a christian this book is close to be offending (just depending on the awareness of the author about what she did...and therefore a subjective matter). But all that might be clearly explained by the account the author gives about her own "spiritual background" Starting as a Baptist and evolving to the "traditions" of Episcopal and Catholic churches, then marriyng a jewish man, and now "discovering" New Age Spirituality. Give me a break! Next she will be "discovering" cannabis or acid and finding a totally new reality, I suspect!!!Probably she'll still be making good money then. I should add that yes, I am Christian and yes I am catholic .
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Read
Review: I love historical fiction, especially of the Biblical sort, so when I picked this up at a bookstore one day, I could not put it down. I read all day and night, not stopping for a while until well into the wee hours of the morning. I rarely do this, but "Mary, Called Magdalene" is such a good book, I still read it over and over. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: A journey with Mary Magdalene
Review: I enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book. I found the authors descriptions of the time, people and place exceptional. The only problem I had with this fictional account of Mary Magdalene was the character of Jesus' mother. I did not understand her confusion when Jesus set out on his journey (it was like she had no idea what he was doing, how could she not know he is God's son?) But other than that I would definitely recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: perfect follow up book for da vinci code
Review: Nashville City Paper BookClub Column - May 27, 2004Mary, Called Magdalene by Margaret George (Penguin) is perfect for those who are seeking answers to questions raised in Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code (Doubleday). Saralee Terry Woods is President of BookMan/BookWoman Books in Nashville, and Larry D. Woods is an attorney.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best...
Review: This is one of the best stories I have ever read surrounding the life of Jesus Christ. I am a great fan of historical fiction and this book kept me enthralled all the way to the end. To hear the story through the thoughts of the woman who is shrouded in mystery was wonderful. The story was kept biblically accurate, Mary became neither his wife or his lover, but a loving disciple who had more strength than many of the men who followed him. I will be buying copies for my friends.
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