“An extraordinary novel . . . a triumph of insight and storytelling.” —Associated Press“A true masterpiece.” —Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed An extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who finds her voice and her destiny, from the celebrated number one New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of WingsIn her mesmerizing fourth work of … Bees and The Invention of Wings
In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She 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. 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. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate 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 a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers.
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Sue Monk Kidd left me breathless with this story! What a gift she has for writing and researching!! Couldn’t put it down…
An impressive layering of imagination and historic research to provoke a realistic look at figures of great importance to Western civilization.
dreadful
I was a little hesitant to read as I am a Christian pastor. A beautiful fictional story.
Thought-provoking and interesting details of what a young girl’s life was llike in the time of Christ….certainly an interesting suggestion of what might have happened before Jesus embarked on his journey to save the world
A realistic story of a woman who won’t be pigeonholed, who meets a man who thinks the same way- Jesus Christ. A lovely story of life, sacrifice and self respect.
When I first read about this book, I was uncertain … as a “cradle Catholic”, it felt not quite right somehow. But I am so glad that I read this story! Moving away from my Catholic understanding of the life of Jesus, and reading this purely from the perspective of historical fiction helped me get started. By the end, the perspective I had of Jesus’ humanity was renewed. But the real story is about Anna, and she is absolutely the perfect person to be a wife to Jesus. Her story was indeed wonderful!
For many years it’s been speculated that Jesus was not a bachelor, but had a wife. In this imagined life of the woman who shared his life, we find a fierce soul who wanted nothing more than to leave her mark on the world. I think we can all relate to that.
This is another wonderfully written book by Sue Monk Kidd. The story centers on Ana, the fictitious wife of Jesus. Kidd’s superb writing immerses you into Ana’s ancient world quite realistically. She explains her lifestyle, friendships, even introduces a community of male and female Jewish philosophers that truly existed back then, the Therapeutic. I loved her descriptions of the time period and her depiction of Jesus and Ana.
I give four stars instead of five because I was disappointed in Ana’s story.
I expected more of Ana’s reactions to the events in Jesus’ life. I understand this is her story, but I grew anxious at parts I knew were coming only to see the story turn away from the event. For example, I couldn’t wait to see how Ana reacted to Jesus’ first miracle, but Anna left before the wedding. I also was excited to read what her thoughts would be when people first began calling Him the Messiah, but Kidd evaded these scenes, too. And my biggest disappointment was the way she presented Jesus’ resurrection to Ana.
Having said this, I truly enjoyed this novel and believe it is well worth a read.
I felt like I was taken back thousands of years to a time that could have really happened that way. I liked the way she portrayed Jesus.
This book imagines that Jesus has a wife named Ana and dives deeply into her life. I loved stepping back into what life was like for women in that era, and it caused me to ask myself a lot of philosophical questions. Some people will definitely NOT be comfortable with a book focused on Jesus’s humanity over his divinity, but I loved the reflection it provoked for me, and I while I think the author took a few shortcuts around issues I’d like to have seen Ana grapple with, I found the story really engaging. Very thought-provoking.
Excellent book and very original. It makes one think about what Jesus life outside his teachings. So much of his life is shrouded in mystery, but Sue Monk Kidd did amazing research and makes one think, what if? Beautiful story.
Trite retelling of the gospels.
I would love to read the final third of the book. My download was defective and and does not open the last third of the book. Supposedly the old download was removed and I was to receive a new one. So far it hasn’t happened.
What I read so far is rightly called a masterpiece. I might never get to finish it
This was a great book that kept you interested the whole way through with the various plots and main characters. We read it for our book club and everyone had an opinion and gained insight and awareness of the plight of slaves.
Ana, the main character endured much and was a strong female in this Biblically based novel.
These are the type of stories I love to read. I hope I can see your work in NovelStar. There are also a lot of talented writers in that platform. You may check their group on Facebook.
“The Book of Longings” is a brilliantly told love story, opening up for us the tumult and passion of the world where a young 18-year-old named Jesus did carpentry and won the heart of Ana, our young heroine. Could Jesus have a wife? In this adventure, sure, he does. Monk captures well the politics and lifestyles and daily foibles of first-century Nazareth.
The saga is utterly engaging, and I enjoyed the audiobook performance by Mozhan Marno. However, like just about all Christians, it’s my experience that the story begins with five stars and then abruptly loses two of them right in the final quarter when we realize Ana’s young husband is a really caring spouse, thoughtful and solicitous . . . and nothing more. That’s it. Girl meets nice boy, nice boy decides to embark on a two-year mission trip, he gets in trouble, he gets betrayed, he gets killed, the end.
It’s perfectly appropriate for Monk to make the plotline choice to focus strictly on Jesus’ human side. And that part is told brilliantly. But as the Christian reader/listener expects there to be a miracle at the wedding at Cana, lepers healed, the blind getting their sight restored – no, there’s nothing. This Jesus doesn’t do any of that. For the entirety of what we would call the Savior’s years of ministry, Ana’s not even around. This itinerant prophet ditches her, then wanders in the wilderness with close followers who are enthralled with his messianic ideas, but nothing comes of it. I can’t help but think the love story would have been so much more – it would have been TOWERING – if a married Jesus of Nazareth had healed the sick and raised the dead and had a willing bride join in the sacrifice of her beloved as the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.
You can forgive this way of approaching the story, because hey, it truly is a laudable achievement. Still, I can’t help but think of an opening line from “Jesus Christ Superstar” where a disillusioned Judas plaintively observes: “Nazareth, your favorite son should have stayed a great unknown. Like his father carving wood; he’d have made good.”
Could have been so much better.
I never thought an alternative version of Jesus’s life could be so compelling or so feminine-oriented. Truly impressive!
Raised in a wealthy family in Galilee, teenage Ana is unusual. Unlike her peers, she is highly educated for a girl of the times. She is expected to marry an elderly widower to further her father’s ambitions, but a chance encounter with the eighteen-year-old Jesus of Nazareth changes everything. She marries Jesus and goes to live with his poor family. This is a riveting, well-researched, and credible historical novel about the times that changed Western Civilization forever. A surprising and thought-provoking read.