Reviews with content warning for Child death - Il libro dei desideri

I randomly stumbled upon this book in the Goodwill bookstore and I was fascinated by the cover art. Upon reading the back and realizing that it was Biblical fiction, I knew I had to read it.

This book was by far and away one of my favorite books I've ever read. The main protagonist, Ana, is courageous and fierce. The author uses Ana's story to explore what it might have been like to be a feminist woman at the time of Jesus, yet she does not shy away from the idea that Ana has desires for things that are expected of her as well.

That is all I will say in the non-spoilery review of this. Just read it.

There are so many things I love about this book, but I'll start with Ana's relationship to the other characters, especially the women. Ana's changing perception of Tabitha throughout her life is my favorite. She goes from dislike to tolerance to considering Tabitha a sister. I thought that there was something so special about that, especially because Ana's dislike of Tabitha mainly stemmed from Tabitha's desire to get married as was expected of her, while Ana sought to escape marriage. As Ana went through her life, bearing witness to Tabitha's rape, later becoming Jesus's wife, she seems to grow a deeper understanding of and appreciation for Tabitha. Yaltha was also a favorite character of mine and I deeply appreciated that whilst we went through so many sadnesses in this book, Yaltha was given the happy ending of an old-age death. She provided so much humor and all the wisdom of a mother figure never given to Ana by her own mother. Ana's relationship with Mary and Salome as a mother and sister figure were also endearing. I cried as they held hands with Ana during the crucifixion and helped her to anoint her husband's body in the tomb.

The theme of found family was especially prevalent. Ana never felt as though her birth parents really cared for her; in fact, their trying to sell her to Antipas as a concubine was proof of that. But Ana was able to find a family who truly did care for her. Yaltha, Mary, Mary Magdala, Diodora, Tabitha, and of course, her husband, Jesus.

I enjoyed reading of Jesus as a human. He was the first to have an open acceptance of Ana as who she really was. He accepts her truth without question. When she says she does not wish to have children, he respects her decision. When she gets pregnant and suffers a miscarriage, he defies custom and comes to her when she is considered religiously "unclean." Ana's relationship with Jesus is a remarkable exploration of the prejudices seen in Christianity and a profound way of saying that Jesus would have accepted everyone as they were.

Ana's relationship with Judas was another point of intrigue. After he betrays Jesus and kills himself, Ana chooses to mourn the version of Judas she knew as a child. She understands that Judas hated Rome more than he loved Jesus, but does not forgive him for what he did. As someone who has family members I love but don't talk to because of differing beliefs among other things, I thought this was a touching testament to how we do feel when people we love wrong us. We choose to remember and mourn the people they were when they were kind.

Ana and Yaltha are a cunning and intelligent pair. Repeatedly, they find ways around the confinements set upon them by society. Their resilience and determination to find happiness in a world which seems to defy is is nothing short of inspirational. As Yaltha says, "Life will be life and death will be death."

For me, the ending was the sweetest part. Ana found a purpose and a happy life with Tabitha and Diodora. She was enough as she was. And I think that message is incredibly important, especially for someone who spent her life looking for her purpose and not knowing what it was.

This book was incredibly well-researched. It was driven as much by Ana's own self-discovery as it was by time. I thought that the character development and world building were well-paced and balanced with each other. I did not feel the need to rush through this book; however, I did feel the need to take my time with it and let Kidd's storytelling unfold.

Content Warnings

jen_sometimes's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

paperbacksandpinot's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

v171's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

What's the book version of Oscar bait? Pulitzer bait? What ever it is, this book is that. It was a very charming story, and emotional at times, but I couldn't help but feel that it was, as another reviewer put it, bible fan fiction. And I don't know that the author would necessarily disagree with that. The authors note was very honest and insightful into her concerns and thinking when deciding whether to write this story, and I found that refreshing to hear. I enjoyed how the characters were written and the over arching story was an interesting one.

But with that being said, I still just can't get over the thought that this was an easy capitalization on creating a feminist bible story, filled with headstrong, flawless women and modern motivations. I'm torn on the purpose of this story. It is clearly centered on Ana, the wife of Jesus, but it is so focused on her that Jesus is not present for the vast majority of the book. He only exists as someone to be, well, longed after off screen (off page?). One might argue that is the purpose of the story: focus on Ana as Jesus already has his own story. But to that, my response would be -- why make it about Jesus at all? What additional insights were we supposed to walk away with by making this a Jesus love story that he was hardly present in?

Would this have been a stronger story if it was not about the bible? No, probably not. As historical fiction, it fell flat because the characters felt far too modern, so maybe the only way to salvage it WAS to associate it with the bible. But I also didn't feel that this story challenged the reader to reconsider how they approach Christian texts. It was literally just bible fan fiction.

Content Warnings

blissofalife's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Told with respect and reverence, this has become a favourite, one I plan to read over and over. Ana is distinctly human, you will surely find a part of yourself in her.

Content Warnings

katieritoch's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

sunnie's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

More...