The Testament of Mary

Fiction & Literature, Religious, Literary
Cover of the book The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin, Scribner
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Colm Toibin ISBN: 9781451690750
Publisher: Scribner Publication: November 13, 2012
Imprint: Scribner Language: English
Author: Colm Toibin
ISBN: 9781451690750
Publisher: Scribner
Publication: November 13, 2012
Imprint: Scribner
Language: English

PROVOCATIVE, HAUNTING AND INDELIBLE, Colm Tóibín’s portrait of Mary presents her as a solitary older woman still seeking to understand the events that become the narrative of the New Testament and the foundation of Christianity.

In the ancient town of Ephesus, Mary lives alone, years after her son’s crucifixion. She has no interest in collaborating with the authors of the Gospel. They are her keepers, providing her with food and shelter and visiting her regularly. She does not agree that her son is the Son of God; nor that his death was “worth it”; nor that the “group of misfits he gathered around him, men who could not look a woman in the eye,” were holy disciples.

Mary judges herself ruthlessly (she did not stay at the foot of the Cross until her son died—she fled, to save herself), and her judgment of others is equally harsh. This woman whom we know from centuries of paintings and scripture as the docile, loving, silent, long-suffering, obedient, worshipful mother of Christ becomes a tragic heroine with the relentless eloquence of Electra or Medea or Antigone. Tóibín’s tour de force of imagination and language is a portrait so vivid and convincing that our image of Mary will be forever transformed.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

PROVOCATIVE, HAUNTING AND INDELIBLE, Colm Tóibín’s portrait of Mary presents her as a solitary older woman still seeking to understand the events that become the narrative of the New Testament and the foundation of Christianity.

In the ancient town of Ephesus, Mary lives alone, years after her son’s crucifixion. She has no interest in collaborating with the authors of the Gospel. They are her keepers, providing her with food and shelter and visiting her regularly. She does not agree that her son is the Son of God; nor that his death was “worth it”; nor that the “group of misfits he gathered around him, men who could not look a woman in the eye,” were holy disciples.

Mary judges herself ruthlessly (she did not stay at the foot of the Cross until her son died—she fled, to save herself), and her judgment of others is equally harsh. This woman whom we know from centuries of paintings and scripture as the docile, loving, silent, long-suffering, obedient, worshipful mother of Christ becomes a tragic heroine with the relentless eloquence of Electra or Medea or Antigone. Tóibín’s tour de force of imagination and language is a portrait so vivid and convincing that our image of Mary will be forever transformed.

More books from Scribner

Cover of the book How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book The Glass House by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book Flying over 96th Street by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book The Behavior of Love by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book He Sees You When You're Sleeping by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book My America by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book Double Feature by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book The Tarnished Eye by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book One For The Money by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book The Trade Mission by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book The Reckoning by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book Warren Buffett's Management Secrets by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book Close Range by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book Wild Horse Annie and the Last of the Mustangs by Colm Toibin
Cover of the book Damage Control by Colm Toibin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy