The Expected One: A Novel (Book One of the Magdalene Line)

In a word: creeepy. McGowan’s Expected One is another addition to the long line of Mary Magdalene-carrying-the-Bloodline-Of-Christ novels popularized by Dan Brown’s odious Da Vinci Code; put another way, one more novel by someone who read Holy Blood, Holy Grail and saw a way to make a quick buck without having to waste time on research, or indeed, coming up with any ideas on their own. (I recommend Clysta Kinstler’s The Moon Beneath Her Feet to anyone interested in a better than average take on this otherwise tired exercise.)

At any rate, The Expected One originally seemed solidly positioned at the lower end of passably mediocre: not excellent (or even decent) writing, but a perfect novel to pick up for anyone who’d like to let show more their brain take a holiday between more mentally taxing books. The plot unfolds in a highly predictable manner: petite, feisty redheaded heroine Maureen Paschal (get it?!) writes academically controversial yet widely acclaimed books on historical figures--most notably the Magdalene, goes to Jerusalem to investigate, and discovers that—gasp!—she herself shares an intimate connection with the woman and the Christ, our first clue being the mysterious ring she receives in an ancient market. This was all well and good until I happened to flip to the back inside cover and discovered an author photograph of a petite (likely unnatural) redheaded woman, fingers extended to prominently display just such a ring. Blech.

On the other hand, it gave me a good idea of just what I was in for, and my expectations were not disappointed. McGowan--I mean, the main character, soon found herself in the midst of an international web of intrigue involving the Vatican, several ancient secret societies, friends who aren’t who they seem, and cryptic French villagers, as well as the requisite rougish Scots-French heart throb. Again, blech.

The predictability continues apace, made even more predictable by McGowan’s close borrowing from Brown. (Example: Renaissance artworks are at the heart of the mystery, although McGown clumsily attempts to disguise this patent cooptation from the Da Vinci Code by relegating Leonardo Da Vinci to the bad guys’ side, making her narrative debt to Brown’s masterturd all the more obvious.) So, as I’ve taken pains to make clear above, good trashy reading. Until, that is, one reaches the epilogue, in which we learn that it’s all true.

Indeed, unbeliever! McGowan herself is the descendant of the Magdalene, and carries within her own petite, feisty, (unnaturally) redheaded self the very blood of Jesus Christ the Savior. She really has been hunted by secret organizations bent on murder! She really has made harrowing, death-defying escapes! And she is indeed the “Chosen One” who’s been touched by the Hand of God (or in the head, depending on one's outlook) to continue his mission on earth. It makes for the most trying-manfully-not-to-wet-myself-hysterical reading experience I’ve had in living memory...if I hadn’t felt so embarrassed for the author, that is. Make of this what you will, but be warned: readers are in for one kooky experience. show less

This novel kept me in its thrall from the first chapter straight to the last. I have always been fascinated by Mary Magdalene and Her role in Jesus' life so have read anything and everything on the subject that I could. This novel is by far one of the best fictional accounts of her life and one of the most believable as well.

The link between the present and the past, the coming of the Expected One and the history behind the other Expected One's who had arrived only to be thwarted by those who did not want the truth to be known was as fascinating as the Magdalene details. A rich, moving portrait of one of the most controversial women in history.

(However, I don't believe for a minute that the modern-day happenings detailed in the novel show more are based on the author's own life!) show less

Really not my thing. I wanted to like it. It alternately seeks to be a feminist retelling of the life of Jesus, or a secret-societies rule the world story. In my opinion, it fails pretty hard at both.

The retelling of Mary Magdalene and Jesus was adequate, but harped a little too much on the 'Jesus treated women as EQUALS' point for me really to get involved. I'm already on board -- tell me a good story. Mediocre at best.

The modern day 'thriller' was anything but. The plot was shallow and transparent, the characters boring and two-dimensional. I rolled my eyes countless times, and cringed a few more at the trite lines. In my head, I kept yelling at the author to SHOW, don't TELL.

Perhaps I wasn't the intended audience -- I'm already a show more feminist and I don't need convincing that there is more than one side to every story. I think my problem is that I was looking for a story, and I got a a Mary-Jane fanfic that needed a few more beta readers. show less

I thought this was an exceptionally well-written story of Mary Magdalene. The author lends a lot of theories and probable outcomes of the life of Jesus and Mary prior to Christ's crucifixtion. More and more authors are breaking the biblical boundaries by exhibiting a light on the relationship between the two lovers, and the more peple write about it, the more it seems that this is a perfectly clear explaination for Mary Magadelene's clear role with the apostles and the divinity of which was Jesus.

By no means am I a devout Christian/Catholic, nor do I practice any one religion, but I found this book very awe-inspiring in the aspect that we should all love one another rather than let the hate and fear of our previous teachings bring us show more down. If there truly is a "Book of Love" written by Christ himself, perhaps there may be hope for mankind still. show less

This book really made me think. The plot was complex but not too confusing, the characters were realistic and engaging, and the premise is factually based, which made the book even more appealing. There is a list of references in the back for those who want to follow up on her research. Based on her website, it seems somewhat autobiographical as well, which I found very intriguing. I really looked forward to reading the next installment.

Something (or maybe several things) about this novel just didn't sit well with me. Perhaps I have trouble being totally open-minded when it comes to Mary Magdalene, as this subject matter challenges a lot of my traditional beliefs. But I can appreciate alternate interpretations and ultimately, I don't think that's what turned me off of this novel. I think it was more the fact that it was too slow-moving and not particularly well-written that made me just want to be done with it. At times it was overly dramatic. At other times it was the opposite. Part of this may be attributable to the reader of this particular audiobook, who was certainly capable, but not my favorite by any means. My overall feeling was just "meh....". I have novels #2 show more and #3 in this series also on audio and normally I'm a sucker for a series, but I'm thinking I'm going to have to pass on those.... show less

Great read. I appreciated that the book focused on an historical figure that we know little about even though she is prevalent in art and culture, as well as insight on other female historical figures like Marie Antoinette. This book makes you think and question! Looking forward to the second in the series: The Book of Love.

See more of my reviews at http://myobsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com/