Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Viking (2012), 112 pages
Description
A provocative imagining of the later years of the mother of Jesus finds her living a solitary existence in Ephesus years after her son's crucifixion and struggling with guilt, anger, and feelings that her son is not the son of God and that His sacrifice was not for a worthy cause.
Media reviews
Colm Tóibín's mothers don't always behave as they should; they are often unpredictable, occasionally downright troublesome, prone to gusts of passion or rage or – worse – unnatural indifference. Rarely are they uncomplicated figures of placid, nurturing devotion; but they do make for
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fantastically involving fiction. In his 2006 short-story collection, Mothers and Sons, Tóibín brought us relationships that were often characterised by the way they inverted traditional roles. An entrepreneurial widow plots to escape to the anonymity of the big city, clashing with her son's determination to hold fast to their small-town life; another man slinks away from a crowded pub rather than be spotted by the celebrated mother who has absented herself from his life; in "A Long Winter", a magnificent extended piece set in rural Spain, a young man is forced to keep house ineptly for his father after his alcoholic mother walks out into a snowstorm rather than be deprived of drink..... Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member baswood
Colm was definitely taking the Mick with this one, at just 104 pages, if he had held it sideways it would have gone missing; it was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize.
Let us remind ourselves that the Man Booker prize is awarded for the best original novel in the English Language. A Novel that
E M Forster back in the 1920's reminded us what the [Aspects of the Novel] were and he started with three main criteria: Story, people and plot. The novel should tell a story, there should at least be ragged ends to keep the reader interested, but all we get in The Testament of Mary is a different perspective on a well known story. Sure Toibin makes the point that Mary's part in the story was largely neglected by the chroniclers and her Testament, such as it was may well have been invented by the mythmakers, but this is hardly an original idea. Toibin does rather better with Forsters second criteria which is people. The aim of a novelist, especially an historical novelist should be to reveal the inner life of the actors in the story. One could say that the whole point of Toibin's book is to reveal the inner life of Mary; mother of Jesus and he does this by telling her story through a first person perspective. It is the life of a woman who fails to understand her son and who has to watch helplessly as he is put to death in a most cruel fashion. She sees the power that Jesus has over other people but she cannot equate this with the boy who grew up in her house and so what we have here is a mother's torment, rather than testament. Toibin has room enough for only one person in his story and so it has to be a good one. However on Forster's third criteria; plot, there is very little evidence of any such thing. Forster says the reader does not only need to know that things have happened he also needs to know why they happened and it is the novelist skill in revealing these issues, that keeps us wanting to know more, there should be some mystery. Admittedly this is more difficult in a historical novel, especially one that retells some of the most well known stories in the English language, but all that Toibin has time to tell us is that the action took place in a closed fearful society that was continually spying and spied upon and that those in Authority were able to stage manage events to their own advantage.
Cynically one might think that another good way to sell a whole load of books, retailing at £8.00 a throw, would be to create some controversy and what is better than to attack some of the most basic tenents of the catholic church. Despite what we read in the scriptures; the myth of the virgin Mary has developed down the ages and for some she is the most revered person in history. By depicting her as a grieving mother who does not for one moment believe Jesus is the son of God strikes at the heart of the catholic faith. Protests, publicity, of course there was.
Despite all that I have said above I enjoyed the reading experience, although it was all over within the hour. Toibin is a master of creating an atmosphere of time and place. He writes beautifully placing his readers in scenarios that are both sharp and keenly sensitive. There are three major scenarios here that are beautifully written; the wedding at Canna, Pilates handling of the rabble and finally the crucifixion itself. The character of Mary is beautifully achieved; a person who understands little, relying on her instincts as a woman and a mother to see her through. His use of the first person allows us to get inside the head of an ordinary mother from that era and although he strays at times by making her think like a woman from current times, this does not get in the way of the characterisation and is often necessary to explain actions that are taken.
A good book club choice for those clubs whose members have little time for reading, assuming also they have some background in the Christian religion. Me, I am still waiting for the other short stories that would have made this into a fine collection. Toibin having failed to win the Man Booker did what he should have done in the first place and re-wrote this as a play with only one actor. It would make a tremendous monologue. A three star read.
Let us remind ourselves that the Man Booker prize is awarded for the best original novel in the English Language. A Novel that
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is; not a short story, perhaps the panel were confused by the criteria for a short list and chose it because was erm............ short. Now I know that Julian Barnes had walked away with the prize in 2011 with his 160 page [Sense of an Ending] which was both short and unoriginal; so perhaps Toibin thought that if he wrote something even shorter and based it on one of the most well known stories in the world he would be bound to win. Perhaps some authors writing today believe that their readers attention span is so short that they cannot handle more that one idea or one central character.E M Forster back in the 1920's reminded us what the [Aspects of the Novel] were and he started with three main criteria: Story, people and plot. The novel should tell a story, there should at least be ragged ends to keep the reader interested, but all we get in The Testament of Mary is a different perspective on a well known story. Sure Toibin makes the point that Mary's part in the story was largely neglected by the chroniclers and her Testament, such as it was may well have been invented by the mythmakers, but this is hardly an original idea. Toibin does rather better with Forsters second criteria which is people. The aim of a novelist, especially an historical novelist should be to reveal the inner life of the actors in the story. One could say that the whole point of Toibin's book is to reveal the inner life of Mary; mother of Jesus and he does this by telling her story through a first person perspective. It is the life of a woman who fails to understand her son and who has to watch helplessly as he is put to death in a most cruel fashion. She sees the power that Jesus has over other people but she cannot equate this with the boy who grew up in her house and so what we have here is a mother's torment, rather than testament. Toibin has room enough for only one person in his story and so it has to be a good one. However on Forster's third criteria; plot, there is very little evidence of any such thing. Forster says the reader does not only need to know that things have happened he also needs to know why they happened and it is the novelist skill in revealing these issues, that keeps us wanting to know more, there should be some mystery. Admittedly this is more difficult in a historical novel, especially one that retells some of the most well known stories in the English language, but all that Toibin has time to tell us is that the action took place in a closed fearful society that was continually spying and spied upon and that those in Authority were able to stage manage events to their own advantage.
