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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5/5
I did not expect to enjoy this story so much but it has turned out to be one of the best books I’ve ever read. This is told from the perspective of Ana, the fictional wife of Jesus, and chronicles her life and poses the question of how different the world would be if Jesus did, in fact, have a wife and her story, like most women’s, was buried.
Sue Monk Kidd weaves an intricate and important story. I loved that is was told from a historical perspective but didn’t lessen the importance religious belief had on the narrative. The portrait painted of Ana’s experiences as a young girl, adulthood, and through the crucifixion of her husband are poignant and detailed and some of the most intriguing pieces of writing I’ve ever read.
The relationships between Ana and the other women in her life were particularly interesting and heartwarming to read about and the camaraderie we see in how they work together against beliefs of women at the time were extremely empowering. I worried I would get bored, but as the story covers such a large portion of time it is very fast-paced and there were plenty of heavy and riveting scenes to keep me engaged.
Most people do not read the author’s note so I’d like to include this small portion from this one that felt particularly strong to me and, I won’t lie, definitely made me cry:
“The day Ana appeared, I knew one thing about her besides her name. I knew that what she wanted most was a voice. If Jesus actually did have a wife, and history unfolded exactly the way it has, then she would be the most silenced woman in history and the woman most in need of a voice. I tried to give her one.”
And give her one she did.
I did not expect to enjoy this story so much but it has turned out to be one of the best books I’ve ever read. This is told from the perspective of Ana, the fictional wife of Jesus, and chronicles her life and poses the question of how different the world would be if Jesus did, in fact, have a wife and her story, like most women’s, was buried.
Sue Monk Kidd weaves an intricate and important story. I loved that is was told from a historical perspective but didn’t lessen the importance religious belief had on the narrative. The portrait painted of Ana’s experiences as a young girl, adulthood, and through the crucifixion of her husband are poignant and detailed and some of the most intriguing pieces of writing I’ve ever read.
The relationships between Ana and the other women in her life were particularly interesting and heartwarming to read about and the camaraderie we see in how they work together against beliefs of women at the time were extremely empowering. I worried I would get bored, but as the story covers such a large portion of time it is very fast-paced and there were plenty of heavy and riveting scenes to keep me engaged.
Most people do not read the author’s note so I’d like to include this small portion from this one that felt particularly strong to me and, I won’t lie, definitely made me cry:
“The day Ana appeared, I knew one thing about her besides her name. I knew that what she wanted most was a voice. If Jesus actually did have a wife, and history unfolded exactly the way it has, then she would be the most silenced woman in history and the woman most in need of a voice. I tried to give her one.”
And give her one she did.
medium-paced
Although he's not the main character, Jesus shows up in the novel! This is a great story with engaging characters. You might recognize some of them from another great book.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A decent historical fiction but the theology was awful and done using Tik-Tok heresy (theology) ignoring the original material.
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
I don’t know what I can say about this book to truly do it justice. The Book of Longings is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. I can’t believe how long it took me to pick it up. The writing is breathtaking. I thoroughly enjoyed the depiction of Jesus’s humanity, and was completely enraptured by the story of Ana. I was also left feeling overwhelmingly grateful to not be alive as a woman during this time period. If you’ve been hesitating to pick this one up, don’t put it off any longer!
It’s hard to put into words how I feel about this book. It was not a story that was a page turner, or one that had me flying through the pages. It is a story to be savored. In a way, because it includes many events from the Bible, it is a story that we already know. But for the book to be from the fictional Ana’s perspective brings about a beautiful book of biblical feminism. Growing up and going to Christian school I didn’t realize how deprived of female Bible stories we were. The writing here is just gorgeous. Multiple times I was brought to tears because I was so moved, even when the events were not necessarily “sad”. What a gorgeous story about the longing inside all of us to have our voice heard while we are on this earth.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
2.5 stars
What I appreciate about this book:
1. The research involved and how life during that time was depicted
2. Showing how the man Jesus could have lived.
3. The idea of the story
Personally I don’t believe Jesus is god and so that aspect of the story doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t matter whether he had a wife or not, IMO.
What I find disappointing about this book:
1. The character of Ana - she was not impressive at all. She used people and was pretty stuck on herself.
2. Conveniently, Ana is not a witness to Jesus’s life as “messiah “
3. Ana doesn’t seem that affected by her supposedly great husband.
What I appreciate about this book:
1. The research involved and how life during that time was depicted
2. Showing how the man Jesus could have lived.
3. The idea of the story
Personally I don’t believe Jesus is god and so that aspect of the story doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t matter whether he had a wife or not, IMO.
What I find disappointing about this book:
1. The character of Ana - she was not impressive at all. She used people and was pretty stuck on herself.
2. Conveniently, Ana is not a witness to Jesus’s life as “messiah “
3. Ana doesn’t seem that affected by her supposedly great husband.