Unafraid: Mary (The Lineage of Grace Series #5) (ISBN 159415161X)

Shameful:
This book is a shameful end to an otherwise wonderful series of women in the lineage of Christ. It is poorly researched, and extremely disrespectful of the Mother of God. Think about it - Mary is the vessel through which God was made man and came to earth. Doesn't it make sense that the vessel would be as perfect as is humanly possibly? I was shocked and offended by this book. What a shame.

fast delivery and great product!:
Love this series! It was nice to be able to complete with a nice product for cheap!

Disgusting.:
I'm surprised this book has so many positive reviews! This is a good book about Joseph, Mary's husband. The picture Francine Rivers paints of Mary the mother of Jesus is nothing short of bitter and dishonest-- not Scriptural at all (one of the greatest scenes of the Bible with Mary-- her visit to Elizabeth where Mary sings, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." is LEFT out!). It's a gross oversight that gives away Ms. Rivers' struggles with the person of Mary... it seems like she tries to make her Mary "less Catholic" by making her into a terrible person. I can understand that Ms. Rivers wants to make Mary 'more human' to her readers... but Ms. Rivers forgets that sin makes us LESS human, not moreso. Adam and Eve were more themselves in the Garden of Eden than after they were cast out. Even though this is a work of fiction, I still think that, at best, it's a dishonest account of the mother of Jesus--an attempt to erase the picture the Catholic Church has painted instead of an honest openness about Mary's life as revealed in segments of Scripture and early Christian writings. I was highly disappointed. It was a struggle to even finish the book.

Disappointing:
I read the entire Lineage of Grace series and was thrilled with the other books, but this one was disappointing. I am a protestant and do not believe that Mary was sinless, but Francine Rivers made Mary out to be a complaining, and pushy mother. It is interesting that the author did not dwell on the sins of the other women in the series, eventhough we know that they were sinners. But, she chose to dwell on Mary's sins. I believe she was trying to make a point, which I agree with, but she took it too far.

As a Mother...:
I have read 2 of this series of novellas by Francine Rivers. Both this one and about Bathsheba. Both I think have expressed thoroughly a woman's perspective. I wept reading this book. As a Mother, it is impossible for me to imagine witnessing the events surrounding Christ and His crucifixion. Francine made this real for me. As far as being a "Catholic/Non-Catholic" version of Mary? Do Catholics have more information than the rest of the religions on Mary's character? Keep in mind it's a fictional book based on a real event. None of us were there. She put the "female" spin on it because that's what the series is about. I'll read the rest of the series. So much of the Bible left out the woman's perspective. Be blessed we have that freedom now.