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Official Review: Mary's Ponderings by Barbara Covington

Posted: 02 Nov 2018, 13:56
by HRichards
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mary's Ponderings" by Barbara Covington.]
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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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Re: Official Review: Mary's Ponderings by Barbara Covington

Posted: 07 Nov 2018, 08:21
by melissy370
Seventy pages is short for a book about the mother of God. I think there would be a lot to explore in her life with Jesus. Still, I would be interested in seeing how the author portrays her. Thanks for your review.

Re: Official Review: Mary's Ponderings by Barbara Covington

Posted: 07 Nov 2018, 08:47
by Dael Reader
Generally speaking, I don't like any books that fictionalize historical figures or events. But I can see how it might be interesting to imagine what Mary might have thought about everything going on with her son.

Re: Official Review: Mary's Ponderings by Barbara Covington

Posted: 07 Nov 2018, 09:11
by Temidayo Omowunmi
A spiritual book that I'll surely get for my mother. Lovely one.

Re: Official Review: Mary's Ponderings by Barbara Covington

Posted: 07 Nov 2018, 09:12
by kandscreeley
This sounds quite special. Too many times we see Mary's mother as something other than who she was. I'd be interested to see the author's interpretation. Thanks for the review.

Re: Official Review: Mary's Ponderings by Barbara Covington

Posted: 07 Nov 2018, 17:10
by Sonya Nicolaidis
There really aren't enough hard facts out there about Mary, and so I respect that the author has chosen to write a short (and hopefully accurate) book, rather than make it longer with a lot of unfounded assumptions. Thank you for your review - it seems like you really appreciated this one.

Re: Official Review: Mary's Ponderings by Barbara Covington

Posted: 08 Nov 2018, 02:39
by Manaka
It sounds an interesting book to read. The Bible story we know told in a different perspective. This will be my next book to read.

Re: Official Review: Mary's Ponderings by Barbara Covington

Posted: 08 Nov 2018, 11:31
by T_stone
This a good religious book. I wonder as well, what Mary's perspectives will be like because the bible never gave full stories of her and others. I will check this out soon. Thank you for the review

Re: Official Review: Mary's Ponderings by Barbara Covington

Posted: 09 Nov 2018, 07:34
by Franc93
i solemnly believe that the shortness of the book made it more enjoyable, so i can not complain much on that. It is refreshing to read a book about Jesus from a whole new different perspective as opposed to traditional narratives. Your review was indeed helpful and i see myself reading this book soon. Thanks