Son of Mary: A Tale of Jesus of Nazareth (Crown of Thorns Book 1) Kindle Edition

Anybody who has read the four gospels thinks they know the story of Jesus. Anybody who has read Old Testament prophecy thinks they really understand the story of Jesus. But there's so much white space, so little day-to-day, in the Bible. No one living today knows exactly what life was like in Nazareth, Capernaum, or Jerusalem then.This is a book that dares to fill in the blanks, and do you know, I think he got a lot of it right. I won't address the theology; some of it you may agree with, some you may not. But the author says right off, this is a fictitious account based on a true story, so don't get hung up on whether this disciple was really that bad-tempered, or whether Jesus's mom could really think some of the thoughts that run through her head in this book. Just read the story and love it for what it is. WHAT IF...this is what happened?Written in such a different style as to suck you in from the first sentence, "Son of Mary" tells the story of an alien world right here on earth--one where men wade in pools of urine to dye leather, one where men come in smelling of fish and sweat six days a week and think nothing of it. One where a woman has no voice. If she has a bosom of noticeable size, she is leered upon by men, who project their own desires on her and then accuse her of being lewd. And yet despite the strangeness of the customs, there is much to identify with in almost every character.I won't name the Biblical characters, because Ingermanson has such a completely unique take on them as to make you huff in disbelief, frown in bafflement, and laugh in sheer joy. There's a know-it-all kid who really does know more than he's given credit for. There's a woman who is shocked and offended by most of what happens around her, even while she's taking notes to relay it all to her gossiping buddies. There are men who can't wait to get home to their wives after a prolonged absence and joke with each other about whose wife will "shout" the most. These are down-to-earth people, people who carry the hurt and bitterness others have heaped on them for years, and they want revenge, even if they call it justice. These are men sick and tired of God raising up prophets like Samuel and soldiers like David or the Maccabees, only to let Israel fall into the hands of an even bigger enemy each time; men who want the Messiah to come and fix the world, and they want him RIGHT NOW, not next year.I was a huge fan of the author's "City of God" series from the first time I read it years ago, so I'll admit to being an Ingermanson fan. However, despite the closeness of the subjects, there is so little similarity in style with "Son of Mary" that if I hadn't seen the author's name, I would never have guessed it was written by the same person. There is a completely different feel to this book. The only likeness is in subject and in Ingermanson's trademark--tension ratcheted up to the breaking point and then just a little more.This book is set in the year that Jesus--Yeshua (Hebrew names are used in this book, so get used to it) performs his earliest miracles, so you might not think there could be much to be tense about. That would be a wrong thought. The tension begins on page one and lasts for the rest of the book, only occasionally given relief by a few hysterically funny moments. And a few throat-tightening, heart-breaking, tear-inducing moments. And despite already knowing "the old, old story," we find our fingers on the edge of the page, not wanting to wait to find out what happens next.Now having finished "Son of Mary," I am STILL anxiously anticipating finding out what happens next. I can't wait for Book 2 in "Crown of Thorns." If the author is reading this review, I hope he'll write a little faster, knowing that we're waiting for more!

Could it be possible that the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, learned throughout his lifetime the keys for how he would redeem Israel? In human form, did he struggle to follow God’s will, just like us?Randy Ingermanson’s first book in the Crown of Thorns series kept me on the edge of my seat as he unravels this unique narrative. I kept wanting to know what happens next—even though I have read the Gospel accounts many times!Set in the first year of Jesus’ earthly public ministry, “Son of Mary” is narrated through the eyes of each person who surrounds Jesus, including Jesus himself who desperately seeks to hear HaShem and obey him. I love hearing from the perspectives of his mother, brothers and disciples, too. Everyone seems to have an agenda for the “Mashiach” yet they all misunderstand God’s plan for redemption of Israel and throwing off “The Great Satan.”Randy deftly teaches the reader the language and culture of 1st Century Israel. Here’s a kiss and a kiss and kiss to a brilliant book...

When you delve into this book you will not find yourself reading about men and women who lived in 1st century Israel. Instead, you will find yourself actually living in 1st century Israel with them. You will be in the thoughts of the characters as they navigate the world as they saw and felt it two-thousand years ago. You will learn of their hopes, confusions and dreams and you will experience it in the way they thought about and experienced it. You will read the book in English but experience it in the Hebrew they spoke; their lives were not based on science, instead, they told stories, sang songs, and composed poetry. The author has figured out how to write a story in English yet give the reader the flavor and feel of Hebrew. It is an amazing book about an amazing man and his mother. I look forward to all three sequels. Highly recommended.

It takes gumption to try to put any words in God's mouth, especially if the characters you are portraying don't say or act consistently with the parts that are documented in the Bible. And we are talking about God. Significant point reduction there.One irritating feature is the constant point of view changes between odd-acting characters with no explanation about the current context. This killed the flow for me, as I was constantly pausing while reading, trying to remember who is speaking and to whom.To muddy the water further, the author chose to use unfamiliar, non-English names. For instance, who the heck is Yomi? And Mirrium? It's like the author is trying to keep you off balance. Significant point reduction there too.In terms of storytelling, I found this effort lacking overall. It could have been a neat story -- I mean, how does a kid never sin? Instead, we are treated to way too much drama between uninteresting characters...Yeah, you know a story is sketchy when Jesus can't hold your attention.In fact, my biggest issue had to do with pacing. The author is prone to drag out and present all the emotions in a scene, repeating the same protests over and over. Ad nauseum...a kind of anti-motion sickness.Although it is hard to find good, biblically-correct fiction, I'll pass on the sequel.

To my mind not the same standard as his City of God series. Difficult to get into. Have put to one side and will pick up again in a few weeks. If I persevere I may change my opinion.

It's a good story but I do not feel that it was Biblically accurate. I was disappointed as love his other books. Sorry!

Absolutely luurrved it! Wish I could keep reading, so hurry up & finish the series, please Randy! I loved getting into the heads & hearts of all the characters. Which might explain why I bawled my way through the book! Probably the thing that most scraped my heart raw (in a good way) was how joyful & tender & openly loving towards women Yeshua was. I loved seeing Him through such eyes. And I really enjoyed Randy's writing style with its unusual cadence & its humour. I will stop now before I write "a review of many ten thousand words"! "A strong right hand" of congratulations to the author and "a kiss and a kiss and a kiss"! :-)