Amazing story, well-written and researched. Makes you think and imagine, what if. The author treated the subject of Jesus and his crucifixion with delicacy and respect for history.

“I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus of Nazareth. I am a voice.”

The Book of Longings focuses on Ana, a smart, rebellious, driven girl, a writer who wants to be a voice. Sue Monk Kidd is always excellent as showing history in day to day life, we see Ana’s struggles, her triumphs, her longings. While its generally believe that Jesus wasn’t married, it was considered a male’s duty to be married at the time- why would he not have been? This book imagines that Ana meets and marries Jesus when he is in his twenties, a time period that isn’t recorded in history.

I really enjoyed this book- Ana is easy to like and relate to, Jesus is a bit of a selfish ass at times, but also giving and caring, and trying his best to do what he feels is right. He is portrayed as completely human, and while we do see his parts of his life and his death, he is no way the focus of this book. We watch Ana grow, travel, and become sure of herself. We see her struggle with being left behind, to be angry at her husband, to question God.

This wasn’t my favorite Sue Monk Kidd novel (The Invention of Wings!!!) but I loved reading about a woman who wanted to be heard and remembered, and ironically, was completely erased from history. Was Jesus married? We’ll probably never know, but if he was, I imagine it’s someone just like Ana.

It’s the story we all know, but from a new angle, with all the familiar characters brought to vivid life. Monk has a way of bleeding fact which is we=ll research and her own fiction. Loved this book, though probably will be controversial.

This is character driven and not for the faint hearted Christian. But if you're down with imagining non gospel plotlines, I really really enjoyed it. Although I do wish the ending had been slightly different, I otherwise think the setting and feminist overtones are excellent.

This is the story of Ana, the wife of Jesus. This is a beautifully written novel about what if Jesus was married and what if his wife was a strong, beautiful , intelligent woman. In a time when women were basically nothing, Sue Monk Kidd weaves a fascinating tale about an interesting woman who loves to write and has a story to tell. Stories from the Bible are interwoven through the book and told from Ana's perspective. This book will be a great book club read.

This book started very slow for me. I thought the format of the book also added to this process and made it a tad more difficult to read. I praise the author for an original idea. The book was definitely character-driven.

A nuanced, sensitive, and reverent exploration of one of the great WHAT IFs of history. I loved this and discussed it in a special episode of What Should I Read Next.

The Book of Longings is about Ana, the wife of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Honestly, I was disappointed.  I have enjoyed previous books by Sue Monk Kidd.  This book was a great change from her normal style of writing.  Though well researched, it was not appealing to me.

And if you can believe that Jesus was married, then there are some shocking details about his wife, Ana.  I won't elaborate so I don't spoil the shock value should you choose to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I initially approached this book with some reservations. A story about the wife of Jesus? Oh no, The Robe meets The Da Vinci Code. But after reading the author’s note, which is placed at the back of the book, (but I chose to read before embarking on the story), I changed my mind. In this section she explained how she came to, choose this topic, how she researched it, and how she grew to embrace the concept. I suggest readers do as I did, and start with this section.
The story begins like Moby Dick with a simple declaration, “ I am Ana” Her next sentence will thrust you immediately into the narrative: “ I was the wife of Jesus ben Joseph of Nazareth. I called him Beloved and he, laughing, called me Little Thunder.” But lest you think this is going to be a treacly romance, she then tells us,” All my life, longings lived inside me, rising up like nocturnes to wail and sing through the night.“ This in fact is the story of a very modern woman seeking her destiny in the patriarchy into which she was born.
Being a Biblical scholar isn’t a prerequisite to enjoying her story but when you learn that her half brother follows the radical group of revolutionaries called the Zealots and then you learn his name is Judas, knowing the life of Jesus as told in the New Testament gives you an added dimension to your reading enjoyment.
Jesus does not appear early in the narrative. The author gives us plenty of time to understand the world of Ana, politically and culturally. Ana is a rebellious teenager when society will not tolerate young women with minds of their own. Her first meeting with Jesus is accidental but it also fits with what we expect of such a man, kind and a champion of the underdog.
Lest you think a story of a marriage between the leader of Christianity and a headstrong young woman sounds like a Lifetime movie, let me assure you, both characters are presented as complex individuals who support their partner in a loving and respectful way.
The focus of the narrative, however, is on Ana, her struggles, her accomplishments and disappointments. Much of her marriage is spent apart from her husband as he follows his destiny to that fateful Passover week. You will have many questions but they will be answered with a dramatic but reasonable explanation. And believe me, when I tell you I was shaken by the events of Easter Saturday as if the story was new to me.
Sue Monk Kidd took a chance writing this story, but she handled it with such grace I think you will grow to love Ana for who she is, whether she is the wife of Jesus or not.

