I just had to let you know how much I LOVE MAEVE.  Words don't seem quite adequate for the feelings I have.  Thankyou so very much for bringing her into my life. (I danced with her)

 

A Very Grateful Reader

 

Dear Elizabeth:  I have just read about Maeve's journey's in your last two books.  I finished this afternoon, and it was one of those moments where I didn't really want to finish the books because they held such a note of deep resonance that I find very rarely in this culture.  What a splendid job you have done in suggesting how the "Divine Feminine" was lost!  Truly, Maeve's journey made me weep because her journey was really my journey, and the journey of everywoman.   Your understanding of what the female journey embodies touched me deeply. And I suspect..... that your understanding of Jesus and Magdelene was quite accurate as well.  And my final thanks is about your sense of humor and understanding of the human predicament.  Halfway thru the books, I thought to myself, " this woman must have been in several communities, because no one could write about this unless they had......."  with such humor, and compassion!   Blessings to you Elizabeth and thank you for expressing your Truth!   Sincerely, Leanne Bissell

Just finished Bright dark Madonna, absolutely loved it, thanks so much for such an entertaining read and a new way imagining how it all really happened!
-Tim

"Berny (spouse-boy) says:   'Yes, I like Maeve.  It has such a down-home conversational style.  It's almost as if Maeve is sitting on the end of your bed telling you her story.' He popped into my room last night and said, 'This is great!  It's not like I'm reading, it's like I'm listening to her talk.' " - a fan

Dear Elizabeth,
Thank you, from my heart, for having the grace and courage to listen and write your books.

Each one of them has been a guide for me, at that time of my life. I feel a communion with you and others who will engage with themselves to read your books.

May the Divine Motherhood bless you, heal you, rest you in peace and bathe you in light...In love, Maha

 

Elizabeth--
I have just finished Bright Dark Madonna--once again you have created a masterpiece!  Your stories truly resonate and personally go a long way in bringing a whole new perspective on a religions upbringing I long ago abandoned.  Thankyou again for a most enjoyable and entertaining read!

Carol

Tucson, AZ

 

FROM DOUGLAS SMYTH: Maeve is outrageous, courageous: her own woman. She's also Mary Magdalen, and in the Maeve Chronicles she's not only Jesus's wife, she's also an unrepentant ex-whore--and mother--dealing with life after "the Resurrection."

 Novels can be revolutionary. Novels like Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, or Sender's Seven Red Sundays, but one of the most revolutionary is one you wouldn't expect: Bright Dark Madonna, by Elizabeth Cunningham. It was released April 1, 2009.

 Why is it revolutionary? Anti-clerical hardly begins to describe Maeve, who confronts, battles, and momentarily allies with a Paul of Tarsus. She confronts Peter and James, too. She refuses to behave the way women are supposed to. And she has her own power, quite independent of the vanished "Lord Jesus."

 The sacred "chalice" that supposedly brought forth the seed of the Anointed, brings forth a daughter even more rebellious and wild than Maeve, herself. Talk about sacred bloodlines! Talk about social revolution.

 Bright Dark Madonna is the third in The Maeve Chronicles--the fourth and last is only beginning to take shape--but it stands on its own. It's the story of Maeve's middle years, when she has to face motherhood, middle age and an emerging church she wants no part of.

Cunningham writes lucid, beautiful prose, occasional real poetry, song, high comedy and tragedy. Her characters have become more real to me than the people I know: Maeve and "Ma" (the Virgin Mary) are absolutely unforgettable.

 People have written to Cunningham, and not just one or two, to tell her that her previous Chronicles: The Passion of Mary Magdalen and Magdalen Rising have "saved their lives." Counselors have told their clients to read them. Cunningham, a counselor herself, has found some of her clients speaking to Maeve for help and solace.

 For the last few years, Cunningham and a devoted band of local--and sometimes not so local--readers have held a Passion reading of the last chapters of The Passion of Mary Magdalen, instead of the Bible. One will be held again this year on April 10th, entitled An Unorthodox Easter. For details go to highvalley.org/calendar.

 For more on Bright Dark Madonna, or on the Maeve Chronicles, go to passionofmarymagdalen.com, where you can find Cunningham's book tour schedule, reviews, can order the book from the publisher, or, armed with the necessary information, can go to Amazon or your local bookstore. If a bookstore doesn't have her books, ask for them.

 Another thing: the Maeve Chronicles take place in a time and place relevant to this website: in or near the Roman Empire, but in the first century, not the fifth.

 Personal disclosure: Elizabeth Cunningham is my wife of 30 years.
Douglas Smyth's blog

 

 

 

 

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