I became a lifelong fan of Janette Oke from the moment I was gifted a copy of Love Comes Softly as a teenager in the 1980s. Having read every one of her novels since, I can honestly say that the pioneer of Christian fiction has arrived in 2025 better than ever. Mary’s journey moved me. I felt her pain, her loss, her doubts. I related to her personally in her struggles as a woman of faith despite the centuries between us. It was intriguing to view Jesus through not only her life and circumstances, but also through the eyes of the Pharisees, the spiritual leaders who should have known who He was.
The ending was a bit unpredictable, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. The connection between the first century church and the church today is an important one. The story is not over. We look forward to Jesus coming back for us just as they did 2000 years ago. Time may seem long, but God the Father has a plan and is on His own schedule. It is easy to get distracted, but we must keep looking up. In the meantime, we have His Spirit, and, like Mary, we are never alone.
The Pharisee’s Wife is an unexpected treat. I certainly hope that Mrs. Oke will bless us with more books; her continued wisdom and talent are a gift. Whether you are a long-time fan or never heard of her before, be sure to pick up a copy. You will see the Biblical setting of Jesus’ life, as well as our own wait for his return, with fresh eyes.
*I received a complimentary copy of this e-book courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley through Interviews & Reviews. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars all the way for this book! It amazes me how perfectly Janette Oke writes her books! Her use of imagery placed me in the midst of the market, the sanctuary of the Pharisees, and traveling with a caravan.

Mary and her story connected with me immediately. Her devotion to her family is admirable. She endures loneliness, an unhappy marriage, and the loss of several family members. Her journey towards faith in Jesus is inspiring. The servants Una and Ira loved Mary and became her family. Enos is a crafty and undesirable man. There is hope, though, that his heart changed.

The focus towards the end of the book turns toward the return of Jesus. Mary and her family anxiously await that glorious day. As a Christian, I, too, wait for His return. The author's note really reminds those who believe to not give up hope and to be ready for His return.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Pharisee’s Wife is more than just a novel; it’s an exploration of faith’s enduring power in the face of adversity. With its compelling characters, rich historical detail, and a deeply moving narrative, this book will captivate readers and leave a lasting impression.

Full Review at https://www.thejoyousliving.com/the-pharisees-wife-by-janette-oke

When I discovered that I hadn’t read a book by Janette Oke, the author who pioneered Christian fiction, I made it my goal to discover her for myself. I started with When Calls The Heart (1983) at the beginning of this week, and then continued with The Pharisee’s Wife (2025). I’m amazed to discover that Oke is still writing spectacular stories at 90 years old. Furthermore, that she’s stretching her comfort zone and trying a new-to-her genre - biblical fiction.

I appreciated a bird’s eye view of how different communities reacted to Jesus’ arrival, how different groups practicing the Jewish faith interacted with each other and with Gentiles, and how women were viewed in that culture.

Oke is known for her rich storytelling and it flows into this genre, too. I was able to connect with reimagined characters from bible times and still feel their emotional highs and lows. At times, I felt I was in the story, feeling Mary’s lack of purpose and fearing Enos ben Elias’s return.

I was disappointed with Mary’s mother and her attitude toward Mary’s leaving and wanted to step into the story and warn everyone! I had to keep reminding myself of the culture and time. I also struggled with the open-ended threads Oke didn’t tie up and the seeming lack of climax in the story. However, when I read the author’s notes, Oke pointed out that the ripples of Mary’s story haven’t stopped, even in our day. Perhaps this is a good way to start a new year - asking the same questions Oke raises in her narrative.

Oke’s purpose was to share with readers what it was potentially like to live in Jerusalem in 33 AD, what it was like to experience a mixed-faith marriage, know a little more about the Pharisees' beliefs and practices, how to navigate new circumstances and accept new ideologies, and to deal with regret. Her exploration of the final two still apply today. She more than met her goal.

I welcomed the message that Jesus in our midst, whether it be in our hearts or in our community (as it was here), will always cause a stir. I hope I continue to make room for Him and give Him welcome. I appreciated the author’s sense of urgency in her notes to readers.

I was gifted this copy by Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Mary is such a common name in the first century that her husband Enos decides she will be known as Simona. Seems kind of strange to give your young wife a new first name, but hey! Lots of things were different about marriage in the first century. Mary seems like an obedient, nice enough young Jewish girl. She comes across as a little naive, but this makes sense due to her young age and lack of any education. She has heard about the preacher/prophet Jesus, and wonders if he could be the messiah.

Then a Pharisee (one of the devout elite religious establishment) notices her and offers her parents a large sum of money to take her as a wife. I'm telling ya. Not much about marriage in the first century remotely resembles what we would view as marriage. Anyway, she is bored a lot, gets a maid and a lot of fancy new clothes, he is really controlling of her, but it is hard to know if this is weird for the time or not. She becomes pregnant but loses the baby, which makes her very sad. Simona is alone a lot. Turns out Enos is one of the Pharisees trying to bring down Jesus, they believe he is a false prophet and Herod's governor Pilate will have him executed.

