THE BOOK OF LOVE

TITLE: THE BOOK OF LOVE
AUTHOR: KATHLEEN MCGOWAN
Pages: 509
Date: 14/07/2009
Grade: 5
Details: no. 2 The Magdalene Trilogy
Library

I really love these books, almost despite the fact that they do deal with religion, the history of Catholicism and the Roman Catholic Church. The reason these books talk to me is that they very accurately reflect my personal beliefs. I won't go into that any deeper here though, since this is supposed to be a book review, and not a discourse about my personal beliefs. So, as for the story.
After searching for and finding the scrolls as written by Mary Magdalene and publishing a book about it (see The Expected One), Maureen Pascal is send on a second quest after she receives a mysterious package.
Soon, Maureen is travelling through Europe again in search of something called the Book of Love and learning about Matilda, and Italian Duchess during the 11th century who defied convention and is closely connected to Maureen's quest.
Of course there are those who would stop Maureen from discovering the truth, but try as they might, Maureen's quest appears destined to succeed.
If I'm perfectly honest I've got to admit that this is not one of the best written books I've ever read. In fact, at times the writing felt a bit forced. However, the historical research is so in depth and the details described are so fascinating that I was compulsively reading at all times. This is definitely one of the most fascinating and interesting books I have read in a long time. And I can only hope that the wait for the next one, THE POET PRINCE, won't be as long as the wait for this one was.