Cynically one might think that another good way to sell a whole load of books, retailing at £8.00 a throw, would be to create some controversy and what is better than to attack some of the most basic tenents of the catholic church. Despite what we read in the scriptures; the myth of the virgin Mary has developed down the ages and for some she is the most revered person in history. By depicting her as a grieving mother who does not for one moment believe Jesus is the son of God strikes at the heart of the catholic faith. Protests, publicity, of course there was.
Despite all that I have said above I enjoyed the reading experience, although it was all over within the hour. Toibin is a master of creating an atmosphere of time and place. He writes beautifully placing his readers in scenarios that are both sharp and keenly sensitive. There are three major scenarios here that are beautifully written; the wedding at Canna, Pilates handling of the rabble and finally the crucifixion itself. The character of Mary is beautifully achieved; a person who understands little, relying on her instincts as a woman and a mother to see her through. His use of the first person allows us to get inside the head of an ordinary mother from that era and although he strays at times by making her think like a woman from current times, this does not get in the way of the characterisation and is often necessary to explain actions that are taken.
A good book club choice for those clubs whose members have little time for reading, assuming also they have some background in the Christian religion. Me, I am still waiting for the other short stories that would have made this into a fine collection. Toibin having failed to win the Man Booker did what he should have done in the first place and re-wrote this as a play with only one actor. It would make a tremendous monologue. A three star read.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
This is not the Mary of Renaissance paintings, the Mary whose submissive positioning of head is surrounded with a glowing halo. No, this is a down to earth woman whose feet hurt from shoes unaccustomed to walking dirty paths to Jerusalem.
Watching her son, purple robed commanding Lazarus to rise
Later, learning that Lazarus remained barely alive in a near comma state, she wondered how he,dead four days in the ground, could physically and emotionally sustain observing the other side while suddenly pulled up, up from the ground rudely to this reality. And, why any one of God would do such a cruel thing.
Watching this boy turned man make a spectacle of himself, commanding vessels of water to magically turn to wine,she wondered how out of control this egotist could possibly go.
Watching as before her very eyes, the crowds of these clown like idiots sneer, while the dumb founded shiver in awe, and, the circus grows ever more macabre.
Stunned, she wonders why the rising of a dead person was not enough demonstrative showing off for one day!
Watching the pack of people called disciples, left Mary feeling that her son was NOT the Christ, but rather an over inflated egoist whose followers were near do wells. Experience taught her that when two or more boys/men are together, there is always misbehavior. Wanting to cuff his ears and make him behave, Mary grows increasingly suspicious.
Now, watching as her son stumbles through the streets, head bleeding from thorns that invade, sloped down from a cross too heavy to hold, she remains in the shadows as he is crucified.
Carefully scanning the crowds, realizing that this terrible event is well organized and meticulously set in place, she carefully fled away with Mary, the sister of Martha. Hearing his screams as the long nails were driven forcefully into his hands, Mary cannot understand why her son chose this rather than listening to her pleas months ago when she realized no good could come of this, and plead with him to come home with her.
Parents whose children have gone astray have felt this feeling of incongruity, the restless nights of no sleep, pondering how someone so good could have developed so badly.
Alone now, at the end of her life, suspicious of all, particularly the inquisitive who want answers regarding what she knew and what she believes, quiet, always fearful and overly stubborn, Mary is left to examine what she cannot comprehend and what she truly does not understand.
The writing is excellent, the story line is compelling, and provides an entirely different reference than the Mary I learned about in Sunday school.
Highly recommended.
Watching her son, purple robed commanding Lazarus to rise
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from the dead was a fearful sight of disbelief. Not able to fathom how her baby boy grew to this confident over inflated magician/ruler proved incomprehensible.Later, learning that Lazarus remained barely alive in a near comma state, she wondered how he,dead four days in the ground, could physically and emotionally sustain observing the other side while suddenly pulled up, up from the ground rudely to this reality. And, why any one of God would do such a cruel thing.
Watching this boy turned man make a spectacle of himself, commanding vessels of water to magically turn to wine,she wondered how out of control this egotist could possibly go.
Watching as before her very eyes, the crowds of these clown like idiots sneer, while the dumb founded shiver in awe, and, the circus grows ever more macabre.
Stunned, she wonders why the rising of a dead person was not enough demonstrative showing off for one day!
Watching the pack of people called disciples, left Mary feeling that her son was NOT the Christ, but rather an over inflated egoist whose followers were near do wells. Experience taught her that when two or more boys/men are together, there is always misbehavior. Wanting to cuff his ears and make him behave, Mary grows increasingly suspicious.
Now, watching as her son stumbles through the streets, head bleeding from thorns that invade, sloped down from a cross too heavy to hold, she remains in the shadows as he is crucified.
Carefully scanning the crowds, realizing that this terrible event is well organized and meticulously set in place, she carefully fled away with Mary, the sister of Martha. Hearing his screams as the long nails were driven forcefully into his hands, Mary cannot understand why her son chose this rather than listening to her pleas months ago when she realized no good could come of this, and plead with him to come home with her.
Parents whose children have gone astray have felt this feeling of incongruity, the restless nights of no sleep, pondering how someone so good could have developed so badly.
Alone now, at the end of her life, suspicious of all, particularly the inquisitive who want answers regarding what she knew and what she believes, quiet, always fearful and overly stubborn, Mary is left to examine what she cannot comprehend and what she truly does not understand.
