Daughter of Jerusalem: a novel by Joan Wolf
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the reasons I've never seen the movie The Passion of the Christ is that I knew it would reduce me to tears that would be more than a little difficult to recover from. I never expected that this book would have the power to do the same.

Joan Wolf, a veteran historical writer with many titles under her belt, clearly did meticulous research on the region where Mary of Magdala lived. There have been more than a few versions of Mary through history. Wolf gives us the one that characterizes Mary of Magdala as a wealthy woman who assists the Master, but also follows him. Fortunately, there is more to this story than the religious aspect, Wolf delves deep into her character's personality and development over the course of the story. She also develops setting so well that you can feel dessert sands and the Roman finery of Sepphoris.

This is a well researched historical that is both beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. A truly beautiful tale.


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