The Book of Longing by Sue Monk Kidd

 I heard an interview with Sue Monk Kidd and was very impressed by her spirituality and humility. She spoke about researching and writing this book, and it intrigued me to learn more. The premise is that Jesus Christ had a wife, and this is her story. I enjoyed Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees so much that I assumed this would be as good.

Well, I was wrong. The characters in Bees are so alive and engaging! The characters in Longing are one-dimensional. Kidd's impressive writing skills are not in evidence either; I never paused and thought, that is a great sentence or a beautiful image. That was disappointing.

However, the story was interesting, and the context that she drew around the characters reminded me of why I enjoy the video series THE CHOSEN so much. The circumstances and context really enriched my understanding of what could have happened to bring certain people together. This novel also created a vivid image of what life in ancient Israel may have been like, both for the rich (during Ana's youth) and for the poor, after she moved to Nazareth. The book also describes life and culture in Egypt, and the feminist perspective is so interesting. In Egypt, Ana had more opportunities and even enjoyed a visit to a library. The story of how women lived and how few of them had any reading or writing skills was fascinating. 

Another interesting aspect was that of the culture of the Therapaeuta (sp?), a place for Jews that was like a monastery for Jews in Egypt. The description of life there was fascinating, and that is based in history. 

I sent the book off to Leslie Polson today and it will be interesting to see what she thinks. I always like historical fiction to learn about different places and times. I wish this one were more compelling, but it's still a nice summer read. And it does fit with my belief that Jesus very well could have had not only a wife, but a sense of humor...