The Book of Love

I was so enraptured with the prequel of this book, The Expected One, that I couldn't wait till The Book of Love comes out. Unfortunately, this is such a big disappointment! Ms. McGowan seems uncertain whether she wanted to write about historical fiction or history. The book is loaded with explanation to the point of a school textbook.

The last of the trilogy is already out --supposedly about the Poet Prince, and I'll probably buy it just because I want to finish the whole, hoping it will be better than the second, if not as good as the first.

This sequel to THE EXPECTED ONE this book again follows Maureen Paschal on her quest to uncover the truth behind the Magdalene line following the crucifixion of Christ. I usually enjoy books with this type of story line, but in this case I found the writing to be excessively repetitive and unoriginal. Ms. McGowan seemed to be trying to fill pages and not only repeated herself excessively but gave the reader pages and pages (and pages and pages) of rehashed myths and stories from history. One version was not enough, so she then went on to retell the same myth again in another form. I managed to finish the book, but by the end I didn’t really have any interest in what was happening. I understand there is a third book (THE POET PRINCE) show more in the Magdalene series coming out in July this year. I, personally, am not going to bother. show less

This one was not as compelling as the first in the series. I really enjoyed the switching back & forth between Matilda & Maureen, but there were times when I thought the plot became too confusing to follow. I was also more disappointed in the contents of red book, I guess because it was not as much of a revelation as the contents of the scrolls in the previous book, THE EXPECTED ONE. Still, it was entertaining enough to keep my interest and now I am anxious to read the third book, THE POET PRINCE.

The Book of Love by Kathleen McGowan is the second book in The Magdalene Line trilogy. The first book in the trilogy, The Expected One, focused on Maureen Paschal’s adventure to discover the lost Gospel of Mary Magdalene and growing realization she is an “Expected One”. The Book of Love begins as Maureen is on her book tour.

I thought The Expected One leaned more toward the mystery/suspense genre, while The Book of Love presents itself as largely historical fiction. It is an ode to a little-known but vital woman in history, Matilda of Tuscany, and a quest for the truth. As a large portion of the novel is portraying Matilda, I did not get as strong a sense of Maureen’s character that I did in the first book. In fact I was much show more more engaged with Matilda, as Maureen seemed to be wavering between making choices, decisions. Parts of Maureen’s story I was frustrated with, first that, as she should have already experienced theft of her belongings and attempts on her life, that she would have been more aware of plots against her and have the intelligence to avoid them. Second, her life is in ways paralleling Matilda’s, but Matilda is a warrior and Maureen has little shown similar strength of will. I was most riveted with Maureen’s story when she was unraveling all the clues to the truth about The Book of Love and the secrets of Chartres Cathedral.

The Book of Love is surprising, evocative and eye opening. There are many layers and interwoven elements to the story, probably more than what can be grasped in the first reading of the book (the author herself suggests this in Acknowledgements). I have to applaud Kathleen McGowan for the shear amount of historical content that had to have been researched and the creativity required to present the story in its three-way format of Maureen’s present day journey, Matilda of Tuscany’s historical diary and the writings from the Book of Love. In reading this series I would suggest keeping an open mind and an open heart. If you loved books such as The Red Tent, Labyrinth, The Rossetti Letter, The Historian or The Thirteenth Tale, I would definitely recommend this series.

The third and final book will be called The Poet Prince, the story of Maureen’s other half, Berenger Sinclair. I definitely will be re-reading the first two books when The Poet Prince is published. Kathleen McGowan’s website: http://www.theexpectedone.com show less

This book as well as the first in the trilogy "The Expected One" were both great reads and very thought provoking. Lead to lots of interesting discussions around our house which for me can be the most fun part of reading a book. I'm very much looking forward to the third book.

If the idea of Jesus being married or having a family sets you on edge this may not be a series for you. However, if you can separate your beliefs a little and let your imagination run these books are a lesson in the true depths of love. It would be a shame to miss them.

Either the first book of this series was waaaaaaaaay better, or I was smoking crack when I read it. This book was painful to read. It's written in a weird mixture of 1st & 3rd person, sometimes like a textbook and sometimes like a novel. It's preachy, poorly written and obvious. Do NOT waste your time with this drivel!

I really like the story, but I am not particularly fond of the reader's voice in the audio book.