The Passion of Mary-Margaret

I loved this book. More importantly, I have thought a lot about it -- what it means to be a spouse, a parent, a Christian, a citizen of the world; what it means to forgive and be forgiven; what it means to take risks -- and what qualifies as a risk. It is not perfect. The first 50 pages were tough going -- the first-person narrative seemed to meander around, discussing everything but the plot of the novel. It is the author's way of letting the reader get to know Mary-Margaret before the reader knows her story; it works imperfectly. After the slow start, the narrator (Mary-Margaret) starts dropping hints about what transpired in her very interesting life. As one reviewer noted, about everything imaginable happened to MM or to someone for whom she cared. This approach keeps the reader's interest, but it does feel a little manipulative. At the core of the book is a love story between MM and Jesus. Yes, MM loves a flesh-and-blood man as well (and also has deep platonic relationships with many others), but Jesus is her passion. When I re-read my last sentence, I think to myself, "How can one make a relationship with God interesting to a reader -- who necessarily is outside the relationship?" Samson has accomplished this task by making MM very real and by making MM's Jesus very real to her. At the end of the day, all of the plot devices (loves, dangers, deaths, births, lies, diseases, frustrations -- yes, many are over-the-top) exist to 'flesh out' MM's relationship with Jesus. As a Protestant, I have wondered why Catholic priests and nuns are not permitted to marry. My thought process was, "If a Protestant minister and his/her spouse can be effective in the same community that has a Catholic church, why cannot the Catholic priest also marry?" I now understand that my utiliterian approach to this issue completely missed the mark. This book opened my eyes to the level of commitment that a 'religious' person can have to God and the intensity that the relationship with God can be. For MM, at times, her love of Jesus was all-consuming. In fact, she had to step away a bit from the intensity of that relationship to care for her husband and child during that phase of her life, and that decision was painful -- and joyous -- for her. My description of MM makes her sound holier-than-thou and rather boring. She is not boring! She is witty, creative, spirited, willful, and silly. She reminds me of no one -- and of everyone. Samson's prose can be just right. At one point, MM writes, "I'm the most me I ever am around my son." The book is peppered with lines that speak deeply about MM's relationship with Jesus, her husband, her birth family, and her best friend. I recommend this book to any Christian who enjoys novels about ideas and relationships.

When I started reading this book I was not sure what kind of review I would give. As a practicing Roman Catholic, I was concerned, when I started reading, where the author was going with the story. But to my delight this book turned out to be a sweet and poignant story about a young girl and her obedience to God. I am not sure if the author is Catholic or not but I give her kudos for her respect to my faith. Overall, this was a satisfying read.

Comtemporary Christian fiction is the genre that "The Passion Of Mary-Margaret" inhabits. The novel is the autobiography of Mary-Margaret as it weaves flashbacks with the present. It themes include drug addiction, AIDS, murder, lust, male prostitution, forgiveness and redemption. While told from a Catholic perspective, and set on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, one need not be either Catholic nor familiar with Maryland to enjoy this story. Mary-Margaret is a marvelous character of faith who copes with the cross that she must carry. The author mixes realism with faithfulness in the right portions to make this an unforgetable tale.

"...sometimes miracles are small and, to the naked eye, even a little insane." This quote comes directly from The Passion of Mary-Margaret and it is just one of many delights of this novel. I have never read anything by Lisa Samson. Truth be told, I avoid 'religious'-tinged books as much as I can. Fake, fantastical, paranormal, new age-y stuff, I'll read. But insert 'spiritual' and 'journey' or somesuch similarity (and it doesn't matter which religion - I'm an equal opportunity avoider) and I put the book down without a second thought and no temptation to give it a second glance. But reading Lisa Samson's The Passion of Mary-Margaret makes me wonder if I have been missing out on some good books. Or maybe The Passion of Mary-Margaret is just singularly special. Mary-Margaret is a woman who grew up on a small island as an orphan of a woman who was allegedly raped by a seminarian. This mysterious parentage will be a theme throughout the book, but not the main one. The main theme is about faith and obedience to one's calling and how it will enrich a life when its call is heeded. At the age of nine, she meets a gorgeous boy named Jude. He's the youngest Keller boy and in time, they start a friendship that grows into an undeniable attraction. Yet, Mary-Margaret has other plans. Her dream is to become a nun and this is no frivolous plot device. It is part and parcel of who the stubborn, funny and determined Mary-Margaret is. For Mary-Margaret loves Jesus in a profound, tangible way so when He gives her instructions to abandon her dream to save the tormented Jude, she does it. But not without a little grumbling and a little confusion which adds to the charm of this novel. Populated by wonderful, flawed, flesh-and-blood real characters, the center of it all is Mary-Margaret, her love for Jesus and her love for Jude (who, in spite of his tortured past, is as funny and engaging as Mary-Margaret). What was most wonderful to me about this novel was how love in all its different stages and forms was celebrated and enjoyed even when there was pain and suffering. It also reminded me that a 'spiritual journey' is called a 'journey' for a reason and that it is ongoing in both big and small ways. And for that reason (amongst many), I am grateful that I was given the privilege to read this novel. Truly, truly a pleasure to read and a novel that I will be recommending to all of my book loving family.

It's rare that a book pulls me into the story, the life of the character so intensely I actually feel everything the character does. It's rare I cry while reading, but when I do you can bet the book's a keeper. The Passion of Mary-Margaret is one such book. The voice hooked me from the first page, written by a seventy year old woman as her memoirs. At first I thought it'd be hard to follow since the main character often goes back and forth between her memories and her present life, but don't let that deter you from reading. It's a story of passion, unconditional love, and obedience mixed with mystery, heartbreak, and redemption that will leave you satisfied and profoundly touched, wishing that Jesus would pull up a chair and visit with you like he did with Mary-Margaret.