A scroll is discovered, buried among the ancient papyri of the Dead Sea. Although fragile and crumbling, the scroll is mostly intact, the faded lines of Koine script still legible. When Father Leo Newman, a priest from Rome, is called to Jerusalem to help decipher the scroll's meaning, he soon discovers that the text appears to be a fifth gospel. If the scroll is authentic - and if the radical, incendiary story it tells is true - all of Christianity itself will be open to a complete reinterpretation.
Leo is poised on the brink of an abyss, for, while he unravels the mysteries of the scroll, he is also fighting an impossible attraction to a married woman. Leo's whole life has been held together by the strength of his faith and his intellect, but now the testimony of the Judas scroll and the desires that make him human threaten to throw his entire vocation into question.
With vivid evocations of Vatican Rome and the holy city of Jerusalem, and including fascinating details of papyrus science, Simon Mawer expertly weaves together a dramatic narrative that spans 2,000 years across Europe and the Middle East in poetic, illuminating prose.
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"Each novel Simon Mawer writes is completely different. I really enjoyed this one but felt it had a touch of Dan Brown about it, albeit with a far superior level of writing. The characters are not all likeable but they are intriguing and yet again, he has written a book that I found hard to put down." — Fiona (4 out of 5 stars)
"Each novel Simon Mawer writes is completely different. I really enjoyed this one but felt it had a touch of Dan Brown about it, albeit with a far superior level of writing. The characters are not all likeable but they are intriguing and yet again, he has written a book that I found hard to put down."
" It's starting off kind of slow...can't seem to get into it. "
" Not a great read. Flipped back and forth through too many periods. A little confusing at first. Was never really drawn to any of the characters. "
" eh it was good but i am so confused about the charcters and places. i really don;t know what happened here...... "
" Great story about the realness of humanity and how it effects even priests. The plot is rivoting and the story did make me question my faith. "
" "How on earth did you survive?" Madeleine exclaimed when Leo described it to her, but the question was meaningless. The person he might otherwise have been did not survive. What did survive was the person he became. (p 36, 1st Am. Ed.) "
" HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL. The author is obviously very intelligent, but I couldn't get behind a lot of his treatment of emotional issues in the characters. He almost got it, but I didn't believe a lot of the emotions as genuine. Generally a good idea as a plot, rather distressing as far as the execution of the whole thing. "
" I loved the religious aspects of this story; romance less interesting. "
" Just didn't find it marvelous, as I thought I would. "
" Pretentious, overwrought. Barely able to finish. "
" Another "da Vinci Code-esque" sort of book, but I think it predates it. (?) Well, it was a good story and had some interesting revelations, particularly about ancient Hebrew. There were some real language-related eye openers. "
" I bought and read this book out of curiosity, having seen it promoted all over Barnes & Noble. At times, the writing is quite good, but the story is weak and primarily depressing. You want to like the main character, but he's just not likable. "
" Read about 50 pages and quit. "
" I was not impressed. "
" Hard to follow, but if you stick with it, the characters and stories become clearer. Good writing, fascinating story, romance, heartbreak, betrayal, lots to think about. "
" Loved this book. The language, the time travel (so to speak), LOVED IT! Liked the fact that it focused more on the main character than on the discovery, making it very different from the usual 'ancient relic fiction' Good! "
" Another of example of Mawer's unique storytelling and ability to drum up true human issues that anyone could relate to. "
" Well written, at times it was difficult to follow. I did like how the stories cam together "
" Having learned to expect so much from Simon Mawer, I found this book a disappointment, and I can't really pinpoint why. It was well written with good characterization, yet somehow fell short of the mark. I can't say I would recommend it. "
" tante premesse per un nulla sostanziale. BAH. "
" Good read, but a tad bit cryptic in spots "
" Simple book. The story is well told but a bit week on the story. It reads like a "B" movie. Nice for the train or a plane ride. "
" This book is very hard to get into and it skips all over the place . . .very frustrating . . . "
Simon Mawer is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Glass Room, which was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. His other novels include The Fall, which won the Boardman Tasker Prize; The Gospel of Judas; and Mendel’s Dwarf, which was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. English by birth, he has made Italy his home for more than thirty years.
Graeme Malcolm was an actor and winning audiobook narrator who earned twelve AudioFile Earphones Awards. He has performed on Broadway as Pharaoh in Aida and as Sir Edward Ramsay in The King and I. His television appearances include Law & Order, Follow the River, and Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson (with Laurence Olivier). His film credits include A Further Gesture, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, and Reunion.
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