Somehow Mary has faith in Jesus, really without much reason, not having heard him speak and just praying to him. It does have a happy ending although Enos is pretty upset when he learns she is a "Jesus follower."

I definitely felt sorry for Simona/Mary, and it was a very good historical/Biblical fiction story, I just felt that the characters, particularly Enos, were pretty one-dimensional. When I was younger, I always heard about the Pharisees and thought they were the bad guys, and OF COURSE if I were there I would be a Jesus follower. But as I have grown older, I wonder if the Pharisees didn't really think they were doing the right thing, they were very devout, religious people like myself. I personally believe Jesus was the best teacher of all time, and I like considering how tales about his miracles and teachings spread across Judea.

A quaint story about a young girl that helps us imagine what life would be like in the first century. This book reminded me of the American Girl doll historical fiction books but about Biblical times.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale for the ARC. Book to be published March 11, 2025.

Oof, this is tough for me to write. Because I wanted to really enjoy a deviation of Janette Oke's norm (or at least what I think of as norm with her Love Comes Softly/When Calls the Heart offerings). However, the more and more this book progressed did I feel that it was rushed and not that well written.

It has potential. Mary is a young girl whose father has heard of the man who heals (yes, Jesus) and they journey to find him. They don't but what has occurred is Mary catching the eye of a Pharisee named Enos. This Pharisee determines to take Mary for his wife because of how she looks and that alone. So he marries her, changes her name to Simona, and has her go through training to be a good Pharisee's wife.

As you might imagine, this does not occur. Enos is driven by his hatred of "the false prophet" whereas Mary/Simona finds herself seeking. She becomes a follower of Jesus, unbeknownst to Enos...and life is never the same.

Neither character is fully fleshed out, especially Enos. <spoiler> if you are expecting a conversion of him as well, this is not it. His desire for riches gets the better of him and yet, while we think he has fallen in with thieves, we are never given those pages. Instead we encounter him about to be crucified and he asks Simona for forgiveness. It felt VERY implausible. </spoiler> As for Mary, well, I found the last quarter of the book was her complaining, or VERY LOUDLY YEARNING, for Christ's return. (Which as this book depicts both Ascension and Pentecost, that isn't happening). Mary was likeable to a degree but she just drove my crazy. All sub characters stayed very one dimensional which was disappointing. I have been reading books geared for elementary school kids that have better character development, voice, and purpose.

This book very much shows how the early days of Christianity (think the beginning chapters of Acts) could have indeed gone down for Christians. However, to me, while this has a scriptural message, it's just not that good. Sigh.

THank you Netgalley for letting me read in advance in exchange for an honest review.

This is biblical historical fiction about a young girl sold to a Pharisee and trained to be his wife. It is a difficult marriage to say the least as he is unkind and selfish. The ending is bittersweet as persecution of Christians has begun. Overall an interesting read that I would recommend. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

I was so happy to see that Mrs. Oak has written another book!
She is what got me into reading books like this. I've loved her since reading Love Comes Softly.
My heart just absolutely cried for young Mary. I really enjoyed in getting to know her and watch her grow into herself.
Enos is or was a very hot mess. I didn't like him at all! Wow! All them Pharasee's were.
This book is a reminder that Jesus is very real and that He does indeed exist
Why Jesus said Blessed are the ones who believes but not yet seen. Mary is perfect example. I won't give away anymore.
This book was such a delight to read that I hated to see it end. I finished it in one evening.
I might also say that I didn't like Mary's mother at first either. I found her to be a pain in my side.
Hope is offered in this story too. It's what I liked about it.
God answers prayers just sometimes not as we wish Him too.
5 stars for drawing me in immediately. I was sad when this story ended. But it does leave you a message worth thinking about.
Will Mary's mother change for the better?
Will you accept Jesus as your savior? I did.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

I scored an advance copy of Janette Oke’s next book, The Pharisee’s Wife. (Thank you, NetGalley and Tyndale Fiction publishing!) The Pharisee’s Wife is about a teenager named Mary. It’s AD 33, the year Jesus died (so she’s not Jesus’s mother, not that Mary). Because Enos, an up-and-coming Pharisee, spots the beautiful teenager and is determined to make her his wife, Mary gets a front-row seat to the turmoil Jesus causes in the Jewish and Roman communities.

Poor Mary, her new husband is a pompous jerk: “He did hope that the upcoming Passover would bring more life back to the city. At least the visiting commoners who crowded the city over the Passover season could be counted on to view the Pharisees with admiration and a bit of envy. That had been missing for far too long.”

