Book of Longings (Kidd)

The Book of Longings 
Sue Monk Kidd, 2020
Penguin Publishing
432 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780525429760


Summary
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 Wings.

Ana is raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee. 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.

But Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her—until 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. (From the publisher.)