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etwhalen4's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
stephanietutt1's review against another edition
3.0
Although the parts about Matilda were fascinating and I really enjoyed them, the parts about Maureen absolutely bored me. The last 100 pages were hard to get through because it was all Maureen. I skimmed through the majority of the last bit just because my interest in the storyline itself was gone. I will not be reading the third book in the series.
tennilles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
radioactve_piano's review against another edition
5.0
Such an amazingly well-researched piece of fiction! I was constantly (and surprisingly) inspired while reading, and I can't wait to dive into Kathleen's website for more reading. The entire concept is fascinating, especially if you grew up with one foot in the Lutheran church, one in the Catholic church, and the rest of your body stretching as far away from any church as possible. I can hardly wait to see where else Kathleen leads us.
thesassybookworm's review against another edition
3.0
This is book #2 of the "Magdalene Line Trilogy", I finished book #1 last week (The Expected One) and really enjoyed it, this one I didn't quite love as much. The first book had a good pace to it and the balance between present day story and past was perfect. Book #2 was much slower paced and the present day story really took a backseat in this book, I would have preferred more character development on that front. That being said I did really enjoy the story of Matilda, so not as good as the first in the series, but good enough that I will definitely be picking up book #3 when it comes out!!
lisairenelane's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the content and the message, but had trouble with the in between.
doriastories's review against another edition
2.0
This book proved a disappointment to me because, despite the fact that the content is fascinating and very richly detailed, the writing style is rather poor. Regardless of whether describing scenes of pathos or joy, it reads resolutely like a trashy airport novel. Still, some may find it worth reading for the interesting information regarding Cathar history in France and Italy. And also, of course, for the alternative views on Christian history and doctrine.
katrinaburch's review against another edition
3.0
The continuation of the first book, Maureen's journey continues as the Arc Gospel is in the hands of Rome. Her encounters with Matilda of Canossa and their shared history and journey create a great story and it was nice to learn about a women who has been mostly forgotten about in history and the deeds she did; I didn't enjoy this book as much. Especially the end... The fact that McGowan tries to make us believe that Maureen encounters at the cathedral is the same man who stabbed Jesus on Good Friday is just absolutely ridiculous! I'm all for suspending belief for some good historical fiction and mysteries but that is just beyond ridiculous to try to get us to believe that it's the same man.
tricky's review against another edition
1.0
This the second book in the series penned by Kathleen McGowan in which Maureen Paschal attempts to unravel a religious mystery. I had not read the first book but you need not worry as the author for the first 100 pages or gives you a recap of what has occurred before. In a nutshell Maureen discovers that Mary and Jesus were actually married and had children.
In the present day, Maureen is promoting her fictional novel that reveals the relationship between Jesus and Mary (she has made a promise to the Vatican not to reveal the actual facts) when she receives a scroll that hints at new mystery for her to resolve. Her partners from the first book also receive a scroll and thus they are all brought together for a new adventure.
The ideas and theories McGowan present are interesting and hold a great deal of promise, however, the execution of the novel falls short. There were slabs of text that repeated itself, we were told rather than shown what was happening and I am not sure the alternate viewpoints worked.
When McGowan is telling the story of Matilda the novel works, to an extent. In that it interesting and holds your attention. You then have the Libro Rossi that is used to provide further information but at times I wondered why I needed to know all this. When we switch back to Maureen or one of her team things just seem to drag a bit as I found the characters did a lot of internalising. There seemed to be an over reliance on divine intervention to move the story along, rather than the characters solving or making a decision.
I have no issues reading a book that presents an alternative religious view to the mainstream. McGowan has created an interesting premise but for me the novel just did not deliver.
In the present day, Maureen is promoting her fictional novel that reveals the relationship between Jesus and Mary (she has made a promise to the Vatican not to reveal the actual facts) when she receives a scroll that hints at new mystery for her to resolve. Her partners from the first book also receive a scroll and thus they are all brought together for a new adventure.
The ideas and theories McGowan present are interesting and hold a great deal of promise, however, the execution of the novel falls short. There were slabs of text that repeated itself, we were told rather than shown what was happening and I am not sure the alternate viewpoints worked.
When McGowan is telling the story of Matilda the novel works, to an extent. In that it interesting and holds your attention. You then have the Libro Rossi that is used to provide further information but at times I wondered why I needed to know all this. When we switch back to Maureen or one of her team things just seem to drag a bit as I found the characters did a lot of internalising. There seemed to be an over reliance on divine intervention to move the story along, rather than the characters solving or making a decision.
I have no issues reading a book that presents an alternative religious view to the mainstream. McGowan has created an interesting premise but for me the novel just did not deliver.
tragiccharacter's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as the first but still worth the read.