The writing is excellent, the story line is compelling, and provides an entirely different reference than the Mary I learned about in Sunday school.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member lit_chick
“I remember too much; I am like the air on a calm day as it holds itself still, letting nothing escape. As the world holds its breath, I keep memory in.” (5)
The Testament of Mary is a bold endeavor in which Colm Toibin empathetically enters the heart and mind of Mary, mother of Jesus. She is
Disinterested in collaborating with the authors of the Gospel, Mary struggles to come to terms with that she knows to have happened. Her son, Jesus, is not the Son of God, but the son of her late husband. After he had left home, she observed the crowd of followers her son associated with, and was troubled that no good would come of the association – that which she deemed “hysterical,” a palpable disturbance to which the conclusion was foregone. This “high time” was dogged with gossip, rumours, and stories both true and wildly exaggerated. She recalls the strange atmosphere in Cana where her son is to meet her for a wedding: “I knew already that the crowd I had seen in the street had not come for the wedding. I knew for whom these people had come, and when he appeared he frightened me more than any of Marcus’s words had frightened me.” (46)
Of The Testatment of Mary, New York Times Magazine writes, “Toibin’s prose is as elegant in its simplicity as it is complex in the emotions it evokes.” The novel (novella, really) is a quick read at just over 100 pages. But it has a depth which will take me much longer to absorb. Highly deserving of its 2013 Booker nomination and very highly recommended.
“I had been made wild by what I saw and nothing has ever changed that. I have been unhinged by what I saw in daylight and no darkness will assuage that, or lessen what it did to me.” (94)
The Testament of Mary is a bold endeavor in which Colm Toibin empathetically enters the heart and mind of Mary, mother of Jesus. She is
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not a religious figure here, but a mother – observing her son’s troubling behaviour in the months leading up to his torturous death and attempting to come to terms with her grief as darkness descends on her world. Following her son’s crucifixion, Mary escapes being captured by those who would harm her and is living in exile. Her keepers, two of Jesus’ followers, are writing the scriptures, a story which they believe will change the world. Mary is not so sure. “I felt the enormity of their ambition and the innocence of their belief.” (101) Disinterested in collaborating with the authors of the Gospel, Mary struggles to come to terms with that she knows to have happened. Her son, Jesus, is not the Son of God, but the son of her late husband. After he had left home, she observed the crowd of followers her son associated with, and was troubled that no good would come of the association – that which she deemed “hysterical,” a palpable disturbance to which the conclusion was foregone. This “high time” was dogged with gossip, rumours, and stories both true and wildly exaggerated. She recalls the strange atmosphere in Cana where her son is to meet her for a wedding: “I knew already that the crowd I had seen in the street had not come for the wedding. I knew for whom these people had come, and when he appeared he frightened me more than any of Marcus’s words had frightened me.” (46)
Of The Testatment of Mary, New York Times Magazine writes, “Toibin’s prose is as elegant in its simplicity as it is complex in the emotions it evokes.” The novel (novella, really) is a quick read at just over 100 pages. But it has a depth which will take me much longer to absorb. Highly deserving of its 2013 Booker nomination and very highly recommended.
“I had been made wild by what I saw and nothing has ever changed that. I have been unhinged by what I saw in daylight and no darkness will assuage that, or lessen what it did to me.” (94)
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LibraryThing member Murphy-Jacobs
This is a slim little volume, a novella really, a sort of long prose poem. It is small, but heavy.
Mary, wife of Joseph and mother of Joshua, is facing her own oncoming death and, compelled by her own desire for simplicity and hoping it will make a difference despite her conviction there is no
"I know that he has written of things that neither he saw nor I saw. I know that he has also given shape to what I lived through and that he witnessed, and that he has made sure that these words will matter, that they will be listened to." (page 3)
On another level, this little novella takes a sharp chisel and hammer to the Christ story and the creation of the New Testament that is likely to upset many a Christian, in particular fundamentalists or literalists. Luckily, this book being a short list Man Booker nominee, (Nope, not a Booker Prize nominee) it's not likely enough people will read it to create much of the controversy it opens. For the less literal Christian, the nonChristian, the non-religious, and those who do not follow the Big Three monotheistic religions, however, it makes for interesting thinking. It posits Mary as a human being, fallible and weak, yet clinging strongly to a truth that is not popular -- that her son was the son of her husband, not of God. Her son's death was a matter of chance and poor choice.
"I was there," I said. "I fled before it was over but if you want witnesses then I am one and I can tell you now, when you say that he redeemed the world, I will say that it was not worth it. It was not worth it." (page 80)
What caught me about this fictional recreation of Mary's voice was the woman Colm Toibin envisioned and brought into being, a woman who was a simple creature content with her life, with her family, with her husband, with her God. She loses all of these things, and must replace them with a grim, even heartless, self realization and truth. She isn't stupid or unaware -- she knows of the unrest in her ancient world. She understands that people change, places change, lives change. But she is not agitating for those changes. She longs for a peace made up of sunlight, quiet, her husband and her child. She is a creature of flesh as well as of mind. This Mary inevitably faces the truth she carries and refuses to support any other arrangements of events, any easy narratives or comforting stories.
In this book, in which she recounts several of the Biblical stories as well as the story of the Crucifixion, she brings us a new viewpoint, one that sees Jesus Christ as a baby and a child and then as a man drawn away from his mother, becoming something his mother cannot understand or want, but to which she is nevertheless still connected. Mary in this story is a very angry woman, but resigned. She wishes and dreams of things not turning out as they did, but accepts that she cannot change the past. However, she's determined that, even if it doesn't matter, she will speak her truth before she dies.
"All around there is silence and soothing, dwindling light. The world has loosened, like a woman preparing for bed who lets her hair flow free. And I am whispering the words, knowing that words matter, and smiling as I say them to the shadows of the gods of this place who linger in the air to watch me and hear me."
Mary, wife of Joseph and mother of Joshua, is facing her own oncoming death and, compelled by her own desire for simplicity and hoping it will make a difference despite her conviction there is no
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difference to be made, is determined to tell her truth. Her truth is formed of anger, grief, shame, and pain. She denies the stories her son's followers are writing about him, refusing to go along with their attempts to shape events into a great story."I know that he has written of things that neither he saw nor I saw. I know that he has also given shape to what I lived through and that he witnessed, and that he has made sure that these words will matter, that they will be listened to." (page 3)
On another level, this little novella takes a sharp chisel and hammer to the Christ story and the creation of the New Testament that is likely to upset many a Christian, in particular fundamentalists or literalists. Luckily, this book being a short list Man Booker nominee, (Nope, not a Booker Prize nominee) it's not likely enough people will read it to create much of the controversy it opens. For the less literal Christian, the nonChristian, the non-religious, and those who do not follow the Big Three monotheistic religions, however, it makes for interesting thinking. It posits Mary as a human being, fallible and weak, yet clinging strongly to a truth that is not popular -- that her son was the son of her husband, not of God. Her son's death was a matter of chance and poor choice.