I am a huge Sue Monk Kidd fan. The Secret Life of Bees is one of my favorite books of all time. And I generally enjoy books that explore "what if" scenarios of well known historical figures - The Red Tent is also one of my favorite books. But this book was difficult for me to love. The beginning started kind of slow. Although I did enjoy the feminist Ana, with her many strengths not custom to women of the time period, her character seemed too perfect and that made her unbelievable and made it difficult for me to completely engage with the book. I rarely re-read books, but I am going to come back to this one and read it again in a few months. Perhaps my current judgement is simply that I'm not in the mood for this story. I hope next time I read it, I will develop a deeper connection or love for the book. I didn't dislike the book by any means, and I absolutely would encourage anyone who loves Sue Monk Kidd or who enjoys these kinds of stories to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Viking and Sue Monk Kidd for the ARC of the Book of Longings in exchange for my honest review.

The books I remember the most are the ones that convince me to think of something established in a different way—they enrich my thoughts and open my mind. This was one of those books. Someone told me recently that though the focus is always on the disciples, it was women who were closest to Jesus. I’m so glad this book exists to convey that closeness and love.

"The Book of Longings" re-imagines the story of Jesus by de-centering him from the narrative: front and center is Ana, a bold Jewish writer with aspirations for change, caught up in political and familial drama that threaten her life. Jesus becomes her kind, devoted husband, but even he can't follow her where she is going. Emboldened by a keen sense of justice and very anachronistic feminism, Ana transcribes the horrors she witnesses against women, joins a commune, becomes a librarian, and rescues her fellow friends caught up in the patriarchy.

I was fully invested in the story for the first half of the book. Unfortunately, Ana began to feel less and less like a real person and more like a feminist caricature. Her speech felt too modern, and her relationship with Jesus a bit too perfect. The pacing also lagged in the middle with many detours in Ana's journey.

I did enjoy Sue Monk Kidd's imagination with the Biblical narrative: she had a clever take on Judas' betrayal and on Jesus' eventual crucifixion. The writing was strong, and as far as I could tell, historically accurate in its details. The author's note at the end was particularly helpful in understanding why the author felt compelled to write the book, and provided fascinating insight on the real Ana and her poem discovered in 1945.

Let me start with the obvious. No school where I live, in the Bible Belt, would ever get away with teaching this novel. I love the story Ana, Judas, and the Aunt. I loved how it relates to biblical history with Herod Antipas and even the character of Jesus. But no one would believe/accept this story line about Christ. The idea that he doesn't KNOW he's the son of God isn't Biblical. Even at age 12, Jesus of the Bible knew he had to be about his "father's business." As an adult, I can separate the two works, but I don't see high school students doing it. And the idea that God is a woman, Sophia, would be considered blasphemous. I think this had the ability to be an amazing story, but someone had to push doctrine instead.

I was skeptical of this book and its subject matter during the first part and almost put it aside. I am glad I didn't. The Book of Longings, by Sue Monk Kidd, is a book depicting the time of Jesus, often concentrating on the hardships of women. Ana, the wife of Jesus, is the strong female character, who had a voice when many other women didn't. This is really her story.

I was very curious about this story and if it would hold my interest. - It did. It is the story of Ana the wife of Jesus, a strong woman who was a feminist for her time. Good story and well written.

I really enjoyed this book. I really liked Ana and how she fought to share her voice. This book has beautiful storytelling. Sue Monk Kidd is a wonderful author.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me a copy of "The Book of Longings" in return for my honest review.

The story starts out a bit slow as readers are introduced to Ana. We establish that Ana is a woman ahead of her time, a feminist with dreams beyond what the time's conventions allow. She meets and falls in love with Jesus and soon the two are married. But simply being a wife is not enough for Ana.

The story takes a more historical look at Jesus rather than the biblical tales and invents Ana as the wife the world never knew. Some might have an issue looking at Jesus in this sense, but I thought it was unique and quite enjoyed it. Those with hesitations because of faith should remember, this is a work of fiction which focuses on Ana's story. We see Ana grow and follow her destiny, while her husband follows his. The story was slow to start, but as Ana developed more as a character it seemed that the story itself picked up its pace.

