Penguin Random House Sue Monk Kidd - The Book Of Longings cene

From the number one New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings

'Superlative . . . From a writer at the top of her game . . . A practically perfect historical novel' New York Journal of Books

'A bold, imaginative reworking' Sunday Times

'Brilliant . . . Brava!" The Daily Mail

'Fascinating . . . Clever, rebellious Ana is a memorable character' The Times

'I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus.'

Ana is a rebellious young woman, a gifted writer with a curious, brilliant mind, who writes secret narratives about the neglected and silenced women around her. Raised in a wealthy family in Galilee, she is sheltered from the brutality of Rome's occupation of Israel. Ana is expected to marry an elderly widower to further her father's ambitions, a prospect that horrifies her. A chance encounter with the eighteenyearold Jesus changes everything: his ideas and his passion are intoxicating.

Taking Ana on a journey she could never have imagined, The Book of Longings is a glorious evocation of a time and a place where astounding events unfolded, and of one woman's fate when she fights to make her voice heard.

'I kept having to close this novel and breathe deeply, again and again . . . It is a true masterpiece' Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed

'Unleashes the reader's imagination with glorious evocations of extraordinary times and places, allowing our minds to roam . . . Original, challenging, beautiful' Adele Parks, Platinum

'Compelling . . . Ana is a truly wonderful character, strong and inspiring, and her life story so captivating that it swept me along' Good Housekeeping

Over 10 million readers have devoured Sue Monk Kidd's novels. Here's why:

'A wonderful book . . . Funny, sad and full of incident' Daily Telegraph

'Wonderfully written, poignant and humorous' Joanna Trollope

'Masterly . . . A story about empowering women to change the world . . . A remarkable novel' Chicago Tribune