"I was there," I said. "I fled before it was over but if you want witnesses then I am one and I can tell you now, when you say that he redeemed the world, I will say that it was not worth it. It was not worth it." (page 80)
What caught me about this fictional recreation of Mary's voice was the woman Colm Toibin envisioned and brought into being, a woman who was a simple creature content with her life, with her family, with her husband, with her God. She loses all of these things, and must replace them with a grim, even heartless, self realization and truth. She isn't stupid or unaware -- she knows of the unrest in her ancient world. She understands that people change, places change, lives change. But she is not agitating for those changes. She longs for a peace made up of sunlight, quiet, her husband and her child. She is a creature of flesh as well as of mind. This Mary inevitably faces the truth she carries and refuses to support any other arrangements of events, any easy narratives or comforting stories.
In this book, in which she recounts several of the Biblical stories as well as the story of the Crucifixion, she brings us a new viewpoint, one that sees Jesus Christ as a baby and a child and then as a man drawn away from his mother, becoming something his mother cannot understand or want, but to which she is nevertheless still connected. Mary in this story is a very angry woman, but resigned. She wishes and dreams of things not turning out as they did, but accepts that she cannot change the past. However, she's determined that, even if it doesn't matter, she will speak her truth before she dies.
"All around there is silence and soothing, dwindling light. The world has loosened, like a woman preparing for bed who lets her hair flow free. And I am whispering the words, knowing that words matter, and smiling as I say them to the shadows of the gods of this place who linger in the air to watch me and hear me."
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LibraryThing member tututhefirst
As with just about any book written about important religious figures, there are many diverse opinions about this one. I had to go see for myself, and was able to pick up the audio version, narrated by Meryl Streep.
On the 2013 Booker Prize Shortlist, this short (104 pages in print, just over 3 hrs
This is a woman who does not see her boy as the son of God, who doesn't understand the disciples (those bullies her boy got involved with), who is afraid, who is searching for meaning, and who, as she nears the end of her life, is trying to make sense of everything that happened to her son during his short time on earth.
As one might expect, Meryl Streep's reading is superb. I actually think this is one book that is much more powerful in audio than just being read in print. Mary is brought to us in low, at times almost catatonic, monotones. Her dreamlike remembrances give us an insight unlike any Christians are used to in their Bible readings. In particular, her version of the resurrection of Lazarus gives us an almost zombie-like figure barely stumbling around supported by his sisters. Mary cannot believe her son would participate in such a quack like show of magic. She doesn't understand, and yet doesn't question him.
At Cana, we get a very different picture from the Synoptic gospels. In Toibin's work, Mary is not the instigator; in fact she is trying to get him to keep from making a show of himself. At the crucifixion, which Toibin paints in excruciating detail, we feel for this woman, who in spite of her love for her son (or because of it?) does not stay to witness the end, but rather runs into hiding in fear of her life. It is only in her later dreams that we are given the Pièta vision of Michaelangelo's.
This is a powerful read with many opportunities for challenging what we think and believe. In the end, I don't think it will change any religious beliefs, but it will flesh out a marble statue.
On the 2013 Booker Prize Shortlist, this short (104 pages in print, just over 3 hrs
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in audio) powerful narrative gives us a completely different voice for Mary, mother of Jesus. This is not a plaster saint, nor is she wearing anything close to a halo. This is the reflection of an elderly woman, looking back on her life, wondering what happened to turn her precious baby boy into a radical rebel who was ultimately subjected to a brutal and violent death.This is a woman who does not see her boy as the son of God, who doesn't understand the disciples (those bullies her boy got involved with), who is afraid, who is searching for meaning, and who, as she nears the end of her life, is trying to make sense of everything that happened to her son during his short time on earth.
As one might expect, Meryl Streep's reading is superb. I actually think this is one book that is much more powerful in audio than just being read in print. Mary is brought to us in low, at times almost catatonic, monotones. Her dreamlike remembrances give us an insight unlike any Christians are used to in their Bible readings. In particular, her version of the resurrection of Lazarus gives us an almost zombie-like figure barely stumbling around supported by his sisters. Mary cannot believe her son would participate in such a quack like show of magic. She doesn't understand, and yet doesn't question him.
At Cana, we get a very different picture from the Synoptic gospels. In Toibin's work, Mary is not the instigator; in fact she is trying to get him to keep from making a show of himself. At the crucifixion, which Toibin paints in excruciating detail, we feel for this woman, who in spite of her love for her son (or because of it?) does not stay to witness the end, but rather runs into hiding in fear of her life. It is only in her later dreams that we are given the Pièta vision of Michaelangelo's.
This is a powerful read with many opportunities for challenging what we think and believe. In the end, I don't think it will change any religious beliefs, but it will flesh out a marble statue.
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LibraryThing member jasonlf
This very short novella tells a few episodes in the life of Jesus Christ from the perspective of his mother Mary. She is telling the story many years later to two devoted believers who want to get down every last detail but are often disappointed with her memories and perspectives. Mary herself is
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more focused on the goddess Artemis and does not relate to the fervor and beliefs of Christ's followers. As she summarizes: "if you want witnesses then I am one and I can tell you now, when you say that he redeemed the world, I will say that it was not worth it. It was not worth it.” Show Less
LibraryThing member Charon07
At the risk of revealing what a low-brow reader I am, I’d recommend Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal over this. Sure, it lacks the Booker-level prose style, but it made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me see the tragedy of the crucifixion as I never had before,
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while The Testament of Mary left me dry. It was hard to connect with this bitter, alienated Mary. Show Less
LibraryThing member EBT1002
What if Mary could tell us, from her perspective, what really happened?
In this elegantly wrought novella, Colm Tóibín provides us with his imagining of this. It took me a little bit to get swept up into her narrative, but once I did, reading this was a genuine delight. Tóibín's use of language
She says
"I do not know why it matters that I should tell the truth to myself at night, why it should matter that the truth should be spoken at least once in the world. Because the world is a place of silence, the sky at night when the birds have gone is a vast silent place. No words will make the slightest difference to the sky at night. They will not brighten it or make it less strange."
