Book Giveaway and Book MYView: The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson

Mary-Margaret yearned to dedicate her life to the Lord. Jesus had another idea.

When Mary-Margaret Fischer met Jude Keller, the lighthouse keeper's son, she was studying at a convent school on a small island off Chesapeake Bay. Destined for a life as a religious sister, she nevertheless felt a pull toward Jude--gorgeous, rebellious, promiscuous Jude. But Jude, driven by demons no one really understood, disappeared into Baltimore's seamy red-light district. Mary-Margaret moved on with her life, preparing to serve God with her sisters as a teacher and artist.

Then Jude comes home--but now he's bitter, dissolute, and diseased. And Mary-Margaret receives a divine call that shakes her to the core, a call to give up her dreams for the troubled man who befriended her so long ago. For Jesus' sake, can she forsake the only life she ever wanted for a love that could literally cost her life?

MY Thoughts: The Passion of Mary Margaret is a fascinating fictional memoir about the life of religious sister Mary-Margaret. It is a complex love story that will leave you awed, stunned, and sometimes struck speechless by its message. It’s days after I finished reading this book, and I still feel moved by this incredible story.


This book isn’t for everyone. It is bold and confrontational. Bold because Lisa Samson doesn’t sugarcoat the lifestyles Christians find taboo. There are scenes that some readers will find uncomfortable. Confronting because the story challenged me to examine my own relationship with Jesus compared with the remarkable faith and love Mary-Margaret showed.

Read this story when you can carve uninterrupted time in your schedule. At first, you might find the round about way Mary-Margaret tells her story confusing. She often flip flops from the past to the present. Yet once I got the rhythm of the story, following along was easy.

I highly recommend this book. This is the best story I have read all year. I’ll be on the lookout for Lisa Samson’s work in the future.

If you want an opportunity to enter the giveaway, comment to this post by March 23, 2009.