Their connection deepens after she encounters Jesus in the cave where she is concealing her writings about oppressed women.

On the very day Ana, age 14, meets her prospective betrothed, the repellent Nathanial, in the town market, she also encounters Jesus, a young tradesman, to whom she’s instantly drawn. Her adopted brother, Judas-yes, that Judas-is soon disowned for his nonconformity-plotting against Antipas. As Ana reaches puberty, parental tolerance of her nonconformity wanes, outweighed by the imperative to marry her off. Yaltha was also forced to give up her daughter, Chaya, for adoption. Her mother disapproves, but her aunt, Yaltha, mentors Ana in the ways of the enlightened women of Alexandria, from whence Yaltha, suspected of murdering her brutal husband, was exiled years before. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and Matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 C.E.

( From the publisher.In Kidd’s ( The Invention of Wings, 2014, etc.) feminist take on the New Testament, Jesus has a wife whose fondest longing is to write.Īna is the daughter of Matthias, head scribe to Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers. 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. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history. 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. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. Ana's pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome's occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. 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. 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.īut Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her-until an encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything. An extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who finds her voice and her destiny, from the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wing s.Īna is raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee.

The longing by sue monk kidd