The more dire Mary’s situation becomes, the more I became attached to her. What a beautiful character! And as much as Enos is a jerk, I felt sorry for him because he gets himself into such a mess. Oke has a way of doing that, making the reader get attached to and care for her characters.

Oke leaps into non-traditional story structure into this book. In her author’s notes at the end of the book, she says those readers who expect a plot climax (and subsequent denouement) “may find it lacking in this story.” Instead, Oke attempts to point to “the climax of God’s great plan … still in the future.”

In fact, the last third of the book is largely a narrative summary covering decades in time. Children are born, grow up, and have their own children. Parents wither and die. The plot thins to dust and spreads as if blown by the wind in Mary’s desert landscape. The effect of Oke’s narration suggests vastness not only through Mary’s life, but into the centuries that follow, into our lives. In that sense, Oke succeeds in thrusting the story’s ultimate climax into our future.

I’m not sure, though, that readers acquainted with Oke’s plucky heroines, enemies-to-lovers tropes, Canadian/American settings in the 1800s, and happily-ever-after endings will buy into this new type of story. She raises questions that are unresolved at the end. The opposite of a happily-ever-after ending is not a tragic ending but an unresolved ending. What is the purpose of life? When will Jesus return? Will governments around the world ever allow religious freedom?

Even as I type this, I’m still not sure how I’ll rate The Pharisee’s Wife. Five stars for Oke’s ability to connect the reader with the characters in the story and feel their pain and joy? Four stars for a strong sense of time and place due to Oke’s evocative descriptions but with an ending that left me uncomfortable and wanting more? Either way, I look forward to whatever she writes next.

This was my first book by Janette Oke (Yes, I know, I can't believe it either) - but it definitely won't be my last. What a lovely, lovely story. It had everything I was looking for - lyrical writing, a captivating, endearing heroine, wonderful historical accuracy, and a fascinating story. One of the things I really appreciated was that it felt authentic to me - that the heroine was real (not a 21st century woman magically implanted into the ancient world). I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I wanted to know how this would end. Highly recommended and I can't wait to own this novel in print!

So wonderful to have a new title by Janette Oke. Even though the time period it takes place in isn't my favorite, I still enjoyed the book and found it very interesting. Very thankful to read it and review.

Mary, a young Jewish woman, runs into the Pharisee Enos in the marketplace and he determines she will be his wife. He changes her name, directs her training in being the wife of a Pharisee in the upper classes, and demands her submission. As Mary learns more about Jesus, she is frightened what her new beliefs will bring when her husband becomes one of the Pharisees trying to discredit Jesus. Janette Oke provides readers another excellent novel.

THE PHARISEE’S WIFE by JANETTE OKE is beautifully written biblical fiction in which Jesus’ life, death an resurrectiom form the foundation of the story. From the beginning of the book where Mary, together with her parents, Amos and Huldah, is searching for the miracle-working Prophet,to touch and heal her beloved father, through Mary’s uhappy marriage to the angry and prideful Pharisee Enos, whose ambition is to destroy Jesus, and then to His crucifiction and resurrection. His miracles are well portrayed throughout.
Mary, whose name Enos has changed to Simona, is a gentle, hardworking village girl, who has much to learn to make her “worthy” of marriage to a Pharisee……
The struggles of the believers in Jesus become more and more dire after the resurrection, and we see those who are willing to die for Christ. We also see the love they have for one another.
The author has given us a good picture of life at the time, right up to the destruction of the Temple by the Romans.
I cannot recommend this lovely and inspiring read highly enough.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinios in this review are cometely my own.

After seeing Mary in the market, Pharisee Enos is determined to have her as his bride. He negotiates with her father and she is given to him. Before becoming his wife, she undergoes training on etiquette, social norms, and customs of the upper classes. When she is brought before Enos, she is frightened and barely speaks a word. Enos quickly loses interest in her as his money dwindles. Outside of their small circle, rumors begin about Jesus, an alleged prophet with the ability to heal. Enos is sent on a mission to discredit Jesus leaving his wife behind for long periods of time.

While this was an interesting story, I felt that it became way too preachy at the end. I don’t mind reading Christian fiction, particularly when it is presented as a historical novel. However, I like to draw my own conclusions and do not like it when the story becomes too pushy about pushing an agenda. While I’m sure many will enjoy this novel, ultimately it was not for me.

A wonderful book that shows the reality of living as an early Christian believer. It's heartbreaking and sombre but also very real. Enjoyed reading.

This was a great read. As a Christian, it really was thought provoking and insightful. I loved the constant theme of the need for repentance and the all too persistent blindness both in the times of old and now. I also loved that the story didn’t take the turn I would have naturally expected and ended in bouts of reality. I did feel at some point the story was getting a little bit rushed as time lines consistently passed, but all in all, it was a good story once you focus on the main themes.