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MIRA
March 2006
256 pages ISBN: 0778323749 Hardcover
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Inspirational
In this stunning debut novel, journalist Mary Rourke
offers a vivid panorama of life in first-century Galilee,
with visits to the decadent splendor of Herod's court in
Tiberias and Pontius Pilate's opulent governor's palace in
Jerusalem. Creating a richly imagined life for Joanna, a
follower of Jesus mentioned briefly in the New Testament,
Rourke offers a new perspective on the world's most
celebrated woman -- Mary, Mother of Jesus. Wife to
Chuza, King Herod's chief steward, Joanna lives a life of
luxury in the city of Sepphoris, the jewel of the Galilee.
Yet not even the finest doctors can restore health to her
lungs, which have ailed her since childhood. But Joanna has
heard talk of a local healer, and the rumors intrigue her.
She has only once seen this Jesus of Nazareth from a
distance, thronged by mobs proclaiming his latest miracle.
His mother is Joanna's own cousin Mary, whose family
disowned Joanna's for forsaking Jewish law in favor of
Roman
customs. Intending to ask her estranged cousin to arrange a
meeting with her son, Joanna sets off on the dusty road to
Nazareth. Jesus indeed has the power to heal
Joanna's body, but it is her soul that blossoms through her
friendship with Mary, and as one of his disciples. But as
word of Jesus' miracles reaches Herod's court and the ruler
becomes increasingly wary of his fame among the people,
intrigue, treachery and murder cast shadows onto Joanna's
new path, changing her life forever.
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