The Testament of Mary
“Tóibín is at his lyrical best in The Testament of Mary, a beautiful and daring work…it takes its power from the surprises of its language, its almost shocking characterization, its austere refusal of consolation.” (Mary GordonThe New York Times Book Review)“[An] exquisite novella…Tóibín gives a familiar story startling intimacy.” (The New Yorker)“A heartfelt, powerful work.” (Sam SacksThe Wall Street Journal)“Dramatic and poetic…A powerful, devastating story.” (Ron CharlesThe Washington Post)“Lovely, understated and powerfully sad,The Testament of Maryfinally gives the mother of Jesus a chance to speak. And, given that chance, she throws aside the blue veil of the Madonna to become wholly, gloriously human.” (Annalisa QuinnNPR)“Mary—silent, obedient, observant—has echoed down two millennia, cementing a potent ideal in the Western imagination. Now the masterful Irish writer Colm Tóibín puts a jackhammer to the cozy, safe, Christmas-card version inThe Testament of Mary.” (Karen R. LongCleveland Plain Dealer)“A slim, grave, exquisitely emotional book…The Testament of Maryis a spellbinding, surprisingly reverent book.” (Jeff GilesEntertainment Weekly)“Tóibín applies a Joycean ruthlessness…Imagining himself into Mary’s interior life is his boldest jump yet.” (Hermione LeeThe New York Review of Books)“Tóibín’s intimate approach make Mary feel more credible and human…The result,The Testament of Mary, feels true.” (Claire CameronThe Millions)“Tóibín suffuses the story with a sense of mystery and makes the reader feel (perhaps as never before) the tragedy of the crucifixion.” (Macy HalfordBuzzfeed)“A deeply, if at times painfully, human portrait of Mary, tearing asunder the robes of red and blue that envelop her in paintings and sculptures.” (Michael O’LoughlinAmerica magazine)“With this masterly novella, Tóibín has finally tackled the subject of Christianity—and he has done so with a vengeance…Nowhere in this beguiling and deeply intelligent, moving work is Mary’s attention to detail more instrumental (and more like a novelist’s) than in her account of her son’s death…In a single passage—and in a rendition, furthermore, of one of the most famous passages of western literature—Tóibín shows how the telling and the details are all-important.” (Robert CollinsSunday Times (UK))“[A] monumental achievement…equally powerful and poignant whether it’s read by one who espouses or eschews the New Testament…A tender, soul-rending exploration of a mother’s mourning; a searing, stunning work.” (Leyla SanaiThe Independent (UK))“The Testament of Mary is an important and persuasive book: Tóibín's weary Mary, sceptical and grudging, reads as far more true and real than the saintly perpetual virgin of legend. And Tóibín is a wonderful writer: as ever, his lyrical and moving prose is the real miracle.” (Naomi AldermanObserver (UK))“There is a profound ache throughout this little character study, a steely determination coupled with an unbearable loss. Although it has some insightful things to say about religion and the period—the descriptions of the Crucifixion are visceral—it has a universal message about the nature of loss. ‘I can tell you now, when you say he redeemed the world, I will say that it was not worth it. It was not worth it.’” (Stuart KellyScotland on Sunday)“This novel is the Virgin's version of the life of Christ. After a lifetime listening to everyone else's versions of that life, she is angry and frustrated because they are all questionable.” (John SpainIrish Independent)“A flawless work, touching, moving and terrifying…” (Linda GrantThe New Statesman (UK))“Reading this perfect little novella is like watching someone light a candle inside a lantern.” (The Age (Australia))“A stunning interpretation that is as beautiful in its presentation as it is provocative in its intention.” (Booklist)“[A] poignant reimagining of the last days of Christ.” (Publishers Weekly)“[The Testament of Mary] builds to a provocative climax, one that is as spiritually profound as its prose is plainspoken…A work suffused with mystery and wonder.” (Kirkus Reviews)--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.