I hesitated to read this one for a long time, but around Easter weekend I finally caved and picked it up. I love Sue Monk Kidd's past works so very much, but the premise of this one bothered me. I just couldn't imagine Jesus with a wife. It was a good read. The only thing missing for me was the supernatural element to Jesus and his life, as well as the fact that He was born of a virgin, chosen to be the Messiah even before conception, and rose again on the third day. I would have loved this book so much if all that had been included. However, I realize that the intent was to give a fictionalized account of the historical Jesus, and this was very well done and unsurprisingly well written.

Fantastic book! What a wonderfully original and imaginative story. The plot is rich and filled with historical context. Anna is an extremely well developed character whose story is remarkably believable. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a story set in the time of Jesus as we follow Ana, his fictional wife. As she grapples with the freedom she desires growing up as a rich girl that was encouraged to read and to write by her father and the expectations of women at her time. When she was marriagable age which is when you get your cycle then her parents start trying to marry her off to an older man with daughters her own age.

There were so many different women in this story and this felt like the story was about the women. About the struggles and restrictions and despair. But also the hope and love and life. The girls sold into marriage, the raped punished for speaking, the banished abused wives, the list goes on -these were all the right of the husband, father and brother and still are in some places. And the slander was encouraged by the mobs. I've read the Bible stories you can talk to a man and you are a fornicater; even if he raped you, it's your fault. They are still saying that now, it's f-ing terrorizing.

To be honest, if Jesus did have a wife he would have been the loving husband described in this story but his calling took him on the road from her as was expected. I believe that it isn't unreasonable that Jesus would have been married as he was a Jewish man in that time, it would have been expected. I would have loved that he had a family but for him to be more divine he couldn't be seen as human like others, he has to be above so I'm not sure if we know all the details, women were superfluous details to men's stories.

Ana might be seen as naive or foolish with all the impulsive actions and the trouble she gets into. Let me remind you this was her life from the ages of 14-21. Omg I was an absolute moron at that age, maybe you made better choices. I just saw some reviews saying she wasn't very mature but she was so young but it was a different time. 

I enjoyed the history and scriptures that followed the same path weaving in a fictional story to give them more humanity. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you @netgalley and @vikingbooks for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This is the kind of book I had to read in small bits. Don’t get me wrong, it was a wonderful story. I simply had to wrap my brain around the fact this book is historical fiction. At times I could totally see this story as the actual occurrence of these events. It is beautifully written and characters developed.

I was extremely hesitant to read this book for the sole reason that I just didn't think I could wrap my mind around the plot. I found that it was difficult, but potentially only because of my extremely religious background growing up. Ultimately, I enjoyed, but not enough to make this a top read for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ARC. all opinions are my own.

Excellent story! This was my first Sue Monk Kidd book and I am a fan! She does a great job with storytelling. In this story, although the content could be controversial, I feel that Monk Kidd's craft of writing is excellent. She navigated the topic with both grace and strength, that I almost believed it was a historical book.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Book of Longings is perhaps the best book I've read this year. Rich with descriptions and intertwining stories of women from the first century, this book is a timeless feminist manifesto.

I love that the author took her time to create this book; four years of research shone all throughout the story, from its settings to the characters' daily lives. We get treated to lush imagery and vivid storytelling.

The characters are fully fleshed out as well. We get to see Ana experience the full gamut of being a woman in that period, and we see stories of other women as well. Some meek, others outspoken, but most of them, like Ana, have been forgotten.

Some reviews found Ana too impetuous and outspoken, but who's to say there weren't any women like her then? To me, her character works.

And then we see her relationship with a certain Jesus of Nazareth. I love how the author carefully crafted their characters. Here, Jesus is not God incarnate. He's simply a person--- and a very young and devout one at that. We get to see their inside jokes and little moments; snippets and vignettes that ultimately shape each of their journeys. We see two young people with their own longings fall in love with each other in the most beautiful and equally heartbreaking way.

All in all, The Book Of Longings made for an emotional, enlightening read. 5 stars.

While the plot of this book Intrigued me, the actual story was boring. I usually love Sue Monk Kidd’s books. This one didn’t do it for me. Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC copy of The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. This book has the reader suppose that Jesus had a wife named Ana. Believing all my life that Jesus had never married, it was a bit difficult to read this. Having said that, this story was a thought provoking presentation of what life was like for women in that time period. Ana was a beautiful believable character who longed for her voice to be heard in a time of male dominated society. I did enjoy this book. It wasn’t a page turner type of narrative, but rather one that made one think of possibility.

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd follows the life of Ana, a woman born in the Galilean city of Sepphoris at the start of what would become known as the Christian Era. Telling her story in the first person, Ana relays her journey from adolescent to aged wisewoman, along the way illustrating the challenges faced by women of her day, particularly those determined to have a voice in a culture where they were largely invisible. Oh, and incidentally, Ana proclaims herself to have been the wife of Jesus of Nazareth.

