Reviews with content warning for Slavery - The Book of Longings

Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

18 reviews

lazmataz's review

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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

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saracatalyst's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-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

4.5

I really loved this book! Kidd does a great job of creating a very human character for Jesus and writing a story that feels fresh and unburdened so close to perhaps the most well known story of all time.

Having grown up attending a Methodist church, I was amazed and delighted with the way Kidd’s portrayal of events with which I’m perhaps *over* familiar felt new due to a realness the retellings have never possessed.

Aside from the obvious and overarching tie to Christianity, the story bears merit on its own. Kidd’s extensive research shines through as a solid foundation for the story she creates. The themes of women’s roles in society, religion, culture, and the home carry enough weight that Jesus’s relevance in the story doesn’t completely overwhelm every other aspect. I loved Ana, her many companions, and the unique relationships she had with each of them.

This book is great so criticism feels weird. But at the same time… some of the characters felt a little too convenient to feel totally real. Ana felt like a pretty clear distillation of the author’s view of herself. The complexity for Jesus’s character at times felt like answering what’s your greatest weakness with “I care too much and work too hard.” I felt myself wanting more at times, like the plot was being rushed along through dialogue but I understand that the point was to keep things from Ana’s perspective and she couldn’t be present for every relevant event in the story. The last thing I felt like I wanted was a more three dimensional representation of the society. It felt like as soon as we zoomed out any amount from intimate family interactions, society was just a villain and a bad place to be. Perhaps this is just the way things were, but seems more likely there might have been moments of happiness and beauty that the people would be able to find.

If you’ve read this book and have thoughts, please talk to me!

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feliciaguestwrites's review

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4.0

I wasn't totally sure what to expect from this novel, given its content. But I can happily say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. While a few creative liberties were taken here and there, I think that Sue Monk Kidd did an incredible job of filling in the blanks, crafting a story that we as readers could relate to and a heroine that could be admired. Ana was ambitious, resilient, and courageous, not to mention witty and scholarly, in a time where a woman possessing any of those traits was condemned. As a historian, it was especially interesting to see the influence of feminist theology in her writing. Overall, this was a thought-provoking story with an interesting perspective!

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jwicks's review

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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

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alexbooksandmore's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-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? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. I think the story is captivating, and the writing is splendid (very few books are fascinating because of the writing for me).

This book goes back to the time of Jesus, but the story is not mainly about Him, but about his 'fictive' wife, Ana. We see the whole world through her eyes. I enjoyed the detailed explanation of how people lived back then and their daily activities.
As always, I am deeply affected by the horror things Jesus had to face. All the aggression. And even when I read it, i could see everything so clear in my head..

Another reason i love this book is the questions and discussion topics at the end of the book.. one of the most interesting was 'what would the world be if in the Bible, Jesus had a wife? Would have change the way women are perceived in the world? Or not? ... it kept me thinking and I think is a very interesting subject to discuss.

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