3 out of 4 stars
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With famous stories, it is often nice to hear the perspectives of characters we many times don’t consider. Sometimes these characters offer unique and insightful views on well-known tales that we wouldn’t think of otherwise. Mary’s Ponderings offers one such different viewpoint of the life of Christ.
Mary’s Ponderings by Barbara Covington is a short novel that offers a view of the life of Jesus from the perspective of Mary, his mother. Mary is put in an interesting place as the mother of Christ. She often questions what the ultimate plan of God is, and while she is faithful and patient, she is also confused by some of the events that happen around her. Her position is many times a mixed blessing, as being the mother of Christ also means explaining his birth to a world that is less than understanding. She devoted to God, but she also struggles as any normal human would.
I ended up giving the book 3 out of 4 stars. Mary is kind and likable, and her view of the ministry of Jesus is interesting. She doesn’t understand everything that happens, but she trusts that it is God’s will. I very much liked Mary. She would be an admirable woman that you’d be happy to be friends with. It is also very interesting to know the thoughts of the mother of Christ. Mary is an insightful lady, and her view of events is a different angle on Christ’s ministry. Those interested in the life of Christ would greatly appreciate this book. It is a religious book that manages not to be preachy or heavy-handed about spiritual matters. This book is not some kind of devotional, just the honest opinion of a woman tasked with raising Jesus.
There were some grammatical errors with the book, but they were not of any level to deter reading the book. My major complaint is that the book seems too short. There seems like there would be so much to delve into in Mary’s life, but with only 70 pages this novel seemed a bit short. I was left thinking that there surely must be more that Mary would have an opinion about. I was sometimes left with more questions than answers, as the chapters were so brief that it seemed like only a bit of what Mary actually thought was shared.
On the whole, Mary’s Ponderings is a genuinely likable book with a character who has an enjoyable voice. My only wish is that there were a little more of Mary’s ponderings for me to ponder.
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Mary's Ponderings
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