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kmae314's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? No
5.0
Beautiful!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Death, Violence, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexism
Moderate: Suicide, Xenophobia, Torture, and Self harm
lazmataz's review
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: Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Death, Blood, Xenophobia, Slavery, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Misogyny, Violence, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Minor: Abortion, Suicide, and Animal death
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: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Death, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Child death, Torture, Rape, Violence, Grief, and Sexual violence
jwicks's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Animal death, Pregnancy, Slavery, Blood, Death, Religious bigotry, and Grief
kichizibi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Child death, Death, Slavery, and Misogyny
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
danicakvcs's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Murder, Death, Miscarriage, and Child death
Moderate: Slavery, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Torture, Rape, and Suicide
ckrampy's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Rape, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Death, Physical abuse, and Sexism
beccaj11's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
eyedoc's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence
kareseburrows's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? N/A
5.0
"He pressed his forehead to mind and left it there. I think of it still, those moments, that leaning upon each other, the tent our lives made together."
Please note my review contains some spoilers.
Growing up in a strong catholic family, you're almost influenced to never think of or even imagine the possibility that Jesus could have had a wife. You're always told to think of Jesus from a spiritual aspect, to picture a "divine" being and not so much a "human" being, almost as if thinking of Jesus as human steals his connectedness to God and his divine purpose as the Messiah, which I don't think it does. Kidd says in writing Jesus's character, she was drawn to his humanity, which is an aspect of the book I really enjoyed, simply because in catholicism you become so familiar with Jesus's divinity, that seeing his humanness (or Kidd's interpretation of his humaneness) leaves this door open for thinking of him in a new light.
That said, while Jesus is an important protagonist, it's his wife Ana who takes centre stage throughout the book, with her boldness, fierceness, sharp tongue, strength and deep, heartfelt longings. She's a precious, strong gem in a political, cultural and historical time period where a woman's light is constantly diminished and their voices silenced. I think the most powerful longing Ana had was to be seen, loved and understood for who she was, and I think Jesus gave to that to her. While the book moved at a slow pace, the middle of it, the part where Ana and Jesus's marriage builds before they go their separate ways, has to be one of my favorite parts. Not only is there a sweet friendship between them, but something deep, secret and intimate forms there, and only they understand what that something is, both of them outcasts finding this solace with one another. I love that he calls her, "Little Thunder". I cried when, after going 2 years of not seeing him, the first image she has of him is while he's beaten and bloody, carrying his cross towards death.
That said, all around Ana stand these steadfast women, and they all feed off of, and lean into one another. Her Aunt Yaltha is like a beacon, guiding Ana the way her mother never did. I do love that despite not appreciating Tabitha in the beginning, friendship blossoms between them, especially when Ana stands up for Tabitha after she's sexually assaulted and her tongue is cut out for speaking out about her rape. The strong feminist underpinnings in the book are inspiring, and I have to comment on Kidd's writing, which I loved. There's a steady flow to the language that Kidd uses that I feel draws you into the story just as much as other aspects, like the storyline and the characters, and the history.
I think anyone who decides to read this book should read Kidd's "Author's Note" first, because it gives you a better understanding of the story that Kidd is telling. It's good to remember that this is book, with its historical and cultural points, is also that of fiction. It's a beautiful and emotionally gripping story that encompasses female strength, human love, divine love, the power of friendships, faith, purpose, loyalty, betrayal and longing. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and it's become one of my favorite reads.
Please note my review contains some spoilers.
Growing up in a strong catholic family, you're almost influenced to never think of or even imagine the possibility that Jesus could have had a wife. You're always told to think of Jesus from a spiritual aspect, to picture a "divine" being and not so much a "human" being, almost as if thinking of Jesus as human steals his connectedness to God and his divine purpose as the Messiah, which I don't think it does. Kidd says in writing Jesus's character, she was drawn to his humanity, which is an aspect of the book I really enjoyed, simply because in catholicism you become so familiar with Jesus's divinity, that seeing his humanness (or Kidd's interpretation of his humaneness) leaves this door open for thinking of him in a new light.
That said, while Jesus is an important protagonist, it's his wife Ana who takes centre stage throughout the book, with her boldness, fierceness, sharp tongue, strength and deep, heartfelt longings. She's a precious, strong gem in a political, cultural and historical time period where a woman's light is constantly diminished and their voices silenced. I think the most powerful longing Ana had was to be seen, loved and understood for who she was, and I think Jesus gave to that to her. While the book moved at a slow pace, the middle of it, the part where Ana and Jesus's marriage builds before they go their separate ways, has to be one of my favorite parts. Not only is there a sweet friendship between them, but something deep, secret and intimate forms there, and only they understand what that something is, both of them outcasts finding this solace with one another. I love that he calls her, "Little Thunder". I cried when, after going 2 years of not seeing him, the first image she has of him is while he's beaten and bloody, carrying his cross towards death.
That said, all around Ana stand these steadfast women, and they all feed off of, and lean into one another. Her Aunt Yaltha is like a beacon, guiding Ana the way her mother never did. I do love that despite not appreciating Tabitha in the beginning, friendship blossoms between them, especially when Ana stands up for Tabitha after she's sexually assaulted and her tongue is cut out for speaking out about her rape. The strong feminist underpinnings in the book are inspiring, and I have to comment on Kidd's writing, which I loved. There's a steady flow to the language that Kidd uses that I feel draws you into the story just as much as other aspects, like the storyline and the characters, and the history.
I think anyone who decides to read this book should read Kidd's "Author's Note" first, because it gives you a better understanding of the story that Kidd is telling. It's good to remember that this is book, with its historical and cultural points, is also that of fiction. It's a beautiful and emotionally gripping story that encompasses female strength, human love, divine love, the power of friendships, faith, purpose, loyalty, betrayal and longing. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and it's become one of my favorite reads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage, and Death
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape