The Book of Longings: A Novel

I am so in love with this book. It filled me with such a sense of wonder and rightness as I read about the fictional, but oh so possible, wife of Jesus. Ana was portrayed just as I would have loved her to be, had I thought to imagine her. Just as throughout history, there were women who defied being placed in a box of subjugation and less than men, Ana was strong, courageous, intelligent and very much of a early version of a feminist, determined to find a way to pursue her longings of scholarly writings as well as document the injustices of women in her time. Likewise, I was grateful for the portrayal of the very human side of Jesus, which we don’t see very often in literature. The love they have for each other and the respect Jesus has for Ana, not only as a woman, but as a thinker, is how I would imagine Jesus to be. This story is unique and so well written that I felt as though I was taking the same journeys as the characters. The connection of the women in the story, in particular Ana’s aunt, Yaltha, Diodora, and Tabatha, was so heartwarming and lent itself to the subplot of the Devine feminine that Ana searched for throughout her life. This is a book to be kept on the shelf to be read over and over again, each time revealing more of the richness of ancient Judea and these memorable characters in history and fiction.

Sue had me hooked early on & kept me on the line until the end. Wonderful, imaginative, flowing story unfolding at the crossroads of humanity when the training wheels of strict law began to be replaced by the power of unconditional love introduced by Jesus. Although a fictitious setting, we get a feel for the lopsided, backward era of the gaudy rule of men, the suppression of women, the near destitute conditions for most back then, and why Jesus may have chosen that time to intervene. Not that we don’t need help today, but the time was ripe for a bump in our spiritual evolution as we were stuck in a violent, insular world of ignorant laws & lawlessness.

An extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who finds her voice and her destiny, the fictional wife of Jesus.In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, THE BOOK OF LONGINGS (Viking, April 2020), Sue Monk Kidd takes a bold approach to history and brings to life the imagined story of a young woman named Ana, who becomes the wife of Jesus age 15.Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, Ana is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. Ana engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything.Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary in a much more humble abode than what she grew up knowing. Ana’s pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome’s occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. But greater dangers–and revelations–unfold, and Ana finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana’s fate is determined during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history.Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus’s life that focuses on his humanity, THE BOOK OF LONGINGS is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman’s bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her. It is timely and timeless, from a masterful writer.I found myself questioning what I thought I knew about the Bible, the life of Jesus, and wanting to discuss this tale. Plus, I completely identified and felt for Ana, a bright, passionate woman compelled to read and write. It was interesting to me, too, to see just how contemporary a biblical tale can be. There were a few parts in the last third of the narrative that seemed to go on a little too long (for me) and felt a tiny bit cumbersome, but otherwise, the writing was stunning and descriptive, making me feel as though I were right there, alongside Ana.The writing reminded me a lot of Margaret George's work, especially her most recent titles about Nero. You might also enjoy Anna Soloman's THE BOOK OF V (Henry Holt & Co, May 2020) interweaving various time frames and women, but notably Queen Esther from the Bible; also NAAMAH by Sarah Blake about the imagined life of the wife of Noah.L.Lindsay|Always with a Book

The Book of Longings intrigued me from a Christian standpoint and a woman. Monk Kidd creates a fascinating character in Ana and one that I can imagine being deeply loved by Jesus. She also brings to a point that the Jewish faith, at Jesus' time, was often mixed with pagan rituals and traditions as well as a distance God. What was missing for me was the lack of Jesus discovering and revealing his diety to Ana. Jesus longing was not simply ministry but to bring the Kingdom to Earth. That being said, this was a lovely book and well worth reading.

Con su narrativa y su investigación minuciosa, Sue Monk Kidd me transportó a esa época, a esa historia.El libro de los anhelos es un libro en donde los personajes son mujeres poderosas, mujeres adelantadas a si tiempo, mujeres sabias.¡No podía parar de leer!

You don't have to be religious to read and enjoy this book. When I got to the end and read the author's note, I learned the book was actually made to show a life where "Jesus Christ" had a wife - a female figure that would have normally been silenced at that time. So really interesting to learn more about women at the time, traditions, relationships and a nice twist between what is "known" from Jesus' story and a made up (potential and probable) story that blends so well.