And yet she speaks and tells her truth.
This is almost a five-star read and I will return to it again, I am sure.
In this elegantly wrought novella, Colm Tóibín provides us with his imagining of this. It took me a little bit to get swept up into her narrative, but once I did, reading this was a genuine delight. Tóibín's use of language
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is exquisite. He believably gives voice to this grieving mother, and in the process he subtly explores the power of story, the transformation real events go through to become legend.She says
"I do not know why it matters that I should tell the truth to myself at night, why it should matter that the truth should be spoken at least once in the world. Because the world is a place of silence, the sky at night when the birds have gone is a vast silent place. No words will make the slightest difference to the sky at night. They will not brighten it or make it less strange."
And yet she speaks and tells her truth.
This is almost a five-star read and I will return to it again, I am sure.
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LibraryThing member Carmenere
Wow, what an interesting take on the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of his mother, Mary.
In a sort of stream of consciousness style Mary describes what she has witnessed as her son began his ministry of miracles and eventual death by crucification. She is an unwilling participant as an
Some people, such as I, may think of Mary as always being a one dimensional type of figure. We've seen her in paintings as snippets of her life; with an angel bearing good news, cradling a bundled infant, as the sorrowful mother at the base of the cross and ultimately holding her deceased son. But Toibin reminds us that she's so much more than archaic snapshots, she's a woman who like other mothers, doesn't understand her son, she is the last to know where he's going or what he's doing and who can not relate to the fact that she thinks the guys he's hanging with are "misfits". I tend to like her more now not because of who she was, the mother of Jesus Christ and is often set on a pedestal but because she's really down to earth and simply a mom, just like me.
Come on, Mr. Toibin, please follow this book up with a story on the very elusive, Joseph.
In a sort of stream of consciousness style Mary describes what she has witnessed as her son began his ministry of miracles and eventual death by crucification. She is an unwilling participant as an
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eyewitness reporter to those who will write the gospels and in Toibin's simple and eloquent prose she appears so human, so alone, even confused and a little disbelieving as well. Some people, such as I, may think of Mary as always being a one dimensional type of figure. We've seen her in paintings as snippets of her life; with an angel bearing good news, cradling a bundled infant, as the sorrowful mother at the base of the cross and ultimately holding her deceased son. But Toibin reminds us that she's so much more than archaic snapshots, she's a woman who like other mothers, doesn't understand her son, she is the last to know where he's going or what he's doing and who can not relate to the fact that she thinks the guys he's hanging with are "misfits". I tend to like her more now not because of who she was, the mother of Jesus Christ and is often set on a pedestal but because she's really down to earth and simply a mom, just like me.
Come on, Mr. Toibin, please follow this book up with a story on the very elusive, Joseph.
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LibraryThing member TheEllieMo
Short-listed for the Man Booker Prize 2013, The Testament of Mary is Colm Toibin's imagining of the Virgin Mary's view of her son's life and death. After reading this, my main thought is: what on earth do the Man Booker judges look for in a book, and what am I missing?
According to the Man Booker
According to the Man Booker
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website, Mary 'slowly emerges as a figure of immense moral stature as well as a woman from history rendered now as fully human'. I have to say I didn't find any of that; rather, I found an excellent concept poorly executed. There must be so much scope in the concept; a mother sees her son getting into a gang, doing some weird stuff, getting caught by the local law enforcement and ultimately being put to death. So how did Toibin end up with this slim, 104-page, rather dull novella? There are moments of promise - Mary's description of some of her son's miracles are quite touching - but that promise never fully delivers. I found this the longest 104-page book I've ever read. I'm rather loathe to read any further Man Booker short-listers after reading this. Show Less
LibraryThing member mausergem
This is the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is old and lives alone in a far away place. The followers of Jesus come to her and want her to remember any of the details of her life and her son. She is a simple lady and not enlightened by the faith. She remembers the time when her son goes to
Just before the wedding Jesus resurrects a dead man and at the wedding turns water into wine. She sees that her son is a different person than what she knew and is unable to convince him of his follies. She returns home dejected. Later from Maurice she finds out that Jesus is arrested and as punishment for his deeds is to be crucified. She reaches Jerusalem to be at his trial and his crucification. Being surrounded by spies and fearful of arrest she escapes Jerusalem and reaches a far off land to spend the reast of her days in annonimity. Later she hears of his resurrection and repents about the fact that she escaped for the fear of her life and was not with her son when he was buried.
The prose is lyrical and free flowing. Once you pick up this book it's hard to let go. It's not about religion but about a simple mother caring for her different son. A must read.
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Jerusalem and she hears about him from a cousin, Maurice. Maurice tells her to warn her son of his growing popularity among the people and the dissatisfaction of the ruling Romans. She decides to go to Jerusalem for a wedding where her son is expected to come and take him away from that city.Just before the wedding Jesus resurrects a dead man and at the wedding turns water into wine. She sees that her son is a different person than what she knew and is unable to convince him of his follies. She returns home dejected. Later from Maurice she finds out that Jesus is arrested and as punishment for his deeds is to be crucified. She reaches Jerusalem to be at his trial and his crucification. Being surrounded by spies and fearful of arrest she escapes Jerusalem and reaches a far off land to spend the reast of her days in annonimity. Later she hears of his resurrection and repents about the fact that she escaped for the fear of her life and was not with her son when he was buried.
The prose is lyrical and free flowing. Once you pick up this book it's hard to let go. It's not about religion but about a simple mother caring for her different son. A must read.
