Published: 2013, Penguin Genre: Fiction Themes: New Testament, grief, loss, reflection My rating (out of 5): ❤❤ I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed with this book, but that could quite possibly be because I am missing something. I am familiar with the New Testament and my problem is that I don't recognise the characters of Mary, Jesus or the disciples. They don't behave as I would have expected them to. This short novella gives Mary's account of Jesus' ministry and death on the cross, and it is told from the vantage point of her old age when she is nearing the end of her life. The way the story is told in Colm Tóibín, it seems that Mary does not understand what her son and his friends are doing when they make a fuss in the Temple and cause a 'frenzy' among the people. In the Bible, Mary knows exactly what her son has been sent to do, and even encourages him to begin his work when the time is right. Colm Tóibín also alters the order of events....