The Book of Longings follows Ana, a young women in an affluent Jewish home who is struggling with the bonds of what it means to be property of her father only to be married off to an old stanger to bring “a good match” to the family name. She wants desperately to write and tell the stories of women in similar conditions to her own. When her path crosses Jesus, she is entranced and the trajectory of her life changes.
I will say I went into this one with an equal measure of curiosity and skepticism. As a historical fiction novel, I was very interested in the life of a woman in the era of Jesus. As a religious or spiritual text, I was slightly concerned that a recounting of Jesus’s “wife” would be blasphemous or uncomfortable to read. Truth be told, I took it more as the former and while there were glimpses of Jesus’s final passion, the story was more focused on a headstrong woman of the time.
I enjoyed her life and the journey she was on to find out who she was and her mission. Seeing Judea and Egypt of the time was interesting, although not much there that was unique that engaged me in a way I hadn’t before. I’m not sure I enjoyed the read as much as I enjoyed anticipating the read while it was on my shelf. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
What’s a book still staring at you from your TBR shelves waiting to be opened?
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