Diana Wallis Taylor does an excellent job of nailing down biblical fiction, she is in a class with a few others who do this job very well. I love biblical fiction that causes me to go back to scripture and dig into it more deeply.

This story is about one of the women of the bible that who has had decades of rumors swirling around her. Who is this beautiful, mysterious woman that followed Jesus with complete loyalty and devotion? What is so different about her that has left people across the ages all trying to decide who she was and what her story really is?

Diana Wallis Taylor does not say that she has a difinative answer but rather adds a new depth and warmth to a woman that is most certainly tainted with all sorts of rumors. For the first time readers may see a side of Mary Magdalene that they had never considered before.

This is the story of a beautiful woman, the apple of her father's eye who's world is instantly shattered when she is suddenly struck with seizures and other mental illnesses. In a society riddled with tradition and old wive's tales, with beliefs mixed from truth and folk tales she is just as instantly turned an outcast from the peoples that once loved and embraced her. Suddenly with out support and love, struggling with the unknown we find a woman destitute, broken, hopeless, and longing. This makes for the perfect redemption story.

For are we not all in out own ways outcasts - struggling just to fit in with the "norm". Longing for acceptance and seeking answers for our own inner demons. Are we not all broken and hopeless in some way longing for the healing touch of a savior that will set our world to rights and bring order to the chaos of our hearts and minds.

Women every where will be able to relate to this love story of a God who seeks to save his children for we are all these children. This woman so immersed in the shadows of religious gossip and scandal is suddenly brought into a different light and we find - to our surprise she is much easier to relate to than we first believed.

Excellent job Diana Wallis Taylor you have done it again. IF you are looking for a good addition to you biblical fiction library this is it!

Thanks to Regal for this review copy. ( )

A great read, the author has done a great job in taking us through what may have happened with Mary in her childhood to cause the problems (demons) that Jesus would heal her from later as an adult. And her following of Jesus what her and the other women's parts might have been. It helps to bring some of these stories to life. I would like to read more by this author ( )

Mary Magdalene known as a follower of Jesus gets a story of her own in this book. This was a pleasant telling of how Mary grew up and became the woman who was a devote follower. The author stayed true to what was already known about Mary, but she added in details that seemed to work.

My two favorite parts were the casting out of Mary's demons, where we see Mary healed of the torture and returns to her true self, and of course the scene at the tomb, which has always been one of my favorite scenes in the Bible. ( )

This is a vivid portrait of the enigmatic Mary of Magdala true to the setting and times of the biblical account.

Mary of Magdala, the only daughter of a successful boatbuilder in Galilee, begins to experience horrible nightmares, suffer seizures, and hear voices after being subjected to a traumatic experience. Everyone in her village thinks she is crazy, or worse, demon-possessed. There seems to be no hope until a new teacher, a perhaps the Messiah, comes to town, and then everything about Mary's life is changed.

Mary Magdalene is one of the most misunderstood and misaligned characters in Biblical history. She has been portrayed as a prostitute, and even worse, as either the wife or lover of Jesus. Ms. Taylor has managed to tell the true story, while in a fictionalized form. The novel was very enjoyable and there was nothing objectionable or contrary to Scripture. This was definitely worth 5 stars.

*Available June 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." ( )