Beatrice Gormley

Beatrice Gormley has written historical fiction, biography, and fantasy for younger audiences. Poisoned Honey, published by Knopf in 2010, reimagines the early life of Mary Magdalene through Mariamne, a girl constrained by family authority and an unwanted marriage. Seeking some control over her future, Mariamne turns toward occult practices before her path leads to healing and to the teacher Yeshua. Penguin Random House categorizes the work as historical fiction for teen readers and records its finalist status for a Bank Street award. Gormley’s own bibliography describes Poisoned Honey as a novel of Mary Magdalene, placing it beside other works in which she approaches religious or historical figures through accessible narrative. The book does not present Mariamne as a distant icon. Instead, it builds her story around household pressure, spiritual uncertainty, and the consequences of choices made under limited freedom. Gormley thereby connects a familiar Biblical identity with the emotional perspective of a young person searching for agency and belonging.