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LibraryThing member LovingLit
It is very odd that I seek out alternative versions of bible stories seeing as I barely know the established ones. I have an interest in religion from my standpoint as an Agnostic, but have yet to read the Bible itself. I know my standpoint in itself is enough to offend some, but it ought not to as
So, this little book was longlisted for the Booker Prize and I grabbed it from the library hoping it would kick-start my Booker Prize reading again. It is short. Accessible. Written in conversational story-telling style. And it is powerful. In it Mary tells her version of what happened in the days before her sons death, and in the days after. She does not believe her son to be anything like as special as his disciples do, in fact she thinks he is getting too big for his boots, and that the disciples are trouble makers and tyrants. I am sure this must be a controversy to devoted Christians. But I take this story to be just another version of the events the bible describe. To me they are all stories and this one has just as much chance of being the true one as any other. It was interesting, heartfelt yet written with an emotional restraint that felt true from a narrator who had seen her son die a horrible death.
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I respect the right of people to believe in whatever they like and hope the same would apply to me. So, this little book was longlisted for the Booker Prize and I grabbed it from the library hoping it would kick-start my Booker Prize reading again. It is short. Accessible. Written in conversational story-telling style. And it is powerful. In it Mary tells her version of what happened in the days before her sons death, and in the days after. She does not believe her son to be anything like as special as his disciples do, in fact she thinks he is getting too big for his boots, and that the disciples are trouble makers and tyrants. I am sure this must be a controversy to devoted Christians. But I take this story to be just another version of the events the bible describe. To me they are all stories and this one has just as much chance of being the true one as any other. It was interesting, heartfelt yet written with an emotional restraint that felt true from a narrator who had seen her son die a horrible death.
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LibraryThing member nomadreader
The basics: The premise is somewhat audacious: years after the crucifixion, Mary lives alone. She recalls the last days of her son's life, including his death. Although the disciples keep her fed and provide housing, Mary does not share their belief that her son was the Son of God.
My thoughts: The
Favorite passage: "Oh, eternal life!" I replied. "Oh, everyone in the world!" I looked at both of them, their eyes hooded and something appearing dark in their faces. "Is that what it was for?" They caught one another's eye and for the first time I felt the enormity of their ambition and the innocence of their belief.
The verdict: Ultimately, I appreciated The Testament of Mary more in theory than in application. As I read, I was more enamored with the idea of this novella than the novella itself. In many ways, it was a fascinating read, but it wasn't a particularly satisfying one.
My thoughts: The
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writing is beautiful and haunting. Mary is such a cultural and religious icon, and Toibin rises to the challenge to imagine Mary and her inner workings in a different way. As a character, she's incredibly dynamic: "I no longer need tears and that should be a relief, but I do not seek relief, merely solitude and some grim satisfaction which comes from the certainty that I will not say anything that is not true." Mary feels emotionally tortured. She reacts the way we would expect a grieving mother to act: she mourns the loss of her son. Yet everyone around her celebrates his death. This contrast is even more vivid when Mary recalls the day of the crucifixion itself. Toibin does not shy away from the horrors of dying in that way. It's difficult to read because Toibin, through Mary and with his own hand, emphasize the humanity of Jesus.Favorite passage: "Oh, eternal life!" I replied. "Oh, everyone in the world!" I looked at both of them, their eyes hooded and something appearing dark in their faces. "Is that what it was for?" They caught one another's eye and for the first time I felt the enormity of their ambition and the innocence of their belief.
The verdict: Ultimately, I appreciated The Testament of Mary more in theory than in application. As I read, I was more enamored with the idea of this novella than the novella itself. In many ways, it was a fascinating read, but it wasn't a particularly satisfying one.
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LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd
I was not really taken with this incredibly short piece of writing. I was intrigued by the set-up: Mary, the mother of Jesus, reflecting on her son's last years and death, without reverence or acceptance, while living in some fear for her own safety. Her recollections and impressions do not jive
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with the Biblical accounts we are familiar with; she had no desire to play along with those who hoped to establish Jesus' posthumous reputation as Son of God and Savior of Mankind, even though her livelihood and well-being seem to depend on their good will. Notably, Tóibín did not call this "The Gospel according to Mary"---there is no hint of good news here. In Mary's eyes, her son's followers were louts, Jesus's miracles were shams, and his brutal death was devoid of any redemptive value. I can believe this version of Mary; I just don't care very much about her, because she seems rather flat on the page. Show Less
LibraryThing member mdoris
I finished this book in one fell swoop and I liked it. It is such a different slant, from a different point of view, of a story we all know so well. At university I took many art history courses so of course I came across many paintings/depictions of the Virgin Mary. Many of those portrayals are of
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a content, nurturing, almost flat and distant person. In this book of Toibin's we encounter a "real" mother, a mother with very major life experiences and tragedies and with all the emotions that one would encounter. She sees her son swirl in a very different and dangerous direction and looses her connection and influence with him and she also looses her connection with her own life and liberty. This would be a very hard parent situation to deal with. It was such a personal sacrifice on so many levels. The story's point of view is that she was not there as a disciple but as a mother. The writing was superb. Show Less
LibraryThing member rmckeown
Colm Tóibín writes novels which tend to the dark and intense while thoroughly examining the angst and joys of his characters. His prose tends toward the simple – without an ounce of simplicity – the sublime and, as one reviewer wrote it is, “elegant and complex.” The Testament of Mary,
Tóibín portrays Mary as a skeptic in regard to her son’s divinity and the character of the men surrounding him during his public ministry as recounted in the New Testament. Those apostles are now her caretakers, providing her with food and shelter, all the while quizzing her for details of her son’s life. She clearly does not want the attention neither from strangers nor from those “misfits,” (6) as she refers to them. She holds an empty chair for his return, but deep down, she her skepticism touches even this basic tenet of Christianity. Tóibín writes,
“‘He was the Son of God,’ the man said, ‘and he was sent by his father to redeem the world.’
‘By his death, he gave us life,’ the other said. ‘By his death, he redeemed the world.’
“I turned toward them then and whatever it was in the expression on my face, the rage against them, the grief, the fear, they both looked up at me alarmed and one of them began to move towards me to stop me saying what it was I now wanted to say. I edged back from them and stood in the corner. I whispered it at first and then I said it louder and as he moved away from me and almost cowered in the corner I whispered it again, slowly, carefully, giving it all my breath, all my life, the little that is left in me.
“‘I was there,’ I said. ‘I fled before it was over but if you want witnesses then I am one and I can tell you now, when you say that he redeemed the world, I will say that it was not worth it. It was not worth it’” (79-80).