Excellent book, well-written and easy to read. It certainly makes you question beliefs that have been told you but now makes you look again to scripture.

The Book of Longings was selected for our in-house book club to read and I heard good things about it from friends who had read it but I personally have read or heard nothing else about it.  As I usually enjoy well-researched biblical fiction, I bought it and read it over several days.  It has the potential, I think, to be controversial and possibly has been in various media but, as I have stated, I would be totally unaware of that.  I came to it with no bias.This is the story of Ana, daughter of Matthieas, head scribe and counsellor to Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea.  She grew up in a grand house in Sepphoris in the first century with her parents, her adopted brother Judas, and later, her aunt, Yaltha, her father's sister, who came to them banished from her home in Alexandria by her older brother, her only child taken from her, after being accused of poisoning her abusive husband .From the beginning, Ana has had an aptitude for languages, writing, and studying.  She has begged her father to have a tutor after teaching herself Hebrew and has studied the stories of matriarchs in the scriptures and written them out on "scrolled papyri, parchments, and scraps of silk" which she treasures in a carved cedar chest in her room.  Telling the stories is her longing from deep within; it is her talent.  It is a talent her father indulges and her mother despises.  In an attempt to turn Ana from these activities, a playmate, Tabitha, is brought into the home in whom Ana at first sees nothing they share.  However, they do eventually find a common ground and form a firm friendship.  A friendship which will turn them both into outcasts of sorts.Ana's life is told in 5 sections.  It begins in Sepphoris from 16-17 CE when her aunt, Yartha, has come to stay with them and opens Ana's mind with her stories of Alexandria and of a Jewish community of philosophers called the Therapeutae.  A brief encounter with Jesus in the marketplace where her parents are selling her into an unwanted marriage with a man she loathes begins a connection that becomes a part of her longings.  Kidd uses the biblical story of Jesus saving a woman from stoning as the means of Jesus rescuing Ana from a violent crowd which then results in Jesus asking for her hand in marriage.The story continues with Ana's life with Jesus ben Joseph of Nazareth from 17-27 CE, a time of great happiness despite a spiteful sister-in-law, disapproving brothers-in-law, and for a long while, an inability to obtain materials with which to write.  Also, as the oldest son, Jesus is often absent finding work in order to support the family.  Ana is reunited with Tabitha who has found refuge with Jesus' friends in Bethany, Mary, Martha, & Lazarus.  Eventually, Jesus is certain of his call to the ministry and Ana, who hears Herod is after her, accompanies her aunt to Alexandria where Yaltha hopes to find her missing daughter.Kidd's research seems to me flawless and her story very compelling.  It contrasts Jesus attitude towards women with the common culture of the times and his relationship with Ana is touching, full of compassion.  The confusion of the many gods and temples in Alexandria and the one God of the Jews must have been a very real one for young women just as the conflicting purpose of Jesus' mission with that of the Zealots of whom his brother-in-law here was very real.I had a bit of a problem with the portrayal of Jesus as not being aware of his divinity and being unclear of his calling for a time and also of having no recognition of John the Immerser as his own cousin.  But as Kidd says in her Author's Note,It was clear to me from the beginning that I would portray Jesus as fully human. I wanted the story to be about Jesus the man and not God the Son, who he would become.and keeping in mind this is a work of fiction, I'm willing to allow a little latitude.The story of Ana continues 30 years beyond the life of her beloved husband to when she is now the leader of the Therapeutae where she retreated after the crucifixion.  It is told briefly, with sensitivity and joy.  The story of Ana is told with exquisite writing and great detail as to the historical facts and the cruel treatment of women as chattels and sex objects to be abused and denied freedoms and education.  It is a journey of triumph over obstacles and oppression for the women and an imagining of the very human side of Jesus of Nazareth.

Beautiful book and a wonderful tale, I couldn’t put it downI’m going to miss it or have to read it all over again ..