The Fisherman’s Bride by Catherine Magia
Publication Date: November 2, 2016
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC, CreateSpace
Kindle & Paperback; 240 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Biblical Fiction/Christian Literature
She has no name. She is not even a footnote. Her tale is hidden behind the well-told fable of her husband, the man who would become Simon Peter, the first Apostle.
Cast off by her family after shunning a wealthy suitor to marry a humble fisherman, her life is fraught with hardship. She endures her husband’s growing restlessness, fish shortages from the Sea of Galilee, and the oppression of an all-powerful Roman Empire over her people. Then her life is forever changed when her dying mother is saved by a miracle performed by a young carpenter—a man who speaks with understanding and acts with compassion. A man who can inspire the extraordinary.
Simon Peter lives on in history as the undaunted martyr of the carpenter. This is the untold story of his young bride. Her journey traverses villages and deserts, love and tradition, and a brewing revolution, to an awakening of faith that challenges everything she has ever known.
Praise
“Catherine Magia has penned a moving Christian story that transcends religious boundaries–a novel that occupies the rare space between the historical and the Biblical realms. At once speculative and interpretive, Magia’s vigorous first-person narrative of St. Peter’s wife makes a compelling case for the life, motivation and spirituality of a minor, nameless Biblical character. An ambitious and impressive debut.” -Andrew X. Pham, author of Catfish and Mandala and The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars
“Right from the start, the evocative and compelling tone of The Fishman’s Bride casts its line and draws in readers with a deftness that borders on enchantment. Perhaps this is because Catherine Magia uses an uncommon perspective and outsider’s view of events. And, by ‘outsider,’ this means observations that come from beyond Jesus’ inner circle, yet are closely connected by love and association. Also included in the saga are stories of fortunes made and lost, faith thwarted and regained, fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the impact of social and political change upon entire communities. Catherine Magia’s attention to embracing the extent of daily living in Biblical times, from different methods of preserving fish to different attitudes encountered during their travels, brings the story to life.
Readers of Christian literature and Biblical retellings will find this story a powerfully written, compelling account of the impact of Jesus on all layers of society, narrated from the eyes of an outsider to his central group of believers who uses the ordinary life experiences of an unnamed wife to chronicle an extraordinary journey of love, faith, and miracles.” -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review.
About the Author
Catherine Magia was born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to New Jersey as a teenager. Although her formal education was in the hard sciences, Catherine has always maintained a passion for the written word, publishing her poetry in several literary journals including the Michigan Quarterly Review.
She discovered the voice of Simon Peter’s wife on a soul-searching journey, a trek through the biblical lands of Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. She spent seven years researching and writing her debut novel, traveling as far as Ephesus, Turkey.
She is working on her second book – the conclusion to The Fisherman’s Bride.
By day, she works as an associate director of marketing research in the development of new cancer medications. She is currently based in Boston.
For more information please visit Catherine Magia’s website and blog.
***My Personal Review***
I have
to say that I don't read a lot of books written in this time period.
Although I love the old stories, this was rather new to me. I was
hooked instantly though because the girl in the story is such a
wonderful character and her transition from child to bride to
disciple is amazing. The one thing I did notice is that when you
finish the book you realize that never once is her name mentioned.
She is simply known as “Daughter” at first, then “Wife” or
“Woman”. You would think that this leaves her without an
identity but as it turns out she doesn't need a name to have that
identity. But it leaves the reader wondering who she really is. The
story itself is built around her marrying a man her father does not
approve of – for love – and ultimately meets Jesus and becomes a
follower. I will not give away the plot but it is a wonderful and
uplifting story and I read it in 2 sittings, I could not put it down.
The best part is that there will be another book following the story
of Simon and his “Wife”. The story itself is of course set in
ancient Mesopotamia and through journeys The Sea of Galilea and The
Dead Sea and Cana as well as many other major places including
Jerusalem. I highly recommend this book as it can be for most ages –
I would say young adult and up. There is no bad language and yet it
holds lessons for the reader. I truly enjoyed reading about this
woman and I am left wondering who she is in history and hope that the
next book shows us what her true impact on the new religion will be.
5 stars for this one!
