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In this short read, gifted writer Melody Carlson draws us into the life of Jesus the Christ through the eyes of his earthly mother, Mary. Ms. Carlson’s admits up front it is no easy task to speak from the view of someone like Mary, about someone like Jesus, but she felt compelled to do so. And, I’m glad she did.
Using biblical stories, analogies and scriptures as foundation and backdrops, we walk the journey of Jesus’ life. At the beginning, we are in the garden with Mary after her son’s death. She reflects on her life and how she came to be the mother of the Son of God. We see Jesus with his earthly family, with his step-siblings who don’t quite understand the ‘uniqueness’ of their brother. Mary brings us to know her life in an intimate way, from when she tries to explain to her family about the pregnancy and visit from the angel, to watching her beloved Son tortured and die. But, the best part is what she tells us at the end.
If you know Jesus’ story, you might think you can’t learn anything new, and this is, after all a work of fiction, but I really enjoyed it, and appreciate Mary more. Some might find fault with this because Ms. Carlson takes some liberties with modernizing scriptures and biblical stories, but, it is fiction.
Easter, a time when Christians remember/honor/celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, is the perfect time to read this easy to understand book.
Reviewed by Linda Mae Baldwin
for The Road to Romance
March 1, 2005
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Jesus has just been crucified. Struggling with grief, Mary tries to understand why this horrendous thing has happened to her perfect son. Jesus hadn’t committed any crime—he just went about his Father’s business, in spite of the fact that some people thought he was insane.
With the disciples and Mary in deep mourning, Mary starts to remember the past, starting when she first learned she was expecting Jesus—and the thrill and fear this announcement brought. She was unsure how her news would be received—will she be stoned as the law dictated? How would Jehovah resolve this problem? Learning to trust God for the safety of His son was an issue Mary had to work through.
THREE DAYS takes the reader, in Mary’s point of view, all through the story of Jesus’ time here on Earth – from his conception, birth, childhood, ministry, adulthood, and the crucifixion and resurrection. I never considered some of the points brought out in the book; it caused a lot of thought. Instead of reading the story through Jesus’ eyes, or the disciples, it was told by the mother of Jesus. Unfortunately, that caused Jesus to appear rude at times in the way he treated his mother and brother.
All in all, THREE DAYS is the perfect book to read with the Easter season
quickly approaching. It will give the reader new thoughts about the
traditional story. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and very little gave
me pause about it.
Reviewed by Laura V. Hilton
for The Road to Romance
March 8, 2005
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