Mary's Diary: Of Jesus' Life (Inglese) Copertina flessibile – 22 lug 2015

This is a good book to read during either the Christmas or Easter holiday seasons, or anytime for that matter! As you read about activities of daily living with Jesus as a son, you can examine your own feelings and emotions as to what it might have been like, and the effect He has on your life today.
I appreciated the glossary, and the comparison of the calendar year.
I like the cover of the book, as I feel that it looks like a diary, and portrays Mary's humble lifestyle.
The book has some grammatical errors, however, that make it just a little bit difficult to read. Were these intentional, as they might be when writing a personal diary?

There’s such an immediacy to Marilyn’s writing that reading "Mary’s Diary" is an immersion experience.

I felt that I walked with Mary, as she
* bore her beloved Yosef’s cutting, gruff response to the news of her pregnancy
*abandoned her longtime dreams of a lovely, formal wedding
*gave birth to her Son in a cave, shelter from the chilly weather
*wondered at Shimon’s troubling prophecy in the temple
*welcomed, with astonishment, the gifts of gold and frankincense, and shrank from the gift of myrrh
*wondered at her neighbour’s dread—were the Magi spies?
*huddled in another cave, Baby Yeshua in her arms, hearing the cries of her friends whose babies were slaughtered by the Romans
*struggled to be a fit mother to the Son of the Most High
*grew in joy and humility as she followed His ministry
*struggled in darkness and crushing disappointment after her Son’s excruciating death
*rejoiced with unspeakable joy on Resurrection morning

Marilyn has a gift for putting herself--and her reader--inside the heart and mind of another person. Written with realistic detail, a sprinkling of ancient languages, and a mother’s heart, "Mary’s Diary" is an absorbing read for lovers of the Messiah and His Word.

I received a free review copy of this book.

See full review @ The Indigo Quill . blogspot . com

I received a PDF of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful book, and so fitting for Good Friday! This is the first of its kind that I have come across, and I could just feel the perspicacity pour off the pages. Marilyn Friesen conducts us through the journey of Mary's life from the moment she is visited by Gabriel, to the moment of rejoicing after the resurrection. There is no doubt that through reading this book, you will feel the effect if what it may have been like to walk with Jesus through His life here on earth.

Each journal entry has a consistent format that contains a "Dear Diary" and a date. It is clear the Friesen has made ample effort to do her research and not only make things as accurate as she could, but also keep things readable for those who may not understand what 27th Elul means (September 14th). She also includes many keywords accompanied by a glossary in the back to help readers maximize their reading experience. I would advise readers to look over the glossary BEFORE reading the book so they have an idea of what these words are when they stumble upon them, rather than having to flip back and forth, interrupting their reading.

What I didn't necessarily like about the book are two things: 1) The cover. It is a lovely image, but I feel like the content of this book deserves better. It doesn't make me look at it and think I'm about to read a beautiful recount of history from the heart of the mother of Christ. 2) Consistency in the language. There were times the historical context was jumbled within modern language and it felt just a tad bit inconsistent.

As for content, I truly felt like I was right next to Mary during the years she spent with Jesus. It's so easy to feel so disconnected from that time in history that we look at it more as a "story" or just another event in history. But as today is Good Friday, let us remember that it is this very event that we are here and have hope for salvation.

This was a perfect book for Easter Weekend. I was left feeling inspired, hopeful, and eminently grateful for the miraculous gift of life and freedom I have in Christ.

"OH VICTORY!
From a splendid throne He rules
With power to set men free
From Satan's bonds so cruel
The resurrected King!"

When an author undertakes the writing of fictionalized history, there is usually more than one level on which the story told can be of value. In the case of Mary’s Diary: The Life of Jesus through His Mother’s Eyes, the first principal level of value is as a compelling story, carefully researched and rendered, of the life of Christ—including the hidden years when He was being reared. The second, equally if not more important, is as an inspiration for Christian meditation on what it must have been like to become and to serve as Jesus’ mother.

With painstaking attention to details of time, place, and language usage, Marilyn Friesen draws us into the life of Mary as devout young woman, as the recipient of a life-transforming angelic visitation, as wife, and as mother. Along with those episodes in the Holy Family’s life that have been revealed to us in scripture, we are also led to imagine other possibilities. What if Mary were not only literate during a period of low literacy among Jews, but also literate enough to maintain a diary from her teen years until, and possibly after, the death of her Son? What if many of the parables Jesus employed as teaching tools had a basis in His own maturing process and in family and community events? What if the woman taken in adultery became more fully understood by Jesus’ entire immediate family as a result of sheltering in their home temporarily? What if Mary were comfortable enough with the Greek language to have chosen a Greek name for a daughter? These and other questions are addressed within the pages of Mary’s diary as rendered by a devoted author.

What would this reader have changed in the writing of “Mary’s Diary”? I would have liked more consistency in the choice of language, which at times seems quite authentic for place and era, yet at other times changes to usages that are jarringly contemporary. I would have liked to see more consistency in terms of address rather than “You” and “Thee”/“Thou” in close juxtaposition. I would have liked smoother transitions in time and situation—a clearer notion at all points in the story of exactly how old Jesus was. Finally, I would have liked to see a closer rendering of what Mary must have done to raise Jesus rather than simply presiding over His growth and maturation.

Finally, though, there is simply no denying the value of this tale as an exercise in Christian meditation. Whether any given reader regards Mary as a mere vessel for the Incarnation or whether he/she recognizes the unique honor accorded to the woman chosen by the Father for the Son, one fact is inescapable: in considering Mary, we are always led back to contemplation of her Divine Son.

Five stars for this most inspiring story; four for the book overall!

I just finished editing Mary's Diary for Marilyn. We both worked very hard together to make this new revised edition shine. Marilyn has tackled a subject that many have thought about but few have put pen to paper to write about. We know very little about the life of Jesus and his family before he is about 30 years old. Marilyn has just filled in the gaps. Of course, this is a fiction but she has done such a wonderful job. I think you'll love the book. Marilyn is also working on an audio edition put to wonderful background music. The link to the 2 minute audio teaser can be found on YouTube. The e book version is currently for sale online via Hollywood Book Trailers.