This woman who we know from centuries of paintings and scripture as the docile, loving, silent, long-suffering, obedient, worshipful mother of Christ becomes a tragic heroine with the relentless eloquence of Electra or Medea or Antigone, in a portrait so vivid and convincing that our image of Mary will be forever transformed. She does not agree that her son is the Son of God nor that his death was 'worth it' nor that the 'group of misfits he gathered around him, men who could not look a woman in the eye,' were holy disciples. The two renounce their earthly possessions, engage in ritual fasting and intense meditation and ultimately seek out and speak with Gautama, the original Buddha. Siddhartha is joined by his best friend Govinda. They are her keepers, providing her with food and shelter and visiting her regularly. Siddhartha is the son of a wealthy Brahmin family who decides to leave his home in the hopes of gaining spiritual illumination. She has no interest in collaborating with the authors of the Gospel. However, this man, Siddhartha, was not a follower of any but his own soul. He wandered as a shramana and searched for Gotama the Buddha. In order to find meaning in life, he discarded his promising future for the life of an ascetic.

In the ancient town of Ephesus, Mary lives alone, years after her son's crucifixion. Siddhartha, born the son of a Brahmin, was blessed in appearance, intelligence and charisma. Meryl Streep’s performance of Colm Tóibín's acclaimed portrait of Mary is hailed by the New York Times Book Review as “an ideal audiobook,” presenting the three-time Academy Award-winner in “yet another great role.” Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, Colm Tóibín's The Testament of Mary presents Mary as a solitary older woman still seeking to understand the events that become the narrative of the New Testament and the foundation of Christianity.

Siddhartha audio book