...novelist Sue Monk Kidd takes on this high concept challenge and gives it her best. She does her homework many times over in all directions, digging for and finding many details that paint a vivid picture not only of Jesus the man, but the interwoven intricacies of the natural, political and religious world surrounding Jesus prior to his ministry ... he sense of longing that she creates between these two souls as they endure many forced separations bears testament to the novel’s title and makes for an emotional journey ... Anyone who reads this novel will feel the impending doom inherent in this historic tale. So artfully does Kidd involve the reader with the vibrance and passion of Ana, of the hazard she experiences in a man’s world, of her determined persona and her love for Jesus - that by the time she reunites with her beloved after a long absence...there is little to buffer feelings of loss and tragedy and sorrow ... The Book of Longings is well named, well inspired, and well imagined—a superlative effort from a writer at the top of her game. The Book of Longings is well named, well inspired, and well imagined—a superlative effort from a writer at the top of her game.

... ambitious ... It is clear from the first page that Kidd is courageous in imagining the life of Jesus as a married man. How many authors would take this on? But her painstaking research and artful crafting of setting and character ensures that The Book of Longings is not just an extraordinary novel, but one with lasting power ... Yaltha is indeed a fascinating character, who sees and experiences tragedy but refuses to be victimized ... Kidd’s brilliance shines through on so many levels, but not the least in her masterful, reverential approach to capturing Jesus of Nazareth as a fully human young man in his 20s. One who loves and worships God but also works to support his mother and siblings, and takes a wife whom he loves, respects and nicknames Little Thunder. He is not shocked by or opposed to her rebellious nature or her desire to follow her own longings. Rather, he is drawn to it...The result is an epic masterpiece that is a triumph of insight and storytelling.

Kidd pulls off the challenging feat of keeping Ana’s story uppermost. Other novelists have imagined the human side of Jesus, and some have envisioned him as married. But no other writer has fleshed out a partner who can stand on her own, who is intellectually and spiritually well matched with Jesus ... Many readers may wonder why Kidd skipped over the marvelous acts that Jesus is recorded as having performed. By emphasizing a Jesus who was, as yet, unsure of his path, Kidd gives Ana space to discover her own ... Kidd’s research into first-century Jewish life, along with her vivid descriptions of the villages and terrain, make Ana’s story come alive.

For better or worse, Kidd has succeeded in writing a novel about Jesus’s wife, not Jesus. She also sidesteps the Mary Magdalene controversy by presenting a fully invented character ... Kidd has constructed the plot to keep Jesus offstage through much of the novel. That’s crucial to elevating Ana’s position but tends to reduce her beloved to a really sweet guy with gorgeous eyes ... The period details are fascinating, but the dialogue can feel over-starched ... Pronouncements mingled with casual banter make the book sound like a costume drama trying to find its tone. Also, Ana’s feminist consciousness seems immaculately conceived, wholly uncontaminated by the trappings of her culture ... Confined in Ana’s earnest narration, the story provides no critical distance, no irony, no real thematic ambiguity. Despite its efforts to deconstruct Christian orthodoxy, The Book of Longings insists on its own orthodoxy ... The best historical fiction disorients us by demonstrating the uncanny nature of the past—a world like and not like ours, woven through with strands of ancient DNA. Unfortunately, The Book of Longings rarely confronts us with anything that might challenge our contemporary liberalism.

The scenes at the Nazareth homestead, tableaux of everyday life, were the ones I found most satisfying. In other segments of the book, the emphasis on action and plot can sometimes flatten the characters, overshadowing the complexity of their motivations ... I came to this book to imagine what life was like in the time of Jesus. I walked with Ana, wearing a necklace of lapis beads and a headband of silver coins, into the crowded marketplace in Sepphoris. I sailed with her on a ship from Caesarea into the glittering harbor of Alexandria. I stood by her side when she confronted the guardians of power and force. But, for me, it was in the dusty courtyard of the Nazareth homestead, with the goats and chickens, when the years were slow and peaceful, that I found what I was looking for.

Some things Kidd does very well. She makes you see, hear and smell the world Jesus and Ana lived in ... Despite its strengths, this novel is a forced marriage of mainstream storytelling with the triumphs and tragedies of Jesus’ life ... you can’t feel it if it doesn’t seem real, and The Book of Longings is more the present imposed on the past than a true gateway into its mysteries.

...a daring what-if ... The daughter of Herod Antipas’ head scribe, Ana, narrates her engrossing, briskly paced story in an appealing voice ... Kidd describes a first-century world full of political and religious tensions, which feels simultaneously ancient and freshly awake with spiritual possibility. Ana’s feminist beliefs and pursuits may stretch credulity at times, but the message about the importance of kindness and the power of women’s voices should resonate strongly with today’s readers.

a richly imagined first-person narrative ... Historic and biblical details are balanced by lively dialogue and debates between characters about matters of faith and action. Ana’s ambition and strong sense of justice make her a sympathetic character for modern readers, even if her rebellion against her parents may seem somewhat anachronistic for a woman of her time ... In addition to providing a woman-centered version of New Testament events, Kidd’s novel is also a vibrant portrait of a woman striving to preserve and celebrate women’s stories—her own and countless others.

Kidd skirts the issue of miracles, portraying Jesus as a fully human and, for the period, accepting husband ... A structural problem is posed when Jesus’ active ministry begins—what will Ana’s role be? Problem avoided when, notified by Judas that Antipas is seeking her arrest, she and Yaltha journey to Alexandria in search of Chaya. In addition to depriving her of the opportunity to write the first and only contemporaneous gospel, removing Ana from the main action destroys the novel’s momentum ... A daring concept not so daringly developed.