The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

 genre: historical fiction

Ana's life in Sepphoris, near Galilee, has been one without much to complain about - she has a beautiful home, servants, plenty to eat and parents that, while not particularly loving, have indulged her enough that even though she is a girl, she has learned to both read and write.   Ana, however, wants more from her life than to just stay put and while she is technically allowed to write at home, it is at first discouraged and then forbidden as she grows old enough to become a wife - a prospect that spins all her hopes into desolation.   When she meets the young man Jesus in the market, though, his kind patience and loving eyes touch something in her that won't go away.  Ana's passion for life and determination to tell the stories of those who can't tell them for themselves will lead her back to Jesus and change the course of her life's path for both better and worse.

5 stars for this one.  Five stars for Ana's love of words and desire to have a voice.  Five stars for a fictional narrative about Jesus of Nazareth that is both compassionate and believable, for its respect for the content and ability to suspend my disbelief such that I could believe that Jesus had a wife and that he loved her - and also that she couldn't be enough for him to set aside his mission for the Father.  Five stars for Ana's trajectory - for how she lost herself and found herself and made mistakes and still tried to fix things.  I'm sure there are imperfections but right now I can't think of any that detracted from the story .  Ana is complex and loving, competent and sometimes asks almost too much from the people around her that love her - her expectations and needs for her life are that strong.  I appreciated her fire and determination and, truthfully, found her to be exactly the kind of wife I can imagine Jesus would have had.   I liked learning more about the As a Christian myself, I found nothing here to offend me or distract me from the beautiful story that unfolded.  This is a story about the powerful camaraderie of women, about finding a voice and using it and about how to summon the strength to do the next hard thing.