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 after Jesus begins his ministry, especially, the events of that final week. Mary is critical of the crowds, the ones who pushed him for more miracles and the ones who were threatened by his rise in notoriety. Tóibín's description of the overwhelming final days in Jesus's life and Mary's reflection of her observations was very moving. The words were more poignant though Meryl Streep's narration as Mary in the audiobook I listened to. I understand that this book was adapted as a play. I found it as daring and thought-provoking as The Last Temptation of Christ. My first five star and favorite rating of 2024.
Mary, nearing the end of her life, lives in Ephesus. She reflects on the period after after Jesus begins his ministry, especially, the events of that final week. Mary is critical of the crowds, the ones who pushed him for more miracles and the ones who were threatened by his rise in notoriety. Tóibín's description of the overwhelming final days in Jesus's life and Mary's reflection of her observations was very moving. The words were more poignant though Meryl Streep's narration as Mary in the audiobook I listened to. I understand that this book was adapted as a play. I found it as daring and thought-provoking as The Last Temptation of Christ. My first five star and favorite rating of 2024.