The work's title, The Book of Longings, describes the heart of this novel perfectly. Throughout Ana's life, first as the daughter of a high-ranking official, then as the wife of a poor carpenter and finally as a member of a community devoted to study and prayer, her obsession is to write. She continually expresses a yearning to pursue her passion in spite of most of those around her insisting literacy is incompatible with her role in society; only her aunt and husband seem to understand her compulsion. Ana's longings are palpable throughout the book, and while she ages and matures, the undercurrent of desire remains constant, never abating.

Having Ana's situation change radically throughout the course of the novel is a brilliant concept; it enables the author to explore multiple aspects of female society while fully developing her main character. Readers consequently get a glimpse of how women of status were viewed as well as those who labored within a poorer community. As the action moves to Egypt, Kidd elaborates on culture in Alexandria, one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the day. From start to finish, she provides rich historical detail, adding minor touches to her canvas to paint a full picture of Ana's life. On a special occasion, Ana's cloak is "dyed scarlet, and not from cheap madder root, but from the rich red of female insects." The street market is "busy with vendors peddling tools, bolts of cheap flax, butchered animals, and stews for the workers." A construction site has "wooden cranes and hoists lifting unhewn stones, men stirring mortar with long staves."

I enjoyed this novel immensely, but found myself irritated by what I felt was a bit of "bait-and-switch" based on its published description. It's billed as centering around the protagonist's partnership with Jesus, but in actuality the two are separated for most of the book and their lives seldom intersect. Ana mentions Jesus's relationship with God, but just in passing and without any real depth. Where one might expect to read about the evolution of Jesus's philosophy, the narrative stays laser-focused on Ana's everyday life as she tends to the family livestock and performs the chores expected of her. She's present for the very beginning and the very end of his ministry, but there's zero interaction with him during the years he was active. The choice to have her married to the Jesus consequently seems unnecessary, a mere hook to raise interest in the novel or to elevate its profile by making it appear controversial. I think this choice harms the book; some readers may start it looking for new insight into this historical figure (and will be disappointed, because Jesus barely makes an appearance), while others may approach it feeling unable to reconcile their view of Jesus, son of God, with a Jesus human enough to have married.

Despite this, it's worth noting that there's nothing in the book that's contrary to scripture. The Bible never mentions that Jesus had a wife, or that he was single, either, but at the time it would have been reasonable to expect a Jewish man to marry.

There's nothing particularly challenging about the themes contained in The Book of Longings, but it's nonetheless superb historical fiction and a great tale of female empowerment, especially for those interested in learning more about the time period and readers who enjoy a feminist take on history.

What an interesting take on religion. I appreciated the creativity that the author used in weaving a story about the marriage of Ana to Jesus. However, the story just didn't work for me. I found the characters too stereotypical and their lives too predictable.
The author, as always has a flair with words and flowing language.

I loved this book, it was one of those that you just didn't want to put down.

I liked the concept that Jesus had a human life with both the pleasures and problems we face prior to the horrific end of the human aspect.

Ana was completely believable, as were most of the other women. Unfortunately, history proves that the men were also terribly realistic. Even to this day, there are plenty (men and women) who are all to willing to push women down whenever they can.

This brought back another favorite book of mine, Two from Galilee.

As usual, Sue Monk Kidd has a delivered a wonderful book filled with great characters and lots of ideas to ponder.

Interesting subject that comes from the heart and captivates the reader. I love when offers offer a unique perspective.

This story was so compelling and written so well. I loved every minute of the "what if" senario.
It is historically probable that Jesus had a wife. This story introduces us to her and her story.
I recommended this book to my book club and it was great for discussion, and reflection.
Highly recommended

Sue Mink Kidd delivers once again.. As always, well researched and beautifully told. Really leaves you thinking....what if Jesus was married?

Acclaimed author Sue Monk Kidd imagines a bold narrative about a fierce, intellectual Jewish woman who is the wife of Jesus. From a young age, Ana knows that she is meant for more, desiring to be a scholar and a voice. Although Kidd is a remarkable writer, I didn't really get the point of this book. To avoid blasphemy, Kidd leaves Jesus out of the narrative as much as possible, so why even have Ana married to him? In humanizing Jesus, she makes sure Ana is not around for any of the miraculous parts of Jesus's story, i.e., his Resurrection or any of his miracles. The story rides the line where it will irk the faithful, bore the atheist, and those in-between may or may not enjoy her thought experiment.

I very much enjoyed this novel and it gave me a new perspective on biblical teachings that had before seemed ingrained.

Features a strong protagonist, yet the story is a little meandering at times. I liked Ana very much and enjoyed following her story, especially how her determination and willpower as a woman during this time in history is on full display. It was a bit weird to have Jesus featured as a love interest at first, and that definitely took some getting used to with the version of him from church studies firmly lodged in my brain, but I eventually got used to it. Although I ultimately did not find this to be quite as compelling as other books that I've read by Kidd, I admire how she has taken such a wild idea like Jesus having a wife and spun it into a fully realized tale that incorporates various other notable historical and Biblical figures.

I am loving this book! I love the way this author really grabs you and you actually feel like you are in that time period and place. I love her descriptions and the characters. I am going to recommend this book to all of the patrons at the library. Great Story!!