I was at the beach with my grandgirl Gia this Tuesday, and decided to bring this book along to take some photos on the beach. I thought these broken shells gave it a feel of antiquity, as the sand and the oceans are ancient. To look at the ocean, feeling the sand beneath your feet, is to see and feel the past, the present, and the future, all at once, which is probably why it seems to be so breathtakingly beckoning.
I love historical fiction, yet I've read so few set in this ancient time-frame. I read this book in about 3 days' time and enjoyed every minute of it. This was my first Book of the Month selection, and as I said to them, I picked well and so did you! The Book of Longings really hit that sweet spot for me. It had many themes I enjoy - mainly - a strong female lead (in this case a few) that are willful and independent and break out of the molds set for them.
In this book, the main character Ana, knows herself from childhood - she knows she has longings that go beyond what is expected (or allowed) for her and being a child in a rich household, and being an only child, some of her "whims" are granted to her by her father - such as being tutored to learn other languages and how to read and write them as well - being given papyrus and ink to write upon. She truly comes into her own when her aunt comes to live with them. Her aunt is such a strong character and is truly a woman who has strong longings of her own. She recognizes the spirit of Ana, and tries to nuture her into becoming whatever it is that Ana longs for. She teaches Ana to listen to her longings and to respect and nuture them herself as well. She gives her the "allowance" to be herself, even though the rest of her family are bitter about it. It isn't until her father attempts to betroth Ana against her will that she first spots Jesus by the side of the road, and becomes sort of enchanted by his kindness and handsomeness.
So let's discuss the Jesus aspect. He was in this story tangentially as the husband of Ana, a strong willed woman who spent most of her married life separated from him, be it because of her own perils or adventures, or his agendas of being a prophet and leader of his people, but wow, even the author herself gave pause to this project for many years fearing that it wasn't "the right time" to go there. In the end, Sue Monk Kidd quoted the great Virginia Woolf who said, "Everything is the proper stuff of fiction," giving permission to all writers to go for it, and I'm so glad she did! By making Jesus an actual side character, only "seen" from Ana's perspective, it made him so real as a person, and his character was written as secularly as it could be while maintaining his grace and kindness and putting them to work in practical ways. In this story he does not discuss with Ana the depth of his relationship with God or that he is the Messiah. All of that Ana learns from his disciples and from others, a title that arises while they are separated. The story does depict the crucifixion (as we knew this was inevitable) and those scenes with Ana, Mary his mother, Mary Magdalene, etc. were so harrowing. I truly felt their grief, horror, helplessness, and compassion. It made me cry, and not because of any religious reason, just because here was a beloved man being slaughtered, really for no reason other than betrayal and political reasons. The anxiety and sadness I felt for his family was intense. By incorporating Jesus into this story it did elevate and lend to some of the story plots and it was really done wonderfully well. I would hope that people who are sensitive to Jesus being rendered as such a secular character will see the grace with which his character was portrayed and not be offended by it. I think the author could'nt have done a better job of towing the line between grace and secularism. Kudos on a job well done.
The story is really about Ana, and her longings to be ... a writer, a storyteller, a respected, independent woman, and she becomes all those things and more. To see this evolution is so much fun, and I was in her corner, fighting with her, every step of the way.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction. It was a joy to read and so entertaining, a 5 star read that has sat with me for days and days since I finished it. Now -- go read it!!
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