Mary carries an enormous guilt for not staying with her son as he expires. Rather, she slips away with the others to save herself.
Mary also treasures a small silver statue of the Goddess,
“I do not go to the Synagogue now. All that is gone. … I move quietly. I speak to her in whispers, the great goddess Artemis, bountiful with her arms outstretched and her many breasts waiting to nurture those who come towards her” (80).
This novel will most likely upset true believers, but Tóibín has captured the anguish of a mother who has lost her son for a cause she neither believes in nor understands.
Twice short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, Tóibín’s Testament of Mary strikes at the core of sorrow, love, regret, and her longing for death. A truly noble and elegant story. 5 stars.
--Jim, 12/8/12
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however, takes a slightly different tack. Based on a play, this novelization examines the life of Mary, the mother of Christ, years after her son’s crucifixion.Tóibín portrays Mary as a skeptic in regard to her son’s divinity and the character of the men surrounding him during his public ministry as recounted in the New Testament. Those apostles are now her caretakers, providing her with food and shelter, all the while quizzing her for details of her son’s life. She clearly does not want the attention neither from strangers nor from those “misfits,” (6) as she refers to them. She holds an empty chair for his return, but deep down, she her skepticism touches even this basic tenet of Christianity. Tóibín writes,
“‘He was the Son of God,’ the man said, ‘and he was sent by his father to redeem the world.’
‘By his death, he gave us life,’ the other said. ‘By his death, he redeemed the world.’
“I turned toward them then and whatever it was in the expression on my face, the rage against them, the grief, the fear, they both looked up at me alarmed and one of them began to move towards me to stop me saying what it was I now wanted to say. I edged back from them and stood in the corner. I whispered it at first and then I said it louder and as he moved away from me and almost cowered in the corner I whispered it again, slowly, carefully, giving it all my breath, all my life, the little that is left in me.
“‘I was there,’ I said. ‘I fled before it was over but if you want witnesses then I am one and I can tell you now, when you say that he redeemed the world, I will say that it was not worth it. It was not worth it’” (79-80).
Mary carries an enormous guilt for not staying with her son as he expires. Rather, she slips away with the others to save herself.
Mary also treasures a small silver statue of the Goddess,
“I do not go to the Synagogue now. All that is gone. … I move quietly. I speak to her in whispers, the great goddess Artemis, bountiful with her arms outstretched and her many breasts waiting to nurture those who come towards her” (80).
This novel will most likely upset true believers, but Tóibín has captured the anguish of a mother who has lost her son for a cause she neither believes in nor understands.
Twice short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, Tóibín’s Testament of Mary strikes at the core of sorrow, love, regret, and her longing for death. A truly noble and elegant story. 5 stars.
--Jim, 12/8/12
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LibraryThing member etxgardener
If you're a serious Christian, this book will probably upset you, or make you angry. Colm Toibin tells the story of the last days of Christ's life and his crucifixion through the eyes of his Mother, Mary. Recollecting the events in her old age, not far from death, Mary is full of regrets and not
It's these disciples who now provide her with shelter and food, but pester her endlessly for her memories of the last days of her son's life. Mary judges herself unmercifully for leaving the scene of the crucifixion before her son dies out of fear for her own safety. She and Mary (of Mary & Martha) flee into hiding with one of the disciples. While on the run, both Marys have the same dream that Christ rises from the dead. When they relate this dream, they find that the disciples co-opt it as truth, as well as changing the actual facts of the crucifixion for their own advantage.
In the end, Mary waits to die without her son, without faith (she now worships at the temple of Artemis, and without hope that there will be any redemption for herself.
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too impressed with the path that her son took. She does not believe that he was the son of God and thinks his disciples are "a group of misfits who will not look a woman in the eye."It's these disciples who now provide her with shelter and food, but pester her endlessly for her memories of the last days of her son's life. Mary judges herself unmercifully for leaving the scene of the crucifixion before her son dies out of fear for her own safety. She and Mary (of Mary & Martha) flee into hiding with one of the disciples. While on the run, both Marys have the same dream that Christ rises from the dead. When they relate this dream, they find that the disciples co-opt it as truth, as well as changing the actual facts of the crucifixion for their own advantage.
In the end, Mary waits to die without her son, without faith (she now worships at the temple of Artemis, and without hope that there will be any redemption for herself.
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LibraryThing member Iudita
I loved the first few pages of this novella and was really looking forward to the rest of the book but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. It was interesting but lacked the spark I loved in the introduction. Still...a decent story as it takes so little time to read.
LibraryThing member annbury
A powerful imagining of how the death of Jesus might have been experienced by his mother -- if in fact his mother was a Judean peasant woman in the first century of the Roman Empire. The tale is told by Mary in her old age, living out her life in a house in Ephesus, where two disciples try to get
Based on the spread of ratings here and on Amazon, people either like this book a lot, or dislike it intensely. For a believer, it would be hard to like. For a non-believer, it is a moving and beautifully written story of what Mary's experience -- as a mother and a woman in her time and place -- might have been like.
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her to remember Jesus life and death as they want to have it remembered. Mary, however, remembers it differently. The story focusses on Jesus' last days and on his death, and Mary does not see this as a glorious event that opens the way to redemption. Or, it it does, she does not think that her son's agony was worth it. Moreover, her own humanity intrudes into the story that came to prevail -- this Mary fled Golgotha in fear for her life. What she longs for is the long ago, when her son was small and safe, and her husband was with her. Based on the spread of ratings here and on Amazon, people either like this book a lot, or dislike it intensely. For a believer, it would be hard to like. For a non-believer, it is a moving and beautifully written story of what Mary's experience -- as a mother and a woman in her time and place -- might have been like.
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LibraryThing member adrianburke
Unconvincing, fuzzy and leaving bewilderment as to why it was written. This book is not necessary.
