What I'm Reading || The Book of Longings - Southern State of Mind Blog by Heather

When my friend finished reading The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd and immediately handed it to me to read because she loved it so much, I knew it was going to be a good one! Many years ago I read The Secret Life of Bees my Sue Monk Kidd and absolutely loved it, but hadn’t read anything by her since. The Book of Longings is a fascinating tale of a woman named Ana, who in this historical fiction, is the imagined wife of Jesus. The story follows the timeline of scripture and the tale is mostly of Ana who is an educated woman living in Roman times 2,000 years ago. I found it interesting to learn more about what it was like as woman back then. It tells the story of Jesus as a carpenter and through the eyes of his family. I found it to be very well researched and an interesting “what if” perspective.

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THE BOOK OF LONGINGS

In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything.

Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana’s pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome’s occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history.

Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus’s life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman’s bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers.

You can catch up on all the past books “ON MY SHELF” here!