Rating: 
Summary: I thought this was a great book in all aspects.
Review: Song of the Magdalene -Donna Jo Napoli This was a book of very good quality, bordering on excellence. I believe this book could be read at the grade seven or eight level, although the subject matter is more appropriate for grades nine to eleven. This book would appeal to most regular readers, but not all.The timeline of the story is around 05 AD to 25 AD. Set in what is now Israel, this book has vivid scenes in mostly the town Magdala, and also various other places along the River Jordan. This book is an excellent reference to get a view of life in this time and place. Song of the Magdalene is a fictional story of the young Mary Magdalene. Her family a quite respected in her village, and they are not poor, to say the least. Miriam lives with her father, her servant friend Hannah and Hannah's paraplegic son Abraham. At the age of ten she leads a rather normal life until the occurrence of her first fit.(seizure) In her culture and religion having a physical affliction is seen as evil and a fit represents an evil sprit entering your body. Miriam is a smart girl; because of this she knows that she must not let anyone find out about her fits, or she will be labeled as impure and be a social disgrace. To hide she spends her days in the valleys and forests, when she should be doing chores, preparing herself to be a wife. Eventually Abraham, who is always stuck at home, convinces Miriam to bring him along on her excursions. Because he joins her, when she has her second fit he finds out about them, he assures her neither of them are evil. As they become closer Abraham teaches Miriam to sing the Song of Songs and to read the torah, two skills only men regularly have. They grow very close and an incident soon after sends Miriam's world spinning. All her secrets torn open, all her lies exposed. She is sent away. After much searching she finds herself, and the story ends where the fact from the bible begins, as Miriam meets Jesus. This book is very factual and the religious aspects of it are quite realistic. It is interesting to compare the social roles of men and women portrayed in this book to those of today, it sure has changed. I would consider this book quite an easy read with mature subject matter, which is not the best combination. Although Overall I would consider this book extremely good in all aspects including writing, historical facts, reality and to top it all off an adventurous story line.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely my favorite book!
Review: This book is great!I've always liked historical fiction, so when I saw it, I just had to read it. Miriam's story is really inspiring.It makes you want to do something good.Everything about this books seems so real that you can't help but believe it.I am definitely going to read more of Donna Jo Napoli's books!
Rating:
Summary: Song of the Magdalen
Review: This is a beautiful book. I was a fan of Donna Jo Napoli's fairy tale books, when I decided to read this biblical book. I did not count on it being that good, but I-being a Christian-decided to try it out.
I was very pleased. It was absolutely wonderful. It got me interested right at the beginning. The book created an accurate picture of Israel at the time of Jesus. It rocked.
Mirium is a very developed character. I think that the story fits well into the bible. It is very believable. I love it so much and I recommend it to everyone!
Rating:
Summary: Deep
Review: This is a really, really deep book. Especially if you are a Christian this is an awesome book. The characters are very well developed and the story of this girl is very stirring. Of course, it is a "chick" book, and although I normally don't read those kind of books, every now and then you want to.
| 