I think the author did a great job establishing the times, providing historical context to how the land was governed at the time, and how feelings of unrest primed the road for Jesus to emerge as a leader. It was a very interesting look at this period. I imagine that strong women who wanted more have lived through every period of time and "The Book of Longings" did a fantastic job portraying this.

In the end, "The Book of Longings" was an enjoyable book, showcasing the growth of a woman who was ahead of her time.

4.5-5 stars Thank you Netgalley for my free ARC of this book. Sue Monk Kidd has done it again! I loved The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings, and now I add The Book of Longings to my "loved" list. Once again, Kidd has created a strong female protagonist in Ana, a young woman growing up in Jesus's time, a time where a woman was only something to be seen and not heard. For Ana, having a voice and making sure that women's stories were heard became her longing, one that motivated every action she took for the rest of her life.
Yes, in the story she becomes the wife of Jesus, and as a Christian, I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with reading historical fiction that played with that idea. However, for the most part, I feel that Kidd has made it clear that her intent was not to retell the story of Jesus but rather to write a strong piece of fiction about the life of a woman who could have married Jesus and then use only the pertinent pieces of His story to fit into Ana's.
The only issue I have with the story is that my belief in who Christ was and the way I understand Him from the Bible, I had a hard time with his being totally human in a couple of spots. I won't spoil your reading of the book by elaborating.
Overall, I found this to be a believable work of historical fiction because Sue Monk Kidd was able to build characters who we not only cared about but felt could have undergone the events that happened. I will miss Ana and Yaltha and the other strong women we come to know and love in the book. Treat yourself to The Book of Longings, yet another, beautiful work of literary historical fiction by Sue Monk Kidd!

The Book of Longings


An imaginative and intriguing story of a first century woman full of courage and perseverance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Ana was raise in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee. She is rebellious and has a daring spirit. She desires to write about the neglected and silenced women of her times. Unwillingly, Ana is betrothed by her parents an landowning older widower. And then she meets the eighteen-year-old Jesus in the market place.

After the death of her betrothed, Ana marries Jesus and they live with his brothers families, and their mother, Mary in Nazareth

Ana’s pent-up longings intensifies amid the turbulent resistance to Rome’s occupation of Israel. Ana’s brother, Judas, is an active member of the resistance. She is sustained and encouraged by her fearless Aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret of her own. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria with her Aunt, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she ultimately finds refuge in unexpected surroundings.

REVIEW
THE BOOK OF LONGINGS is an imaginative and intriguing first person narrative set in the first century. Ana, is a women who more than anything wants to reach her potential and wants her voice to be heard. Ana’s character is full of courage and perseverance.

I approached this book cautiously, raised a Catholic I personally believe that Jesus never had a wife. But what if he did? Can’t we just imagine that for a while? What would she have been like. What would she think about him. THE BOOK OF LONGINGS is a work of fiction. It is not trying to rewrite history. This is Ana’s story, and she had a quest of her own.

One of the most amazing things I learned from the book was that a hymm written by Ana was actually extracted from a real document, known as the Nag Hammadi text, written by an unknown female author during the same time period.

Sue Monk Kidd’s wring is touching and poignant. She skillfully transports us back in time and I appreciate that she had tried to be true to the historical, cultural, political and religious backdrop. I particularly liked that her author notes identify the key areas in her novel that deviate from the know timeline, the written Word or from accepted tradition.

Kidd is from Sylvester Georgia and is best known for her novels The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin/Viking for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Viking
Published April 21, 2020
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd is the most stunning novel I have read recently. It is the tale of Jesus' fictional wife, their life together, and her life without him. It brings to the forefront both his humanity and the longings of a woman who didn't exactly fit the mold, just as he didn't fit the mold. She watched him die. Her brother betrayed him. Not because he didn't love him, he just hated the Romans more. Life was cruel the, for everyone, not just the Jews. It was worse for them. There were bad people then: selfish, arrogant, jealous, egocentric, just as people are now. There were also loving people, people misunderstood, people who were loyal. We meet them all in this book. I have no words. It was a breathtakingly beautiful book that I recommend to all Christians and non-Christians alike.

I received a free ARC of The Book of Longings from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thebookoflongings