Thursday, March 15, 2012

100 Books in 2012: Book 23 "The Book of Love"

I picked up Kathleen McGowan's book the other day for a couple of reasons. First, because the cover had a picture of one of my favorite places on earth, Chartres Cathedral (outside of Paris). Second, I snagged it because the book was on clearance. Third, I always enjoy books about Mary Magdalen, and this looked like it would be promising.

The story blends two narratives: the modern tale of Maureen, a woman questing for spiritual truth, and Matilda of Tuscany, an eleventh century countess who had a fascinating life. She was both a military strategist and a spiritually powerful woman (she's even buried within St. Peters in Vatican City), and somehow I'd never heard of her before. The Matilda narrative enthralled me, but I found Maureen's story lacking in believable tension: the one climactic point of the story ends in an almost fairy-tale like way. Still, this was an enjoyable story, overall.

This is the sequel to "The Expected One", and if you enjoyed Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" and Mosse's "Labyrinth", this tale may appeal to you.

Check out what the other challenge participants are reading this week!

What's the best book you've read so far in 2012?

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