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kathepaxton's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
This book changed my life. I bought it when it first came out but realized very quickly I was not ready for it. Four years later, I’m grateful it found me again. Every woman I know needs to read this book. Sue Monk Kidd has outdone herself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
dizzyizzyy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Suicide, and Abortion
eeamiller's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
4.75
I read this on the recommendation of my friend, Kim. I have been on a Sue Monk Kidd reading kick, having finished "The Dance of the Dissident Daughter" earlier this month on audiobook. I also read this on audiobook. It started a little slow for me, but I was hooked from the first page when it said it would be told from the perspective of Ana, the wife of Jesus.
I have enjoyed Sue Monk Kidd's nonfiction lately (I'm currently reading "Traveling with Pomegranates"), and it makes me want to go back and read more of her fiction. The themes she explores are the ones that resonate with me right now - spirituality, the divine feminine, women's perspectives and voices.
I admit that as the book reached its inevitable climax (the crucifixion of Jesus), I sort of felt a sense of dread. I have never liked crucifixion narratives or descriptions. Even "Jesus Christ Superstar" is hard for me in the end. I never watched "The Passion of the Christ" because my imagination is already graphic enough - I don't need visual representations. But what moved me the most about the crucifixion narrative was the perspective of the women, particularly their faithfulness in Christ's suffering and when they all gathered together at home after (I think in Bethany with Mary and Martha) and felt a sense of fellowship. It felt very real. Women are always in the trenches in the messiest moments of human experience. They walked with him, kept vigil as he died, cleaned and tended him after his death.
I was puzzled that she didn't really explore the Resurrection, by having Ana leave the day after the crucifixion to return to her ascetic community. But I guess the point of the book was not to explore Jesus' voice, but Ana's own.
I have enjoyed Sue Monk Kidd's nonfiction lately (I'm currently reading "Traveling with Pomegranates"), and it makes me want to go back and read more of her fiction. The themes she explores are the ones that resonate with me right now - spirituality, the divine feminine, women's perspectives and voices.
I admit that as the book reached its inevitable climax (the crucifixion of Jesus), I sort of felt a sense of dread. I have never liked crucifixion narratives or descriptions. Even "Jesus Christ Superstar" is hard for me in the end. I never watched "The Passion of the Christ" because my imagination is already graphic enough - I don't need visual representations. But what moved me the most about the crucifixion narrative was the perspective of the women, particularly their faithfulness in Christ's suffering and when they all gathered together at home after (I think in Bethany with Mary and Martha) and felt a sense of fellowship. It felt very real. Women are always in the trenches in the messiest moments of human experience. They walked with him, kept vigil as he died, cleaned and tended him after his death.
I was puzzled that she didn't really explore the Resurrection, by having Ana leave the day after the crucifixion to return to her ascetic community. But I guess the point of the book was not to explore Jesus' voice, but Ana's own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
lexistwick's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
random19379's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and War
mermaidadjacent's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
I read this book as a teenager and loved it. I was a bit nervous to re-read it because my tastes have changed quite a bit, as has my religion-I'm converting to Judaism. I definitely did find a lot of odd and even anti-semitic inaccuracies scattered throughout the first 139 pages of this book, but none of them were bad enough to make me stop. What made me stop was so egregious I have absolutely no idea how I missed it on the first read.
This author has, for whatever mysterious unhinged reason, decided to depict Jesus as a fucking pedophile. Ana, the protagonist, is 15 when they marry. Since Jesus's age was left ambiguous, I read on for a bit, assuming that he might have been a bit older than her but surely not more than a couple of years. I was wrong. It's not long before Jesus's age is confirmed - he's at least 21.
I don't particularly care that the legal age of marriage in Rome was 12. We all know that shit is sick. Why someone would want to imply that marriage between a 15 year old and a 21 year old is not only acceptable but so freaking acceptable that they'll write about the founder of their religion doing it is incomprehensible to me.
Also, there is explicit sexual harassment and abuse of Ana by Herod in the preceding chapters. I thought their inclusion was strange despite the time period and general theme of rape culture in the book and I should've listened to that instinct. No way could this author have written a sincere and meaningful condemnation of rape culture while explicitly condoning and celebrating child marriage & rape.
This author has, for whatever mysterious unhinged reason, decided to depict Jesus as a fucking pedophile. Ana, the protagonist, is 15 when they marry. Since Jesus's age was left ambiguous, I read on for a bit, assuming that he might have been a bit older than her but surely not more than a couple of years. I was wrong. It's not long before Jesus's age is confirmed - he's at least 21.
I don't particularly care that the legal age of marriage in Rome was 12. We all know that shit is sick. Why someone would want to imply that marriage between a 15 year old and a 21 year old is not only acceptable but so freaking acceptable that they'll write about the founder of their religion doing it is incomprehensible to me.
Also, there is explicit sexual harassment and abuse of Ana by Herod in the preceding chapters. I thought their inclusion was strange despite the time period and general theme of rape culture in the book and I should've listened to that instinct. No way could this author have written a sincere and meaningful condemnation of rape culture while explicitly condoning and celebrating child marriage & rape.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Antisemitism
ehmannky's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you liked Madeline Miller's Circe, I think you'll like this book. It has similar themes of pushing a woman to the center of a previously male-dominated story. I don't think it's *as* strong of a novel as Circe, but it hits on a lot of the same themes and is well-written and well-paced as a novel.
I really liked the depiction of Jesus in this book. Like, a good dude all around and the kind of Jesus I wish we grew up learning about. I personally would like us to have more Jesus stuff centered like this. I feel like... I get being a woman sucked ass for most of all time but I think that like this was just a little heavy on it. Like, I feel there could have been more to have Ana find joy and community in working with other woman doing what is traditionally *Women's work* instead of having her be bad at it eternally. It felt that yes, she was being stifled as a woman who wanted to write, but also it felt very demeaning to the work that all the other woman who aren't ~extraordinary~ do in the novel. Like, for a novel that's all about telling the unsung stories of women (which it does do in some regards), it sure doesn't like...care too deeply about the ones who actually cooked for and clothed the extraordinary ones.
I really liked the depiction of Jesus in this book. Like, a good dude all around and the kind of Jesus I wish we grew up learning about. I personally would like us to have more Jesus stuff centered like this. I feel like... I get being a woman sucked ass for most of all time but I think that like this was just a little heavy on it. Like, I feel there could have been more to have Ana find joy and community in working with other woman doing what is traditionally *Women's work* instead of having her be bad at it eternally. It felt that yes, she was being stifled as a woman who wanted to write, but also it felt very demeaning to the work that all the other woman who aren't ~extraordinary~ do in the novel. Like, for a novel that's all about telling the unsung stories of women (which it does do in some regards), it sure doesn't like...care too deeply about the ones who actually cooked for and clothed the extraordinary ones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
shostakofish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Pregnancy