Martha and Mary: Saving the Sisters from Bethany

By Patty Froese and Patty Froese Ntihemuka

Book Overview

Lazarus's sisters. One was stunning. The other stable. One was scandalous. The other bitter. One dangerous. The other no-nonsense. But there were things they shared: a family cursed with dark secrets... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812704711
• ISBN13: 9780812704716
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Autumn House Publishing
• Length: 175 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Dysfunctional family in Jesus times

I really enjoyed this book. The author does a very good job of describing how little control a woman had over her life back then. The tension builds between the two sisters. Mary the former prostitute comes home bringing her shame with her. Martha is living with her brother Lazarus and his new wife and feeling out of place, but hoping her brother is successful in arranging a marriage for her (even if it is with an old man who already has a wife) and Uncle Simon is still doing his best to manipulate even from a death bed. Jesus' love shines light in all the dark corners and ultimately heals in such a poignant scene about forgiveness at the end. Everything ultimately turns out for the best, showing how God can take horrible situations created by humans and make something good come of them. I wish however...that the author wouldn't have hopped around in time so much. It created difficulty in following the narrative and wasn't necessary. She doesn't really explain in depth the relationship the family has with Jesus, she is so busy delving into the family dysfunction and I think it hurts the story. I also wish she had taken the time to describe Martha's HEA in the end instead of dumping it in a couple of paragraphs in what they call a "Postlogue" at the end of the book (which by the way neither I nor [...] have heard of before. Why the editor chose to use that word instead of the standard Epilogue is beyond me). At 174 pages, I can't imagine she didn't have the room to add a chapter describing it from Martha's point of view, as 90% of the book was written from instead of having two old ladies gossiping about it. I expect she was trying to make a point that years from now, Mary and Martha would be like the two old sisters. I'd give the book a 3.5 if I could but its definitely better than a 3 so I'm giving it a 4.

The Story Behind the Story

Much in the way "The Red Tent" added a females touch to the story of Jacob, so Ntihemuka does with Martha and Mary. We see the details of everyday life, for the sisters and others, as well as the feelings they must have felt. Told from Martha's point of view, you get to walk in her shoes and perhapes, change your perception of her in the process. I like the fact that so much is put into the story before the story. We meet Martha and Mary and share in their lives long before Jesus enters the picture. And for good literary purpose. We are shown why his presence made such an impact in their lives. It is a powerful presentation to a story that gets very little press time in the pulpits. At 175 pages, you will fly through this book about Lazerus' sisters and treasure the story in the process. You will see the key players, Martha, Mary, Lazerus and Jesus in a new way. You might even see Jesus for the first time as the compassionate person he was. Whether you find yourself engrossed in a beautiful story, or moved to contemplate deeper revelations, you will be glued to Martha and Mary until the last page