Ms. Bence has done excellent research. Her little book includes Jewish lore, first century customs in Palestine (yes, that business about the kataluma is correct), and extra-Biblical history that, as far as I could find out, is on the money. Naturally, she has to make up some of the details. She gives definite ages for both Mary and Joseph, but both are highly probable. She makes up names for their parents and siblings, only two of which we know for certain from the Bible (Joseph's father, Jacob, and Mary's sister, Salome). She also imagines circumstances for Mary's other children—twin sons, an adopted son, and a definite number of two daughters. Her depiction of John the Baptist as a little boy is humorous, but could be apt.
More than that, she imagines the conversations and consequences of God's blessing on Mary as she struggles to tell her parents, and then Joseph, about Gabriel's visit, and the things they both must have gone through with villagers who could count to nine and had very long memories. Then she covers the things you might not have thought about—like Joseph raising a child he knows is not his and how it effects the marriage, Jesus' not marrying which carried ramifications in that culture, and other items too numerous to list. No, it is not perfect. Finding a couple of Biblical errors was disappointing after the careful research, but they were indeed few and far between. A few things seemed far-fetched, even considering the different cultures—like Joseph burying the wise men's gifts in the backyard for a couple of decades when certainly they needed it on the trip to Egypt. But then you have the heart-wrenching tale (which might very well have happened) of a family member in Bethlehem losing an eighteen month old son to the Roman swords while Mary and Joseph were warned to flee, and the guilt Mary might have carried with her forever since it was her child they were looking for.
This book is a page-turner and a quick read. Do not treat it as truth, but as something to consider when you read about Mary and Joseph and all the unrecorded events they might have experienced. These people were marvels of faith in every way possible.
Mary's Journal is published by Zondervan Publishing, but you can also find good used copies on all the used book sites.
Dene Ward