LibraryThing member SignoraEdie
This slim novella is a different take on the usual portrayal we get of Mary the mother of Jesus. Entering into her mind and heart, the author imagines what Mary's last years in exile might have been as she agonizes over her memories of her son's torture and death and her emotions and actions during
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the time. He gives us a woman and a story that "might have been" even if it doesn't fit with the stories in the gospels! Food for thought. Show Less
LibraryThing member patronus11
A fresh look (an achievement in itself) at some of the events of the gospels, from the point of view of Mary, years after the crucifixion. This brief novella is justifiably sad and bitter. It's underwhelming on the one hand, a bit repetitive and disappointingly prosaic next to the majesty of the
Probably best to approach this as "a Mary" and not "the Mary." I think what will stay with me are the revisionism of the Calvary scene and the portrait of Mary's antipathy towards the apostles. Full of sympathy, and good as historical fiction, too.
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KJB. But on the other hand, it's memorable and offers some food for thought while maintaining an interesting ambiguity on the subject of Christ's divinity.Probably best to approach this as "a Mary" and not "the Mary." I think what will stay with me are the revisionism of the Calvary scene and the portrait of Mary's antipathy towards the apostles. Full of sympathy, and good as historical fiction, too.
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LibraryThing member maryreinert
Of course this is fiction; no one knows what happened. There are perhaps some historical inaccuracies (rabbits, etc.), but the idea of telling the crucifixion from Mary's point of view is an interesting idea. There is a lot of ambiguity about the story and a lot of pure imagination.
That said, there
That said, there
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was something about it that did make the crucifixion seem much more real than the "traditional" ways of telling the story. It was a horrible, merciless way to die. We know that, but this story did seem to bring that home. And, as a church goer and a believer, I've heard the story for years and years. Was I offended by the story? No, definitely not. Unfortunately, so much of the Bible has been westernized, polished, and portrayed that it's sometimes hard to get beyond that. I did think the confusion among the followers of Jesus following the crucifixion was well drawn. To me, this doesn't weaken my faith, but gives it a different perspective (again, realizing that it is fiction), which in the end helps to build a faith that is not built on specific Show Less
LibraryThing member PennyAnne
A novella written from the perspective of the ageing Mary, mother of Jesus. It is a study in grief and in regret and could have been very, very good. However, I was not engaged at all by the character of Mary and, despite how short the story is, I wondered whether I could really bother to keep
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reading it. I did and my feelings remain mixed - such a great idea for a story, such a dull result. Show Less
LibraryThing member streamsong
It's some time after the crucifixion and we find Mary, Jesus' mother, a bitter woman.
She disliked Jesus' apostles from the start, calling them misfits and hangers on. Now after Jesus' death, the apostles are caring for her, but also pressing her to search her memory for details that they say
“Just as I cannot breathe the breath of another or help the heart of someone else to beat or their bones not to weaken or their flesh not to shrivel, I cannot say more than I can say. And, I know how deeply this disturbs them and it would make me smile, this earnest need for foolish anecdotes or sharp, simple patterns in the story of what happened to us all, except that I have forgotten how to smile. “ p 2
Mary remembers the bliss of early years when her husband was alive and Jesus was a boy; her growing uneasiness with Jesus' words and followers, her fear that he was marked by the authorities and His agony and hideous, brutal execution. In the end her summary is that it wasn't worth it.
And yet, even in this book, Mary saw Jesus' miracles, although Lazarus, recalled from the dead, is quite zombie-like, neither living or dead.
And Mary and Mary Magdalene, dreamed the same dream of Jesus' resurrection at the same time, having exactly the same details. This dream is a wondernment to Mary since, even her beloved Joseph never dreamed with her, although they were closer than she ever would be with another human.
At the end, Mary, bitter and angry, waits for death having turned to the goddess Artemis.
This is beautifully written, almost poetic. The language is incredibly rich and a treat to read. The story here is the story of countless other mothers of rebel sons throughout the world whose dreams ended in terrible deaths.
Yet, I can't feel that this is Mary's story. Instead, in many ways, it's would be Judas' story if Judas had lived. Surrounded by teachings and miracles, he was unable to believe that anything beyond the ordinary had happened; that something had occurred beyond the ordinary senses. In this version, Mary shares those sentiments.
Very thought provoking and highly recommended.
She disliked Jesus' apostles from the start, calling them misfits and hangers on. Now after Jesus' death, the apostles are caring for her, but also pressing her to search her memory for details that they say
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happened during the crucifixion day. Mary will not change her story; she remembers what she remembers even though the apostles press her for a different version. “Just as I cannot breathe the breath of another or help the heart of someone else to beat or their bones not to weaken or their flesh not to shrivel, I cannot say more than I can say. And, I know how deeply this disturbs them and it would make me smile, this earnest need for foolish anecdotes or sharp, simple patterns in the story of what happened to us all, except that I have forgotten how to smile. “ p 2
Mary remembers the bliss of early years when her husband was alive and Jesus was a boy; her growing uneasiness with Jesus' words and followers, her fear that he was marked by the authorities and His agony and hideous, brutal execution. In the end her summary is that it wasn't worth it.
And yet, even in this book, Mary saw Jesus' miracles, although Lazarus, recalled from the dead, is quite zombie-like, neither living or dead.
And Mary and Mary Magdalene, dreamed the same dream of Jesus' resurrection at the same time, having exactly the same details. This dream is a wondernment to Mary since, even her beloved Joseph never dreamed with her, although they were closer than she ever would be with another human.
At the end, Mary, bitter and angry, waits for death having turned to the goddess Artemis.
This is beautifully written, almost poetic. The language is incredibly rich and a treat to read. The story here is the story of countless other mothers of rebel sons throughout the world whose dreams ended in terrible deaths.
Yet, I can't feel that this is Mary's story. Instead, in many ways, it's would be Judas' story if Judas had lived. Surrounded by teachings and miracles, he was unable to believe that anything beyond the ordinary had happened; that something had occurred beyond the ordinary senses. In this version, Mary shares those sentiments.
Very thought provoking and highly recommended.
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Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 2013)
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2014)
Audie Award (Finalist — 2014)
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (Longlist — Fiction — 2013)
Europese Literatuurprijs (Longlist — 2014)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Fiction — 2012)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction & Poetry — 2012)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012
Physical description
112 p.; 5.43 inches
ISBN
0670922099 / 9780670922093